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12 Day itinerary in Colombia, South America

Coffee Cultural Landscape

This trip has a great mix of culture and nature. The culture you'll find here is the local one oriented in food, music and history. This itinerary starts at the Coffee Cultural Landscape with natural experiences like in the forest of thins high wax palms. Then you get to experience a real coffee pla... Read More

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John

By John

Overview

Physical Difficulty

Easy
help_outline

Recommended Age

Everyone

Operated in

English, Spanish

GUIDANCE

On Some Day Trips

starting point

Pereira

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Visit markets

Meet local people

Rural home stays

Indigenous culture

Outdoors & Nature

Culture & Arts

Start

Night

End

Highlights

1

Explore the Coffee culture of Colombia

2

Visit Medellin City of Eternal Spring

3

Take you on a scenic drive through the Eastern Highlands of Antioquia

4

Taste the local rum in Cartagena

Itinerary

Luxury Accommodation expand_more

Day 1

place Pereira- Quindio- Montenegro

You will have a private transfer from the airport in Pereira to your selected hotel in Quindio region. Please be aware of the sign with your name on it.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Hacienda Bambusa
Day 2

place Wax Palm Empire - La Carbonera & Colonial Town Of Salento

You will start the day trip in Salento at 7h30, there you will take a Jeep Willys, which is the traditional vehicle of this region, for a 23-kilometer trip along the old road that connected Salento with Ibagué and Bogotá. The road is gravel and is used by mountain bike enthusiasts and farmers of the region. On the way, you will witness the lush landscapes of the Central Mountain Range and the National Park of the Nevados. You will ascend approximately 3340 m and stop to enjoy the impressive view of Paramillo del Quindio. Then you will start the descent and on the way you will appreciate a wax palm valley until arriving to our destination, La Carbonera Farm. On the farm, you will take a one-hour walk among the wax palms, one of the highest palms in the world -up to 70 meters-. Once at the main house of the farm, you will rest and take a typical drink of sugar cane water with colombian cheese. After this amazing tour, you will return by Willys Jeep to the starting point of the hike, where we will have lunch. For the return to Salento there are two options, you can choose one of them: Take a 12-kilometer hike until you reach Salento. The path you will go along pass near the eastern side of the mountain and on the way you will learn about some myths and legends of the region. Return by Willys Jeep to Salento.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Hacienda Bambusa
Day 3

place The Magic Of Taste Between Coffee Platations & Culinary Experience

Among a wonderful coffee landscape, you will live an experience with a local family, sharing their customs and learning everything related to the coffee process. You will participate in the company of the "aunt" in the preparation of the lunch from the harvest in the orchard and while the food is cooking you will make a tour of the heliconias and fruit trees, on the return you will finish preparing and serving the lunch that you will share with the family. Your tour ends with a delicious cup of coffee at the farm or in the village shop that also belongs to the family. This activity includes: Transport from accommodation, coffee tour, cooking workshop, hydration, coffee, accompanying the owners in English. Schedule: From Monday to Sunday, with a previous reservation of at least two days. And at least two persons.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Hacienda Bambusa
Day 4

place Bike Experience In Filandia & Surroundings

To begin the day with an experience unparalleled in the "steel horses", as they say here colloquially, this means of transport, by which our farmers travel daily to the fincas on which they work, will enable them to cross routes in the north of the department that connect the municipalities of Cherkassia and Filandia (about 28 km - in the mountain category). Once there, we have time for a coffee snack and the "most beautiful city of Quindios", which offers a representative selection of the traditional architecture of our department, with its Bejuco handicrafts, its viewpoints and the friendliness of its inhabitants making a wonderful visit. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to have lunch in Naxos "Helena Adentro", a restaurant created by the union of three travellers who love the landscape and social responsibility, where every detail is important: the paintings of local artists hanging on the walls, the choice of suppliers - local farmers who guarantee the traceability of the products - the preparation of the dishes. Basketwork workshop It allows our visitors to know, interact, participate and learn about the craft of basketry in vines, its processes and production techniques that for more than 100 years has existed as a great tradition and intangible heritage in the department of Quindío.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner, Snacks

