12-Day Colombian Highlights Tour

• A 12-day tour of the pick of Colombia's urban, historical, natural & cultural highlights.

• Includes Bogota, the Coffee Triangle, Cartagena & Tayrona National Park.

• Private transfers & excursions; Distinctive, comfortable hotels. 

Colombia is rapidly emerging as a red-hot destination for travel cognoscenti.

With Pacific and Caribbean coasts, Colonial towns and cities, and an Andean mountain backbone, the country is a by-word for Latin American diversity: scenic, cultural, biological and geographical.

Add to the mix the traditional hospitality of the Colombian people, who are delighted to welcome overseas visitors to their country, and the ease of links with neighbouring Peru, and this makes an ideal destination to combine with a visit to northern Peru. 

Colombian Highlights: 12-Day Itinerary Outline:

Day 1 Arrive Bogota. Overnight in Bogota.
Day 2 Half-Day Bogota City Tour. Overnight in Bogota.
Day 3 Fly to Pereira. Overnight in Pereira.
Day 4 Full-Day Valle del Cocora & Filandia Tour. Overnight in Pereira.
Day 5 Half-Day Chinchina & Coffee Farm Tour. Overnight in Pereira.
Day 6 Fly to Cartagena. Overnight in Cartagena.
Day 7 Half-Day Cartagena City Tour. Overnight in Cartagena.
Day 8 Free Day in Cartagena. Overnight in Cartagena.
Day 9 Drive to Tayrona National Park.
Day 10 At Tayrona National Park.
Day 11 At Tayrona National Park.
Day 12 Transfer to Santa Marta airport.

Please note that we can customise your Colombia itinerary; and for those on a shorter timeframe, we have a 7-day Bogota & Cartagena tour. 

Below prices are per person, based on two people sharing a room.
NB. Flight prices fluctuate according to demand and season, and so are not included. 

Included in the above price:

• Accommodation in stated properties, subject to availability.

• Meals as stated in the itinerary (B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner)

• Transportation in private vehicle

• Private excursions as stated

• English-speaking guide for transfers and excursions.

• Entrance fees.

Not Included:

• Flights

• Airport taxes

• Early check-in / late check-out of accommodation.

• Personal Expenses.

• Tips

• Insurance

Colombian Highlights day-by-day Itinerary: 

Day 1: Bogota

On arrival at Bogota Airport, we welcome you and transfer you to your hotel. 

Overnight at Hotel B3 Virrey, or similar.

This modern, environmentally-aware hotel is located near El Virrey Park, and close to Zona T, which is one of Bogota's main shopping, dining and nightlife districts.

Day 2: Bogota City Tour (B)

After breakfast, we take you on a half day tour of Bogota's historic centre, La Candelaria.

This historic Colonial neighbourhood is of great architectural and cultural heritage, made up of large Spanish-built buildings with iron windows, thick and sturdy wooden doors, balconies and internal patios, with beautiful, hidden gardens.

We visit the Plaza de Bolivar, where a statue of the great liberator Simon Bolivar is located.

This Plaza, originally called the Plaza Mayor, was used for civil and military purposes, as a marketplace, and at one time as a bullring and a gallows.

The Cathedral, on the eastern side of the plaza, is constructed on the remains of the first church built in Bogota in 1539 and houses an important collection of religious artefacts, collected over four centuries.

The Capitol, built between 1847 and 1926, shows Renaissance and Neoclassical influences with its carved stonework and tall columns, and is the first Republican piece of civil architecture.

Around the Plaza de Bolivar are the Palacio de Justicia, the Mayor's office (Edificio Liévano), the oldest school in the county - San Bartolome - and the Casa de los Comuneros.

The visit continues with the Botero Museum, a Colonial house filled with works of art by and from Fernando Botero, that includes pieces by Picasso, Renoir, Dalí, Matisse, Monet and Giacometti, as well as his own work.
NB. The Botero Museum is closed on Tuesdays.

Next is the Gold Museum which has a permanent exhibition of some 32,000 pieces of gold, 20,000 jewels, ceramics and textiles from the Quimbaya, Calima, Tayrona, Sinu, Muisca, Tolima, Tumaco and Magdalena cultures.

The Museum, in operation since 1939 - and fully refurbished in 2007 - is considered one of the most important museums of its type internationally. NB. The Gold Museum is closed on Mondays.

Free afternoon for individual activities. We recommend visiting Bogota’s various other museums, or taking the funicular railway or cable car up to the church on top of Monserrate Mountain.

Overnight at Hotel B3 Virrey, or similar. 

Day 3: Bogota - Coffee Triangle (B)

After breakfast, we transfer you to the airport for the short flight to Pereira.

On arrival in Pereira, we transfer you to your hotel.

Overnight at Hotel Bosques de Saman, or similar.

