Unique Colombia Tour
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💎 Why we love it ?
Your journey will start in the cosmopolitan city of Bogotá, where it’s colonial downtown full of history, architecture, stories, and a great view. Discover the secrets of the ¨El Dorado Legend¨ and the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá. Then, you will fly to the innovative city of Medellín, where you will experience the best of the city with wonderful landscapes, farms, a magical colorful town, and the best of the Colombian culture. The Tayrona National Park is a sanctuary of nature, a mix between jungle, mountains, and beach. A majestic place where you can have a lot of adventure and discover the region. End this great experience in the crown of América, the walled city of Cartagena, you will be charmed by its colorful houses, atmosphere, culture, music, food, and beaches.
🏁 Tour Itinerary: Unique Colombia Tour
Day 1: Arrive in Bogotá – Welcome to Colombia
Welcome to Bogotá! You will be picked up at El Dorado Airport by our prepared private transportation service and taken to your hotel. You can relax during your approximately 30-45 minutes drive to your hotel. On the way to your hotel, your English-speaking guide can give you all the recommendations you may like in order to get the most of your stay in Colombia. Bogotá is a diverse and multicultural city with a blend of modern and colonial architecture. The predominant colors in Bogotá are the green of the city’s many parks and the eastern mountains overlooking the sanctuaries of Monserrate and Guadalupe.
🏚️ Accommodation: Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel.
Day 2: Farmers Market & Discover Bogotá (B, L)
Savoring Paloquemao (20 of the best food tours around the world by The Guardian) – “This is where Bogotá’s top chefs come shopping,”
Browse Paloquemao market’s stalls for fruity tropical bounties such as guanábana (soursop), feijoa, pitahaya (dragonfruit), and lulo piled up in perfect pyramids. The iconic market square of Bogotá is a must. Whether to try a steaming almojábana, buy a freshly rose-cut or undertake the search for that unknown fruit you tried in the delicious juice in the morning. Immerse yourself in the delicious flavors of Colombia.
• Meet & Greets with chefs, producers, and owners.
• Tasting of amasijos, fruits, artisan cheeses, local fruit juice *, empanada *, and popular dish (tamale or suckling pig).
• Visit the square and the Paloquemao flower market.
• Ingredients walk: Includes stops at stalls of tubers, vegetables, vegetables, avocados, herbs, and peppers.
• Lunch in La Candelaria
You will then visit the Colón Theater, San Carlos Palace, San Ignacio Church, Nariño Presidential Palace, Bolívar Square, City Hall and the Cathedral. Also, enjoy a visit to the Museo de Oro (Gold Museum). After you have experienced these treasures of the city, you will enjoy a wonderful view of a cable car ride to Monserrate hill. *Please take note that the Gold Museum is closed on Mondays. We do not operate Monserrate on Sundays due to the number of devotees visiting the hill this day. Instead, we visit the Botero Museum.
🏚️ Accommodation: Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel.
Day 3: The Salt Cathedral & Guatavita Lake (B, L)
Transfer to the town of Zipaquirá located 49 kilometers from Bogotá. On the way, panoramic view of the Sabana countryside and El Puente del Común. Upon arrival, we will have a preferential entrance to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá considered the first wonder of Colombia. Inside we will visit the stations of the Cross, the Dome, the Narthex labyrinth, and the three naves. After visiting the mine, a short city tour around the colonial town of Zipaquira.
Afterward, we will visit the Lake of Guatavita, a sacred place for the Muiscas, where the legend of El Dorado was born. This is the place where the indigenous immersed their selves, covered in gold, to make offerings to their gods. Return to the hotel.
🏚️ Accommodation: Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel.
*It requires a minimum level of hiking. You can either choose to visit the beautiful town of Guatavitá. Guatavita Lake is closed on Mondays.
Day 4: Fly to Medellín (B)
You will be picked up at the airport by our prepared private transportation service and taken to your hotel. You can relax during your approximately 30-45 minutes drive to your hotel. You will be free the rest of the day to spend your time o your own.
