Deal negotiated for you
- The 12-day/11-night tour or 14-day/13-night tour if the Cartagena trip extension is chosen
- Accommodation as listed in the programme (or similar)
- Meals as listed in the programme
- Flights departing from the city of your choice
- Bucaramanga - Pereira flight (day 6)
- Pereira - Medellin flight (day 9)
- Medellin - Cartagena flight (day 11)
- Transfer to cities and sites mentioned in the programme
- Activities and admissions to sites mentioned in the programme
- 24-hour on-site assistance
- The service of professional local guides specialising in each visited region
Your stay starts here
Essential Colombia, with Cartagena as an optional extra 3*
Let yourself be enchanted by the vibrant breath of Colombia, where every sunrise heralds a new adventure and every alley reveals a fascinating story.
This tour takes you to discover the hidden treasures of this fascinating country, between the dynamic capital Bogotá, the authenticity of Salento in the heart of the coffee region, the surprising transformation of Medellín and the colonial beauty of Cartagena de Indias.
Throughout your stay, you'll be accommodated in simple but comfortable lodgings, equipped with all the amenities you need for a pleasant trip.
Your itinerary day by day:
Day 1: Welcome to Colombia!
Day 2: Bogota
Day 3: Bogota - Villa de Leyva
Day 4: Villa de Leyva - Barichara
Day 5: Barichara
Day 6: ✈ Barichara - Bucaramanga Airport - Pereira Airport - Salento
Day 7: Salento
Day 8: Salento
Day 9: ✈ Salento - Pereira Airport - Medellin Airport - Medellin
Day 10: Medellin - Guatapé - Medellin
Day 11: ✈ Head for Cartagena
Day 12: Cartagena - Cartagena Airport
When booking, you can also extend your stay by adding 2 days/2 nights in Cartagena! Select 13 nights.
Day 12: Cartagena
Day 13: Cartagena - La Boquilla
Day 14: Cartagena - Cartagena Airport
Please note that the order of visits may be modified due to local constraints (travel time, weather conditions etc...) but all visits mentioned in the program will be carried out.
Your detailed itinerary
Day 1 | Bogotá Airport - Bogotá
Arrival at Bogota airport, the Andean capital, welcome and transfer to your hotel. Check-in at your hotel for 3 nights on a breakfast basis.
Journey time: approx. 30 min.
Hotel: BH Bicentenario 4* (or similar)
Day 2 | Walking tour of Bogotá
Discover Bogota the "rolos" way. The walking tour of the capital takes us to the city's most authentic and historic spots.
La Candelaria, the historic center, is full of charm, with its brightly-colored houses, carved wooden balconies and flower-filled patios. On the program: Plaça Bolivar, Plaça del Chorro with its artists and colonial houses.
Duration: 3 to 4 hours.
Hotel: BH Bicentenario 4* (or similar)
Day 3 - Historical tour of Villa de Leyva
Breakfast included at the hotel then departure by private transport from Bogota to Villa de Leyva.
Journey time: approx. 3h30.
Guided walking tour through the historic center of the town, with the great Plaza Mayor, its cafés and handicraft shops, a wool weaving workshop, a relic of Spanish colonization where you can learn how the mill worked and what life was like for the local population at the time. Carmelitas descalzas (Discalced Carmelites): a community of Carmelite nuns has lived here in permanent seclusion since the convent was founded in 1645. They devote themselves entirely to manual labor and prayer.
Length of guided tour: 3h.
Hotel: Campanario de La Villa 3* (or similar)
Day 4 - Cultural and artistic walking tour of Barichara
Breakfast included at the hotel followed by private transport from Villa de Leyva to Barichara along the Andes route.
Journey time: approx. 4 hours.
Visit the town of Barichara, situated at an altitude of 1340 m. Numerous artists and craftsmen have made their home in this haven of peace, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Stroll along its cobbled streets, churches and parks, and enjoy the view over the Suárez Canyon. The tour ends with a visit to one of the region's artisan workshops: painting, paper, sculpture or tobacco, depending on your openings.
Length of guided tour: 4 hours.
Hotel: Mission Santa Barbara 3* (or similar)
Day 5 - Barichara
Breakfast included at hotel, then free day in Barichara.
Hotel: Mission Santa Barbara 3* (or similar)
Day 6 - ✈ Head to the coffee region
Breakfast included at the hotel, then transport from Barichara to Bucaramanga airport via the majestic landscapes of the Chicamocha Canyon.
Journey time: approx. 4 hours.
Domestic flight to Pereira.
Maximum baggage weight is 23kg, any excess will incur an additional cost to be paid directly at the airport.
Private transfer from Pereira airport to Salento.
Journey time: approx. 1 hour.
