Colombia Cultural Trip
Colombia is a nation with a unique and special culture. This culture can be traced back to early Spanish culture, and a history which traces back to the indigenous settlers of the Quimbaya civilisation. If you wish to become enthralled within a nation of immense natural beauty, experience a wonderful adventure, and become involved with Colombia’s history, this is the experience for you.
- Bogota
- Armenia
- Circasia
- Valle del Cocora
- Medellin
Bogota & Vicinity
Bogotá is situated high in the Andes, and as the capital of a diverse country, truly has something for everyone. A good starter is the Candelaria district, where interesting colonial architecture and narrow streets bustle with backpackers. A short walk away are the grand Catedral Primera and state buildings at the Bolívar square. Two must-visit museums are the Museo de Botero and Museo de Oro, which exhibit famous works from national artists, and an immense collection of pre-Colombian gold. Board a cable car to the cloudy summit of Mount Monserrate, lunch in one of Usaquén’s many trendy restaurants, and then decide on hikes to a nearby waterfall. The holy Guatavita Lake, Zipaquira’s mythical salt cathedral, or the delightful Chingaza National Park are more spots to experience near Bogota.
Coffee Triangle
The Coffee Triangle around Colombia’s temperate Andean slopes is famous for its superior quality coffee, being exported worldwide. Theme parks and museums exhibit the process and culture behind the industry, while the region as a whole has much more to offer: fruit plantations, butterfly farms, botanical gardens, hot springs, river rafting, and national parks such as Los Nevados, with multiple volcanoes. The icon of the Cocora Valley is the unique (and very tall) wax palm tree, and endless hummingbird species. Zip lining is the most precious way to get an overall look when whizzing over coffee fields, but horseback tours are unbeatable for appreciation of the landscape. Matecaña City Zoo is a highlight for animal lovers, while towns such as Salento boast charming architecture.
Medellin & Surroundings
Medellín, known as the “City of Eternal Spring,” has been transformed into one of the most livable and innovative metropolises in Latin America. Colorful, friendly people and a highly pleasant climate entice visitors to cultural events around the city’s attractive streets and squares. Vibrant nightlife and nearby nature spots around the city’s seven hills make planning your stay an easy task. Day trips can include El Peñol, a unique 200m-high rock overlooking stunning mountainous landscapes, or Santa Fe de Antioquia, a city with a wealth of history and impressive colonial architecture lining narrow streets and courtyards. The Arví Ecotourism Park’s many trails, lakes, forests and streams are the perfect environment to go hiking, biking, camping, fishing, swimming or sailing.
Caribbean
Colombia’s Caribbean coast combines beautiful, romantic urban spaces with some of the most picturesque beaches in the world. Tayrona National Park is an incredible exposition of seaside nature, and a great place to camp. The best budget option is Taganga, a small fishing village with lively nightlife and good scuba diving opportunities. Adventurous travellers should head to the Rosario Islands, or the San Bernardo Archipelago, with their perfect white sands and clear water to enjoy tropical flora, fish and turtles. For the ultimate experience in regional hospitality, stop in Cartagena with its colonial walled city and fortress. Further up the coast, Santa Marta is less populated, while further inland, the town of Mompox boasts spectacular colonial character from as early as 1540.
You are welcomed to Colombia by a representative, who will greet you at the airport with a souvenir kit and transfer you to your hotel in Bogota for the next 3 nights.
Artisinal Draft Beer Tour
Bogotá has become the scenery of craft breweries in Colombia, more than 100 artisan brands are proof for it. In this tour, you won´t try all of them, but at least 5 of the most authentic ones. Starting at the square where Bogotá was founded by the Spaniards, you will begin your drinking adventure, travelling in time, by having a chicha, a 15th centuries old drink, fermented by the indigenous people.
Then you won’t get thirsty again having 5 glasses of cold craft beer from different and locally recognised breweries. All of it is being run by young entrepreneurs trying to set the Colombian identity in a beer. You will try ales, stouts, ambers, and lagers with a little piece of the local flavors.
All breweries are located in Candelaria district which creates the perfect atmosphere to enjoy the history of our drinking culture.
On Day 5 you will be accompanied by a private driver to the places of your wishes. Car and driver available for 12 hours (this service applies only for 5* accommodation).
Bogota Tour – Candelaria District
Today you will get to know the Colombian capital Bogotá in a 8-hour walking tour with an English speaking guide. The area of modern Bogotá was first populated by indigenous groups who migrated from Mesoamerica. Among these groups were the Muiscas who settled in what are now the neighbourhoods of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. With the arrival of the Spanish colonisers the area became a major settlement, founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. The city later became the capital of the Spanish provinces and the seat of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. With independence, Bogotá became the capital of Gran Colombia and later the capital of the Republic of Colombia. Located at 2,600 meters above sea level and a city with over 8 million inhabitants, Bogota has 2 different sectors of tourism. The old Candelaria Historic District is scattered with traditional colonial houses and cobbled streets. By contrast, the north of the city boasts modernity and innovation. Tourists will find government buildings as well as a variety of trendy shops, restaurants and bars.
