A Great Colombia Holiday | Discover Colombia's Culture | Uncover Colombia
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Rich Colombian Culture Awaits!

During this Colombia Expedition, you will learn about the ancient Pre-Columbian cultures that inhabited Colombia and some of the current indigenous communities living in the country.  Experience the Pre-Colombian era when visiting the Gold Museum in Bogota, with the largest pre-Hispanic goldsmith collection in the world, and the archaeological parks of San Agustin and Tierradentro. Spend time with the Koguis, an indigenous ethnic group in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and learn about their culture and traditions. 

Witness the wide diversity of landscapes from the south of the country to the Caribbean Coast. Amaze yourself with the spectacular mountains, valleys and canyons in the Andes and the unique landscape of Tatacoa desert. Explore the spectacular forest and beaches in Tayrona Natural Park and get lost in the stunning colonial city of Cartagena.


EXPERIENCE TYPE History, Archaeology and Indigenous Cultures

Colombia Holiday
Tour Highlights
What to Expect

Detailed Itinerary

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DAY 1 Join tour in Bogota

Arrive at any time. We will pick you up at the airport and drive you to your hotel in Bogota. Depending on the traffic, the drive from the airport takes around 30-45 minutes.

At the hotel, we will check again your itinerary to make sure everything is clear, help you with anything you may need and give you some practical information about Bogota and Colombia. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may have some time to start exploring the city on your own or just to relax. 

Bogotá is located at an altitude of 2,600 metres, so we recommend to take it easy during the first couple of days.

Overnight: Bogota
Meal Plan: None

DAY 2 Historic tour in Bogota and coffee tasting

Today, we will visit some of the most iconic places in Bogota's historic centre. We will have the chance to admire the world's largest collection of pre-Hispanic gold at the Gold Museum, and check the artistic work of Fernando Botero, Colombia's most famous painter and sculptor at the Museo Botero. We will glimpse the diversity of architectural styles on display at the historic neighbourhood of La Candelaria and we will capture spectacular panoramic views of the city from the top of Cerro de Monserrate.

Just to have the perfect ending to our historic tour in Bogota, we will go to a local roasting coffee plant to learn how to taste and differentiate the quality and flavours of different coffees, just like an expert coffee taster. 

Note: Gold Museum is closed on Mondays and Botero Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Overnight: Bogota
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 3 Lake Guatavita and the legend of El Dorado

Today, we will explore Lake Guatavita, a natural paradise and one of the most important Muisca sacred sites from pre-Columbian times. The lake is famous for the Legend of El Dorado, which refers to the treasures held deep inside the waters of the lake. The mountains surrounding this site will amaze you as you climb to view the sparkling green lake. 

Afterwards, chow down on delicious Colombian food at a traditional restaurant. Then, we will visit an actual Muisca community centre in the nearby town of Sesquile. At the Sesquile settlement, you will see how today's Muiscas are trying to maintain their old traditions, despite adopting modern life and technology. 

You will also travel through the splendid landscapes, stopping at the beautiful colonial towns of Guatavita and Sesquile. At the end of the day, we will go back to your hotel in Bogota.

Overnight: Bogota
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4 Travel to San Agustin

Today, you will take a flight from Bogota to Pitalito, a small town only 45 min driving from San Agustin. As there is only one flight per day and the departure time varies depending on the day of the week, you may have sometime in the morning to explore a bit more of Bogota. At the relevant, time we will transfer you to the airport in Bogota.

Upon arrival in Pitalito, we will pick you up from the airport to transfer you to the hotel in San Agustin.
 

Overnight: San Agustin
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 5 Archaeological Park of San Agustin

We will spend the morning at the main Archaeological park site. The park is an open-air exhibition of about 16 reconstructed funerary mound and hundreds of megalithic sculptures. We can also see related archaeological materials at the site´s museum.

The sculptures and monuments in the park have been traced back to the mythology of pre-Hispanic people that inhabited the area hundreds of years ago, and who were forced out of the area and into the Amazon and Orinoco regions of Colombia around 1400. The group practically disappeared at this time. The dates of the statues are uncertain, but they are believed to have been carved between 5–400 AD.

At the park, we will visit various sites including: Bosque de las Estatuas (The statues forest), the Mesita A, Mesita B, Mesita C, Alto de Lavapatas and Fuente de Lavapatas, a complex maze of pools and water channels hewn from bedrock carved with figures of animals and humans. It was used for religious ceremonies and bathing. 

After visiting the park, we will have time for lunch before going to El Tablon and La Chaquira. At El Tablon we will see other anthropomorphic statues. Then, we will hike to La Chaquira one of the most impressive sites, with deities carved into the sheer rock above the beautiful Río Magdalena gorge. 

