Ibagué Colombia - City Review Thoughts and Impressions! - Vlog Style

We only spent a week in the city of Ibagué Colombia.
And although this is a short amount of time compared to how long we’ve been staying in other cities across Colombia… We have to rank this city at the top of our list for cities to live in in Colombia.
Here are our thoughts and impressions!
Chapters:
00:00 - Ibagué Overall Feel
01:10 - Climate
02:28 - Rooftops Everywhere!
03:40 - Our Location
04:33 -Safety
05:15 - Restaurants
06:43 - Closeness
07:31 - Cost of Living
09:47 - Activities
11:44 - Ibagué - What’s it Know For?
12:32 - Final Thoughts
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[@adrianaheredia1839]

I love Ibagué I have family there, honestly is my favorite city in Colombia the weather is nice and perfect for me, people are friendly, beautiful malls, you can go to Payande has 6 waterfalls in the same place, playa Hawaii, Combeiba canyon, the beautiful mountains, variety if birds and animals, delicious food. You always feel peace and relax there perfect feeling to retirement. God bless Ibagué and Colombia ❤

[@lifetheorycouple]

It really is a nice mid-sized city. We loved all the hiking that is nearby for sure.

[@danspencer4235]

I moved to Ibague' a little over two years ago, because my wife has family here. I might never have found it otherwise. There are few expats or foreign tourists here, but the city is large enough to have just about anything you might need. The weather is a big plus and the people here seem generally more friendly than in many cities. I have never experienced "Gringo pricing" or felt I was taken advantage of in any way. Maybe that's one of the benefits of no experience with foreign tourists. Also, virtually no bugs. Bats and geckos seem to keep them in check.

[@lifetheorycouple]

HA! - Bugs. Jonny here, I'm not scared of bugs, I grew up in Texas, plenty of them throughout the summer. But, yeah, I like the local vibes and how laid back it felt. - Did your wife grow up in Colombia as well?

[@marimedgal]

Sounds wonderful!

[@marimedgal]

My mom was born in Ibagué. I need to go there!

[@lifetheorycouple]

Nice! It's really pretty, no lie. Some of the Airbnbs and buildings are quite modern, I highly suggest checking it out and all the fun things to do in and around the city.

[@elvdell5582]

This city is on my list as well for long term staying in Colombia. I like the beach as well as the mountains so I will likely have a rotation. The thing I like about Ibague is that it is big enough to have 'stuff' to do and keep you from being as bored as some of the smaller locations, yet it isn't so big that you have to deal with as much traffic and crime. Certainly I plan to spend some time there myself to check things out.

[@lifetheorycouple]

I agree, totally worth your time. The hiking in the area is good.

[@AnaLopez-id6dd]

I loved all the reserves and natural parks close tobIbagie !!! It has a beautiful nature and it is very easy tontravel to beautiful touristic places

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thank you! - We were impressed by the natural beauty and nature of this smaller sized city. :-)

[@Spenglish]

Nice to see people visit us here. $700 a month total for a family of 3 and your living good. The only thing that fails in food is lack of seafood options. Chinese food is non existent but Japanese there is a restaurant called Kyoto close to where you were staying in front of university of ibague and a Indonesian restaurant called Ikanasi. I have found that you have to search but the food is good. This city has its crime. Let me know if you come back and i would love to give you some tips. As far as nature you are surrounded by it and all the trips to rivers and pools bars in the mountains give spectacular views in short distance. Ibague lacks in great service but I see more people putting it on the map. The weather is awesome here. Seems to wait to rain at night mostly which I like. As people say a little disorganized but for the cost of living it’s peaceful. City of music probably because sometimes the neighbors will blast it loud but depends on the neighborhood but I think it’s also not a town use to foreigners so they are more excited when you are than looking to take advantage. So it’s still safe if you take precautions like not walking solo at night. Nice video!!

[@lifetheorycouple]

I love the passion I'm reading here! - We'll definitely let you know if we make it back to Ibague.

[@MrRJS27]

I'll definitely have to try the Indonesian place. I was at Plaza del Bosque in May but didn't see it, but that was a weekday lunch so only a few places were open.

