San Francisco to Bogota (SFO–BOG) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

US passport holders enter Colombia visa-free for stays up to 90 days. No advance application is needed. Passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of entry. Immigration may stamp a shorter period, so check the date written on the entry stamp. Extensions up to an additional 90 days can be requested at a Migracion Colombia office.

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) runs from downtown San Francisco (Embarcadero, Powell St.) to the SFO station and then a free AirTrain shuttle to all terminals (30–40 min from Embarcadero, $10.45). BART also connects Oakland and Berkeley; useful for East Bay travelers. Trains run from ~4am to midnight.Taxis from downtown San Francisco cost $40–60. Ride-hails (Uber, Lyft) pick up in the designated area in the garage and are often $30–50 depending on surge pricing. SamTrans buses serve Peninsula cities. Highway 101 and I-280 are heavily congested during commute hours; BART is faster than driving at those times.

Official yellow taxis at the curb use a pre-paid voucher system from the booth inside arrivals. Buy a ticket before exiting (COP 25,000–45,000 to most city neighborhoods, roughly $6–11). This eliminates fare negotiation and overcharging risk.Uber operates in a legal grey area in Colombia; InDriver is a common alternative. TransMilenio bus from the airport terminal (COP 3,000) is cheapest but crowded and luggage-unfriendly. Rental car desks are in the arrivals hall. The airport is about 15 km west of the city center via Av. El Dorado.

Bogotá sits at 2,600m elevation. The airport climate is cool and changeable year-round regardless of the tropical latitude. Temperatures at the airport hold between 7–19°C in all months. There is no true summer or winter. Two wet seasons (March–May and September–November) and two drier seasons alternate.

Afternoon thunderstorms during wet seasons can cause delays. Morning fog is the most common disruption risk year-round, due to the Bogotá savanna's topography. Pack a light jacket. The altitude makes evenings noticeably cold even in the warmest months. Acclimatise slowly if arriving from sea level.