🏚️ Accommodation: Díez Hotel or similar.
Day 5: Adventure On A Coffee Farm & Discover Medellín (B, L)
After you’ve had some time to enjoy breakfast at the hotel, you’ll head out for a cultural experience on an authentic working coffee farm 45 minutes from Medellin. You’ll pass through Antioquia’s gorgeous green landscape on your way to the farm. At the coffee farm, you’ll learn the entire process of making coffee from the plant to the cup and you’ll get to know the daily life of Colombian coffee cooperatives that still produce coffee in a traditional and fairway.
The coffee Finca (farm) that you visit is very typical of many small family businesses in Colombia that produce an exclusive coffee that, of course, you will get to taste. You’ll stroll through the coffee plantation as the farm manager explains the origins of coffee, starting with growing the healthiest plants through to collecting the red coffee cherries that are eventually processed into dried green coffee beans. After building up a healthy appetite from the fresh country air, you’ll sit down for a hearty and delicious traditional Colombian-style lunch.
When your appetite is satisfied, you’ll learn about the roasting process that takes the odorless green coffee bean and converts it into the rich brown bean that we all know and love; full of flavor and succulent aroma. Listen closely as the coffee farmer explains the key characteristics of a great coffee, both in scent and taste, and shares how to prepare a great cup of coffee at home.
After seeing the involved, manual process required to grow, harvest, dry, roast, grind, and then brew a cup of coffee you’ll never take this everyday drink for granted again. At the end of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to buy freshly roasted coffee straight from its source, the perfect souvenir from Colombia to share with family & friends (or drink all on your own)!
In the afternoon, you will discover the beautiful city of Medellín, start your day along the river avenue and arriving at the city center where we will visit the Plaza San Antonio, Botero square, entrance to the Museum of Antioquia, then, step to the metro station where we will take a panoramic tour to the metro station cable, there we will approach this transportation system and climb up to the commune of Santo Domingo wise, where we will make a cultural interpretation tour reaching the viewpoint of the city. Return to the University station where we will have assistance from the specialized driver.
🏚️ Accommodation: Díez Hotel or similar.
Day 6: Traditional Silleteros & Comuna 13 (B, L)
Today, you will visit the El Pensamiento “Silletera” farm where you will get acquainted with the whole process of making a “Silleta”. Prior to this, we will take a panoramic tour through Placita de Flórez, a market square in the city where farmers (“Silleteros”) commercialized products and flowers they produced in their plots.
“Silleteros” are closely linked to the history of Antioquia because when roads were impassable, they did not allow the use of pack animals. “Silleteros” with their ingenuity achieved the exchange of products and mobilization of people on their backs (with saddles).
Today, we have traces of such a wonderful culture in our region. We continue with the Route to Santa Elena and Arví Park to visit a famous and traditional farmers’ market where you will be able to buy several products and crafts from the village.
Finally, we will arrive at El Pensamiento, a “Silletera” where you will enjoy the history, culture, traditions about the elaboration of a saddle (similar to those that go out to the “Silleteros” Parade every year, in the framework of The Fair of Flowers), to continue with a delicious typical lunch.
*The farmer’s market closes on the first day of the week. In that case, you will visit the main park of Santa Elena.
In the afternoon, you will visit the “Comuna 13” (commune 13) carrying outa historical, aesthetic, and political tour designed and executed by some street artists of the hip-hop movement of that area. Through graffiti, stories that move and inspire hope, and the search for better living conditions for the community are shown. After, a short trip by metro and Metrocable from where you can see an unparalleled panoramic view of the city will follow. At the end of the day, you will return to your hotel.
🏚️ Accommodation: Díez Hotel or similar.
Day 7: El Peñol & Guatapé (B, L)
Today, you will be going through the municipality of Peñol until reaching Guatapé, The most colorful town in Colombia. Guatapé offers a peaceful break from the city, while also featuring a stunning panoramic view of nature and the surrounding scenery from the top of its hill.
