14 Day Ultimate Luxury Tour of Colombia

Introduction

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  Day 1

  International Arrival

  Bogotá is Colombia’s commercial epicentre, where trendy neighbourhoods rub shoulders with traditions of the past. In essence a mix of regal elegance and a modern bohemian flair. Home to a vast array of museums, galleries, churches, and colonial mansions from various eras, providing a real-life history lesson walking its atmospheric streets. Bogotá strikes a fine balance between its historical past and its passage into the future. Adding in the cities ever-expanding culinary and buzzing nightlife scene make it one of South America’s most dynamic and colourful capital cities.

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  Day 2

  Paloquemao Market & La Candelaria Neighbourhood

  Paloquemao Market is a bustling labyrinth of stalls and home to over seven hundred and fifty individual merchants. Most popular are the food stalls, offering an abundance of tropical fruits and vegetables. Outside is a photographers’ dream, where fresh-cut flowers tempt the public. There will also be time to sample some of the exotic fruits and delicious juices. This working market is a sensory overload and offers a mouth-watering taste of Bogota’s gastronomic heritage.

  La Candelaria is Bogota’s oldest quarter of the city, and the birthplace of Bogota. At its centre, the Plaza Bolivar is embraced on all sides by grand colonial buildings, churches and museums. La Candelaria remains as vibrant today as in its 17^th Century heyday. A short drive from the historic centre is the hilltop monastery of Monserrate, the summit is reached via a cable car or funicular railway. The mountain was considered a sacred site in Pre-Columbian times and remains a place of pilgrimage for many Bogota residents. The church was originally constructed in the 17th Century and from this vantage point, it’s possible to see the expanse of the city below.

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  Day 3

  Bogotá to Villa de Leyva & Salt Cathedral

  The drive north of Bogota to the picturesque village of Villa de Leyva passes through the ancient territory once occupied by the Muisca Indians and the famous Zipaquirá underground salt cathedral. The road meanders through rolling scenic countryside, agricultural landscapes, and rural Colombian towns and villages. Salt has been mined in Zipaquirá for over 1,500 years when the Muisca Indians realised the value of this precious commodity. Alexander Von Humboldt commented on the mine during his explorations in Colombia in 1801. Salt mining still goes on today, but the main attraction now is the underground cathedral hewn from the tunnels and passageways left behind by the miners. Whether appreciated for its religious significance, artistic craftsmanship, or simply a masterpiece of modern engineering, this pilgrimage site is truly extraordinary.

  It was in the early 1930s that the miners constructed the first shrine, hoping it would protect them through their long hours of hard toil beneath the earth’s crust. Then in the 1950s, a more ambitious project began and a formal church dedicated to “Our Lady of the Rosary”, the patron saint of miners was built. The modern cathedral was completed in 1995. The descent into the mine begins with the 14 Stations of the Cross, each intricately carved into the halite rock salt and illuminated with subtle lighting.  A must see destination!

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  Day 4

  Colonial village of Villa de Leyva

  The charming, cobbled streets and white-washed colonial buildings of Villa de Leyva make a perfect place to explore this fascinating snapshot into Colombia’s historic past. Surrounded by a combination of Andean Mountain scenery, highland moors and deserts, the village’s diverse rural landscapes add to the character of this picturesque location. Time spent exploring the cobbled streets, churches, and local artisan handicraft shops is time spent understanding the village’s 400 plus-year-old history. The main thoroughfare “Calle Caliente” is a quaint cobbled lane and commercial hub, with local artisan shops, small cafes and restaurants, perfect to sit and watch the world amble by.

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  Day 5

  Flight to Armenia

  Today we have a walking tour of Hacienda Bambusa farm and cacao plantations with a local chocolate tasting experience. With its rolling hills, covered with verdant green coffee plants and dotted with quaint, brightly-painted haciendas, this UNESCO world heritage status landscape represents some of the most stunning scenery in Colombia. The adage that the journey is as important as the destination certainly applies to this region, as every twist and turn is rewarded with spectacular views and new perspectives.

