Latin America Escorted Tour - Colombian Highlights

Day 1: Bogota

Our representative will meet you upon arrival at Bogota's El Dorado International Airport. We will transfer to your hotel in the Candelaria district. Relax in your hotel or head out to explore the city on your own.

Day 2: Bogota City Sightseeing Tour

We start our tour in Bogota, formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogota. It is the capital and the biggest city in Colombia with a population of seven million. We will be staying in the Candelaria district a beautiful location within walking distance of many of the famous sights including the main square - Plaza Bolivar, the Cathedral, and Simon Bolivar's house. You may like to take the funicular to Monserrate for the excellent city views or visit the world famous gold museum. A suggested activity would be the graffiti tour where you can explore some of the popular street art that decorates the city’s walls. It is also worth touring the Botero Museum to view some of the artist’s work depicting people and objects in large formats.

we'll visit a couple of essential local spots. One is La Candelaria, the historic center of the city. Boasting a wealth of elegant cafes and colonial churches, it's a neighborhood full of wonders. As well as loads of museums, art and delicious food to try, it's also just a wonderful town to walk around, an interesting blend of the old and new. We also visit the Gold Museum for an opportunity to learn about the wealth this country once possessed. Attractive and easy to navigate, the museum has 55,000 artifacts from several eras on display. Finally, it's time to visit  Cerro de Monserrate by cable car, where a 17th-century church overlooks the charming capital. It's a superb place to view the sunset as the tour draws to a close.

Day 3: Bogota - Pereira

You still have the evening to explore Colombia´s capital city. Visit La Plaza de Mercado de Paloquemao, a vibrant Colombian market where you can find every Colombian herbs and spices imaginable.

Head to the north of the city to explore the trendy and upscale Zona Rosa, a quiet oasis surrounded by cheerful shopping malls that are known for its restaurants and nightlife. We will transfer you to Bogota's airport for your domestic flight to Pereira. Welcome to Colombia's Coffee region, which is comprised of the departments of Caldas, Risaralda, and Quindío. This area is renowned for producing the majority of the Colombian coffee, regarded by some as the best coffee in the world. We will transfer you to your hacienda upon arrival.

Day 4: Cocora Valley & Salento

This day will be dedicated to the exploration of scenic landscapes and small villages of the Cocora Valley. Travel in a Willys Jeep, as is ideal for this coffee region, through the countryside. Hike through a majestic forest dominated by wax-palm trees, the tallest species of palm trees in the world.

Enjoy a break in Salento before visiting the city and viewing its houses made of bamboo. Stop at Finlandia, a colorful town famous for its handicraft shops, at the end of the tour. You will stay overnight at the Sazagua Hotel.

Day 5: Cocora Valley - Medellin

Enjoy a half-day journey dedicated to exploring a coffee plantation ('Finca', as the locals call it). Learn more about the coffee production process, including cultivating the beans and roasting them. Enjoying sipping the coffee produced on site.

Time to take the way to Medellin, the capital of Antioquia that is also renowned as the 'City of Eternal Spring'.

Day 6: Medellin

Time to explore the rural landscapes of areas surrounding Medellin city. Travel to El Penol, an awesome granite monolith on the shores of an artificial lake formed by the nearby dam. Climb the 659 steps of the monolith to enjoy a 360-degree view of the surrounding areas from the top.

Day 7: Medellin City Tour

Colombia has shed its former reputation to uncover an excellent blend of cultural heritage, bustling daily life, and one of the world’s most ecologically diverse countries. The state’s capital of Medellin has a cosmopolitan aura with the beauty of an eternal spring spread across the hills.

Your morning will start with a sharp call of active rose-breasted Grosbeak echoes through the forest. At breakfast, you will savor a revitalizing cup of coffee cultivated from the landscape around the Condo as you will see hints of cherry, apricot, and chocolate. You will set out into the wilderness after the breakfast, as you appreciate the lush forest, which contains hidden trails and protected underbrush leading away from the fruit trees and coffee plants of the farm.

There is an endless movement of trade and industry in a city that promotes chic restaurants, elegant hotels, and welcoming culture. Your guide will greet you at Jose Maria Cordova International Airport and drive you to a luxurious hotel, which overlooks the city’s dynamic center. The valley in which Medellin located provides a mild climate throughout the year, that earned its nickname, the Endless Spring.

The rest of the day is at your leisure to enjoy the city at your own pace. You will view the paragliders circle the sky over the towering buildings like one of the endemic birds of the jungle and the beautiful mountains frame the city with jade canopies.

Day 8: Cartagena

Cartagena is one of the most popular colonial towns on the continent and where the film Romancing the Stone was shooted. You have time to wander the attractive narrow streets decorated with wooden balconies and hanging plants. There are many interesting sites to view such as a trip to Castillo San Felipe and the fortress on San Lazaro Hill. Beneath this fortress is a number of tunnels and there are still cannons placed along the battlements. Also worthwhile is a visit of La Popa hill to the colorful convent with superb views over the city. The Boca Grande area of Cartagena is where Colombians come for their beach vacation and it is full of shops, nightclubs, and bars. Near Cartagena is the Volcan de Lodo El Totumo, a strange mud volcano where you can relax and wallow in the mud, which is believed to contain healing properties and good treatment for the skin.

Day 9: Cartagena Departure

Your Latin America escorted tour comes to an end today. If you have a late flight or have extended your stay by adding post tour accommodation you will have more time to explore the sights. We will transfer you to the airport in case you want to catch your home flight.