Start with the beautiful view of the reservoir that provides 30% of the energy of Colombia and has an extension of 64 km2. Visit the Rock of Guatapé which is approximately 220 meters high, and optionally with additional cost, you can climb 649 steps until you reach the viewpoint with a 360-degree view of the Guatapé reservoir and its neighboring lands.
Then, you will be transferred to Guatapé, the most colorful town in Colombia. It is also one of the most colorful towns in the world. In fact, you’d have to try pretty hard to find a street in Guatapé that wasn’t worthy of being admired and photographed!
Enjoy a walk through the streets, where a specialized guide will inform you about the history of typical houses, its ¨zocalos¨, and this unique culture.
🏚️ Accommodation: Díez Hotel or similar.
Day 8: Fly to Santa Marta (B)
You will be picked up at the airport by our prepared private transportation service and taken to your hotel. You can relax during your approximately 60-90 minutes drive to your hotel.
🏚️ Accommodation: Hotel Villa María Tayrona or similar.
Day 9: Tayrona National Park (B, L)
Tayrona National Park – a sanctuary of nature and archaeological remains that invite an encounter with oneself. Mangrove swamps, corals, algae prairies, thorny scrubland, and magical dry, humid, and cloud forests proliferate and are home to a surprising variety of vegetal and animal species that bear witness to life.
Flora and fauna observations are especially interesting here, especially birdwatching, which includes the threatened Andean condor. Aside from its natural and archaeological attractions, Tayrona Natural Park is a great site for eco-tourism, thanks to the diversity of its sea waves and diving sites. The Chairman archaeological site is known as Pueblito and the stone paths that lead to it are very attractive to tourists.
The Tayrona Natural Park is home to over 100 mammal species, among them howling monkeys, pumas, deer, and several species of bats. Over 300 bird species coexist with them, condors and lone and white eagles, being the main ones.
The park is also home to 31 reptiles, 15 amphibia, 202 sponges, 471 crustacea, and more than 1,000 more marine species. Dolphins and marine turtles are frequent visitors; the latter for the purpose of spawning.
Today, you will enjoy two hours of hiking trail each way (medium level), where you can appreciate the beauty of the beautiful park and be submerge into their jungle and waters.
🏚️ Accommodation: Hotel Villa María Tayrona or similar.
Day 10: Taironaka and The Valencia Waterfall (B, L)
Today, you will be picked up at your hotel to take you for an hour’s drive to the Valencia Waterfall. Here, you will be taken for a 25-minute walk along the trail surrounded by the flora and fauna of the region. This trail will lead you to a beautiful waterfall.
Later, you will be taken for a 40-minute drive to Taironaka parking, then a 10 minutes ride on a boat will take you to a natural reserve located on the shores of the river Don Diego where you will be able to see the terraces where the Tayrona Indians used to build their homes.
In Taironaka you will have the opportunity to swim in the waters descending from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the river.
🏚️ Accommodation: Hotel Villa María Tayrona or similar.
Day 11: Transfer to Cartagena & Enjoy Getsemaní (B, D)
Today, you will be picked up at your hotel in the Tayrona Area and you will be taken to your hotel in Cartagena. Relax in car service during your approximately 4-5 hours drive, enjoy beautiful landscapes during your road trip.
Welcome to the beautiful city of Cartagena! It is time to enjoy this beautiful walled city at night through the traditional neighborhood of Getsemani. Live the bohemian environment of the place while you admire its streets decorated with graffiti.
Then, visit Trinidad square where you can enjoy the magic of the nocturnal life and some street shows. In the end, you’ll enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.
🏚️ Accommodation: Hotel Santa Catalina or similar.
Day 12: Discover Cartagena (B, D)
The reason the city is designed like a fortress is that it was the principal shipping port of gold from the New World back to Spain. The stone ramparts helped protect it from countless pirate attacks, including from the most famous of all: Sir Francis Drake. On top of this history, you will visit myriad plazas, the church and the monastery of San Pedro Claver, the Basilica Minor cathedral, and you’ll stroll along narrow cobbled streets lined with colonial houses featuring bougainvilia-draped balconies.
