How to call Colombia from the USA or Canada

Calling Colombia is no more difficult then calling most other countries. You dial 011 to start an international call, enter in Colombia's country code (57) and then the Area Code and Phone Number.
In Colombia, the area codes are referred to as city codes. The list of Colombian city codes is provided below.

US to Colombia land lines international dialing format:

Dial 011 + 57 + area code + phone number
Dial 011 + 57 + x + xxx xxxx

Explanation:
011 - US exit code; must be dialed first for all international calls made from the USA or Canada
57 - Country code for Colombia
Area code - 1 digit area (city) code or a 3 digit Cellular Carrier code
Phone number - 7 digits

Calling a Colombian Cellular number is a little different in that instead of the area/city code, you enter in the cellular carrier code. A list of the Colombian 3 digit Cellular codes is provided below.

How to dial to Colombia cellular from the US or Canada: 011 + 57 + 3xx + xxx xxxx

Dialing within Colombia

Once in Colombia, it is easy to make calls to either a land line or a cellular number. Colombia utilizes the GSM Cellular standard and it may be less expensive to purchase a local SIM card at the beginning of your trip. You will need your passport to purchase the SIM card and an unlocked GSM phone.

Cellular to Cellular calls within Colombia
Cellular to Cellular phone calls within Colombia are very easy. From your cellular phone you would dial the other cellular number direct. A city code is not required, although a 3 digit cellular carrier code is used instead. An easy way to tell if you are calling a cellular number is that all Colombian Cellular phone numbers start with a 3, followed by two other digits.:
3xx + xxx xxxx

Colombian Cellular Carrier Information
There are 3 Cellular Carriers in Colombia, TIGO, COMCEL and MOVISTAR. It is important to be aware that the cost of calls within a cellular network is much less then calls to numbers outside the network. For this reason it is common for Colombians to have 2 cell phones on different carriers. Before purchasing a local SIM card, you may want to determine which carrier would be best for you. For example, if you are traveling with a friend, you should both be on the same network.

Cellular Carrier Prefixes

TIGO	300, 301
COMCEL	310, 311, 312
MOVISTAR	315, 316, 317

One difference from North America is that most Colombians do not have a monthly cellular plan like what we are use to. Instead they purchase minutes as they need them. As a result, they watch their talk time very carefully. To save their minutes, it is very common for a woman to call a man on his cell phone and hang up before he can answer. This means that she wants a call back on your minutes.

Calling from a cell phone to a Colombian Land Line
To dial a land line, dial 03, the city code, and the land line number:

03 + x + xxx xxxx

Colombian Area Codes (City Codes):    

Armenia	6
Barranquilla	5
Bogota	1
Bucaramanga	7
Cali	2
Cartagena	5
Cellular #’s	3
Cucuta	7
Ibague	8
Manizales	6
Medellin	4
Neiva	8
Palmira	2
Pereira	6
Santa Marta	5
Villavicencio	8