Colombia Highlights

Enjoy a half day visit to the historic centre of Bogota known as La Candelaria. This archaic suburb has great significance in the country´s history due to its cultural heritage and is also a great example of Spanish colonial time architecture. Visit the main square Plaza de Bolivar, where a statue of the great emancipator Simon Bolivar is located. The plaza, originally called the Plaza Mayor, was used for civil and military purposes such as a marketplace, a bullring and it was also the place where many executions were held. The Cathedral, on the eastern side of the plaza, is constructed on the same spot where the first church was built in Bogotá in 1539 and houses an important collection of religious artifacts such as textiles and artworks, collection that has been built over four centuries. The Capilla del Sagrario is located just beside the Cathedral and is a gem of religious architecture, it houses valuable pieces of colonial religious art by Gregorio Vasquez de Arce y Ceballos.

The Capitol, built between 1847 and 1926, shows its renaissance and neoclassical influences with its carved stonework and tall columns and, it was the first example of republican civil architecture. The central area of the Capitol, known as the Elliptic Hall, is where congress meets and is the actual chamber for politicians and the Senate. In the internal squares are busts of former presidents such as General Tomás Cipriano Mosquera, president over four terms, and Rafael Núñez, the composer of the Colombian National Anthem. Around the Plaza de Bolivar are buildings such as the Palacio de Justicia, the Mayor of Bogotá’s offices called the Edificio Liévano, the oldest school in the county called San Bartolome and the Casa de los Comuneros, named after the leaders that participated towards the end of the XVII Century in some of the first movements towards independence from Spain and the formation of the Republic. The visit continues with the Botero Museum, a colonial house exhibiting some of Fernando Botero´s works of art and in addition pieces from his own personal collection that includes works by Picasso, Renoir, Dalí Matisse, Monet and Giacometti. Next is the Gold Museum which has a permanent exhibition of some 32,000 pieces of gold, 20,000 stones, ceramics and textiles all precious to the Quimbaya, Calima, Tayrona, Sinu, Muisca, Tolima, Tumaco and Magdalena cultures. The Gold Museum is considered one of the most important museums of its type internationally and it has been operating since 1939. In 2007 it underwent a complete renovation making it possible for visitors to enjoy an interactive experience. The Museum belongs to the International Network of Museums (ICOM). Overnight stay.

NOTE: The Gold Museum is closed on Mondays and the Botero Museum is closed on Tuesday.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, transfer to El Dorado Airport in Bogotá for departure flight to Pereira. Upon arrival, transfer to Finca del Café, a place where coffee tastes better when you live the experience of the farm. Once you reach the farm, the tour begins with an expert who will take you through the coffee plantations, showing you how is the process from planting, manual picking and pulping. After this, you will toast the beans of special coffee in a wood stove in the typical kitchen of the country house, here you can have an authentic coffee experience. During the tour, you will have several stations with viewpoints made in bamboo where you will appreciate the coffee landscape and the natural environment of the place. Finally, you will go to the innovative drying process of the coffee bean and then to the coffee processing center. Transfer to the hotel and check-in. Overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

In the morning leave for the Valle de Cocora which is located in the central mountains of the department of Quindío. This makes part of the Parque Nacional de los Nevados and is the ideal place to marvel at the “Quindian wax palm” (Ceroxylon quincense), the national tree of Colombia. This tree can reach a staggering height of 60m. Around here a great number of species of birds live, in particular some types of hummingbird and the orejíamarillo or the palm parrot (Ognorhynchus icteroti) which is endangered. Upon arrival in the valley, either hiking or on horseback (not included), head into the cloud forest to enjoy the biodiversity of flora and fauna. On the return journey, cross the River Quindío while walking along an ecological pathway which takes one past the tallest wax palms in the world. Learn why the indigenous people here worshipped this tree. Then you can have a typical lunch and enjoy some free time here. In the afternoon, continue 10km towards the traditional town of Salento to enjoy a city tour that visits the Plaza de Bolívar with its colorful balconies, the calle real, the handicrafts shops and the Cocora viewpoint. Then, transfer to the traditional village of Filandia to enjoy a city tour that includes the viewpoint, the colonial homes, the Plaza de Bolivar and the coffee shops. Here, enjoy some time soaking up the regional atmosphere and perhaps some local spirits before returning to the hotel. Overnight stay.