Visit the modern neighborhoods of Bocagrande and Manga. You will see the contrast between modern architecture and the beauty of the old houses from the twentieth century. Then, you will visit the Castle where the Spaniards sought to protect the city from the attacks of the English in the seventeenth century, “El Castillo De San Felipe de Barajas”.
The warmth and tastiness of Cartagena’s cuisines are mainly due to the generosity of the local cooks. For this experience, local families open the doors of their homes and kitchens so you can learn how to prepare firsthand the most authentic dishes of Cartagena’s recipe books: from bites to a full menu.
Step away from mainstream tours and get inside the most authentic kitchens in local neighborhoods and family homes. Take your apron out and learn how to cook like a true Cartagenian with traditional techniques in a festive ambient. A completely local experience! Connect with Cartagena and its gastronomic culture in one of the most authentic experiences possible: its heart and true flavor. Feel at home in the kitchens of family houses and add with your hand new flavors to your personal collection!
Prepare the most emblematic recipes of traditional cuisine. This experience is designed to discover authentic recipes.
Refreshing welcome drink (fruit-based). It will be available during the entire class.
Step by step cooking class of the recipe/ menu of your choice. The class will be guided by a traditional cook. We encourage all guests to partake in all the preparations. Local fruit drinks. Table service. All experiences, food, and beverages are included.
🏚️ Accommodation: Hotel Santa Catalina or similar.
Day 13: Majagua Island (B, L)
Indulge yourself in the warm, crystal waters of the Caribbean. You will be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Pier. The Rosario Islands are an archipelago made up of 27 islands, located 45 minutes from Cartagena in a National Park on the Colombian Caribbean coast. They are only about an hour from the beautiful city of Cartagena. Beautiful, diverse, and well worth a visit, for a day or even longer.
The Rosario Islands are an integral part of one of Colombia’s most important national parks. The only park in the country that is primarily underwater. As such, the islands and surrounding waters are remarkably well preserved and protected, meaning that you can enjoy their wonders as nature intended.
San Pedro de Majagua Island, Cartagena: Enjoy lunch at San Pedro de Majagua, located on Isla Grande, and owes its name to Pierre Daguet, a French painter who in 1955 created his house and studio there. You’ll enjoy coral beaches and a variety of fauna of the reef, ideal for relaxing and swimming.
🏚️ Accommodation: Hotel Santa Catalina or similar.
Day 14: Depart Cartagena (B)
It’s time to say goodbye to Colombia! Enjoy your last morning in Cartagena with a leisurely breakfast and walk along the sea. A representative will meet you at your hotel and drive you to the airport for your connecting flight home.
Come again!
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Terms & Conditions
All bookings are made with The Colombian Trip LLC, a California limited liability company and the owner of all of its advertised itineraries (“The Colombian Trip,” “we,” or “us”). By booking a trip with us, paying a deposit, or signing this agreement, you accept all of the terms in this agreement on your own behalf and on behalf of all persons listed on the booking, including any minor under your custody, care, or control (“Minor” or “Child”) (individually, “Traveler,” and collectively, “Travelers”), and direct us to perform services for each and every Traveler. The terms and conditions set forth in this agreement constitute the entire understanding and agreement between you the Traveler (“you” or “your”) and The Colombian Trip with respect to any and all bookings, reservations, trips, or transactions made with The Colombian Trip.
All Travelers must be 18 years of age or older to travel with The Colombian Trip unless they are accompanied by an adult.
Reserving Your Place in The Colombian Trip
Early reservations are highly recommended. Airlines often sell out their best fares and hotels can fill up months in advance, particularly the kind of smaller hotels that we generally work with. Each participant must also fill out, digitally sign, and submit a Booking Form (parents must digitally sign for children under 18). Prior to your departure, you will receive pre-departure information relevant to your trip and your destination, and an itinerary.