Bogotá’s historic city centre “La Candelaria” with its impressive churches, the State Palace and the “Plaza Bolívar” will be explored by you during the 8-hour tour. Furthermore you can visit the world famous gold museum “Museo del Oro”, the Emerald Museum and the museum of the famous Colombian artist Botero. Bogotá is an inspiring city that offers something new for you every day. In 2010, the capital of Colombia was chosen as a “Must See” destination by the prestigious New York Times newspaper. Discover a city that offers a wide range of opportunities in the fields of art, culture, recreation, sports and science.
The next day, prepare for a unique experience with an insight into Colombian culture.
Weaving Peace
Understand Colombia’s most important historical events, focusing on its rebirth and future through the city, geography, and the voices of true Peace Weavers.
In this tour you will get to know Bogotá in a different way. You will start your experience in the iconic Bogota National Park, where you will see a relief map of Colombia to get to know the immensity of the Colombian territory and to understand the complexity of the regions of the country, separated by mountains and diverse ecosystems. Then you will visit Distrito Chocolate, a local chocolate company in which a small group of peasants who some years ago were affected by the war and were dedicated to the cultivation of coca, today they bet on building peace in Colombia and produce cocoa to transform it into a very special chocolate. Afterwards you will visit the Historical Centre of La Candelaria where you will take a tour in which you will learn some historical facts about the origins of the political and armed conflict in Colombia. As part of the peace agreement between the Colombian State and the former Farc guerrilla, it was agreed to create some memorials to honour the victims of the conflict. You will visit one of the memorials in honour of the victims located in the centre of Bogota. At the end of the tour you will have lunch in a local restaurant.
With this experience you will get to know the history of Colombia in a better way and you will be supporting initiatives and efforts of communities that are betting on change and peace in Colombia.
You will transfer from Bogota to Circasia via a flight and transfer through Armenia to your hotel for the next 3 nights.
Coffee Experience & Plantains Preparation
Surrounded by plantains and coffee trees there is a farm with a beautiful countryside, where you can distinguish various shades of green. Here, you will be welcomed with a cup of coffee while you are told about the history of the property as well as how they still preserve the coffee culture and traditions. Later on, you proceed to the nursery, then go for a walk to the cultivated area, where you learn about the process of planting the seedling into the soil and its maintenance process. In this walk you will interact with the farmworkers while harvesting some coffee beans.
Then, continue by following the track of the plantain to get to know about planting it, how to pick its bunch, what its trading process is like and how the green plantain is used in the typical gastronomy of the country. Once the tour of the farm is completed, you return to the farmstead, where you will learn to prepare the plantains under the supervision of the in-house cook who teaches you step by step how to transform a plantain into a delicious patacon, accompanied by hogao, a typical dipping sauce.
You walk on to the coffee processor to observe its procedure of squeezing out the pulp, washing and drying the coffee.
You will finish the tour with a typical colombian barbecue. This whole experience lasts around 6 hours.
The next day, you travel over to nearby Salento.
Valle Del Cocora & Salento
Salento is the oldest municipality in the department of Quindío, therefore its traditional architecture and craft workshops make it an unforgettable place. There you can see colonial houses painted in colors, balconies full of flowers and even better, you will enjoy the warmth of its people that will make your visit a great experience.
You will also enjoy a hike in the Cocora Valley, where the national tree of Colombia, the Wax Palm, is located. Surely the palms will attract your attention, since their height is up to 70 meters, being one of the highest palms in the world. Let yourself be amazed by all the beauty of the landscape in the walk through the trails of the valley. The hike in the valley lasts around 2 hours. You will finish the afternoon enjoying a delicious lunch and playing traditional games such as the “Tejo” or the “Rana”, accompanied by a Colombian beer.
Transportation, hydration during the hike, typical lunch and traditional games with a beer are included.
A transfer will take you to the airport in Pereira, where after a domestic flight to Medellin, you will then again be transferred to your hotel for next 3 nights.
Medellin City 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 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.
Moravia Community Experience – From Trash to Flowers
The densely populated neighbourhood 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 centre. Moravia nowadays is considered to be the most populated “barrio” of Medellín. The neighbourhood 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 centre, 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 and directly support the local community projects.
Farewell Colombia! After an exciting experience of taking in the nation’s culture, on your last day you will have a private transfer from your selected hotel to the José Maria Córdova airport in Medellin.
Dates are flexible so please make an enquiry and tell us a range of dates you are considering so we can check availability.
Keep in mind that you are responsible for verifying the visa requirements of your destination country and then obtaining the visa accordingly.
In addition, most countries require that travelers hold a passport that is valid for at least six months from the day of entry into the country, so confirm that you meet the passport, visa and medical requirements (if applicable) of the country of entry in advance.
- Accommodation based on standard double room or similar including breakfast
- Transportation on the days mentioned
- English-speaking guide on the days mentioned
- Excursions and visits as mentioned in the program
- AIG Insurance (liability insurance)
- Excursions not mentioned in the program
- Meals not mentioned in the program
- Drinks, tips and personal expenses
- International flights
- Domestic flights
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