Grand Tour 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 to Sofitel Victoria Regia for overnight.

Day 2: Bogotá - La Macarena
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your domestic flight to La Macarena. Departing from Bogota, a 60-minute flight will take you to the village of La Macarena in the eastern lowlands of Colombia. Upon arrival, your guide will be waiting for you and take you to the offices of Cormacarena and Colombian National Parks to attend an introductory briefing on the Sierra de La Macarena Natural Park. The adventure begins with a traditional canoe trip down the majestic Guayabero River for 20 minutes, in which you will witness the flora and fauna of the region until you reach a small farm where you will begin your hike. Once on the ground, you will perform a small 25-minute ascent to the area known as "El Mirador", a spot on the mountain with a unique view where the local guide will explain a bit about the environment and the history of the area.  Then you will take a 45-minute walk to Caño Cristalitos. Along the way, you can decide where you want to have your lunch with the local guide. Upon arrival at Caño Cristalitos, you will have a refreshing swim and witness for the first time the "Macarenia Clavigera", the famous plant that provides Caño Cristales with its colors. The walk back to the Guayabero River will take 45 minutes. There you will take a canoe for a 15 minute trip to La Manigua Lodge. You will spend the rest of the night at leisure and dinner will be served at La Manigua Lodge.

Day 3: La Macarena
After breakfast, you will be heading out for an excursion to Sierra de La Macarena National Natural Park. You will depart by canoe on the Guayabero River for 15 minutes until you reach the mainland and take a 4WD which will take you on a 40-minute ride into the Sierra de La Macarena National Natural Park. You will get to the National Parks reception center where you will prepare to warm up and start a 30-minute hike to the long-awaited Caño Cristales. Once in the Caño Cristales area, you will hike some trails, have time for lunch, and bathe in the natural wells. The time spent in the natural area is approximately 7 hours. It is highly recommended that you bring a good camera to capture the marvelous colors of the rivers and waterfalls during the tour. At the end of the tour, the return will be by the same route you did in the morning until you return to the lodge. At the end of the afternoon, you will enjoy a cultural activity and dinner at La Manigua Lodge.

Day 4: La Macarena - Bogotá
After an early breakfast, you will depart back to the Caño Cristales area by canoe. The canoe trip down the Guayabero River to the mainland will take 15 minutes, there you will take a 4WD and you will have a trip of approximately 40 minutes until you reach the National Park reception point. From here onwards you will begin a short 30-minute walk to Caño Cristales. After the tour, you will walk back to your car and catch the canoe towards the village of La Macarena, where you will find the equipment and your bags to take a bath and have lunch. You will then be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Bogotá. Upon arrival at the airport, the driver will take you to the hotel for check-in and some time at leisure. At 05:30 pm, you will be picked from your hotel for an artisanal draft beer tour. Bogotá has become the scenery of craft breweries in Colombia with more than 100 artisanal brands, you will try at least 5 of the most authentic ones. After the tour, you will be heading back to Sofitel Victoria Regia for leisure and overnight.

Day 5: 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 Sofitel Victoria Regia.

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

Day 6: Bogotá
After an early breakfast, you will leave at 07:30 am, for a trip to the biggest Páramo in the world: Sumapaz, heaven's door. So what is exactly a Paramo? People describe it as a moorland, wetland, or high plateau. Certainly, it ́s all of it. Besides, it is a unique kind of ecosystem only found in Colombia, Perú, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. We invite you to hike 6 kilometers through its endemic vegetation at 3.600mts / 11811 ft high above sea level. You will get to know the best of rural Bogotá, you will enjoy a light lunch/snacks in addition to some fruits. In the afternoon you will head back to Sofitel Victoria Regia for leisure and overnight.

Day 7: Bogotá - Villa de Leyva
After breakfast, you will depart towards Villa de Leyva, with a possible stopover in Zipaquira to visit the famous Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, of the wonders of Colombia. Upon arrival in Villa de Leyva, you will take a walk through the quiet streets and take a deep dive into the historical and architectural parts of the city, including a visit to some of the main buildings of this town. Overnight at Hotel Casa Terra.

Kindly note that the entrance fee to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira is not included as this is an optional activity.