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Hacienda Bambusa
Day 5

place Quindio- Pereira- Medellin

Transfer from your selected hotel in the Quindio area to the airport in Pereira. You will have a domestic flight from Pereira to Medellín. Transfer from the Enrique Olaya Herrera airport to your selected hotel in Medellín. Please be aware of the sign with your name on it. NIGHTLIFE EXPERIENCE - TANGO CULTURE IN Medellín (Half day)Private service Explore the famous tango culture of Medellín and visit the tango hot spots of the city. Follow the footprints of Carlos Gardel who turned Medellín into the biggest tango metropolis outside of Argentina. Get to know the Tango Culture of Medellín and be impressed by that little-known part of Colombian dance and music culture. Enjoy this perfect combination of culture and live dance, and experience Medellín differently. Trip Highlights Watch a live tango show with some of the best Tango performers of Medellín Learn more about the cultural context of Tango in Colombia Get another perspective of Medellín *Note: Only available on Fridays & Saturdays (evening hours) / Any other day we can organize a Tango-Event on request (special pricing)

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Park 10
Day 6

place Medellin - City Of Eternal Spring Tour

Medellín - the “City of Eternal Spring” – located in the Andean highlands of Antioquia, is nowadays the most innovative city of Latin America. Its recent past was strongly related to the life of Pablo Escobar and violent gang fights. During the last twenty years, Medellín went through some drastic changes. An innovative program of urban development that combines modern means of public transport and the construction of public parks and areas of recreation for the local people turned Medellín from the most dangerous city in the world into a modern example of urban transformation. Explore the Andean capital of Colombia on a full day tour. Get an insight of the history of the city, visiting the “Pueblito Paisa” and enjoy perfect views of the city. Explore the famous Botero Plaza downtown with an exhibition of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whose sculptures have become a landmark of the city. Take the Metro Cable up to Santo Domingo, which was once a notorious area of gang violence in Medellín. The cable car was constructed to make the inner city more accessible to people from the outskirts and allows visitors a glimpse into the lives of the marginalized population. At the Comuna 13 district with its unique escalators, you observe another innovative project that improved the quality of life of the people of Medellín.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Park 10
Day 7

place Guatapé & Piedra Del Peñol

The Peñol Boulder is one of the most spectacular destinations in the surrounding area of Medellín. The 200-meter-high monolith can be climbed through a staircase of 740 steps. Enjoy breath-taking views over the stunning surroundings full of green mountains and blue lakes. The village of Guatapé is famous for its church and its beautiful, colorful paintings that decorate the houses of the village. On this day trip, we will take you on a scenic drive through the Eastern Highlands of Antioquia. You can climb the Peñol Boulder, enjoy a delicious typical Colombian lunch on the waterfront of the Guatapé reservoir, explore the lake on a boat ride and take time to stroll and relax. Trip Highlights: Climb the Peñol Boulder and enjoy breathtaking views Explore the lake on a boat ride Scenic drive through the Eastern highlands of Antioquia Enjoy the laid-back village lifestyle and a stroll along the charming waterfront of the Guatapé reservoir

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Park 10
Day 8

place Moravia Community Experience - From Trash To Flowers

The densely populated neighborhood of Moravia was once Medellín's municipal rubbish dump with an open-air mountain of trash surrounded by a large shanty town, whose residents used to live in almost absolute poverty. Due to Colombia’s armed conflict and the number of displaced refugees, more and more people arrived in Moravia, located right next to the city center. Moravia nowadays is considered to be the most populated “barrio” of Medellín. The neighborhood is known for its strong community spirit and the positive attitude of its people. Plenty of local community-run projects have transformed Moravia into a model urban center, with the mound of trash turned into a garden-covered hillside and represents one of the landmarks of social and urban transformation of Medellín. Explore the area guided by community leaders and get insights on this unique story of social and urban transformation. Directly support the local community projects. This tour lasts around 4 hours. Trip Highlights Visit the most populated neighborhood of Medellín Get to know the social transformation of Medellín made by the communities themselves Explore the streets of Moravia and experience the unique history of the community firsthand Walk over the former garbage hill transformed into a beautiful garden Support local community projects GRAFFITI TPUR MEDELLIN (Half day)Private services The City of Medellin offers a great variety of urban arts due to the city’s transformation of the last 20 years. Nowadays, the city is so full of countless artistic expressions of street art that the local authorities declared urban art a cultural landmark of Medellin. Graffiti is not only about strong artistic and cultural elements, it is a way of political expression. See the graffiti of the Comuna 13 guided by some local artists themselves. This tour gives you an insight on history and daily life in this area and the importance of street art for social communication and identity.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: Hotel Park 10
Day 9