  The coffee region is the rural heart and soul of Colombia, where pastoral life continues as it has done for centuries, harvesting coffee and plantains (a type of Banana) as well as numerous other crops in this lush and fertile land. Coffee of course plays a pivotal role in the local economy and has moulded the culture of the region. After the hustle and bustle of one of the big cities, the peace and natural surroundings create a startling contrast.

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  Day 6

  Coffee Plantation Experience

  Located just outside the town of Armenia in the southern part of the Coffee Region, with its rolling hills of lush green plantations, is the traditional Hacienda Bruselas Coffee Estate. Bruselas produces some of the finest gourmet coffee that Colombia has to offer. The hacienda offers picture postcard coffee studded mountainside and the brightly painted traditional main house that creates the quintessential coffee region backdrop. Local workers toil the hillside, handpicking just the right rich red beans. The Beneficiadero is where the harvested beans are peeled, washed, dried, and packed ready for sale.

  This experience showcases the intricacy of the coffee process and the endeavours of those who are dedicated to growing it. Experiencing the stunning countryside scenery while learning about the complexities of Colombian coffee will help to explain why this delicious product that keeps the world energised is such a highly prized export. After this in-depth coffee baptism, it will be impossible to look at that simple morning brew in the same way!

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  Day 7

  Coffee towns of Filandia & Salento

  A full day spent exploring the small rural communities or “pueblos” and walking in the majestic landscapes of the Cocora Valley is the best way to appreciate the stunning beauty and unique culture of Colombia’s iconic coffee region. In Filandia, coffee and laid-back rural life are the backbones of this enchanting little Colombian village. Filandia and its inhabitants are an attraction in themselves in this living breathing coffee producing community. The main square still retains all of its historical character, the local police station and mayor’s office jostle for position with the barbers and hardware store. Walking the quaint colonial streets and enjoying freshly ground coffee in one of the cafes is a looking glass into Colombia’s rural past.

  The picturesque and colourful town of Salento is located in the department of Quindío. This quaint rural settlement dates back to the early 1840s and is a delightful showpiece of well-preserved colonial architecture, with its brightly coloured homes and nearby coffee plantations. This photogenic village boasts a typical main square with lanes of charming traditional-style houses in a collage of colours. Rimmed by the distant snow-dusted peaks, Salento is still a quintessentially Colombian Andean village, but with a more upmarket twist with charming little boutique shops and trendy coffee bars. The verdant emerald expanse of rolling mountains with its subtropical climate is also home to abundant wildlife and birdlife, including the endangered Yellow Eared Parrot.

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  Day 8

  Flight to Cartagena

  The sultry allure of the Caribbean coast is perfectly epitomized by Cartagena de Indias, often described as absurdly photogenic and one of the most iconic destinations in Colombia. Founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia, Cartagena is a wonderful insight into the life of the region through the 16th to 18th centuries. A tumultuous time, which left its mark through beautiful churches, atmospheric plazas and fascinating historical sites; all of which can be seen in their glory today.

  Cartagena enjoys year-round tropical temperatures, and where the historic old town and Getsemani neighbourhood with their dramatic colonial buildings, juxtapose for prominence with the nearby Boca Grande beach peninsula and its Miami style exclusive high-rise towers.. The Costeños, locals, are an open and fun-loving people. They combine the best of the Caribbean with other racial and cultural backgrounds and have a delightfully laid-back attitude. This passionate and vibrant city with its rich history and well-preserved colonial architecture exudes character. Mix in African rhythms, indigenous influences, and Spanish colonial splendour all make Cartagena a truly amazing destination.

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  Day 9

  City of Cartagena & Museums

  Carved from a colourful history rife with piracy, sultry Caribbean heat, with fusions of African, indigenous and European culture, Cartagena is a living, breathing and pulsating museum. The historic centre is absurdly photogenic and regarded as some of the most impressive and stunningly preserved colonial architecture in all of the Americas. The imposing merchant’s houses, blossom bedecked carved wooden balconies, and ornate churches are all encircled by the city’s ancient stone fortification and the Caribbean Sea beyond.

