Magical Colombia

Day 1: Arrive in Bogotá

Welcome to Bogotá! Meeting services upon arrival at the airport for transportation to the hotel, your home base for the next few days. Our guide will assist you at the hotel with the registration procedures (check-in) and give you a detailed itinerary of all the services included in your trip. You will also receive information about our local office contact details including our 24 hour emergency phone number. Bogotá is Colombia’s capital city with approximately 8 million people; it is a cosmopolitan center of sophistication and has become an epicenter of business, politics and entertainment. This is a city on the rise offering diverse gastronomy and culture, so spend your free time discovering this vibrant Andean capital by foot. Explore the cobblestone streets of the La Candelaria neighborhood where trendy restaurants and colonial-era landmarks are located. While here, don't forget to explore the excellent museums, shopping, and street food options ranging from empanadas to exotic fruit salads. Bogotá also offers a thriving nightlife, superb al fresco dining and bar culture as well as international shopping. Its privileged location and international airport makes it highly accessible and functional as a main gateway to destinations throughout the country. Overnight at your selected hotel.

Day 2: Bogotá (City Tour with Monserrate Hill & Paloquemao)

The tour starts with an early morning visit to the Paloquemao’s Market. This is one of the largest and most important markets in the country. Paloquemao presents the perfect mix of the old and new Bogotá and offers a great insight into the life and customs of the people from Bogotá. You will find a large variety of flowers, exotic fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, cheese, medicinal herbs as well as typical food. Everything is fresh and arrives daily to Bogotá from all regions of Colombia. You will have the opportunity to live a unique cultural experience, tasting some exotic fruits and enjoying a small snack during the visit.

Afterwards visit the famous and well preserved historical colonial quarter of La Candelaria. Steeped in history, this area is a must for photographers with its splendid colonial architecture; you will want to take the opportunity to capture the sights and sounds of this fascinating part of Bogotá. Walk through the streets permeating with the heady atmosphere of the past, as revealed by the library of Luis Angel Arango and down to the prominent Plaza de Bolivar, the heart of Bogotá, where locals and visitors mingle amongst the magnificent and foreboding structures. You will want to discover the history of this old part of the city by visiting the Cathedral, the Congress Palace, the Cardinal’s Palace, the colonial churches of El Sagrario and San Agustin, the Independence House, the Palace of Justice and the City Hall which are all located in this impressive square.

Continuing to the east, on top of the forested mountains, you will find “Cerro de Monserrate”. This mountain has a white catholic church located at the top and has been a site of worship since 1657. On a clear day you will have the opportunity to enjoy a spectacular view of the city. You also might see snowcap of “Nevado del Tolima” on the far west side.

The tour then follows with a visit to the “Museo del Oro”, the most important gold museum in the world and a ‘must see’ when traveling to Bogotá. This museum displays one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian gold. Galleries on three levels display exquisitely crafted pieces dating back nearly 2.500 years. Visit the vault-like room on the top floor where the most treasured pieces are displayed, as well as the Offering Room, where passengers enter a black circular area that is gradually illuminated with indigenous music playing in the background; the light begins to dawn, and finally a remarkable display of gold offering collection is discovered.

The tour ends with a visit to the “Museo de Botero”, housed in a renovated colonial mansion. The works on display are all donated by Fernando Botero, Colombia’s most famous contemporary artist. Around 120 pieces of his own work are displayed at the museum including his famous sculptures, paintings and drawings. His work is well-known for the ‘proportionally exaggerated’ fat figures. In addition to his work, his personal collection by Picasso, Renoir, Dalí, Degas, Chagall, Matisse, Monet and Giacometti are also exhibited.

Lunch is included during the tour at a local restaurant with a set menu.
Overnight at your selected hotel. (B,L)

Day 3: Bogota (Taste of Bogota Bravo Bogota!)

Today a feat for the senses as we introduce you to the charming restaurants of Bogotá’s new culinary trends. This outing based on Bravo Bogotá! New Emerging Gastronomical Capital, a Frank Bruni and Peter Frank Edwards’ review for Condé Nast Traveler in Spanish, invites you to taste a select sample of new flavors and innovative gastronomic spaces that are arising from city’s ever more dynamic and cosmopolitan atmosphere. Creative chefs have found in Bogotá the ideal showcase to develop and propose new initiatives outside traditional schemes, enriching the leisure options of a capital that has become one of Latin-American trendiest.

You will enjoy a four-step menu while touring four different restaurants, each one with a particular history and a different inspiration, having the opportunity to meet and greet some of the chefs and business managers that imagined and shaped these projects.
At the end of the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel. However, we suggest ending the visit with an extension to Andrés D.C., where the first refajo (local beer-based cocktail) and picada will go on our own. This is the ideal place to begin a funny evening and merging in Bogotá’s thrilling nightlife.

Day 4: Bogota - Salento Coffee Region

Today, you'll fly to Armenia and will be transferred to the beautiful colonial town of Salento, surrounded by bright green Andean mountains. Salento is an Andean town west of Bogotá. It’s known for its coffee estates and verdant scenery. East is Cocora Valley where lofty wax palm trees, a national symbol, are home to rare parrots. The town is a gateway to the snow-capped peaks of Los Nevados National Natural Park, to the northeast. In Salento, Calle Real has colorful buildings and craft shops. El Mirador is a viewpoint just northeast of town. Enjoy this magical region boasting old-world charm with colorful Paisa architecture, musicians on street corners, and an incredible range of handicrafts. Near the town center, you’ll find yourself in view of the distinctive Quindío wax palms, which are among the highest trees in the world reaching a height of up to 70 meters. Here you will experience the coffee growing industry of Colombia with the opportunity stay overnight at a local coffee farm (finca in Spanish) and learn every step of the coffee production process, not to mention frequent tastings!
Overnight at a Coffee Farm. (B,L,D)