Day 8: Villa de Leyva
After breakfast at your hotel, you will be heading out to explore more of the town and its surroundings. Let yourself be amazed by the charming town of Villa de Leyva, one of the heritage towns of Colombia. This beautiful city with Spanish colonial architecture is one of the best-preserved and oldest cities in the country. Be surprised by the cobbled streets and the impressive main square of the town, the largest in Colombia. You will feel that you are back in time. In the surroundings of the village, you can visit some interesting places such as El Fósil, the archeological area of ​​El Infiernito, and the Santo Ecce Homo Monastery. You will also pay a visit to the waterfall by passing through the Andean forest and the Guatoque ravine. On the way back, you stop at special places like Piedra Movida and Mogolla, The famous Paso del Angel overlooking the Moniquira Canyon. Overnight at Hotel Casa Terra.

Day 9: Villa de Leyva - Bogotá - Armenia - Montenegro
After an early breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Bogotá. In Bogotá, you will connect to another flight to Armenia. Upon arrival in Armenia, our representative will be waiting for you and take you to Hacienda Bambusa for dinner and overnight.

Day 10: Salento - Montenegro
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 Hacienda Bambusa for leisure and overnight.

Day 11: Montenegro
After breakfast, you will be leaving for a coffee & culinary experience. Among a wonderful coffee landscape, you will live an experience with a local family, sharing their customs and learning everything related to the coffee process. You will participate in the company of the "aunt" in the preparation of the lunch from the harvest in the orchard and while the food is cooking you will go for a tour of the heliconias and fruit trees, on the return, you will finish preparing and serving the lunch that you will share with the family. Your tour ends with a delicious cup of coffee at the farm or in the village shop that also belongs to the family. In the evening transfer back to Hacienda Bambusa for dinner and overnight.

Day 12: Montenegro - Pereira - Cartagena
After breakfast, you will be transferred to Pereira for your flight to Cartagena. Upon arrival in Cartagena, our representative will be waiting for you to transfer you to your hotel for check-in and some time spend at leisure. In the afternoon you will head out for a walking tour of Cartagena, Cartagena de Indias is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in America. Its historic center, walled by fortifications built in the colonial period, retains its original architecture and displays a full-color palette that fills it with Caribbean life and joy. Its fascinating history as "The Pearl of the Caribbean“ in Hispanic times, a storehouse for great treasures, and slave port of the colonies in America, was of important influence to this patrimonial “city of humanity”. The stories of numerous pirate attacks are present in each of the fortifications that remain intact today. During the walking tour of 3 hours, you will cover the Plaza de San Diego, the Plaza Fernandez of Madrid, the Park Bolivar, the Plaza de Los Coches, and the Plaza Santo Domingo. You also get to walk on the walls and visit the bastions of Santo Domingo and San Francisco Javier, where you will learn all about the history and defense strategy of the city. You get to see the most illustrative streets and their legends, and you will visit the most important churches such as the Cathedral San Pedro Claver and Santo Domingo. Overnight at Boutique hotel Ananda.

Day 13: Cartagena - Isla Baru
Transfer from your hotel to the harbor in Cartagena. You will take a shared speedboat at 01:30 pm from La Bodeguita Dock in Cartagena to Hotel Las Islas. Upon arrival, transfer to Hotel Las Islas for leisure and overnight.

Day 14: Isla Baru
Today you will have a free day to spend at leisure at the beach or Hotel Las Islas or decide to book some optional activities:
Bioluminescence tour: night tour where you will observe the natural phenomenon of plankton.
Short astronomical observation: the hotel has a telescope and if you wish a member of the hotel can help you to make a short astronomical observation from the hotel
Cooking class: is a cooking class with a woman from the local community. You will have the opportunity to learn about the local gastronomy of the islands and taste delicious typical dishes. This experience is shared with other hotel guests. If you would like a private class, it has a surcharge.
Yoga class
Transfer to Isleta: this is the hotel's private island and you will be able to enjoy the beach and the warm Caribbean waters.
Two bikes per bungalow: you can take a short bike tour in the hotel

Day 15: Isla Bura - Cartagena
Breakfast at your hotel. At noon your boat will leave back to Cartagena and a driver will be waiting for you to take you to the airport for your departure flight. Kindly note the departure flight must depart after 04:30 pm.