With Colombia celebrating 208 years of independence today, here are a few good reasons to start planning a trip.

1. It’s turned over a new leaf

You don't need to be a huge expert in the sociopolitical history of Latin America in the last half-century to know that Colombia has not always been a country you would consider as a holiday option. You may have heard about the internecine conflict between guerilla groups and the government that has rumbled on since the mid-Sixties. You will certainly be aware of the wars between drug cartels in Medellin and Cali that made both cities hugely dangerous murder hotspots in the Eighties and Nineties. But you may also have registered the fact that, since the turn of this decade in particular, Colombia has become much safer, resolving many (although admittedly not all) of its thornier issues.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice for British travellers acknowledges this. While some areas of the country are still deemed to be off-limits for "all but essential travel", both Medellin and Cali - as well as the capital Bogota and the key coastal metropolis Cartagena - are both within the green zone. "Despite high levels of crime, most visits to Colombia are trouble-free," the FCO adds.

2. Bogota is booming

The capital remains rough around the edges – and, as with any major urban area, visitors should be careful if walking in certain areas at night. But these are exciting times for this resurgent city. New restaurants, boutique hotels and craft breweries are springing up across Bogota, as local entrepreneurs capitalise on the country’s newfound peace. Meanwhile, the city’s tour guides offer edgy sightseeing excursions on bike and foot, which cover everything from architecture to politics.

3. Medellin is on the map

“Hello, welcome to our city,” shouted a passer-by, as I walked through Medellin a couple of years ago. “Thanks for coming.” Such greetings are not uncommon in Colombia’s second city, which until recently was ground zero in the war on drugs. The memories linger, but Medellin is a city reborn: art, tourism and an impressive new cable car network have helped reverse the fortunes of this rambling metropolis, which, in 2013, was voted the world’s most innovative city.

Trendy Medellin Credit: KRZYSZTOF DYDYNSKI

“Medellin is a delightful place of law-abiding entrepreneurial folk,” wrote Stanley Stewart after a trip this year. “With an economy that is among the fastest growing on the continent, it is one of the great success stories of Latin America.”

4. The street art is exceptional

Bogota’s decision to decriminalise graffiti in 2011 marked a creative new epoch for the city, whose flyovers, office blocks and municipal walls became canvases for some of the world’s best-loved street artists. While, of late, graffiti has been wiped from some buildings in the core of the city, La Candelaria - part of a mayoral drive to protect listed historic structures - in other districts, expression has been allowed to flourish. And regular tours bring context to some of the capital's most famous murals - Bogota Graffiti Tour (bogotagraffiti.com) being an obvious example.

A photo posted by Gavin Haines (@gavin_haines) on Jan 4, 2016 at 5:54am PST

5. It’s home to Cartagena

The jewel in Colombia’s crown, Cartagena is one of the most exquisite colonial cities in Latin America. Nestled on the Caribbean coast, its beauty belies an ugly truth: that it was built on gold and slavery. Still, it remains an exceptional destination; a place where colourful blooms spill from ornate balconies; where lovers watch sunsets from the city walls; where horses and carts clatter through the streets; and flash mobs dance in pretty plazas.

The streets of Cartagena Credit: MATTHEW MICAH WRIGHT

6. There’s a lost city

As Colombia has opened up to tourism in the last decade, so appreciation has grown of the Ciudad Perdida - the Teyuna archaeological site, in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Magdalena department in the country's far north. This "lost city" is believed to have been founded at the start of the ninth century (which makes it about 650 years older than Peru's ever-feted Inca citadel Machu Picchu).

Ciudad Perdida predates Machu Picchu, but it's much harder to reach Credit: AP/FOTOLIA

Discussion is ongoing as to whether this terraced settlement, cut into a series of hillsides, was ever truly lost - the local Kogui people have said that they were always aware of the site, which was probably abandoned in the wake of the Spanish conquest, having been home to up to 8,000 inhabitants. But it is firmly back on the map as the highlight of a trekking route which takes about a week from A to B and back to A again. Indeed, G Adventures (0344 272 2060; gadventures.co.uk) offers a seven-day "Lost City Trekking" jaunt aimed at travellers aged 18-39 who don't mind the feeling of sweat and soil. From £449 a head, not including flights. Twelve further departures are planned for this year.

7. And a lost people

While the likely fate of the Ciudad Perdida has been ascertained, less is known about what happened to the residents of what is now San Agustin Archaeological Park (see icanh.gov.co) in south-westerly Huila department. It is the setting for a host of statues and sculptures, bearing the faces - partially human, but partially cut with the snarling characteristics of jaguars, snakes and birds of prey - that, historians say, were tomb guardians, designed to protect graves from any who would disturb those who slept within. They may have been carved between the first and fifth centuries, making them contemporaneous with the Roman Empire. But beyond this, all is guesswork.

The skilled hands that created these works belonged to a civilisation that had vanished by the time the Spanish stomped through these highlands - and they left no written record of who they were. Not even a name - an anonymity that makes the idea of heading south to see the carvings all the more alluring. Last Frontiers sells a 14-day "Diversity and Civilisation" group tour slated for November 10-23 that will call at San Agustin. From £3,740 a head - international flights extra (01296 653000; lastfrontiers.com).