Overnight: San Agustin
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 6 The Magdalena River strait and coffee plantation

The Magdalena river is the most important river of Colombia and the fifth-largest river basin in South America. It stretches from the Central and Easter Andes in the south of the country to the Caribbean Sea in the north. It runs up for nearly 949 miles (1,528 kilometres) and is home to many diverse ecosystems including forest, mountains, valleys and wetlands. As the source of the Magdalena River is not far from San Agustin, today, we will be able to visit the Magdalena Strait, where the river squeezes through a narrow canyon just under 3m (9.84 ft) in width. 

This region of Colombia, apart from being famous due to the archaeologic sites, it is also quite important for the   high-quality coffee. Therefore, after visiting the Magdalena Strait, we will go to a coffee farm to learn everything about harvesting and making coffee, from planting the coffee beans to the picking and roasting process. We will learn how to select and pick only the ripe coffee cherries and also how to taste and evaluate the coffee's quality, just like a coffee expert. 

Overnight: San Agustin
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 7 Archaeological Park of Tierradentro

Early in the morning, we will start a journey of approximately 4.5 hours towards the municipality of Inzá, where the archaeological park of Tierradentro is located. This spectacular archaeological park holds the largest concentration of pre-Columbian monumental shaft tombs with side chambers--known as hypogea—which were carved in the volcanic tuff below hilltops and mountain ridges. 

In the afternoon, we will visit the most interesting tombs in the Alto de Segovia. Some of these Tierradentro tombs are around 12 meters wide and buried up to 7 meters deep. They were carved directly into volcanic rock. Sadly, many tombs have been deteriorated over time due to grave-robbers looting in the past, but some still have visible red and black design motifs inside, which are thought to reproduce the internal decoration of houses from that time. They reveal the social complexity and cultural wealth of a pre-Hispanic society in the northern Andes. Sadly, the pre-Hispanic society that built these wonders has disappeared, but these tombs leave an important trace of their everyday life.

The main entrance of the park is surrounded by the small indigenous resguardo of San Andrés de Pisimbalá, where you will spend the night. This resguardo has only one main street, a small church and a few houses. 

Overnight: Tierradentro
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 8 Tatacoa desert adventure

After breakfast, we will start our journey towards Tatacoa Desert, the second largest arid zone in Colombia after the Guajira Peninsula. The total journey from Tierradentro is approximately 4.5 hours. We will stop on the way to admire the landscape and drink something.

Tatacoa Desert is located in Villavieja, a small town 45 min driving from Neiva, the capital city of the department of Huila. During our visit to Tatacoa Desert we will see the stunning landscapes of the red desert (Cusco sector), as well as the surreal, moon-like terrain of the grey desert (Los Hoyos sector). 

The landscape of the red desert is adorned by the amazing labyrinths carved by water and erosion, the red colour also indicates the rock’s richness in iron. In this area, you can also visit the tree of wishes (El árbol de los deseos).  The local believe says that the person who finds a heart-shaped folded leaf and unfolds it without damaging it, will be allowed to ask for a wish. 

When visiting the grey desert with its ashy coloured stones interrupted by some green specks of vegetation, you will feel as if you were on the moon. In this sector, you will visit the valley of ghosts, name given to the area where the stones there have a strange similarity to supernatural entities raising from the soil.

In the evening, we will go to the observatory to the stars that sparkle over the desert. At the end of this adventure, we will go to the hotel in Neiva.

Overnight: Neiva
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 9 Travel to Santa Marta

In the morning, we will go to airport in Neiva for a flight to Santa Marta. Santa Marta is the oldest colonial city in South America. The city is rich in history and well-preserved colonial architecture with great restaurants, bars and cafés. Santa Marta is also the home of the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, where the national hero Simon Bolivar died in 1830. 

There is not a direct flight to Santa Marta, so you will have to connect in Bogota (Stop - 2 hrs approx.). Upon arrival in Santa Marta, we will meet you at the airport to transfer you to the hotel.

Overnight: Santa Marta
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 10 Day trip to Tayrona Park

Today, we will spend the day at Tayrona National Natural Park, where we will see some of the most beautiful beaches in Colombia. We will be hiking across the forest to visit various beaches in the park where you can swim or just relax by the beach. There are a number of restaurants and bars in the park where you can stop for lunch in the shade, relax and admire the spectacular surroundings. 

Note: Please be aware that the park is usually closed from the 1st to the 15th of February, from the 1st to the 15th of June, and from the 19th of October to the 2nd of November. The first reason is to allow the natural ecosystems to rest and replenish, particularly after the high holiday season. The second reason is to allow the four indigenous groups - who have always called the park and the wider Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta home - to perform traditional cleaning rituals and ceremonies..

