I went to the Colombian city loved by Harry and Meghan - I'd never expect Royals here

Home to the Andes mountain range, a UNESCO-grade coffee region that produces over 11 million bags of it a year and a Caribbean coastline complete with tropical beaches and the sprawling Tayrona National Park, these are just a few of the things Colombia is known for. Drawing in an estimated 6.7 million foreign visitors last year alone, in recent years the South American country has managed to move away from the violent drug trade that many might know it for, thanks to Netflix shows like Narcos, and has transformed into a destination that’s even loved by the Royals.

On a visit to Colombia last year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a stop in Cartagena, a vibrant city famed for its Spanish colonial old town. I too visited Cartagena on my own travels through Colombia a few years ago, having spent just over six weeks exploring the country. While I have no doubt my itinerary differed from that planned out for the Royal pair, with local media reporting that the trip cost the Colombian government £1.5M, I completely understand why they fell for it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Colombia, and while I spent six weeks there, I could have spent many more. After being away for a total of six months in South America, Cartagena quickly became a place that felt like a home from home.

The city is separated into neighbourhoods that all feel vastly different from each other, but I spent most of my time in Getsemani. Known for its laidback vibe and home to the incredible Cafe Havana, a Cuban-style bar with live salsa music, what I loved most about Cartagena is that I didn’t necessarily feel like I needed to do anything in particular.

Travelling can be exhausting, but the city has enough natural charm that simply walking around feels like an activity in itself. Often doubling for New Orleans or Havana, you can easily spend hours stumbling across pretty plazas and brightly painted streets, stopping for a traditional arepa or an ice-cold coffee without a lengthy itinerary.

When you do feel like changing up the scenery, there are plenty of tropical islands you can reach by boat with turquoise waters and white sand. If you fancy hitting the road, quaint fishing villages, San Basilio de Palenque, the first free African town in the Americas and the incredible mountains of Santa Marta, can all be reached by car in a day or two.

As a backpacker, much of my time was spent moving between hostels, grabbing an arepa from a street food vendor for dinner and heading to the famous Plaza de La Trinidad. The lively square sees locals and tourists gather to dance, drinking mojitos out of plastic cups, and it’s the last place I’d expect the likes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to visit.

While I can’t quite imagine the Royal pair toasting to their trip over a plastic cup, and I’m sure the Cartagena I got to know was very different to the city they saw, I imagine we might have enjoyed it for the same reasons.

I loved how laidback the city felt, and considering how often Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the centre of attention in the press, perhaps this was a side to their trip they also loved. In a country that’s seen so much, a visit from the Royal pair isn’t necessarily something that will even go down in history.