Colombia Highlights

Colombia Highlights

The Best of Colombia

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Two Great Weeks in Colombia

Take in all the highlights of Colombia from £1850pp

This two-week tour of Colombia has you exploring all the highlights of this fantastic country. Enjoy the culture and atmosphere of lively cities like Bogota and Medellin, kick back on a traditional hacienda in the gorgeous Coffee Region, and explore the tropical beaches and colonial history of picturesque Cartagena.

Outline Itinerary

  • Day One: Arrival in Bogota
  • Day Two: City Tour of Bogota
  • Day Three: Guatavita Crater Lagoon
  • Day Four: Fly to Cartagena
  • Day Five: Walking City Tour
  • Days Six and Seven: Free Time in Cartagena
  • Day Eight: Fly to the Coffee Region
  • Day Nine: Valle de Corcora tour
  • Day Ten: Free Day
  • Day Eleven: Drive to Medellin
  • Day Twelve: Tour of Medellin
  • Day Thirteen: Free Day in Medellin
  • Day Fourteen: Overnight flight back to the UK

"It felt very well-organised which meant we could relax and enjoy it."

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Detailed Itinerary

Day One – Start of your Colombia Holidays

We will meet you at the airport in Colombia's vibrant capital of Bogota and take you to your hotel in the city's metropolitan north side. After you’ve checked in why not take a stroll to one of the area's many restaurants and bars where you can enjoy your first taste of Colombian food... or maybe just the rum!

Day Two - Tour of Bogota

We’ve kept this morning free to give you chance for a leisurely breakfast and some time to introduce yourself to the city. In the afternoon we will pick you up from your hotel and give you a guided tour of Bogota's historic centre, known as La Candelaria. On the tour we will visit the grand Plaza de Bolivar, as well as the city's astonishing Gold Museum. After an afternoon exploring Bogota's culture and history we will take you back to your hotel, so you can head out for dinner. (Breakfast included)

Day Three - Guatavita Crater Lagoon

This morning we will pick you up and take a short drive to the legendary Guatavita Crater Lake. Believed to be the site behind the legend of El Dorado, the Lake is located in the high altitude woodland reserve of Cacique and it's a great place to see hummingbirds, hawks and more of Colombia's vast array of flora and fauna. After spending the afternoon by the lake discovering how it has played its part in the El Dorado legend, we'll drive on to the market town of Guatavita, whose striking white houses and beautiful square make it a perfect place to take a relaxing stroll. In the late afternoon we will head back to Bogota where we will drop you back at your hotel in time to get some dinner. (B)

Day Four - On to Cartagena

After breakfast this morning we will pick you up and take you the airport for your flight to Cartagena. Cartagena is often referred to as Colombia’s most beautiful city and it’s easy to see why! From its amazing colonial architecture to its coral reef lined shores, Cartagena truly is a Caribbean gem! Upon your arrival we’ll take you to your hotel inside the walls of the old city. After checking in why not take a stroll through the cities many alleyways and side streets, before heading to the Plaza Santo Domingo in El Centro to enjoy some fried fish, coconut rice and plantain. (B)

Day Five - Cartagena City Tour

You will have a free morning to relax and then we will pick you up to begin a tour of this fascinating city. We will climb to the top of the Iglesia de la Popa, constructed in 1606. The church and monastery is located 140 meters above sea level and gives you fantastic 360-degree views of the city. After this we will head to the San Filipe fortress where we’ll walk through the tunnels and passageways to discover how the fortress defended the city through years of (largely English) piracy... Lastly we’ll make a visit to the handicrafts zone of the Bovedas: once the city’s prison; nowadays it’s a great artisanal centre and handicraft market. (B)

Days Six and Seven - Free time in Cartagena

You will have two full free days to just relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of historic Cartagena, take a horse and carriage ride through the cobbled streets of the old city or venture down to the beach to enjoy some Caribbean sunshine. In the evening why not relax at the famous Café del Mar and enjoy some rum whilst watching the sunset. (B)

options...
  • If you’d like to make sure you’re absolutely, thoroughly relaxed, why not take a day trip out to the gorgeous Rosario Islands? Or even stay overnight to make the most of it?

