Backpacking in Colombia and need to figure out how to get from Cali to Medellin or from Medellin to Cali? I got you. In this post, I’m going to cover all of the ways you can travel between Cali and Medellin including taking the Cali Medellin bus.
Behind Bogota Medellin and Cali are two of Colombia’s biggest and most important cities. Many travel here to learn Spanish and/ or Salsa. As Cali is one of the most important cities in the world for salsa you would be crazy not to take a dance class or two there.
I have personally studied salsa, bachata, and Spanish in both Medellin and Cali and you can read about my experience dancing in Medellin here, learning Spanish in Medellin here, and learning Spanish and salsa in Cali here.
Did You Get Travel Insurance Yet?
The Insurance companies I recommend are Hey Mondo, Safety Wing, and Travel Insurance Master
Hey Mondo is great if you are looking for a great value flexible policy. They offer single-trip cover, annual multi-trip cover, and long-term travel cover. Safety Wing is great value, with monthly coverage starting at $39. It’s super easy to use, and it just renews each month. I currently use them as they offer me free cover for my son as part of my policy. I also use Travel Insurance Master for short trips.
Read my full travel insurance post here, where I go into detail about all companies.
Distance From Cali to Medellin
The official distance from Cali to Medellin is 420 km. The journey time is around 7.5 hours, although on a bus it is a little longer, so expect to be traveling around 8 hours to be on the safe side. I took the night bus and it took me 8 hours.
Flight time from Cali to Medellin is 1 hour and 5 minutes and there are over 10 flights each day.
Some things to be aware of when traveling on the Cali Medellin bus:
They will walk through the bus with a camera filming everyone. This is for security reasons, be happy they do this.
Your bags will be safe under the bus and they will give you a ticket you must produce to collect your bag.
You may be asked for your passport at some point on your trip. Don’t worry about this, think of traveling between departments in Colombia like traveling internationally. They just like to know where people are traveling. It’s totally normal.
The bus will almost always make a stop halfway, whether it is a 3-hour journey or a 12-hour journey.
Most of the buses now have wifi and plugs for charging, but you may need to get on the floor to find it under your seat!
Need to book transportation in Colombia?
I highly recommend booking all of your Colombia transportation with GottoGo. You can search for buses, shuttles, ferries, and Flights on their website. What I love most about them is their customer service. I know these guys personally from my time living in Guatemala and they really do look after their customers. So if anything happens and you get delayed and miss your bus, you can just call them and they are always there to help.
If you book through them you will pay a little more than if you book in person at the bus station. But it’s worth it for the ease and security in my opinion. Click here to search for transportation in Colombia.
Some things to be aware of when traveling by air in Colombia:
If you find a cheap flight with one of the budget airlines be sure to check the cost of checking in a bag. Do not take any chances with the weight or size of carry-on luggage as they will almost certainly weigh and measure your bag. Viva Air is the same company as Ryan Air so they will go out of their way to try and get money out of you! This means you need to read all of the terms and conditions and comply, print off your tickets, etc.
Booking and paying for tickets on one of the Colombian airline’s websites isn’t possible with an international debit card. I found this out the hard way! You can use an international credit card to pay, but if you don’t have one you will need to select the option to pay using Efecty. Once you select this payment method you will be emailed a code and have a limited amount of hours to pay, normally 12. You then need to find your closest Efecty and pay in cash for your flight there.
Anyway on with the main purpose of this post, to help you travel between Cali and Medellin!
How to get from Cali to Medellin
Cali Medillin Bus
Personally, I prefer to take the bus than fly as air travel is often a bit of a pain. Plus if you are on a budget and need to check a bag then the prices can increase drastically. As the journey between Cali and Medellin by bus takes 9 hours I would recommend taking a night bus. That way you can make the most of your time and save money on accommodation… win-win!
Bus travel has changed a lot since I was last in Colombia and the buses are not only far more comfortable but shock horror, they now seem to run on time! This totally threw me as you used to have to add on 4 or 5 hours to the journey, but not anymore.