NOTE: We suggest bringing rain jacket and walking boots.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, land transfer from Pereira to Medellín. Arrival to the hotel and check in. Overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

After breakfast, start the transformation tour. Visit those places that best represent the social transformation that has taken place in Medellín. The tour will show the symbolic areas of Medellín from the 1980s, when the city was one of the most dangerous in the world, up to today many projects that fostered the city’s change.

Enjoy an exciting tour through the history and present of Medellin and learn more about the transformation of this fascinating metropolis. 20 years ago, Medellin was one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Back in the early 90s, when the hunt for Pablo Escobar took place, the head of Medellin's drug cartel was at its peak. Thus, the reign of “El Patrón” came to its end. Until the turn of the millennium the struggles about Escobar's successor continued, but since 2002 Medellin began to change. Intelligent local politicians started to invest heavily in infrastructure and public education. Today the “City of Eternal Spring” is one of the most innovative metropolises in the world. Visit the barrio San Javier, which used to be one of the most unsafe suburbs of Medellín Located some 7km from the city centre, it is a clear example of the social transformation that has taken place in the last few years. Arrive here by the metrocable car that joins the north-east area with the city centre, which has been life changing to many of the inhabitants of Medellín. Learn more about the city’s transformation after the death of Pablo Escobar and also get to know the innovative transport-system in the poorer neighborhoods at first hand. Explore Medellin’s newest invention: the electric stairways of the district Comuna 13, discover stories about its past by visiting the most important places marked by historical events and see some graffiti that symbolizes a form of expression of the community. Here it is possible to have a beautiful view over the city from the balconies of San Javier. Then, go on to La Plazoleta located in the city centre, in an area that fell into decline in the 1980s and today houses 23 sculptures of Fernando Botero, donated by this famous local artist in year 2000. Since that time, the city has undergone a social and cultural transformation around these works placed in a public space. Back to the hotel. Free afternoon. Overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Leave Medellín and head to the town of Guatapé in order to visit the enormous rock. The drive takes around two hours, during which you can appreciate the outstanding landscape of Antioquia. Guatapé has a reservoir created by the Colombian government for a hydro-electric dam. In the middle of the reservoir is the Peñol Rock. The Peñol Rock is possibly a meteorite due to its size. Walk up the stairs if you are full of energy (there are 654 steps to get to the top), to view the entire Guatapé reservation, this is an optional activity. Then visit the picturesque village of Guatapé where all of the houses are painted in quaint pastel colors. After lunch (included), tour the Guatapé reservoir by boat (30 minutes) before returning to Medellin. Overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

After breakfast, transfer to Medellin airport for departure flight to Cartagena. Arrival and transfer to the hotel and check in.
Overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Start with a panoramic view of the city from the Monasterio and Iglesia de La Popa. Formerly known as the “Popa del Galeon” and famous for resembling the stern of a galleon. Constructed in 1606 this church and monastery are located at a height of 140masl from where one can enjoy 360º views of the city and the sea as well as the port zone, one of the most important in the Caribbean. Continuing to the San Felipe fortress, erected in honor of the poet from Cartagena, Don Luis Carlos López, made famous for his sonnet “A mi ciudad nativa”. It was built on San Lázaro hill to defend the city from pirate attacks. Walk around the fortress and learn about how the castle was constructed, the engineering feats, the tunnels, underground galleries and passageways. Then, go on to the Ciudad Vieja (old city) to visit the Convent and Church of the San Pedro Claver compound which was built in the middle of the XVII century and owes its name to the “apóstol de los esclavos”. Lastly, follow to the handicrafts zone of the Bovedas, a collection of archways built into the city wall of Cartagena and that were used until the end of the 1700s to house armaments and then later as a prison in the XIX century. Nowadays it’s an artisan center to appreciate local handcraft. Free afternoon for individual activities. Overnight stay.

NOTE: The San Pedro Church is temporarily closed on Mondays.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Free day for individual activities. Overnight stay.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Breakfast and transfer to the airport for the departure flight to Bogotá.

Meal Plan: Breakfast