Payment Schedule and Pricing
We require the following payment schedule for our trips:*
At the time of reservation …………………. 20% of the trip per person non-refundable deposit*
90 days prior to departure or at time of invoicing……………… Balance
Any trips reserved 90 days or less prior to departure require payment in full upon reserving.
Payment schedules and deposit amounts for some trips, such as cruises, can vary. Additional payment schedules and requirements set by local operators take precedence over any of these schedules and requirements. All prices are in U.S. dollars and payments must be made in US dollars. Payment for air tickets is due at the time the tickets are issued.
A few of our tours are priced according to the number of passengers in your group. Staff, guides, and guests of The Colombian Trip are not included in the tier pricing count. Prices listed on The Colombian Trip website and printed materials are subject to change. Accommodations are based on double occupancy. Participants who specifically request single rooms (with no roommate) must pay a “single supplement.” The single supplement varies from trip to trip.
Cancellations and Refunds
Notice of cancellation of your trip must be received in writing by The Colombian Trip. If it becomes necessary for you to cancel your trip, the following fees will apply to canceled trips, computed as of the date of receipt of written cancellation notice:
More than 120 days prior to departure: $0 (initial deposit is non-refundable)
91 to 120 days prior to departure: 25% of the total cost for the entire trip
30 to 90 days prior to departure: 50% of the total cost for the entire trip
Less than 30: 100% of the total cost for the entire trip
Cancellation schedules for cruises or certain special events are sometimes stricter. Additionally, clients are subject to any cancellation fees assessed by the purveyors of services including hotels or airlines used in the itinerary. We highly recommend that all clients purchase trip cancellation insurance. No partial refunds are possible for unused portions of a trip. The Colombian Trip is not responsible for any expenses incurred by trip members in preparing for a canceled trip (e.g., nonrefundable advance purchase air tickets, visa fees, inoculations, equipment, etc.) or any additional arrangements. If for any reason The Colombian Trip cancels your trip, an alternative trip of a similar standard will be offered to you. If this is not acceptable to you, then all amounts of money paid by you to The Colombian Trip will be refunded. Beyond the trip costs paid to us, The Colombian Trip is not responsible for any loss or damage that arises out of any cancellation for any reason whatsoever.
Documentation
U.S. citizens traveling outside the United States are required to carry documentation of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport. It is your responsibility to obtain proper documentation to travel, including but not limited to a passport and any required visas. Many countries require that your passport be valid for six months beyond the date of travel.
Trip Insurance
We strongly recommend that all of our travelers purchase travel insurance. Travel insurance can help cover everything from baggage loss, missed connections, and trip interruption, to a medical emergency, including medical evacuation costs. It also helps protect you in the event of loss of non-refundable trip deposits and payments that result from cancellation or trip interruption. Families traveling together, in particular, can benefit from traveler’s insurance, due to the high investment in the trip and the increased risk of one person’s illness resulting in the entire trip being canceled.
Release of Liability
These paragraphs define our responsibility with respect to all of our trips. Please read them carefully. Participation on your chosen trip represents your acceptance of the following terms and conditions:
I acknowledge that I have voluntarily applied to participate in the trip I have chosen (or to any trip to which I transfer). I understand and hereby acknowledge that there are inherent and other risks involved in trips and activities of this kind and I freely and voluntarily assume those risks. I understand that travel to the destination to which I am going involves an increased level of risk from travel in the United States and that safety standards and travel conditions are not at the same level that they are in the United States. These risks include, but are not limited to: forces of nature, including but not limited to weather; physical exertion for which I am not prepared; any and all risks associated with vehicle collisions or road accidents of any kind; accidents relating to risky physical activities such as snorkeling, rafting, hiking, scuba diving, horseback riding, sea kayaking, and any other physical activity; criminal activity; high altitude; transportation failures; any and all risks associated with food and impure water; any and all risks associated with illnesses or disease; civil unrest; terrorism; consumption of alcoholic beverages; accident or illness without rapid access to medical supplies or services; the adequacy of medical attention once provided; and lost or misplaced luggage. I understand that changes to the planned itinerary may occur as a result of local circumstances or events. I accept changes to the amenities, route, type of transport, and schedule that may be necessitated by these local circumstances and events, including but not limited to mechanical breakdown, strikes, weather, flight cancellations, or other unforeseen problems. The Colombian Trip reserves the right to substitute hotels from those indicated in the itinerary if necessary. I also understand that The Colombian Trip reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any of its trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes.
