Magic of Colombia

Fly to Bogota where you’ll be welcomed by your friendly local guide and taken straight to your hotel in your private car. Bogota is an intense and exciting city and your guide will be able to tell you all about the insider tips to getting the most out of it.

Stay for three nights at the Sofitel Victoria Regina Hotel which is a luxurious and also distinctive hotel. It’s also well placed in the middle of the hip and upcoming parts of the city.

As you get out this morning with your private guide you’ll find a busy city sitting below the peaks of the Andes. The first place to head is the historic old town, called La Candelaria where you’ll find the central square and Cathedral. You’ll also be shown around Paloquemao market which is full of the exotic produce of the Andes where you can get a taste of colourful Colombia.

Bogota is a vibrant and artistic city with some wonderful galleries not least the Fernando Botero museum featuring the sculptors’ distinctive works. The piece de resistance of today’s visits, however, will no doubt be the Gold Museum, which is full of priceless gold artefacts from ancient civilisations.

After a day of culture, let it all hang loose in Bogota’s most legendary gathering place. Namely dinner at Andres DC restaurant.

Journey with your guide into the hills and small towns outside the capital to visit one of the most unusual places in South America, the salt mines and cathedral at Zipaquira.

Salt has been mined up in the hills for thousands of years and almost 100 years ago a small church was carved into the salt since expanded on into a truly unique and spectacular sight with a huge cross.

There’s also time to have a look around the mountain town of Zipaquira and take lunch in a local restaurant.

Fly into the heart of the Andes to what they called the Zone Cafetera. This is Colombia’s fertile coffee-growing region, indeed the Coffee Triangle. It’s a land of rolling emerald green hills, swaying palms and small farms. Moreover, it’s a place to escape where few international visitors explore to see a part of South America and the Andes which is particularly untouched and retains traditional ways. You can imagine life as it has been in these areas for centuries.

Travel to the hilltop town of Buenavista and the Hacienda San Alberto Coffee Plantation. This is a pretty, boutique plantation and it’s a welcoming place to see all parts of the coffee growing process, which culminates in a rich coffee tasting experience. We’re sure you’ll be reminded of this day every time you visit your local coffee shop, yet you’ll struggle to taste fresher coffee in the world.

Stay for two nights at Casa San Carlos Lodge in the town of Pereira. This unique little hotel is decorated by local artists and it’s got show-stopping mountain views.

Don’t miss plenty of fresh coffee to start the day off in local style! Then see more of this off the beaten track part of the World by heading with your guide into the forests of the Cocora valley. It’s which is an intoxicating mix of tropical and high mountain vegetation and birdlife. The first thing you’ll notice is the tall wax palms which reach up to 120 metres in height. They’re the world’s tallest palm trees and you’ll get the chance to leave your mark by planting your own palm.

For lunch, we’ll arrange a dish of the fantastic local trout. And possibly more coffee?!

Continue to the town of Salento and enjoy strolling amid the old town slice of Latin American life. It’s a colourful old town lined with bars and restaurants where a lot of Colombians go to escape, so a lovely place to experience Colombian country life.

It’s a treat for horse lovers and anyone who wants to see an important part of Latin American life, with a visit to Criadero Providencia ranch. They’ve got a simply beautiful collection of Colombian Creole Paso Fino horses here. These majestic animals are the symbol of Colombian tradition and you will see a wonderful display of these highly trained horses. Not only that, but you’ll also be supplied with a gourmet picnic to enjoy in wonderful surroundings.

Then it’s a short hop flight up to the famous city of eternal spring, Medellin. Stay for three nights at Hotel Park 10 and get to know this surprising and welcoming city.

Medellin has, of course, an infamous city as the former base of Colombia’s notorious drug cartels under Pablo Escobar. Nowadays, however, things are very different.

Your local guide will take you around the city to show you the amazingly progressive projects the mayor has put in place in the last 15 years to turn things around. There are some world-leading projects they’ve implemented and you can see how Medellin is an attractive, lively and young city.

At night your guide will take you to some of the Fondas of Medellin. These are the really ornately decorated local bars of the city which represent mountain shacks. Have a few drinks with the locals and amid the beats of Colombian music. It’s lively, loud and uniquely Colombian. If you dare, try the local firewater called aguardiente.

Another undiscovered gem of Colombia is the spectacular countryside just outside Medellin. Travel out to the surrounding villages around Santa Elena for a riot of colour. Visit an organic flower farm and enjoy a lunch of traditional mountain food.

For literally breathtaking views you can take the climb up the astounding 740 steps of the Penol Boulder. It defies description and from the summit, you can see a patchwork of lakes and mountains stretching into the distance. It’s certainly for those with a head for heights!

From the heart of the mountains, the next leg of the journey is up to the steamy shores of the Caribbean. Fly to beautiful, exotic Cartagena and explore one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Americas.

Cartagena is where to slow down a bit and explore the winding streets of the picturesque and well preserved old town. Get into that romantic historical feeling with 3 nights in a 17th Century building in the heart of the old city at Bastion Luxury Hotel.

See the exotic jewels of Cartagena on a private tour of the historic city. It’s a city of conquest, trade, piracy and intrigue. Start high on the hill above the city at Convento de La Popa with views of the ocean beyond. Then it’s to the fort of San Felipe, which is the greatest fort built in the Spanish Americas and which Francis Drake found to be impregnable.

Walk with your guide through the streets of the city with history at every turn, and along the harbour walls to the Church of San Pedro Claver.

The afternoon ends with a bang at the old arsenal, a destination now for rum and chocolate tasting with a local expert. It tastes that are rich within the Colombian culture.

Journey a short way out of the city to the fishing village of La Boquilla, which was once a slave colony and has existing African roots. You’ll be rowed arrow and the mangroves and Caribbean waters in a dugout canoe, with fantastic tropical birdlife all around.

Join in with the youngsters from the village drum school. It’s a really fun way to get to meet the friendly kids of Colombia and to feel the Latin and African rhythms of the Caribbean Colombian coast.

Back in the city later, get away from the tourist hangouts and experience a bit of authentic Cartagena on a foodie walking tour. See the local hangouts in Cartagena with your guide and taste some of the snacks, drinks and sweet treat of the city, shopping where the locals stop and hear stories and insights into this wonderful, lively city.

It’s a winding and spectacular drive out along the Caribbean coast towards the Tayrona National Park. This is an area of wild beaches, rainforest and coastal mountains. This wild coast is quite untamed and a perfect destination for adventurous travellers seeking out something new.

Stay for three nights at Hotel Villa Maria in an ocean view bungalow. Villa Maria is not an all singing all dancing resort, rather it’s a beach and jungle experience which will reward those looking for somewhere new and enticing.

Get out among the wild nature of Tayrona on a private guided trek in the remote north of the national park. Walk through the rainforest looking out for native wildlife including tropical birds and monkeys and arrive at the picture-perfect Arrecifes beach.

It’s a further few kilometres walk past natural pools for swimming and on to Cabo San Juan de Guia and there’s a little restaurant to stop for lunch. It’s a four-hour walk to create lasting memories of this tropical paradise.

A day to do nothing at all. Just soak up the rays and enjoy the exuberant nature of Tayrona and the laid back atmosphere of Villa Maria. Eat fresh tropical fruits from the surrounding trees, relax by your private plunge pool or by the beach. One thing is for sure, it will go too quick, so you may want to stay a bit longer.

Travel back down the coast to Santa Marta, saying your goodbyes to Colombia. Or maybe it sees you soon as we’re sure you’ll want to return to this hidden gem. Fly to Bogota to connect with your International flight.

Arrive back with new tales to tell and discoveries to share.