For this reason, if you decided to take a night bus from Cali to Medellin I would recommend getting the bus after 9 pm. I got the 8 PM bus and I arrived at 5 am and had to just hang out in the bus terminal and wait for a reasonable hour to turn up to my hostel.
The bus companies that currently operate the Cali to Medellin route are:
Expreso Bolivariano – 08:00 10:00 20:00 21:30 23:00
Empresa Arauca – 6:30 11:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 21:00 22:00 23:00
Flota Magdalena – 21:00
Expresso Trejos – 09:30 11:30 21:00
Taking the bus from Cali to Medellin is very easy. When you arrive at the bus terminal in Cali head upstairs to buy your ticket. I personally wouldn’t recommend booking through Busbud as they don’t have all of the bus companies on there, they add on an extra fee, and you have to find a printer to print the ticket as they won’t accept it on your phone. But you will need to decide which company you want to book with before you go as you will need to visit their kiosk to buy your ticket.
I personally always travel with Bolivariano whenever I can as in my experience they run on time, they have a lot of legroom, the seats are very comfortable AND they recline right back. On all of the Colombian night buses I’ve taken with them, I have had no issues sleeping. If they are full then just go to one of the other companies. With so many companies operating on this route it’s unlikely you won’t get on one of the night buses. But I’d always advise getting there between 7-8 pm if you want to be on the safe side!
Be aware there are two bus terminals in Medellin, Medellin Northe and Medellin Sur. If you are staying in El Poblado and you have a choice, try and go to the south terminal as it’s closer for you.
By Air
Many people choose the fly from Cali to Medellin rather than sit on a bus for hours. There are multiple flights a day and sometimes you can find a flight for less than a bus ride! But if you have a big backpack you will need to check in this can double the cost.
There are two airports in Medellin, a small one in the city close to the south bus terminal which has a limited amount of domestic flights. Or the main international one which is not actually in Medellin but in Rionegro about an hour outside of the city. This is the one you will likely fly into.
The best way to book your flight from Cali to Medellin is through GuateGo. They do charge a small booking fee to cover their expenses, but it makes life so much easier! You can check the times and book your bus to Medellin ahead of time without having to go to the bus station the day before. Or if you prefer you can just turn up and get a ticket. You can check the times and prices of the cali to Medellin bus here.
To get to Cali airport from the city center you have 2 options:
Option 1 – Take the bus
The cheapest way to get to Cali airport is by bus. Just head to the main Terminal de Transporte in Cali and ask for the Aeropuerto Bus. The bus is very easy to use and only costs $7,000 COP. From the bus terminal take a secure taxi to your accommodation.
Option 2 – Taxi or Uber
A taxi from Cali airport to the city center should cost between $50,000 and $70,000 COP depending on where you are going. There is almost never a long wait for taxis and they are safe to use. You can also use Uber, but just be aware there is still a little tension between Uber drivers and Taxi drivers. You will need to act like the driver is a friend and get into the front seat of the car.
To get from Medellin airport to the city center you have 3 options:
Option 1 – Take the bus
You can easily and safely take a bus directly from the airport to the San Diago Mall. From there you can safely take a taxi to where you want to go in Medellin. The bus will cost $10,000 COP and a taxi to Laureles or El Poblado should be around $10,00 COP.
Option 2 – Shared Colectivo
This is another great option. The colectivo prices can vary a little but generally, it will cost around $17,000 COP. The colectivo will drop you off at San Diago mall and from there you can take a taxi to where you need to go. The cost is per person, not per ride and they will only leave once the car is full.
Option 3 – Taxi or Uber
A private taxi or Uber from Medellin airport to the city center will be around $80,000 COP. It’s the most convenient as it will take you door to door and you won’t have any waiting. But if you are on a budget this might not be your best option
Option 4 – Rent a Car
I really wouldn’t recommend this, but it’s an option if you prefer to drive yourself.
Option 5 – Private Driver
If you are feeling a little nervous and traveling alone then why not arrange for a Colombian Buddy to come to pack you up? You can make the most of your travel time by quizzing them on everything you need to know about your trip!