I understand and acknowledge that the services that The Colombian Trip provides in connection with its itineraries, including hotel accommodations, restaurants, transportation, and other services, are purchased from various independent suppliers that are not owned or operated by The Colombian Trip. I understand and accept that I will not hold The Colombian Trip liable for any actions taken by any local travel providers, including destination management companies and other outfitters that provide all of the services that make up the trip I am participating in. I understand that The Colombian Trip has no right to control these suppliers’ operations and agree that The Colombian Trip will not be liable for any act or omission of any independent supplier or any unrelated third party. I expressly agree that The Colombian Trip, and its own agents and employees, shall not be liable for any delay, mishap, inconvenience, expense, irregularity, damage, loss, injury to a person, or damage to property occasioned through the conduct or default of any company or individual engaged in providing these services. Each of these passenger conveyance companies, tour companies, hotels, restaurants, etc., is subject to the laws of the state or country where the service is provided.
Trip Member’s Responsibility
Trip members are responsible for selecting a trip appropriate to their abilities, communicating any special needs to The Colombian Trip prior to the commencement of the trip, and for being insufficiently good health to undertake the trip without posing a risk to themselves or others. Trip members are also responsible for bringing the appropriate clothing and equipment for their trip.
Changes to Published Itineraries
The Colombian Trip reserves the right to make changes to its published itineraries before a booking is made. These changes will be made in the interest of improving the itinerary for the clients. If significant changes have been made to a published itinerary prior to reserving, the client will be informed of those changes upon reserving.
Expenses Covered
The price of the trip includes local ground transportation, local accommodations as indicated in the itinerary, meals as indicated in the itinerary, in some cases domestic and regional flights as indicated in the itinerary, guiding services as indicated in the itinerary, and most park entrance fees. Costs not included in the price are some meals as noted in the trip itinerary, soft drinks, and liquor, medical expenses, costs of hospitalization or evacuation, laundry, airport departure taxes, accommodations on route to the destination, visas, international airfares, gratuities, and insurance.
Please note that if a trip must be extended or an itinerary modified due to weather, road conditions, lack of transportation, political or civil disputes, medical emergency, or other causes beyond our control, the associated costs including any non-recoverable costs are not included in the trip rates or refunds. In such circumstances, it is your responsibility to pay directly for actual extra costs in the field (i.e., food, transport, accommodations, etc.).
Airline Arrangements
The Colombian Trip is not responsible for any airline penalties or fees resulting from changes or trip cancellation once airline tickets have been issued. The Colombian Trip is not responsible for any forfeiture that results due to an inability to obtain airline tickets that allow you to participate in a reserved trip. It is your responsibility to make sure that all flights you purchase coincide with the trip itinerary. Please note that all airfare on our trips is subject to change without notice until tickets are issued.
PLEASE NOTE: If due to unforeseen circumstances your trip should be delayed or canceled, please bear in mind that many budget airfares carry major restrictions and in many cases are nonrefundable; may only be valid on the carrier listed (i.e., non-endorsable); may require advance purchase; may only be valid for specific travel dates or times; and/or may involve traveling by an inconvenient route.
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From: $3,569.00
John –
We had a great time in Colombia. Remarkable guides who were able to cater to our group in an expert way. Each driver was skilled and they were fun to talk with. all locations were fantastic. thank you
Amelia1234 –
The trip was fabulous. the guide was superb. He has excellent knowledge of the attractions and was happy and helpful throughout despite being ill. The most memorable part was staying in Bogota. An excellent place. Good food and great hospitality.