Day 5: Salento Coffee Region (Tour of Salento & the Coffee Triangle)

This morning, take an in-depth walking tour of the quaint colonial streets of Salento. Founded in 1850, the town is a shining example of the typical guadua-bamboo influenced architecture with brightly colored facades and is even more beautiful in the presence of the surrounding Andean views and the Cocora Valley. Coffee and trout fishing are big industries in Salento and the surrounding region. In the afternoon, take a driving tour of the Coffee Triangle with a guided tour to learn all about coffee cultivation. From planting through production, profit, marketing and preparing a delicious cup of coffee. Crossing paths, visiting coffee cultivation and gathering is an unforgettable.
Overnight at a Coffee Farm. (B,L,D)

Day 6: Salento Coffee Region / Cartagena

Welcome to Cartagena! This picturesque colonial city on the Caribbean Sea is rich in culture, architecture, romance -- and, yes, even pirate history. We transfer you to the hotel.

With its breathtaking colonial architecture, horse-drawn carriages and narrow cobbled streets, the city of Cartagena de Indias is one of the most exciting destinations in Colombia. This Caribbean colonial jewel was the first Spanish colony on the South American mainland and one of the main ports for the Spanish fleet which turned the city into an important center of trade in the 16th century. It is a city full of history which has been an inspiration for artists, writers, historians and musicians. This vibrant and colorful city throughout the years has enchanted tourists with its fairy-tale charms that invite people to linger and explore the city for days.
Overnight at your hotel. (B)

Day 7: Cartagena (Walking Tour & Monuments of Cartagena)

Today we discover Cartagena’s rich history and beautiful colonial architecture where you will admire the old houses, stunning balconies and different little squares. You will know more about the culture of Cartagena and its interesting architecture as you walk through the different cobbled streets and plazas; each street has a different story to tell. You will also see this city alive, with its students, vendors, and all the people that live there.

We pass along the main square called “Plaza de Bolívar”. In this beautiful plaza you will find many trees and a statue of the most important leader of South America’s Independence movement, the liberator Simón Bolívar. Initially it was used for military parades; however, after 1610 it was called “Plaza de la Inquisición”, because the Inquisition Palace was located on the west side of the plaza. Then you will pass by the “Plaza de la Proclamación”, where the town gathered to support the declaration of independence on November of 1811.

The tour then continues to the “Plaza de San Pedro de Claver”, a small plaza named after the saint that fought to help the slaves that came from Africa and were sold in the city. Next, you will visit the “Plaza de la Aduana”, the largest and oldest square where the important governmental and administrative buildings were located in the colonial times.

Afterwards, visit the “Plaza de los Coches”. A triangular plaza surrounded by the old city wall, houses with Spanish colonial architecture and buildings with colonial arches at ground level. This arcade walkway is known as “El Portal de los Dulces”, a whole street full of stands that sell typical Colombian sweets. There you will also find the main entrance to the inner walled city, which was originally called “Boca del Puente”. This gateway was complemented years later with a Republican-style clock tower, which is known as a symbol of Cartagena.

At the end of the tour, you will visit the “Plaza Santo Domingo”. This plaza is full of life and entertainment and it is a perfect place for social interaction and relaxation while enjoying the open air restaurants that are located there. You will also see the church of Santo Domingo, a beautiful colonial church with a stunning facade.
Overnight at the selected hotekl. (B)

Day 8: Cartagena (City and Monuments & Historic Center)

The tour begins with a visit to the “Castillo de San Felipe”. This castle was built by the Spaniards in the 1600s and it is the greatest and strongest fortress ever built in a Spanish colony. Located at the top of San Lázaro hill, its purpose was to protect and guard the city’s landward side from any attack or invasion. This fortress provides a complex system of tunnels connected with strategic points to distribute provisions and facilitate a possible evacuation. Additionally, the tunnel’s architecture was built so that any noise would echo along them, in order to make internal communications easier and hear even the slightest sound of the enemies approaching.

Afterwards, a walk through “Las Bóvedas” is included. These 23 vaults were built in the 18th century and they are considered the last major colonial construction made within the city walls for military purposes. The vaults were used as storerooms for munitions and provisions by the Spaniards, and later on, they became jail cells. Nowadays, they are used as crafts markets where you can find handicrafts, antiques, galleries, jewelry, clothing and souvenirs, among other things.

At the end of the tour you will visit the “Iglesia y Convento San Pedro de Claver”; this convent was founded in the early 17th century by San Ignacio de Loyola. The name of the church was given in honor to San Pedro Claver, a Jesuit priest who spent his life ministering to the enslaved people brought from Africa. This baroque church has an imposing stone facade and inside there are fine stained-glass windows and a high altar made of Italian marble. You will also find a beautiful cloister surrounded with trees, a museum and the place where San Pedro Claver lived and died.
Overnight at the hotel (B)

Day 9: Cartagena (Rum & Chocolate Tasting)

Gastronomic activity which offers a tasting of chocolates produced by national cacao of high quality, from Santander Department, paired with Colombian mature rum, from Antioquia and Caldas regions.
Initially an explanation of the national geography, highlighting the areas where are cultivated cacao and the sugar cane which come chocolates and the rum is made,
Afterwards start with tasting, offering three different types of chocolate and one type of rum, in this order: Chocolates with high percentage of cacao 85%, 65% y 45%; also rum of 8 years, which accompany the tasting of three types of chocolate. This activity is led by an international sommelier, educated in Spain. The tasting takes place in the colonial neighborhood of Cartagena.
Overnight at the hotel. (B)

Day 10: Depart Cartagena

Transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)