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Montería is an inland city in Colombia’s Caribbean region and the capital of the department of Córdoba. It’s the ranching capital of Colombia and the home of the sombrero vueltiao, a national symbol. There’s really not much of interest to tourists, but we found it to be clean and friendly with lots of good restaurants.
History
Montería was founded on May 1, 1777, as San Jerónimo de Buenavista. The name never really caught on and it was always commonly known as Montería. The city has a very diverse population, with a mixture of indigenous Zenú people, descendants of African slaves and Spanish colonizers, and more recently Arab immigrants from Syria and Lebanon.
Airport
Montería is far from most cities in Colombia, and the best way to get there is to fly. Los Garzones International Airport, which is located to the north of the city, has flights from Bogotá, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga, and Medellín (as of March 2024).
Hotel Santorini Loft
We stayed at Hotel Santorini Loft, which is located in the city center. It’s only a few blocks from the main plaza and only two blocks from the Ronda del Sinú.
The hotel has spacious and comfortable rooms with excellent air conditioning, a friendly staff, and a restaurant on site. We only had breakfast there, which was mediocre.
While the hotel was excellent, there’s really not much around in terms of food. It’s best to take a taxi to the entertainment zone (Zona Rosa), which is in the northern part of the city.
Getting Around
The city center is easy to navigate on foot. As I mentioned, if you’re staying in the city center, you’ll need a taxi to get to the entertainment zone.
Sports
Montería has both a baseball and football stadium. Jaguares de Córdoba play football at Estadio Jaraguay. Leones de Montería play in the Colombian Professional Baseball League at Estadio 18 de Junio.
Climate
The city has an average annual temperature of 27 °C (80 °F) with moderate humidity. When we visited in June, it was painfully hot and humid. Several locals told us that June experiences the worst heat of the year. If you decide to go, it’s best to go outside of June.
