Explore Colombia

Day 1: Arrival at Bogotá
Today you will arrive at El Dorado Luis Carlos Galan Sarmiento International Airport. Upon arrival, you will be met by a representative who will welcome you and you start your journey to Bogota, and proceed for overnight to Four Seasons Casa Medina.

Day 2: Bogotá
After breakfast, you will be leaving for a full-day city tour in the historical district, La Candelaria. You will visit the neighborhoods of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, the old Candelaria Historic District scattered with traditional colonial houses and cobblestoned streets. Bogotá's historic city center "La Candelaria" with its impressive churches, the State Palace, and the "Plaza Bolívar" will be explored with your guide explaining each building’s history in detail. 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 every day. In 2010, the capital of Colombia was chosen as a "Must See" destination by the prestigious New York Times newspaper. You can discover a city that offers a wide range of opportunities in the fields of art, culture, recreation, sports, and science. You will have lunch at El Gato Gris Restaurant. In the afternoon, you will meet Pedro Crump, an independent Colombian musician, composer, producer, and pianist. You will be taken to his home in the north of the city. Thanks to his wide experience and knowledge of the different aspects of Colombian music, his musical experience in the musical studio of Bogotá, which is at his home, is really interesting to get to know and understand the richness and musical complexity of Colombia. Overnight at Four Seasons Casa Medina.

Kindly note: Gold Museum is closed on Mondays, the Emerald Museum on Sundays and the Botero Museum on Tuesdays.

Day 3: Bogotá - Armenia - Quindio
After an early breakfast, you will be leaving for an emerald workshop. Emeralds are part of the selected group of precious stones and 60% of emeralds in the world are originally from Colombia. Become part of the Emerald legend, by creating a ring with your own hands. This tour starts by having an introduction about the importance of emeralds for pre-colonial and colonial culture. You will see the most magnificent jewel crown in the country with more than 1.400 emeralds and 5kg gold. Then you will work on your new ring, where you will decide everything, from the design, the stone, and the material to the personal advice of a professional designer who will teach you how to do every single step. In the afternoon you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Armenia. Upon arrival in Armenia, our representative will be waiting for you and take you to Hotel Bio Habitat for leisure and overnight.

Day 4: Salento
After breakfast, you will be leaving to take a Jeep Willys, a traditional vehicle in this region for a 23 km/ 14 miles trip along the road that connected Salento with Ibagué and Bogotá. The road is gravel and is used by mountain bike enthusiasts and farmers of the region. On the way, you will witness the lush landscapes of the Central Mountain Range and Nevados National Park. You will ascend approximately 3340m / 10958 ft and stop to enjoy the impressive view of Paramillo del Quindio. Then you will start the descent and on the way, you will appreciate a wax palm valley until arriving at your destination, La Carbonera Farm. On the farm, you will take a one-hour walk among the wax palms, one of the highest palms in the world. Once at the main house of the farm you will rest and take a typical drink of sugar cane water with Colombian cheese. After this amazing tour, you will return by Willys Jeep to the starting point of the hike where you will have lunch. For the return to Salento, you can decide to hike back to Salento or return by Willys Jeep. In the evening return back to Hotel Bio Habitat for leisure and overnight.

Day 5: Armenia
After breakfast, you will be leaving for a full-day private horse riding tour through the amazing landscapes of Armenia. The Coffee Cultural Landscape was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2011. This region is full of incomparable beauty, traditions, traditional architecture, coffee plantations, native forests, and strategic corridors for the conservation of global biodiversity and you will always find beautiful scenery to photograph. Many regions of the coffee triangle invite you to get on a horse’s back and enjoy the beautiful landscapes from another perspective. Here you will cross banana and fruit trees as well as coffee plantations, lakes. It is like remembering our ancestors during a time when the horse was the driving force of the Quindío colonization, all this experience will have a special picnic with different types of cheese, fruits, salads, wine, fresh juice, and more. In the evening you will be transferred back to Hotel Bio Habitat for leisure and overnight.

Day 6: Quindio - Pereira - Santa Marta
Today you will have an early wake-up call as you will be heading out for a balloon flight at 06:00 am. You will be able to experience the whole process of balloon inflation that takes between 30 and 40 minutes approximately. Once in the air, you will enjoy the beautiful scenery that Colombia has to offer. Since the balloon does not have a rudder, it cannot be steered, we are at the mercy of the wind and we cannot specify the exact point of landing, which is why we are in constant communication with the ground team that will pick us up once we land; to take us to our starting point. In the afternoon you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Santa Marta. Upon arrival in Santa Marta, our representative will be waiting for you and take you to Boutique Hotel Don Pepe for leisure and overnight.

 Day 7: Santa Marta
After breakfast, you will be leaving Santa Marta to take the scenic coastal road and reach Tayrona Park. From here you will take an unpaved road through the tropical dry forest of the foothills of the Sierra to the bay of Neguanje. (Approx. 1 hour). And from here it’s about a further 20 minutes’ walk to reach the final destination, the most beautiful Playa Cristal beach. As its name suggests, the water here is crystal clear and you have plenty of time to relax and enjoy the Caribbean Sea. At about 4 pm you will start your return to Santa Marta. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant. Overnight at Boutique Hotel Don Pepe.

Note: For tourists who do not want or cannot manage the walk, we can take a boat from Neguanje Bay to Playa Cristal and back. This transfer has a minimal additional cost and lasts approximately 8 minutes.

Day 8: Santa Marta
After breakfast, you will be departing for an exciting day exploring more of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, but from a different viewpoint. It is the highest coastal mountain range on the planet, making the Colombian Caribbean one of the most diverse coasts in the world. You will start the tour by driving from your hotel to the nearest heliport, either the Santa Marta Marina or the airport. After a short briefing about the flight route, you take off and head directly to the Lost City. The route depends always on the weather conditions and can be north or south of the Cuchilla de San Lorenzo. The flight to Ciudad Perdida takes about 15 minutes, and after a flyover above the terraces of the Lost City, we continue in a southerly direction to take a glance at the majestic snow-capped peaks, glaciers, and lagoons of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. After this breathtaking flight with a duration of approximately 60 minutes, you will be transferred back to your hotel. In the afternoon you will be leaving for a city tour of Santa Marta. This tour begins with a visit to La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, Bolivarian Museum, and downtown Santa Marta. You will finish with a walking tour through the beautiful 3rd Avenue in downtown Santa Marta, where you will visit the Tayrona Gold Museum, the San Francisco Church, the Simon Bolivar Park, the Parque de Los Novios, and the boardwalk of the city with its different monuments.  Overnight at Boutique Hotel Don Pepe.

Day 9: Santa Marta
Today you will spend a day at leisure in the city. You have many opportunities to stroll through the city. Visit for example the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, the Archaeological Museum Tayrona, the Cathedral Santa Marta, the historical center, and the Rodadero quarter. Overnight at Boutique Hotel Don Pepe.

Day 10: Santa Marta - Cartagena
After breakfast, you will be picked up for a transfer to Rafael Núñez International Airport where you can catch your international departure flight.