Overnight: Santa Marta
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 11 Taironaka, Don Diego and Katanzama

In the morning we will go to Taironaka, a natural reserve located on the foothill of the Sierra Nevada, and home of a
native Kogui community. We will learn about the Kogui culture and the Tayrona civilization, we will visit some
remains of the terraces and aqueduct structures built by the Tayrona people during pre-Columbian times.
At Taironaka, we will have a chance to appreciate the enormous variety of native fauna and flora. There will be a
chance to swim and have some fun in the refreshing waters of the river Don Diego doing some tubing, which flows
from the glacier of the Sierra Nevada into the Caribbean Sea or just have a nice walk around the reserve.
After that we leave towards the path of Perico Aguado, upon arrival we will begin a walk of about 30 minutes until
we reach the community of Katanzama which belongs to the territory of the Arhuaca indigenous community.
During this visit we will be interacting with the community and receiving all the knowledge of this culture that still
preserves its ancestral tradition.
At the end of the tour, we will go back to Santa Marta.

Overnight: Santa Marta
Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 12 Transfer to Cartagena

After breakfast, we will commence our journey to Cartagena, which will take approximately 4 hours. Upon arrival, we will escort you to the hotel.

 

Overnight: Cartagena
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 13 City tour in Cartagena

After breakfast, we will pick you up at the hotel for a city tour covering the Castillo de San Felipe and the old city surrounded by the impressive walls built during the Spanish rule to protect the city against enemies and looters.

The Castle of San Felipe is the greatest and strongest fortress ever built by the Spaniards in any of their colonies. It was built on top of the San Lazaro hill and defended the city from many attacks including a British siege in 1741. The old city is the historic heart and soul of Cartagena. We will walk around its cobbled streets, visiting or passing by the main historical sites. 

You will have the afternoon to relax at the hotel or carry on exploring the old city, admire its architecture and immerse yourself in its romantic atmosphere.
 

Overnight: Cartagena
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 14 Explore Cartagena on your own

You have the day to carry on exploring Cartagena on your own. You can wander around the cobble streets in the historic city, visit some colonial churches or go to Getsemani to see its colourful graffiti’s.

Overnight: Cartagena
Meal Plan: Breakfast

DAY 15 End of the tour in Cartagena

The tour ends today. At the time required, we will pick you up at the hotel for a transfer to the airport.

Overnight:
Meal Plan: Breakfast

Accommodation
Essential Information

What’s included

  • Airport pick up and drop off
  • 14 nights' accommodation (double occupancy)
  • Domestic flights:
    • Bogota – Pitalito (Satena) - Direct
    • Neiva – Santa Marta (Avianca) – 1 stop
    • Luggage allowance Avianca: 1 bag of maximum 23 kg - Cabin: 1 bag of maximum 10 kg
    • Luggage allowance Satena: 1 bag of maximum 15 kg - Cabin: 1 bag of maximum 5 kg
  • Private ground transport
  • Meals as defined in the itinerary
  • Local English-speaking tour guides 
  • Experiences and activities mentioned in the itinerary
  • Entry tickets to all tourist attractions mentioned in the itinerary 

What’s not included

  • International flights
  • Meals not listed in the itinerary
  • Tips and other discretionary expenses
  • Airport taxes, when not included in the ticket
  • Early / late check in on the first / last day of the tour
  • Insurance
  • Extra luggage with Satena - The cost per extra Kilogram is approximately 5,600 COP - You will pay this at the airport

 

Flexible Terms

Flexible Booking Terms

With the current situation around the world changing at an unprecedented pace, we understand that you may feel very anxious and hesitant about your future travel plans. Therefore, we have modified our booking conditions to give you more flexible options. You can now book your next holiday to Colombia, having the tranquillity of changing your dates without any extra cost, and even book a long trip with a small deposit.

We hope these flexible booking conditions give you the option to plan and dream about your next holiday.

Small deposit:

You can book this Colombia trip with only 50 GBP / 60 EUR / 65 USD per person. This deposit is not refundable.

Change departure dates:

Our flexible booking conditions will allow you to change the departure date without any additional fee. You can move the departure date to any time before the end of 2022.

If your initial departure date was to happen during a low holiday season and you wish to move it to departure during a high holiday season, please consider that the price of the tour could be higher due to higher tariffs from hotels and airlines. We will confirm and agree with the change in the price.

Note: High holiday seasons in Colombia are during Easter and from December 15th to January 19th. 

Later payment:

We will require a full payment minimum 20 days before the departure date of the tour.

Cancellation Costs:

If you definitely need to cancel the tour after sending us the full payment (20 days before the departure date), we will refund 80% of the tour's cost.

These terms apply to bookings made from now on until further notice.

Please check the complete description of our terms and conditions.

THANK YOU

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