Day Eight – Travel to the Coffee Region

After breakfast, we will pick you up and take you to the airport for a flight south to Colombia’s beautiful Coffee Region. On arrival in the town of Pereira, we’ll be there to meet you and take you out into the countryside to your hotel, a converted traditional hacienda on a coffee plantation, where you can relax by the pool, drink in the scenery, and look forward to some superb food this evening. (B)

Day Nine - Tour of the Cocora Valley

After breakfast this morning we will leave the hotel and head to the Valle de Cocora which is located in the mountains of the Quindino Region. The valley is in the Nevados National Park and is the ideal place to see Colombia’s national tree the ‘Quindian Wax Palm’. The Wax Palm can grow to reach a staggering sixty metres tall and they are home to some of Colombia’s most stunning birds. Whilst we move through the tree’s we’ll get a chance to see a number of different bird species including Hummingbirds and the endangered Palm Parrot. When we arrive into the Valley we’ll head up into the cloud forest where our expert guide will show us the local fauna and flora. After spending some more time in the cloud forest we will head back down the path and cross the river Quindo where we will see the world’s tallest Wax Palm. We will learn why the tree had huge cultural significance to Colombia’s indigenous communities before stopping at a local trout farm to enjoy some freshly smoked trout. After lunch we’ll continue our journey and head to the town of Salento where we will have some free time before heading back to the hotel for your last night in Colombia. (B/L)

Day Ten - Free time in the Coffee Region

This morning you’ll have a full free day to enjoy the Coffee Triangle’s balmy climate and the lovely grounds of your hotel. Of course, if you’d like to head out and do some coffee tastings, or see a bit more of the whole coffee process then just let us know. (B)

Day Eleven - Drive to Medellin

We will drive through some of Colombia’s prettiest scenery today as we pick you up this morning and drive south to the city of Medellin. Utterly transformed over the past ten years, Medellin is definitely a contender for South America’s hippest city, with a fantastic cultural scene, and food and nightlife to die for. We’ll arrive in the middle of the afternoon, and we’ll take you straight to your hotel so you can get ready to head out and dive right in! (B)

Day Twelve - Tour of Medellin

This morning we will pick you up and take you for a tour of Medellin. We will begin in the Parque San Antonio, better known locally as La Plazoleta, where we can see twenty statues by arguably Medellin’s most famous son, the sculptor Fernando Botero. We can also see more of his work in the Museo de Antioquia which lies on one side of the square, along with other Colombian artists from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with a small collection of pre-Conquest pieces. From La Plazoleta, we will head on to Plazuela San Ignacio, one of the oldest public spaces in the city. Here we can visit the lovely baroque church and cloisters of San Ignacio which is one of the finest in Medellin. After continuing on to the oriental-influenced Parque de los Pies Descalzos, where we can walk through a bamboo forest and enjoy the fountains, we will catch the Metrocable cable-car up to the hillside district of Santo Domingo, from where we can enjoy some fabulous views across this spectacular city. (B)

Day Thirteen - Free Day in Medellin

We’ve left you with a full free day here to enjoy exploring Medellin’s galleries, museums and cafes. Of course, if you’d prefer to head outside the city to take in some of the area’s beautiful scenery, then we can easily arrange that for you as well. (B)

Day Fourteen - Last day of your Colombia Holidays

After a final free morning here in Medellin, we will pick you up and take you to the airport to begin your flight back to the UK. (B)

Optional Highlights of Colombia

Lost City Trek

Lost City Trek - from £795pp

Further along the Pacific coast from Cartagena, the Tayrona National Park not only contains some of South America's best beaches, but also the famous lost city of Ciudad Perdida. To reach it involves trekking for days through the jungle, but your reward is an untouched and almost unvisited lost city ...

Tour of Mompox on your Holiday in Colombia

Mompox - from £495pp

To really get away from it all, how about travelling down the Rio Magdalena to the tiny colonial town of Mompox. In an ever-changing landscape of rivers, wetlands and lagoons, this is the perfect place to step back in time and forget the modern world.

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San Agustin and Popayan as well as the Coffee region around PereiraCoffee Culture10 day holiday in Colombia from £2295pp

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What's Included?

The standard price for our Colombia Highlights trip is £1850 per person, which is based on two sharing a double or twin room in our standard hotels.

That price includes all your accommodation, internal transport, transfers, tours, guides and entrance fees, plus breakfast every day.

We don't have any "local payments" or sneaky charges: everything you have read about on this itinerary is included in that price. And because everything we do is tailor-made, we don't have fixed departure dates or minimum numbers for our trips. Outside of national holidays or other special events, this price is valid for the whole of 2020.

International flights

So with the exception of a few meals, everything on your holiday is included. What we don't include as standard is your international flights, because with these you have a huge range of options depending on the date you want to travel, the route you want to fly, and your preferred departure airport in the UK.

We aren't tied to any particular airline, and we will be delighted to discuss all options with you, or you can even book the flights yourself if you prefer: it's totally up to you.

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