Colombia was once one of the best kept secrets for meeting hot Latin girls, but the word has since spread, as more guys realize just how beautiful Colombian girls are, and how easy it can be to get them at times.

While some guys visit Colombian cities like Medellin in order to meet some working girls and non-pros, what about if you’re actually looking for some sort of ongoing fling while you’re there? Paying for prostitutes and getting some one-night stands is one thing, but actually dating a Colombian girl is a whole different deal altogether — and often quite rewarding.

So, if you’re actually looking for a girlfriend (or two) while in Medellin, here are 5 great tips on how to do it the right way.

Know where to go

Medellin has come a long way since the Pablo Escobar and Medellin Cartel days, and the city continues to progress quickly each year. Medellin has turned into a chic urban metropolis in many ways, with a ton of different districts full of shops, bars, nightclubs, and a ton of other things to do.

With that said, it’s best to know the best places to actually pick up girls, both day and night. For the novices, your first approach may be simply showing up in clubs each night, but that’s not always the best approach.

If you’re looking for some kind of relationship, daygame is always the best route here. A lot of the young, professional Medellin senoritas are a lot higher quality than bar and club girls. They’re fairly easy to spot; just look for girls that are well-dressed during the day, and often have a lanyard, badge, or ID pinned to their shirt pockets.

Lunchtime at cafes is a great place to approach these types of ladies, or even on the way home during the afternoon commute. You’ll often get a number or two that you can follow up on later. If you’re not having any luck picking up girls around downtown, try going to the mall during the day, specifically Santafé Mall.

This isn’t to say that bars and clubs are bad places, however. You can certainly encounter a ton of worthwhile girls there, especially Thursday through Sunday.

Another great place to meet girls is at Parque Lleras, a huge public park that fills up on the weekends, and has street vendors.

Learn some Spanish

While you will sometimes meet girls in Medellin that can speak English fairly well, it’s always best to know as much Spanish as possible. This makes communication a whole lot easier than otherwise, as you can imagine. You can get by in the clubs and bars with Google Translate on your phone at times, but if you want to take things a little further, Spanish is your best friend.

You don’t have to be fully fluent before arriving, but you should at least know some conversational Spanish, and popular phrases and such. Using a free language learning app such as Duolingo for a couple of months before your trip is a great idea.

If you’re going to be around Medellin for awhile, consider looking up some places that teach English, you may be able to land an instructor position, helping you learn a bit of Spanish in the process, and meeting plenty of local Medellin girls that will let you into their social circle as a result. Some of your students may very well set you up with their cousin, sister, friend – or even be up for a private lesson at your place.

Know how to approach — and what these girls are looking for

As with anywhere, knowing how the girls operate in that particular area goes a long way in helping you be successful.

At their core, Colombian girls are a bit shy, and always used to the guys making the approach. They like to be complimented, and like a guy who is strong-willed, taking charge of the situation, no matter where you are.

When approaching during the day, a good tactic is to smile, compliment her on her clothing or appearance, ask some kind of question like “how long have you worked here” if at a cafe or shop, or simply ask if she knows any good places to go during the day or night. You can then ask for her number and see if she’d like to show you personally when she has some time later.

Also, know this: Colombian girls are flaky as hell. They will be late, they will cancel dates, and they will sometimes just ghost a date altogether, so be prepared — and don’t take it too personally.

Also, when texting with her, don’t reply to her texts immediately. Make her wait. If you reply instantly and she doesn’t she’ll feel like she has the upperhand, and that you’re a bit of a pushover. She may also try to change the venue of your date once you both have arrived. Don’t let her. Take charge, say that this is where you agreed to, and that you don’t want to go anywhere else. She may mope for a minute, but she’ll respect you more and be more on your hook.

One more thing: If you’re at a club, don’t try to talk to the girl all that much. Let your dancing do all the talking. These girls are not there to talk, they are there to cut loose, dance, and have a good time. Save the conversation for after. A good tactic is to dance with a girl for awhile, show some heavy interest, and then let her see you leave and go outside. She may very well follow you outside and see what you’re doing, and why you didn’t try to talk to her. Works 90% of the time, I promise. Leave them mystified.

Dress and groom yourself well

If you haven’t noticed by now, Colombian women are all about their appearance, investing in plastic surgeries, expensive clothes, hair, and whatever else. This means that you need to be on the top of your game too. Leave the shorts and flip-flops at home.

When going out at night or during the day, try to dress well so that you stand out a bit. This means a collared shirt, nice pants, good shoes, etc. A lot of local Colombian dudes barely even try, and seem oblivious to the paradise they live in when it comes to girls. Beat them by dressing better and carrying yourself better.

A few caveats to know: Be as groomed as possible. No sloppy hair or facial hair. Get your hair freshened up regularly, and if you have a beard, don’t let it get too gnarly. Keep it short and trimmed.

Also, guys here shave their armpits, so you may want to as well (it’s not a must though). If you really want to go all the way, shave your legs and arms too. This isn’t entirely necessary, but if you are particularly hairy there, you’ll want to shave regularly.

Use Dating Sites

One of the best ways to meet Colombian women is to make use of the popular dating site, especially before arriving. If you’re someone that hates getting out and making multiple approaches on women in person, this can be a much more viable alternative, and often with a lot better results.

With this site, you can comb through profiles, find ones you like, and only respond to girls you’re interested in. After establishing contact, you can set up dates for when you get there, building anticipation and generating more interest all at once. It’s awesome. You can also get by using a translator when typing back and forth, which will help if your Spanish isn’t good.

Just remember to contact a ton of different girls, because some will absolutely flake on you when you get there. If you’re looking for more dateable women, look for profiles where the girls make it well known that they are a doctor, professor, student, or whatever else. Those are the ones looking for something a bit more, and are more educated and easier to deal with.

All you need to do is create a profile, add some good pictures of yourself, fill out the info, and get started talking to hot Medellin girls, setting up dates for when you get there. Some good excuses to meet include asking her to show you around town, find some “must-see” spots, get some coffee, go dancing, etc. The numbers are in your favor, and girls here are intrigued by gringos and foreigners, so take advantage.

Dating a Colombian girl can be an interesting, exciting, and incredibly rewarding experience. By following the steps above, you’ll set yourself up to have a successful dating life while you’re there, and know what to expect once things get rolling.