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12 Day itinerary in Colombia, South America

The diversity of Colombian landscapes

You will discover a variety of Colombian landscapes and understand why it is a unique destination full of nature and culture.

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Emma

By Emma

Overview

Physical Difficulty

Light
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Recommended Age

Everyone

Operated in

English

GUIDANCE

On Some Day Trips

starting point

Bogotá

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Visit markets

Meet local people

Rural home stays

Indigenous culture

Outdoors & Nature

Culture & Arts

Start

Night

End

Highlights

1

Discover the indigenous mythology in San Agustin

2

Visit the salsa capital and take a salsa dance class

3

Taste the best cup of coffee of your life

4

Walk in a UNESCO Wolrd Heritage colonial walled city

Itinerary

Mid-range: 3* hotels expand_more

Day 1

place Welcome to Bogotá !

Upon arrival at the airport you will be greeted by your guide and transferred to your hotel. Welcome to Bogotá! Located at 2,640 meters (8,660 feet) in the Andes, it is the cultural, economic, and political center of Colombia. With 8 million of inhabitants, Bogotá is a dynamic and modern metropole with numerous attractions, cultural events, and a thriving nightlife. The historic district can be found at La Candelaria, a pleasant quarter of cafés, churches, and museums.

Guide: Included for the day

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Hotel Casa Deco
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel de la Opera
Day 2

place Discovering Bogotá’s treasures

After breakfast at your hotel, you will have a whole day to explore some of the most attractive places of Bogotá. Visit Bogotá’s largest food market: Paloquemao! This typical market serves as the supplier for most of the city's best restaurants, being a real labyrinth of odors and flavors. Continue exploring La Candelaria, the heart of the historical center and first neighborhood of the city. This is a lovely historic quarter full of churches, renowned museums, and cafés. In the afternoon, visit the Gold Museum (closed on Mondays) to see the world's largest collection of pre-Columbian gold objects. Next stop is the Botero Museum (closed on Tuesdays) where, paintings and sculptures of Colombia's most celebrated artist are exhibited with a private collection of Picasso and Braque.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Hotel Casa Deco
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel de la Opera
Day 3

place Onto the South of Colombia

Transfer to the airport. Flight Bogotá – Neiva. Transfer to San Augustin. You will be going along the Río Magdalena, which is emerging in the mountain, and opening into the Caribbean Sea.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Akawanka Lodge
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Monasterio San Agustín
Day 4

place Discovering the indigenous mythology

Visit the Archaeological Park of San Agustín (closed on Tuesdays). This fascinating archaeological park, with more than 300 massive statues and sacred tombs, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You can discover El Bosque, a small museum, and the Mesitas where ancient dwellings, tombs, statues with remarkable finishing and artificial mounds are housed. In the afternoon, go to a traditional coffee finca where they explain the whole process, from the harvest to the cup. This didactic immersion in the world of coffee allows you to discover the methods of collection and selection of the beans but also the process from drying to roasting to the final product. End the visit with a good cup of coffee.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Akawanka Lodge
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Monasterio San Agustín
Day 5

place Discover the surroundings of San Agustín

In the morning, you will go down the canyon of Magdalena river. This river is 1540 kilometers long and you will see the narrowest point of it, “El Estrecho” which is 2.2m wide. Then you will visit Obando archeological museum. You will then visit the archaeological site of Alto de La Piedras to discover beautiful statues. In the middle of tombs decorated with geometric forms, some of them are among the most known of San Agustín. Discover one of the most symbolic area of San Agustin called La Chaquira. You will be surprised by the shapes sculpted in volcanic rocks. Do not forget to enjoy the incredible view on the canyon of Magdalena river.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Akawanka Lodge
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Monasterio San Agustín
Day 6

place Popayán, the “white city”

This morning you will travel to Popayan and check in at your hotel. Popayan is considered as the religious capital of Colombia with the largest number of churches per inhabitants. It is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in the country although partially destroyed by an earthquake in the 1980s. In the afternoon, you will visit the village of Popayan, and discover its baroque churches (Of San Francisco and Ermita), the Basilica Cathedral and the sumptuous stone streets. Discover the city and its colonial houses with white walls, wrought iron balconies and flowering bushes. End this visit with the tasting of the famous “aplanchadas” at Doña Chepa. This sweet donut is a specialty of Popayan.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Hotel La Plazuela
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Dann Monasterio
Day 7

place Welcome to the salsa capital

Transfer to Cali. Visit Cali and take part to a salsa dance class. You will visit the historic center of Cali in San Antonio or Granada. Then you will walk along the Boulevard el Rio to Jairo Varela Plaza. Finally, you will visit a dance school and try an introductory class of this dance. If the transfer takes place on a Tuesday, you could go to the village of Silvia for a meeting with the Guambiano community and visit the market. Exchange with the locals, and discover their customs, history, traditional medicine and crafts. Every Tuesday, the Guambianos exhibit and sell traditional crafts transforming the market into a real meeting place and cultural discovery.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: San Antonio Hotel Boutique Cali - Hoteles Cali
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Movich Casa del Alferez
Day 8

place On the way to the Coffee Triangle!

