Colombia's island landscapes and vibrant cities are on the itinerary for this 13-day tour traveling by air, car, boat, and bicycle. Start in Bogotá to learn about history in museums and taste dozens of Caribbean fruits in markets. Sip the best Colombian coffee in Salento and explore Medellín's revitalized neighborhoods. Relax on Tayrona National Park's beaches and on islands off Cartagena's coast, returning to the port city to learn dance moves to take home.
Highlights
- Taste an array of flavors in Bogotá's Mercado de Paloquemao
- Watch a live tango show in Medellín
- Learn how to make arepas in a Cartagena cooking class
- Ride a speedboat to Caribbean island beaches
Brief Itinerary
Day | Highlights | Overnight |
---|---|---|
Day 1 | Arrive in Bogotá, Bogotá Walking Tour | Bogotá |
Day 2 | Bogotá Food Tour & Monserrate Hill | Bogotá |
Day 3 | Fly to Pereira, Santa Rosa Hot Springs & Salento | Salento |
Day 4 | Cocora Valley Coffee Farm & Explore Salento | Salento |
Day 5 | Fly to Medellín, Discover Medellín Tango Culture | Medellín |
Day 6 | Medellín Day Tour | Medellín |
Day 7 | Piedra del Penol & Guatapé Boat Trip | Medellín |
Day 8 | Fly to Santa Marta, Santa Marta City Tour | Tayrona National Park |
Day 9 | Tayrona National Park Hike | Tayrona National Park |
Day 10 | Transfer to Cartagena, Cartagena Bike Tour | Cartagena |
Day 11 | Caribbean Islands Boat Tour | Cartagena |
Day 12 | Cooking Class & Cartagena Dance Class | Cartagena |
Day 13 | Depart Cartagena & Farewell Colombia |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Bogotá, Bogotá Walking Tour

To learn more about Colombia's history, tour some of the city's museums. See the Gold Museum's impressive collection of pre-Columbian goldsmiths' work. Finish your tour at Museo de Botero, one of Latin America's most important art collections, with over 200 works donated to the city by Colombian painter Fernando Botero. At the end of the tour, go back to your hotel to rest or stay out for the evening, going out to a restaurant for dinner to try ajiaco santafereño, a stew made with chicken and vegetables.
Day 2: Bogotá Food Tour & Monserrate Hill

With a full stomach, make your way to Monserrate Hill which rises over Bogotá at 10,341 feet (3,152 m) above sea level. Either climb the hill by hiking, or catch a cable car to reach the catholic shrine Monserrate Sanctuary, which was completed in 1657. Explore the sanctuary, its gardens, fountains, and lush cloud forests. In the afternoon, go back to your hotel to rest, and in the evening explore more of Bogotá.
Day 3: Fly to Pereira, Santa Rosa Hot Springs & Salento

Spend some time relaxing in the springs with their waterfalls and Andean cloud forest landscape. On the way back to Pereira, taste chorizo santarrosano—cured sausage served with arepas (ground corn pancake). From Pereira, a transfer will be waiting for your to travel to Salento, about one hour south. Settle into your Salento hotel to prepare for another day of adventure tomorrow.
Day 4: Cocora Valley Coffee Farm & Explore Salento

In the afternoon, visit a coffee farm to learn how coffee is processed. Take walk through Salento and its main shopping street, Calle Real, with its colorful buildings and craft shops, and pick out a spot for dinner before returning to your Salento hotel for the evening.
Day 5: Fly to Medellín, Discover Medellín Tango Culture

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After settling into your hotel, go for a walk to see your neighborhood. By night, you'll learn why Medellín is known as one of the most popular cities for tango outside of Argentina. As you settle in for a tango dinner show at a busy restaurant, absorb the energy of the tango performance while eating a multicourse meal. At the end of the night, return to your Medellín hotel.
Day 6: Medellín Day Tour

Your tour will reveal the city's history and show you some of its best views. Explore Botero Plaza and the work of artist Fernando Botero, whose sculptures are a city landmark. Take a cable car up to Santo Domingo, which was built to make the inner city more accessible. At Comuna 13 district, ride escalators and see another innovative city rehabilitation project. Ask your guide for a recommendation for dinner, to try mondongo (tripe soup), or fríjoles antioqueños (bean stew).
Day 7: Piedra del Penol & Guatapé Boat Trip

After descending the boulder, get back in the car to travel about 30 minutes from Peñol Boulder to explore Guatapé village along with its church and colorfully-painted buildings. Eat lunch along the Guatapé Reservoir waterfront, and explore the lake on a boat ride. After a relaxing day, return to your Medellín hotel to go out for the evening or rest before the journey tomorrow.
Day 8: Fly to Santa Marta, Santa Marta City Tour

Another option is to explore Santa Marta, the capital of Colombia's Magdalena Dept. and one of South America's oldest cities. See its cathedral, and then visit Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, a hacienda where former Venezuelan president, Simón Bolívar, spent his last days. Then visit the city's historical center and Taganga Viewpoint to watch the sunset.
Day 9: Tayrona National Park Hike

In the afternoon, return to Arrecifes and then to the Cañaveral Sector to go back to your hotel. Spend the evening at your hotel to watch the sunset on the beach.
Day 10: Transfer to Cartagena, Cartagena Bike Tour

In Getsemaní, see the home of Florentino Ariza, the main character in the novel "Love in The Time of Cholera" by Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez. Then, cross the Roman Bridge, toward the Manga neighborhood with its green streets and Republican-style mansions from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Visit Manga's cemetery, the oldest in Cartagena, and continue on to the seafront to watch the sunset. Take your bike back to the city center and return to your hotel to rest or get ready for a night out to see more of the city.
Day 11: Caribbean Islands Boat Tour

Isla Múcura is an island known for its white-sand beaches and its the final destination of the boat tour. After lunch, go for a swim and relax on the beach for a few hours. The boat will take you back to Cartagena where you can explore more of the city at your own pace.
Day 12: Cooking Class & Cartagena Dance Class

After digesting your lunch, get ready to move to salsa, merengue, vallenato, and vallenato music. In a dance class, learn about the role of music and dance in Colombian culture, as your instructors teach you basic steps and then show you how to put it all together in a dance. Go back to your hotel in the afternoon and at night go to a bar or club to practice your dance moves for your last night in Cartagena.
Day 13: Depart Cartagena & Farewell Colombia

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