[@Spenglish]

@@MrRJS27 they have a burger spot called blend burger and a cafe called Jus’so and live music on weekends tops. There is another place really cool to hang out where there’s a Dos Molinas. They have great frappes and la Taquiera is Mexican the Colombian way.

[@MrRJS27]

@@Spenglish Yes, Blend Burger was where I ate, and desserts from the place next to it.

[@Spenglish]

@@MrRJS27 nice!!! Good spots. Did you tell me about London Pub ? I went and loved the atmosphere and the jalapeño poppers!!

I LOVE Colombian cities. But as vegan, sometimes I struggle to find dishes with good amount of plant protein 😅 I know things are changing and in big cities like Bogota the vegan options increase every year.

[@lifetheorycouple]

Yep! I could see that being hard in Colombia, and many places across the world. We do eat meat, but we also eat a lot of fresh veggies and dark leafy greens. We had a vegan friend once who we made fun of because we ate more variety of veggies than them. XD ---- But yes, we get sooo tired of lettuce.

[@toniobetanco2519]

Es emocionante ver cómo turistas extranjeros muestran una ciudad que hace que los que nacimos allí pero vivimos en Bogotá la amemos más. Diferente a los nativos de IBAGUE que se quejan mucho. Y muy pocos saben las bellezas que tienen a su alrededor.❤🎉❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thank you! - The more we travel the entire country, it's more difficult to say what our favorite place is... There's just so much uniqueness in every town, large city, and mid-sized city. We really enjoyed the views and immediate activities near Ibague.

[@tobydelys1113]

Terrific video -thank you !

[@lifetheorycouple]

You're welcome! What was your favorite part?

[@BrightResultsMedia]

Thanks for the post. Gonna check it out for sure. Y’all look very happy. Best wishes.

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thanks for the view Dusty! - Be sure to check out the Botanical Garden, it's huge!

[@keb107]

Retiring this year and I’m going in the spring to check out Ibague. I love everything I hear about this city.

[@lifetheorycouple]

This city is small but convenient! The newer developed apartments are very nice with good amenities. The best part is how close it is to nature things.

[@patricia7483]

It sounds like a nice place and I’d like to visit one day. I hope you can show us a bit of the city.

[@lifetheorycouple]

Our stay was sooo short, we didn't get much of the city other than that awesome rooftop. In general, what kinds of things would you like to see or know from other cities we will visit in the future?

Nice Video!

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thank you! What was your favorite part?

[@transformemosjuntoselmundo5154]

Hi, guys! Glad you visited Ibagué! :) Maybe there's no oppotions about cousine but there's the typical food: Lechona, Tamal and Achiras, I hope you tried 'caused they're really good!

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thanks for the comment! - We have definitely have had all 3 (Lechona, Tamal, and Achiras)... And as respectfully as we can say, we don't spend time in Colombia for its food... I cannot say that I like any one of those foods. And to our point, Ibague and smaller cities and towns just lack that international cuisine. This is one the major reasons why we do like Bogota, lots of international cuisine to enjoy.

[@pauliebronx6931]

Great video! New haircut looks good. I'll be in Cali next week. Any food suggestions?

[@lifetheorycouple]

Jonny here, and thank you! - I was too aggressive with my long hair and kept pulling it out of my head. So, it had to go. Only open on Sundays is a "restaurant" where they serve sancocho, and fried or grilled fish. Authentic coastal Colombian food, one of my favorites. They literally setup on the medium of the road on Carerra 99 between Calle 48 and Calle 50. Other then that I would look at restaurants near Parque del Peñon. That's where we found Ramen Fuku, a place that makes real ramen, much like what I am accustom to in the the US. I really miss the Japanese cuisine I could find back in Dallas, TX. Maybe we should visit Japan... Also check out the Ciudad Jardin area. There were too many restaurants to choose from over there.

[@hmd7oceans]

I was going to mention the haircut! Does look good!

[@Bogotaeverything]

Widny looks beautiful!

[@lifetheorycouple]

THANK YOU!

