While many North Americans mistakenly believe the answer to be Brazil, the most-visited country in South America is actually Colombia.
The large country in the northwest of the continent is known for everything from its rich biodiversity and coffee exports to a long history of music and dance that gave birth to global superstars like Shakira.
Colombia is currently in the midst of a record tourist boom; the 6.4 million international visitors who arrived in 2025 an 11% spike from the last full year in which numbers are available. When counting local citizens traveling to other parts of the country for tourism, that number rises to over 51 million.
United Airlines to launch flights to Cartagena from Houston and Washington
Tapping into this demand, United Airlines just announced two new routes to the northwestern Colombian port city of Cartagena.
Often called Colombia’s most beautiful city for the perfectly preserved walled city and Spanish colonial architecture in tropical colors, Cartagena is a particularly popular tourist destination for both international and domestic visitors.
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The new flights will start running on December 17 from Houston Intercontinental (IAH) and Washington Dulles (IAD).
Tickets for beyond that date are already up for sale on the United website for $664 one way from Washington, D.C. and $824 in one direction from Houston.
Each will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays on a Boeing 737 with room for up to 166 passengers and take just over 4 hours and 30 minutes each. The service will operate year-round and expand United’s service to Colombia beyond larger cities of Bogotá and Medellín to which the carrier currently flies from Houston and Newark.
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“Colombia has been an important part of United’s Latin America network for more than 30 years”
“Colombia has been an important part of United’s Latin America network for more than 30 years, and our new service to Cartagena reflects our continued investment in the country and commitment to offering customers new and distinct travel experiences,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of network planning and global alliances, said in a statement.
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The flight from DC will depart at 8:20 a.m. Washington time and arrive at 1:10 p.m. while the route from Houston will leave at 9:35 a.m. to arrive at 2:50 p.m. local time. On the returning routes, the flights will leave at 4 p.m. and 2:20 p.m., respectively, to arrive back into the U.S. in the evening.
Each plane is equipped 14 business, 54 economy plus and 96 main cabin economy seats.
Both routes were also envisioned to connect tourists from other U.S. cities headed to Colombia as well as Colombians traveling to parts of the U.S. to which United does not fly directly.
“As our third destination in Colombia, complementing our service to Bogota and Medellín, Cartagena gives our customers access to a different side of the country while making it easier for travelers across North America to experience one of the Caribbean’s most iconic destinations,” Quayle said further.
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