Hotel Bosques de Saman is a restored ranch, situated within a coffee plantation, and surrounded by the rural scenery for which the area is famous. Guests can visit the plantation and farm, walk along an eco-trail and go zip-lining along 2km (1.25 miles) of wires in the canopy above the coffee plants.

Day 4: Pereira - Valle del Cocora & Filandia - Pereira (B)

After breakfast, we set off for Cocora Valley, which is located in the central mountains of the province of Quindio.

This is part of Los Nevados National Park and is the ideal place to marvel at the Quindian Wax Palm (Ceroxylon quincense), the national tree of Colombia, which can grow to a height of 60 m (200 ft) and was worshipped by the indigenous people.

This region is home to a great number of bird species, including various hummingbirds and the endangered Palm Parrot (Ognorhynchus icteroti). 

Upon arrival in the valley, either hiking or on horseback, we head into the cloud forest to enjoy the flora and fauna.

On the return journey, we cross the River Quindio and past the tallest wax palms in the world.

We stop at a trout farm, to enjoy a traditional meal of smoked trout, and time to look around. 

In the afternoon, we visit the traditional towns of Salento and Filandia with their Colonial buildings, colourful balconies, atmospheric main squares, handicraft shops and coffee shops.

There is time to soak up the regional atmosphere and - perhaps - some local spirits, before returning to the hotel.

Overnight at Hotel Bosques de Saman, or similar.

Day 5: Pereira - Chinchina - Coffee Farming Region - Pereira (B)

After breakfast, we spend a half day visiting the coffee plantations in the steep hills typical of this area.

Our first stop is at Alto de La Paz, a beautiful viewpoint near Chinchiná where you can see the full panorama of coffee plantations, spreading as far as the eye can see.

Here you get an idea why Colombia's coffee region has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We visit a coffee-producing hacienda to see the plantation and production, including the harvest, sun-drying and toasting, up close. We also get to taste the delicious results. 

The afternoon is free for individual activities.

Overnight at Hotel Bosques de Saman, or similar.

Day 6: Pereira - Cartagena (B)

Transfer to Pereira airport for departure flight to Cartagena, via Bogota.

Upon arrival, transfer and hotel check-in.

Overnight at Hotel Tres Banderas, or similar. 

Located in the beautiful district of San Diego, inside the walled city, Hotel Tres Banderas is the ideal base for exploring Cartagena. The hotel is a converted, 200-year-old, Colonial-style house that is just 50 m (55 yds) from Plaza de San Diego and Santo Toribio Church.

Along with 24 comfortable air-conditioned rooms, Hotel Tres Banderas also boasts two spacious patios and a rooftop terrace.

Day 7: Cartagena Panoramic Tour (B)

We start with a panoramic view of the city from the Monasterio & Iglesia de La Popa, from where we can enjoy 360º views of the city and the sea, including the port, which is one of the most important in the Caribbean.

Constructed in 1606, at an altitude of 140 m (460 ft) above sea level, the church resembles the stern of a galleon. 

We continue to San Felipe Fortress, which was built on San Lazaro hill, in order to defend the city from pirate attacks.

We walk around the fortress, learning about the castle construction, engineering, tunnels, underground galleries and passageways.

Then, we go to the Ciudad Vieja (Old City) to visit the Convent & Church of San Pedro Claver, followed by Bovedas, a collection of archways built into the city wall of Cartagena that were used until the end of the 1700s to house armaments, and then later as a prison in the 19th century.

Nowadays it is an artisan centre offering local handicrafts. 

Free afternoon for individual activities. 

Overnight at Hotel Tres Banderas, or similar. 

Day 8: Cartagena: Free Day (B)

Free day for individual activities. 

Overnight at Hotel Tres Banderas, or similar.  

Day 9: Cartagena - Tayrona National Park (B, D)

After breakfast, we make the five hour transfer, in private vehicle, to Tayrona National Park.

Arrival and check-in to Hotel Cayena Beach Villa, or similar.

Cayena Beach Villa is a homely oceanfront property, located 5 km (3 miles) from Tayrona National Park and 10 km (6 miles) from the Minca Mountains. With only 10 rooms, the atmosphere is serene and intimate.

Aside from the nearby beach and national park, the hotel has a pool, a massage service and yoga classes to keep you occupied.

Dinner is included whilst at Cayena Beach.

Days 10 & 11: Tayrona National Park (B, D)

Free day to relax, for beach activities or to organise excursions such as a walk to Pueblito, snorkelling or horseback riding. Bike rentals are also available. 

Overnight at Hotel Cayena Beach Villa, or similar. . 

Day 12: Tayrona National Park - Santa Marta (B)

After breakfast, we make the transfer to Santa Marta airport for your onward flight.

END OF SERVICES

NB. Hotels mentioned are subject to availability.