Transfer to the Hacienda El Diamante. You will be welcomed on this property surrounded by vegetation in order to take a break on the day's route. Start with a tasting of buffalo cheese prepared at the hacienda. Continue through a path surrounded by "guadua", the gigantic Colombian bamboo (30 minutes’ walk). Walk along the river and look up to observe some of the local birds. Lunch outdoors to enjoy a typical dish: sancocho de gallina (local pot roast) cooked over a wood fire. Continue towards the coffee region.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: La Finca Turística La Holanda
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Boutique Sazagua
Day 9

place The highest palm trees of the world!

Today, you will discover the Cocora Valley. First, take a beautiful walk along the Quindío River that will allow you to discover the cloudy rainforest and admire the wax palms, the Colombian national tree, impressive by its height that can reach 70 meters. Head to the village of Salento to enjoy its colonial architecture with its colorful balconies. Continue with the small village of Filandia known for its colorful houses and its square surrounded by coffee shops.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: La Finca Turística La Holanda
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Boutique Sazagua
Day 10

place On the road to the Pearl of the Caribbean

Transfer to the airport. Flight Pereira – Cartagena. Transfer and installation at your hotel. Free afternoon.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Alfiz Hotel
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Quadrifolio
Day 11

place Cartagena at your rhythm

Welcome to Cartagena! Go back in time and relive some of the highlights of the city’s history with a walking tour. Cartagena has suffered repeated attacks from pirates, like the notably Captain Francis Drake. Discover the church and the monastery San Pedro Claver, the Cathedral also called Minor Basilica and the colonial houses which border the alleys of the historical center. End the visit with a homemade ice cream. Free afternoon. Optional: Visit the Boquilla community. A fishing village of Afro-Colombian culture located 20 minutes away from Cartagena on the beach and surrounded by mangroves. After visiting the community, observe different types of native and migratory birds aboard a local boat through the mangroves. Optional: Visit the Popa convent and San Felipe fort, a masterpiece of military architecture, erected in 1536 to defend the city of many pirates and corsairs. The convent of Popa offers a panoramic view of the city and its many popular neighborhoods. Optional: Excursion to the Rosario Islands (roundtrip collective boat and lunch included, port taxes to pay at arrival). The Rosario Archipelago is one of the 56 natural parks of Colombia, located only 35km from Cartagena and is composed of 27 coral islands.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-range: 3* hotels: Alfiz Hotel
  • High-end: 4* hotels: Hotel Quadrifolio
Day 12

place ¡Hasta pronto!

In the morning, visit the Bazurto Market (from Monday to Saturday). During this culinary journey, you will be visiting the colorful, authentic, and hectic alleyways of the market to discover the gastronomic and cultural tradition of the city. Enjoy breakfast with your guide at a restaurant in Getsemani. Cartagena’s cuisine is one of the richest and most varied in Colombia and one of the most original in America thanks to its history and the fusion of three communities: indigenous, Spanish and African. Each of them brought its products and its eating habits. The result is marvelous. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the airport. National and international flights (not included). ¡Hasta luego!

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Accommodation expand_less

  • Akawanka Lodge
  • Hotel Casa Deco
  • Hotel La Plazuela
  • San Antonio Hotel Boutique Cali - Hoteles Cali
  • La Finca Turística La Holanda
  • Alfiz Hotel
  • Hotel de la Opera
  • Hotel Monasterio San Agustín
  • Hotel Dann Monasterio
  • Movich Casa del Alferez
  • Hotel Boutique Sazagua
  • Hotel Quadrifolio

Meals expand_less

  • Breakfast (11)
  • Lunch (1)

Transport expand_less

  • The private ground transfers mentioned in the program with a Spanish-speaking driver
  • Domestic flights mentioned in the program (prices estimated to date and subject to change).

Activities expand_less

  • Visits and excursions mentioned in the program with an English/Spanish speaking guide

Extras expand_less

  • English-speaking support on arrival at Bogotá airport.
  • 24 hours assistance during the trip – English-speaking telephone hotline

Not Included expand_less

  • International flights.
  • Optional activities.
  • Alcoholic beverages.
  • Additional luggage on domestic flights.
  • Personal expenses.
  • Assistance and repatriation insurance.
  • Voluntary tips for guides or drivers.
  • Anything not mentioned in "THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES".
  • Other meals, drinks, tips and other personal expenses or services not specified on the program.

About Emma

TEAM LEAD

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I am in love with Colombia and its incredible diversity. It's incredible to be able to share this passion with other travelers and I joined the tourism industry to be able to keep discovering and make other people dreams come true.

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FROM PRICE PER TRAVELER

$2,602.00 USD