How to get from Medellin to Cali
Ok, so this is pretty much as above but in reverse.
By Bus
Remember there are 2 bus terminals in Medellin. So make sure when checking the bus times you are looking at times for the right terminal.
You can search for buses using the official Medellin Bus Terminals site here.
There are lots of companies operating the buses between Medellin and Cali. I personally always choose Bolivariano.
The journey between Cali and Medellin by bus takes 9 hours so I would recommend taking a night bus to make the most of your time and save a night’s accommodation. I would recommend getting the bus after 9 pm. So you will arrive in Cali at around 6 or 7 am.
The bus companies that currently operate the Medellin South Bus terminal to Cali route are:
Expreso Bolivariano – 09:00 20:00 21:00 21:30 23:15
Expresso Palmira – 22:00
Empresa Arauca – 05:30 07:30 09:00 10:30 12:00 14:00 16:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00
When you arrive at the bus terminal in Medellin decide which company you want to book with and visit their kiosk to buy your ticket.
If that company happens to be full, then just pick a different one! With 3 companies operating on this route it’s unlikely you won’t get on one of the night buses. But I’d always advise getting there between 7-8 pm if you want to be on the safe side!
By Air
Personally, I always take the bus over flying as air travel is such a drama with security and bag checkings bla bla bla. I prefer to just hop on a bus and go to sleep!
But many people do choose the fly from Medellin to Cali rather than sit on a bus for hours. There are multiple flights a day and sometimes you can find a flight for less than the bus ride! But if you have a big backpack you will need to check in this can double the cost.
There are two airports in Medellin, a small one in the city close to the south bus terminal which has a limited amount of domestic flights. Or the main international one which is not actually in Medellin but in Rionegro about an hour outside of the city. It’s most likely your flight to Cali will be from the main international airport. Which will take you an hour to get to at least?
Don’t forget to check flight from Medellin to Cali with GuateGo
To get to Medellin airport to the city center you have 3 options:
Option 1 – Take the bus
You can easily and safely take a bus directly to Medellin airport from the San Diago Mall. The bus will cost $10,000 COP and a taxi from Laureles or El Poblado to the Mall should be around $10,00 COP.
Option 2 – Shared Colectivo
This is another great option. The colectivo prices can vary a little but generally, it will cost around $17,000 COP. The colectivo picks up at San Diago mall. The cost is per person, not per ride and they will only leave once the car is full.
Option 3 – Taxi or Uber
A private taxi or Uber from Medellin to the airport will be around $80,000 COP. It’s the most convenient as it will take you door to door and you won’t have any waiting. But if you are on a budget this might not be your best option
To get from Cali airport from the city center you have 2 options:
Option 1 – Take the bus
The cheapest way to get from Cali airport to the city center is by bus. The bus from the airport will drop you off at the main Terminal de Transporte in Cali. The bus is very easy to use and only costs $7,000 COP.
Option 2 – Taxi or Uber
A taxi from Cali airport to the city center should cost between $50,000 and $70,000 COP depending on where you are going. There is almost never a long wait for taxis and they are safe to use. You can also use Uber, but just be aware there is still a little tension between Uber driver and Taxi drivers. You will need to act like the driver is a friend and get into the front seat of the car.
Option 4 – Rent a Car
I really wouldn’t recommend this, but it’s an option if you prefer to drive yourself.
Option 5 – Private Driver
If you are feeling a little nervous and traveling alone then why not arrange for a Colombian Buddy to come to pack you up? You can make the most of your travel time by quizzing them on everything you need to know about your trip!
Looking for somewhere to stay in Cali?
I recommend staying at El Patio Hostel it’s right in San Antonio and the owners are so lovely and helpful.
Wondering where to stay in Medellin? I recommend staying in either El Poblado or Laureles and here are a few of my favorite places to stay:
Parceros Med Hostel ( I stayed here for a month and loved it!)
Los Patios Hostel Boutique
Purple Monkey Hostel
Hostal Medellin -Laureles
El Jardín de la 10 – El Poblado
You can also read my full Where to Stay in Medellin Guide here.