8. There is magic in Mompox

Owing to its relative inaccessibility, Mompox has largely been bypassed by tourists, but it’s well worth making an effort for. Not only is this sleepy city a place of beauty, with its well-preserved architecture and riverside location, but it was also the inspiration behind Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s magical realism novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude, whose wonderful prose haunts its streets.

The magical realism of One Hundred Years of Solitude is rooted in Mompox

9. The coffee couldn't be fresher

Finding a good cup of coffee can be surprisingly difficult in Colombia: despite being renowned for its beans, most of the good stuff is exported. Happily, connoisseurs are helping reinvent the national drink in the major cities, while the Zona Cafetera, where most of the country’s beans are produced, is always good for a brew.

10. Exotic fruits abound

Colombia’s exotic fruits are a highlight of any trip to the country. Head to a local market and sample the colourful cornucopia of fruits on display: from gorgeous guavas and delicious dragon fruits to zingy zapotes and luscious lulos, getting your five-a-day has never been easier.

11. There's a subterranean salt cathedral

The quiet, colonial city of Zipaquirá, a short drive (or train trip) from Bogota, is home to one of Colombia’s most popular attractions: an underground salt cathedral. Opened in 1954, this church was hewn from the town’s subterranean salt deposits and was traditionally used by miners. Today it is a pilgrimage site for many Catholics.

A subterranean salt mine is an unlikely location for a cathedral Credit: ALAMY

12. You're never far from Botero’s art

The figurative painter and sculptor, Fernando Botero, is famed for his satirical works, which feature oversized subjects in exaggerated form. His sculptures can be found scattered around his hometown, Medellin, where he also has a permanent collection in the Museum of Antioquia. The Botero Museum in Bogota boats arguably the best collection of his works, much to the chagrin of Medellin.

The sculptor, Fernando Botero, is one of Colombia's most famous sons Credit: AP/FOTOLIA

13. There's a heritage railway

Yes, it’s touristy, as the name suggests, but this heritage railway offers a unique perspective on Bogota and the surrounding countryside. Departing Sabana Station every Saturday and Sunday, the service offers an eye-opening trip through the Colombian capital – from the poor northern neighbourhoods to the well-healed southern suburbs – before arriving at Zipaquirá, where passengers can disembark for the salt cathedral.

14. Guatape is gorgeous

It might look like a marvel of Mother Nature, but Guatape Lake is actually the result of a controversial dam, which irked many people who lived in this region. Ethics aside, the result is rather beautiful and best observed from the top of La Piedra (The Rock), a nearby hill whose summit is accessed via a 650ft ornate staircase. Mercifully, there’s a bar at the summit where you can reward your labours with a Colombian-style michelada (a cocktail comprising cold beer, fresh lime and salt).

A photo posted by Gavin Haines (@gavin_haines) on Jan 11, 2016 at 6:17am PST

15. It has one of the world's biggest carnivals

The most important event in Colombia’s calendar, Barranquilla Carnival is one of the biggest of its kind, giving the likes of Rio a run for its money. Taking place 40 days before Holy Week, the jamboree sashays on for four intensely hedonistic days, when the streets are filled with parades and parties. The sultry carnival is a big draw for tourists, who are warmly received by locals.

16. And one of South America's prettiest national parks

A protected area in Colombia’s northern wilderness, Tayrona National Park has all the attributes you want from the Caribbean – swaying palms, sandy beaches, limpid lagoons and the like – but there’s a rugged beauty about this coastal reserve, which is refreshingly free of development.

Tayrona National Park offers a rugged take on the Caribbean Credit: AP/FOTOLIA

17. The diving is stunning

The Colombian islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina provide access to the third largest coral reef system on Earth, where divers can admire colourful coral gardens, bountiful marine life and even sunken pirate ships. The Rosario Islands also offer excellent diving, just a short boat ride from Cartagena.

18. The Amazon is never far away

The Amazon basin covers almost one-third of Colombia's territory, and few experiences can beat an excursion into this vast jungle. Boat trips depart from Leticia, in the Amazonas region, to the nearby Amacayu National Park, which abounds with stunning bird life and indigenous tribes.

19. You can open the door to Escobar’s home

Proving that crime does sometimes pay (but inevitably catches up with you), Pablo Escobar built a sprawling ranch in Puerto Triunfo, which included a lavish house, motor museum and zoo, complete with elephants, giraffes and hippos. After Escobar was killed by police, most of the animals were relocated to Colombian zoos, while his ranch was turned into a bizarre theme park, which includes a small museum about the demise of the drug baron. And the hippos? They still roam the town, much to the annoyance of locals.

20. It's has the world’s longest climb

Widely regarded as the longest cycling climb in the world, the Alto de Letras is a punishing 80km ride that ascends some 3,700m into the mountains where oxygen is thin on the ground. No wonder Colombians make such good cyclists.

21. And the epic Las Lajas Cathedral

One of the most spectacular structures in Colombia, this exceptional church in Ipiales was built in the canyon of the Guáitara River, which, though an inconvenient place to construct a church, yielded spectacular results.