  In the historic old town, colour splashes every corner and fascinating tales speak through the ancient wooden doors. A walk through the famous clock tower entrance, a symbol of the city, on through the leafy Bolivar square and down the narrow cobbled streets is a walk through the pages of history. The old town is still however part of a modern Colombia, one of the city’s main universities has its principal faculties located here. During the day, students rub shoulders with visitors and there is a vibrant commercial life here too. La Heroica (The Heroic city) with its 500 plus years of antiquity has a wealth of myths, legends and stories to enthral visitors. Wandering the picturesque streets of Cartagena is to step through the pages of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel and watch history come to life.

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  Day 10

  La Popa Convent & San Felipe Fortress

  Located just outside the historic old town, the imposing San Felipe de Barajas Fortress is one of the city’s most distinctive landmarks and is a formidable example of military might and architecture. Rising majestically above the skyline, from this dominant vantage point the Spanish kept watch over the entrances to the city both by land and sea. San Felipe is the largest Spanish built fortification in the New World, and along with the ramparts and stone walls was part of the city’s defence against marauding pirates and swashbuckling buccaneers.

  The La Popa Convent is the highest landmark in the city. The convent started life as a humble and modest wooden chapel in the early 1600s but was later fortified and expanded to its current might and majesty. The cool leafy flower-filled courtyard and patio with its dominant stone columns lead out to a viewing platform. From here there are panoramic vistas that stretch out over the city, old town, the bay of Cartagena, and the Caribbean Sea beyond.

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  Day 11

  Cartagena to Tayrona

  The wild and tropical scenery of the Tayrona National Park expands way beyond the formal boundaries of the park. All along this section of Colombia’s Caribbean coastline, it’s possible to find dramatic beaches where palm-fringed shores and curved bays nestle up to untamed virgin tropical rainforest. Where ancient lost cities hide on hilltops and where biodiversity blossoms. If more was needed, the backdrop is the lofty and majestic peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, the highest coastal mountain range in the world.

  View the towering snow-capped peak of Pico Bolivar, the highest in Colombia, and below, the golden sands, quaint villages and colonial splendour of Santa Marta, the regions capital city. Agriculture, fishing, and tourism are vital economic resources for the region, at the various urban centres dotted along the coast. This region of Colombia is a perfect contrast to the bustling big cities. Whether it’s rainforest walks, archaeological ruins, experiences with nature, or just lazing away the day on one of the paradise-like beaches with tall palm trees swaying above, time spent along this stunning coastline is pure bliss.

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  Day 12

  Nature’s Best Tayrona National Park

  The Tayrona National Park is probably the most visited of the national park network that protects a wide range of natural habitats across Colombia. A day spent wandering the jungle trails, and rugged picture-postcard shorelines while leaving sandy footprints along the palm-fringed beaches is one of the pleasures of the Caribbean region. Tayrona has a predominantly year-round hot and humid climate, which has created along its coastal flanks a lush tropical forest ecosystem. Walks can be tailored to individual requirements and it’s possible to flop down and relax on the first beach, Playa Cañaveral, or continue to the primary goal of Cabo de San Juan beach, a total round trip of about 9 miles. The full walk takes 4 to 6 hours depending on scenery breaks and meanders along lush jungle trails and past pristine coastline, including the beautiful beaches of Arricifes and La Piscina.

  Apart from the spectacular scenery, there are opportunities for wildlife viewing including iguanas, monkeys, macaws and even toucans. Its also possible to see the often-recluse members of local indigenous communities like the Kogi people, known for their distinctive white traditional woven clothing. The return trip is via the same trails, but for those looking for an easier option, horses can be rented for a more sedate experience.

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  Day 13

  Free Day Tayrona National Park

  Choose a day of relaxation at Tayrona National Park or activities can be scheduled to your preference.

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  Day 14

  Transfer to Santa Marta Airport and Departure

  Transfer to the Santa Marta Airport and international departure.