place Medellin - Cartagena

Transfer from your selected hotel to the José Maria Córdova airport in Medellin. You will have a domestic flight from Medellin to Cartagena. Transfer from the airport to your selected hotel in Cartagena (Centro or Bocagrande). Please be aware of the sign with your name on it. RUM TASTING (2 hours)Private Services Spaniards brought many things and customs to America that transformed the continent. In the same way, we have adapted many of them to our culture and created an identity and products of our own. This is the case of sugar cane, which was taken to another level and today is the basis of one of the most exquisite drinks on the planet. Join us in this space of knowledge and fun where we would learn from the most famous drink of the Caribbean, the Rum. You will be picked up from your hotel and start our tour by walking to the bar, where an expert mixologist will tell you about the history and characteristics of this drink. This journey of flavors will take you to taste different Colombian rums, some of them cataloged as the best in the world. You will learn their secrets and discover how wide and rich the world of Rum can be, and how small changes in the process give life to so many flavors and emotions. After getting to know and living rum from a different perspective, enjoying one will be a real experience.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: ANANDA BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Day 10

place City Tour Cartagena

Cartagena de Indias is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in America. Its historical center, walled by fortifications built in the colonial era, retains its original architecture and is shown today in a myriad of colors that fill it with Caribbean life and joy. Its fascinating history as one of the pearls of that era, a place of collection of great treasures and the largest slave port in the colonies, gives immense importance to this World Heritage City. The stories about those pirate attacks of great magnitude are present in each of the fortifications that remain intact to this day. The City-Tour begins with a visit to the Fort of San Felipe de Barajas, the largest fortification built by the Spanish in their colonies. In a one-hour tour we will be able to appreciate this masterpiece of military architecture in coral stone and we will learn about the defense strategy of the city in relation to its topography. Then we will go to the historical center to visit the San Pedro Clavér Convent Museum, former Jesuit Cloister (1605) and home of the so-called "Slave of the Slaves". To finish, we make a tour of approximately 2 hours through the main squares, churches and streets of the city. We will also walk over the city walls to have the best views of the city and to know the most important bastions. *Note: after the visit to San Felipe Castle and before returning to the Old Town, you will visit the La Popa and its old monastery located at 150 meters above sea level. This is the highest point of the city where the panoramic view of the city can be seen. If you visit La Popa, the visit to San Pedro Claver Monastery is skipped. The visit to La Popa has an additional cost. It does not apply to groups of more than 15 people.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: ANANDA BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Day 11

place Champetour With Charles King

Do you know what Champeta is? It’s the music of Cartagena! That has lived and suffered like the city different revolutions during the history so moved of the city of Cartagena de Indias. This musical genre was born in the afrodescendant zones of Cartagena, influenced by African and Antillean rhythms, linked to the tradition and cultural heritage of San Basilio de Palenque, which in its beginnings was marginalized and frowned upon among the highest social strata of the city; as a lifestyle, it has transcended borders and has become a musical, social and cultural phenomenon that every day gains more followers from the poorest and most popular communities to the most famous. If you like music and dance, come and enjoy a day in which. you can learn about the origins of the champeta and its history, because La Champeta was not allowed in Colombia for a time, walking with the icon of this music Charles King, through the passages of the typical and popular market of Bazurto where he saw his first steps to fame, learn to move with the flow champetuo with one of the most famous singers of Cartagena and champeta dancers 100% Cartagena! Following in the footsteps of this joyful and rhythmic Caribbean rhythm that invites you to have fun and live the music!

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Luxury Accommodation: ANANDA BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Day 12

place Cartagena Departure

Transfer from your hotel to the airport in Cartagena.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Accommodation expand_less

  • Hotel Hacienda Bambusa
  • Hotel Park 10
  • ANANDA BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Meals expand_less

  • Dinner (4)
  • Breakfast (11)
  • Lunch (4)
  • Snacks (3)

Transport expand_less

  • Transportation is provided on the days mentioned.

Activities expand_less

  • Excursions and visits as mentioned in the program.

Extras expand_less

  • Entrances fees as mentioned in the program.
  • AIG Insurance (liability insurance).

Not Included expand_less

  • Excursions not mentioned in the program.
  • Meals not mentioned in the program.
  • Drinks, tips and personal expenses.
  • International flights.

About John

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Hi! My name is John and I will be very happy to help you organize your trip. I know Colombia very well and love it with all my heart. I've been traveling through the country and I knew people and places for any kind of experience you wish!

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