Colombia Aficionados: An in-depth survey of Colombia’s most notable destinations
(13 days, from $5,865 USD/per couple)

Enjoy the exhilarating variety of culture and vistas this customizable experience packs into 13 days that includes Bogota, coffee country (Salento), and the Caribbean Coast (Cartagena, Parque Tayrona) and leave this experience with more knowledge about regional dialects, accents, customs, and cultures than anyone you know.

Explore Bogota, Colombia’s epic capital, via the Museum of Gold to understand the legacy of its rich natural resources (emeralds and gold) and the impact of colonial development. Following this, you’ll take an overnight to the famous Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá for your first - but not last - taste of pueblo life.

These thirteen days will allow you to embed into each of this regions in a satisfying, infinitely rewarding manner. Read more about the advantages of this trip below.

This trip is customizable. We’ll send you any price updates to reflect your personal interests and are happy to answer any questions you have at no extra cost.

• This trip includes luxury accommodations and upgrades are available

• In-country flights included

• Prices will fluctuate depending on seasonal prices

  Leave this experience with a wide breadth of knowledge about Colombia, from its capital city to the Caribbean coast, and the coffee country in between. Learn about the regional dialects, architecture, customs, and traditions - and discover what it has to offer in each of its extraordinary regions.
  

Day 1: Welcome to Bogota!

Transfer to your modern hotel downtown and get settled. Meet your guide for the next day.

We’ll suggest dining options and other evening activities given arrival times, including a night cap at Monserrate, where it can get nippy at night but the spirits - and vistas - can’t be beat.

Day 2: Exploring the Capital

Get an early start on this full day visiting the oldest part of the city, La Candelaria, full of colorful architecture and street art. Learn about Bogotá’s colonial past and visit Plaza Bolivar.

*Note: If you’re more active, we can arrange food, graffiti, or bike tours. Let us know your speed and if you’d like to find a way to combine both traditional and modern explorations of the city.

Day 3: Villa de Leyva

Enjoy a brilliant, private drive to Villa de Leyva, located a few hours away in the mountains. Stop en route to visit the famous Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá, one of Colombia’s great treasures, where you’ll be guided through its history. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue toward Villa de Leyva.

Upon arrival, get settled at Hotel Campanario de la Villa located in the historic center of Villa de Leyva. Enjoy comfortable lodgings in a colonial building replete with restaurant, pool, and spa.

Day 4: Deep Dive and Day Trips

Morning birds, cobblestone streets, local bakeries, and lots of footpaths; explore Villa de Leyva with your private local guide. Your tour is customizable but can include the pueblo’s most notable historic buildings, including the Museo de Fosil, El Infiernito, and the Casa Terrocata.

Day 5: Welcome to the Eje Cafetero, Coffee Country!

We’ll get you to the airport to catch a flight to Armenia in the heart of coffee country and get settled in your hacienda.

Day 6: Calm Mornings, Strong Coffee

You’ll head to San Alberto Coffee Finca for a coffee tour and tasting. The journey out will take you through some stunning scenery: carpeted rolling hills of lush green coffee, plantain and yucca. Experience the entire process of coffee harvesting and processing, from seedling to harvest to toasting to cup. Learn about the lives of the regional coffee growers and finish the tour with a guided tasting of some of Colombia’s finest brews.

Day 7: Valle de Cocora + Salento
Spend a day trekking through small pueblos that make up the heart of the department of Quindio’s coffee country. Hiking to waterfalls, hummingbird sanctuaries, horseback riding, or bike trips all available to explore this world class valley where 200-foot palm trees are king.

Day 8: To the Coast!

Fly to Santa Marta. This small, breezy seaside city lies next to the Sierra Nevada mountain range and Tayrona National Park, or, Parque Tayrona, along with crescent-shaped beach and popular backpacker haven, Playa Taganga. The town is relaxed and still growing. The beaches here are a mix of pristine, Caribbean waters nestled into a background of jungle fauna. Settle into the gorgeous Bio Habitat Hotel, modern and luxurious at once.

Day 9: Exploring Tayrona Park

Hike through Tayrona National Park to El Pueblito, a pre-Columbian site. You’ll learn about its rich history with a private guide. Opt for horse riding or “cabalgata” if you’d prefer to explore on horse. During this exploration you’ll see the striking variety of flora, fauna, sea life, and culture right along the coastline.

*Option: We can arrange a private guide to take you on a hike to different beaches and a local historical site, or snorkeling, do a different hike like “9 Stones,” or a coffee tour on a farm in nearby Minca.

*Note: From here, folks can do the Lost City tour on their own (another 4 days) onto this itinerary.

Day 10: Golden sunsets and Cobblestone Streets

Transfer to Cartagena, The Crown Jewel of the Caribbean. Get settled at the Bastion Hotel. Afternoon walking tour of the historic downtown. We’ll suggest night time activities and can organize buggy, segway, or bike tours, along with rum tastings or gastro tours.

Day 11: Turquoise Waves at your Feet

Explore Islas Rosarios on a day trip to one of the country’s most well-known cristaline waters. Snorkeling possible.

Option: Head out to all the islands you like with a private boat and a personal capitan. Editor’s note: HIGHLY worth it!

Day 12:
Exploring Cartagena with activities of your choice...or go DIY!

Some options:

• Day trip to Palenque, first free town of the Americas

• Bazurto Market half-day experience (tour of the city’s bustling outdoors market with private guide)

• City Tour in private vehicle to see Castillo San Felipe, barrio Getsemani, and Pie de la Popa (a monastery convent)

• Botanical gardens half-day experience with private car and guide

• Mangroves ecotour by canoe and lunch in traditional fishing village right outside of town in La Boquilla

• Horseback riding on the beach of La Boquilla

• Shopping tour downtown

Day 13: Transfer to airport and off to your next destination!

Note: Hotels and tours, transportation and other services are subject to low and high season prices. High season in Cartagena is between October and April. Hotels will charge a tax not included in our initial quote.