Hotel: Salento Real 3* (or similar)
Day 7 - Tour of Cocora Valley and Bosques de Niebla
Breakfast included at the hotel, then depart Salento in Jeep Willys in the early morning for Valle del Cocora. Following in our guide's footsteps on a hike, we discover an extraordinary valley where wax palms, the national tree, give the landscape a surreal dimension. We then discover les bosques de niebla, a very special ecosystem in which we can observe some of the region's characteristic birds.
Return to Salento for lunch.
Area covered: 9 km - Altitude: 2150 - 2900 m. - Climate humidity: 75% - Willys Jeep: 1h - Walk: 4h
Hotel: Salento Real 3* (or similar)
Day 8 - Salento
Breakfast included at the hotel, then start your free day in Salento.
Hotel: Salento Real 3* (or similar)
Day 9 - ✈ Head to Medellín
Breakfast included at hotel then transport from Salento to Pereira airport.
Journey time: approx. 1 hour.
Domestic flight to Medellin
Maximum baggage weight is 15kg, any excess will incur an additional cost to be paid directly at the airport.
A car will take you from Medellin Enrique Olaya Herrera airport to the hotel.
Journey time: approx. 15 min.
Hotel: Dix 3* (or similar)
Day 10 - Guatape
Breakfast included at the hotel, followed by a private transfer from Medellín to Guatape, waiting time and return to Medellín.
You'll have free time to explore this charming little village on your own, so why not set off to climb the rock known as Piedra el Peñol? "Piedra del Peñol" is a 220-metre-high monolith, an enormous granite mass composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica that was climbed in 1954 by a local Luis Eduardo Villegas López. Guatape has gained in popularity over the years, not only because of its unusual rock, but also because from the top of the steps you'll find an extraordinary landscape of lagoons on which you can sail (or try your hand at some other water sports!).
We should also mention the charm of the colourful village, which is classified as a natural and environmental heritage site..
Hotel: three-star Dix (or similar)
Day 11: ✈ Head to Cartagena
Breakfast included at the hotel, then private transport to take you from the hotel to Medellin Jose Maria Cordoba airport.
Journey time: approx. 1 hour.
Domestic flight and reception at Cartagena airport.
Maximum baggage weight is 23kg; excess weight will incur an additional charge payable directly at the airport.
Transfer to your hotel in the center of this enchanting colonial city.
Travel time: approx. 20 min.
Hotel: Casa Relax 3* (or similar)
Day 12 - Cartagena
If you select the 12 days/11 nights option, your stay is coming to an end... Transport from your hotel to Cartagena airport. Journey time: approx. 20 minutes.
If you select the 14 days/13 nights option, breakfast is included at the hotel, then enjoy a free day in Cartagena.
Hotel: Casa Relax 3* (or similar)
Day 13: Cartagena - La Boquilla
If you select the 14 days/13 nights option, breakfast is included at the hotel.
For those who love adventure and encounters with local people, far from the beaten track, we set off early in the morning from our hotel, directing you to La Boquilla. Arrival in this fishing village, home to an Afro-Carthaginian community. The locals share their traditional fishing techniques with us: net and crab fishing. We then discover the secrets of coastal cuisine and learn how to cook fish and crabs accompanied by coconut rice. We can then enjoy the fruits of your catch with the family of the fisherman accompanying us. Return to Cartagena in the early afternoon.
Journey time: 20 min. Tour duration: approx. 6 hrs.
Hotel: Casa Relax 3* (or similar)
Day 14 - Cartagena - Cartagena Airport
If you select the 14 days/13 nights option, breakfast is included at the hotel.
Your stay is coming to an end... Transfer from your hotel to Cartagena airport. Travel time: approx. 20 minutes.
Your accommodation
During your stay, you will be accommodated as follows:
Bogotá: 2 nights at Hotel BH Bicentenario 4* (or similar)
Villa de Leyva: 1 night at hotel Campanario de La Villa 3* (or similar)
Barichara: 2 nights at hotel Mission Santa Barbara 3* (or similar)
Salento: 3 nights at hotel Salento Real 3* (or similar)
Medellin: 2 nights at hotel Dix 3* (or similar)
Cartagena: 1 night at hotel Casa Relax 3* (or similar) if you select 11 nights, or 2 nights if you select 13 nights
Your accommodation
During your stay, you'll enjoy the breakfast-included package from day 2 to day 10, and lunch is only included on day 7.
If you select the 14 days/13 nights option, you'll enjoy the breakfast-included package from day 2 to day 13; lunch is only included on days 7 and 13.
Useful information
- As indicated, hotels are rated 3*, 4* or 5* according to local standards. The services provided may not be equivalent to 3*, 4* or 5* French standards.
- Please note that the order of visits may be modified due to local constraints (travel time, weather conditions etc...) but all visits mentioned in the program will be carried out.
- Please note that breakfast is not guaranteed if you leave the hotel early in the morning.