[@carlitoxb110]

Ibague: The musical capital of colombia

[@zmojofoot76]

It looks amazing 🤩. Es chistoso porque cuando estuve en Bogotá i debated going to ibague after going to villa de leyva because of some park I saw on trip advisor i don’t remember but I didn’t go because I wasn’t sure how it would be since there wasn’t a whole lot of info. Looking back I don’t regret not going but i doubt I wouldn’t have enjoyed it

[@lifetheorycouple]

Yeah, the views you get from every angle are amazing in this city. Again, it's high on our list of places we might consider for a longer stay.

[@zmojofoot76]

@@lifetheorycouple the views look great I’ll be in Bogotá in a few weeks can’t wait

[@MrRJS27]

It's more like 3 to 3.5 hours from Bogota if you go in the middle of the night. Overall I agree with everything you've said, including about the food. It's a good restaurant scene but you have to like Colombian food. Peruvian seafood is popular and hamburgers are an obsession, and there's credible Italian and (so I'm told) French cuisine, but Chinese is terrible and the one Indian place is now less Indian than "healthy." There's an English pub! The city is pleasant, cheap, and disorganized in an endearing way. It's full of motorcycles and scooters but it's kind of hazardous for them so you'd need some skill and luck. Lastly, the national anthem was written by someone from Cartagena (words) and Italy (music) so no Ibagué angle there, but it does have the Conservatorio.

[@lifetheorycouple]

Great info add here! Thank you! And yes, I got fact checked by my wife instantly on the national anthem. HA! --- How much did you spend in the city?

[@MrRJS27]

@@lifetheorycouple Besides long-ago visits I've forgotten, I've been there a couple of weeks per year for the last several years, at least when there isn't a pandemic. Always the same time of year, so I've never seen the ocobo trees in flower which is when the city is at its most attractive.

[@JDVaron]

👍

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thank you again!!! 😀

[@AnaLopez-id6dd]

Other important thing is the Lechona !!! The best Colombia food !!!!

[@lifetheorycouple]

Lechona is good! We like it when they make it with less rice. Some places get too heavy on the rice.

[@colombia2727]

Last time i was there was in 1994....i have family there

[@Ecuacolom]

Ibague the musical city of Colombia. The lechona Tolimense is delicious and the Tolimense tamales delicioso

[@lifetheorycouple]

Gracias! - We really like these mid-sized cities. Less traffic and easier to get around. Next time, we'll have to go check out the tamales of this region.

[@user-zd8xb4iu7f]

Colombian food is full of flavor....especially the food from the pacifico. I mean a stewed chicken or a tamal are not easy to make.

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thank you for you view and comment! - The Pacific Coast cuisine is more flavorful compared to many other Colombian dishes, I agree. However, most Colombian dishes are just bland in our opinion, they lack spices and therefore flavor. This is a common view among expats you will find.

[@Oppawhat]

manizales/pereira vs ibague, whats your choice?

[@lifetheorycouple]

I (Widny) prefer Manizales because some of me favorite childhood memories are in Manizales. The city feels incredibly safe and there are lots of nature things to do nearby. But it rains a LOT. Ibague is a much much smaller city that’s gaining popularity with the retired Bogotanos and it’s growing. It still needs work with its infrastructure but we enjoyed our time in Ibague, good food options, really nice weather and lots of nature things as well. Wish we had spend more time in Ibague.

[@ZenEtsuClay]

Whats the place at 4:13?

[@lifetheorycouple]

Salvador y Milagros - It's on Calle 60 near the Centro Comercial La Estacion

[@juancarlosperez4003]

Colombia la esmeralda cafetera de Sur América

[@lifetheorycouple]

It really is magical, we agree!

[@lindaroth6273]

I wanted to see Ibaque but all I saw was 2 people talking on a rooftop.

[@lifetheorycouple]

Thank you for watching! - The best way to see Ibaque is to take a visit. We were only there for a week and had to work, so that's why we don't have much footage. It was a nice and small mid-sized city.

[@hermanc.4420]

No weird looks for the jorts?! 😂 my girl is Colombian and she doesn’t like it when I wear shorts out. She feels we’ll get targeted

[@lifetheorycouple]

Funny! - We've been married for over 7 years now. So, we're way past that. - On the short side, it depends on the region. Armenia can get quite hot during the day.