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Brian Schon

Colombia is not just where I live, it's my passion. Over my several years in the country I've traveled to almost every corner looking for the best, most authentic, most profound experiences. There is a lot of bad information about destinations in Colombia, and I am constantly looking for new doors to enter to show the best possible parts of the country. I don't just think about travel in Colombia, I live it every day.

What places and activities do you specialize in?

"I specialize in offering the best experiences all throughout the country. In particular I can offer the best and most exclusive experiences in Antioquia and Medellín including the best coffee experiences in the world, access to indigenous tribes, some of the best street art and barrios in Medellín, incredible flower farms, private cooking classes, and dancing lessons with live bands and professional dance instructors."

How did you get involved in travel?

"Years ago I began working on a project to build Colombia's very first sustainable, boutique, luxury ecolodge. Now I am working on building more and along the way founded True Colombia Travel to take people to destinations in Colombia that are far more interesting, authentic, and memorable than what you'll find in any guidebook."

Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.

"Most people think that the "eje cafetero" or "coffee region" of Colombia is where you should go to find coffee, but it's not!! It's just a name the region gave itself to attract tourists, it's not even one of the 8 major coffee producing regions of the country. In looking for better experiences I found one of the best organic farms in the world -- I'll never forget the owners telling me about how being organic and protecting the environment is "their religion.""

Brian is part of the following groups: Colombia Travel Agents
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Recent trip reviews for Brian

Family trip-travelers looking to really experience Colombia - meet locals, understand culture, venture off the beaten path vs. generic tourist experience
Colombia | Dec 29 - Jan 3, 2019

M
Marlene A.
Chino Hills, CA | Reviewed on Jan 14, 2019
Working with Brian and his colleagues was truly a great experience. Brian was very responsive from the start and provided great input. After my initial contact, Brian suggested a call to learn more about what we were looking for and to share with us what his company was about. We travel quite a bit and have used local guides for tours, but this was the first time that someone suggested a call to better understand the travel experience we were looking for. We wanted a more cultural... Read more

Working with Brian and his colleagues was truly a great experience. Brian was very responsive from the start and provided great input. After my initial contact, Brian suggested a call to learn more about what we were looking for and to share with us what his company was about. We travel quite a bit and have used local guides for tours, but this was the first time that someone suggested a call to better understand the travel experience we were looking for. We wanted a more cultural experience vs just the usual tourist sites and we are so grateful for the experience we had with Brian and his colleagues. Brian and his team handled the logistics from start to finish.
We were a family of 11, including 4 children, traveling on a family vacation. We couldn't get enough of the delicious fruits at the local market with our lovely guide Ana and her husband Freddy. We then cooked dinner with Brian and his fiance at their place...what a treat. Added bonus was Freddy playing his cello after dinner. We were lucky enough to visit a couple of private homes and meet the amazing owner and her family in Santa Fe de Antioquia and visit a coffee farm that does not do public tours and can only be visited with Brian and his team. On our last day, we visited communa 1, which was led by the local artists in the neighborhood and had lunch at one of the local artist's home cooked by his mom. It was truly a special moment to have met these amazing people with their inspiring stories. We very much enjoyed talking to our guide Diego as well as his story started off in a neighborhood similar to communa 1 and his journey that took him from Medellin to US and now back to Medellin.

From reading the review, one would think our trip went without any glitches. However, on our 2nd day in Medellin, the glass shower door broke while my niece was in the shower and cut her right foot deep enough to cut a couple of tendons requiring an emergency surgery in Medellin. As unfortunate as this situation was, we were very grateful that if it had to happen, it happened in Medellin where there was good medical care and Brian and his team along with the staff at the hotel were just amazing in the care they gave us. The hotel had someone Spanish/English speaking with my niece and brother-in-law the whole time at the hospital and must have pulled some strings as they were able to operate on my niece's foot the same day.

Overall, we feel very lucky to have visited this very special place and very lucky to have found Brian and his team for our journey.

Local specialist: Brian Schon

Trip to Colombia
Colombia | Nov 16 - Nov 23, 2018

Stacy
Stacy R.
Oakland, CA | Reviewed on Nov 26, 2018

We loved our trip to Estación Corcornan. We enjoyed birds, monkeys, hippos, waterfalls and life on the river - all without a single other tourist or boat in sight! Our guides Ana and Victor were awesome and super knowledgeable about the area. Victor knew all the birds, frogs, and wildlife in general and even some of the tree species. I asked for a bird guide (I am a birder) and I definitely got someone who knew his stuff!

The trip felt very authentic and we enjoyed living like locals and eating traditional foods. Highly recommended and thanks so much for all the arrangements!

Local specialist: Brian Schon
Brian
Brian Schon
Local specialist in Medellín | Replied on Dec 01, 2018

Hi Stacy,

Thank you so much for the kind words! Everyone had a blast with you in Puerto Triunfo and we are thrilled that you enjoyed your time!

Take care and we hope to see you again in Colombia sometime soon.

Best,
Brian