Weekly Round-Up: And So, Back We Go... to Colombia
In which we're en route back to Medellín, with a Miami layover.
By the time this hits your inbox on Sunday morning, I’ll have made a run from Missoula to Salt Lake City and then overnight to Miami, and am spending a day in the city to write a hotel review for a client before flying down to Medellín. (Double-duty work trips for the win.)
It’s wonderful to be on the road again—somehow it usually is—and the routine of airports, airport shuttles, random hotels, and filing work from airport lounges is familiar and welcome.
I’ll have a day working in Medellín writing in coffeeshops and taking a few meetings before my hosted trip crew comes in on evening flights. It’s always a good feeling when fun folks come together to go on an adventure, and we’ll explore around the city, visiting my favorite coffee haunt as well as historical sites for a day before hopping a small plane and heading into the Darién Gap for a week of fishing at Darien Lodge. (Here’s a couple reviews from my trips last year: April and May. Both months were very different one to the other!)
The City of Eternal Spring
In which we enjoy Medellín for simply being Medellín.
Whoever named Medellín “the city of eternal spring” knew what they were doing. My first night in the city was last April; I arrived on a late flight and got to a small hotel in a residential area high on a hill around midnight. Wide-eyed, deliriously happy to be in a new place, and still high off an… exciting drive into the city during a gully-washer storm, I cranked open the hotel window and sat on the bed watching lightning pop over the Aburrá Valley.
Some places grab you from the very get-go. For me, at least, Medellín was one of them.
According to the interwebs, Medellín is called "La Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera" (City of Eternal Spring) because of its consistently pleasant, spring-like climate year-round. The nickname isn't attributed to any specific individual but rather to the city's unique geographical location and altitude within the Andes Mountains, which create a stable average temperature of around 75° F / 24°C.
Basically, it creates a garden city built into a large, rolling valley, filled with skyscrapers and simple barrios alike. Colorful street art is prevalent against the red-brown of the buildings, and I can walk down the street from my hotel and into a mini bamboo forest in the space of five minutes.
It’s an interesting contrast in a city more famous for its cartel violence and high homicide rates than its beauty.
Every time I head to Medellín—this will be third time—friends and family express concern. We’ve all read reports about Colombia being dangerous; many folks think of the Netflix series Narcos (it’s a great series, admittedly) and wouldn’t dream of going to the city. It’s a place with a lot of history, some of it violent. But it’s also a place with some wonderful people, and is one of the most alive metros I’ve ever spent time in.
There’s a saying in Colombia: “no dar papaya.” Basically, don’t give sweet. Don’t be a sweet target. Don’t be dumb and make yourself an easy target on the streets. I’ve spent time in Medellín by myself; going out to meals and shops solo. Dealing with the airport solo. And while, sure, there’s the ubiquitous cat-calling sometimes, it’s no more than I get in Belize or other places around the world. I make a point to not draw attention to myself (no big jewelry or walking around with the camera out), and to not put myself in situations where I’m likely to get into trouble (no clubbing late at night, I always take reputable transportation, etc.) and have had no big issues.
It’s like any place. Don’t be dumb, and you’ll likely do just fine.
Last May I was able to wander around the famous (infamous) Comuna 13 with some friends, and it was a unique experience to wander the streets. The area’s very touristy now, but it’s still worth a visit to see the colorful houses lining the hillsides, stacked in improbable, creative ways.
I’m excited to wander the streets of the city again and, of course, to soak up a bit of Colombian cuisine as well. Arepas, plantains, ajiaco (a chicken and potato stew), mondongo (tripe stew), loads of tropical fruit, and plenty of tuna in the Darién… hard to go wrong with that menu.
Stay tuned next week from an in-the-field report from the land of tuna, snapper, and sailfish at Darien Lodge!
2026 Hosted Trips
Still have a couple spots open on these hosted trip destinations for 2026:
Estancia Laguna Verde (Jurassic Lake), Argentina: January 24-31, 2026
Bolivia Heli-Fishing (Trophy Golden Dorado): June 28-July 5, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde 2026
I’ll be returning January 24-31, 2026, with a hosted group. Three slots have already filled with returning guests, so get in touch quickly if you’d like to join us. This is a top-notch lodge in a wonderfully unique fishery. Expect some of the world’s best guides, excellent lodging and food, a stellar lodge team, and wonderfully large, healthy rainbow trout in an environment that will make you think you’re fishing on the moon.
This PDF has more details—give it a read, and then get in touch to secure your spot!
January 24 - 31, 2026
Estancia Laguna Verde, Lago Strobel, Argentina
$7,950 (7 nights / 6.5 days fishing)
Bolivia Heli-Fishing For Trophy Golden Dorado
I’ve got just two spots left to return to Untamed Angling’s Tsimane Pluma Lodge Heli-Fishing Program June 27-July 4, 2026—an exclusive program in the Bolivian Amazon, designed to target trophy golden dorado. We’ll have the opportunity to fish not only for large dorado but also pacu, yatorana, and even moturo, in incomparable quantity and quality. The rivers and tributaries where we will fish every day are wild, untouched waters seldom seen by human beings.
Read more info HERE about this limited trip—just two spots remaining.
June 27-July 4, 2026
Tsimane Pluma Lodge, Bolivian Amazon
$17,250 ($16,000 plus $1,250 indigenous Indian fees)
Want to learn more about any of these trips?
Send me a DM on social media or shoot over an email.
Q&A
Keep on sending in your questions via Instagram or by commenting by clicking the button below. Each week I’ll pick one and give a longer, more thought-out answer here than those I give on Instagram.
This week’s question came in via Instagram.
Q: I’m heading to Belize with family and one of us really wants to get his first Belize Grand Slam. Remotely achievable? Does even stating a desire like that just telegraph what a douche you are to the guide?
A: It’s always a good idea to talk with your guide upfront about any goals for the trip. A Grand Slam is rare but achievable. I think it's worth mentioning that as a goal to the guide, but be sure to manage expectations accordingly for sure. Don’t go into it thinking a Grand Slam is assured—because it never is.
This is a good time of year to try to do it down there, at least. Have fun and enjoy the trip, whatever the fishing brings!
Recently Published
The Big Sky Journal just published a photo essay and article about the romance of Montana summer fishing in their latest issue. Pick it up and give “The Simple Things in Life” a read.
Pick up the winter issue of The Fly Fish Journal for words + images about fly-fishing off Colombia’s Darien Gap.
The Field Ethos Journal recently ran this piece about having a beer on a stormy night in one of Pablo Escobar’s former bars… a life goal I didn’t know I had.
Follow Along on Social
If you’re not already, follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Like what you’re reading? Share with friends! Thanks for your time and support.
