Colombia
ADVENTURE 15D (A)
This tour is designed for adventure-minded travelers, even though the activities don’t require extremely fit conditions or technical skills, but some good physical aptitude is necessary to enjoy all the trip, without a limit on the age for this trip, as active people of all ages can do the planned activities or we can customize some of them.
Here you can expect to see great landscapes, have a wide variety of hikes, outdoor sport activities and be far from the crowds and massive tourism, also getting a deep contact with the local culture, rural communities and even indigenous groups all the way.
Itinerary
Itinerary Expand All
Day 1 - WELCOMING IN BOGOTA
A person from our team will be waiting for you at your arrival time at El Dorado Airport in Bogota and will take you to the hotel. On the way, he will give you a briefing of the whole experience with some advice and recommendations for a pleasant trip. Subsequently, you will have the rest of the day free at leisure, having time to recover from the flight or explore the city by yourself.
Day 2 - BOGOTA BIKE TOUR + MONSERRATE
On this day, after breakfast, you will discover Bogota by bikes, which can be e-bikes or normal bike by this city, which is known for having more than 600 kms of bike lanes, which is a fun and dynamic way to discover the city and have a first impression of the capital of Colombia. In the afternoon you will have a tour by cable car up to Monserrate church located 3.150 m.a.s.l. which offers the greatest view of the city. Later on, you will return by cable car.
Day 3 - CHINGAZA NATIONAL PARK FULL DAY
On this day, we will take you from the agreed point in Bogota, early in the morning in a 1.5-hrs. transfer in a 4x4 car to Chingaza National Park. Once there, you will do a trek by the “Paramo” ecosystem through a 5 kms trail, visiting the 3 Siecha lagoons, where the myth of El Dorado and gold offerings took place centuries ago, while admiring the marvelous landscapes of the destination. At the end of the afternoon, you will be taken back to Bogota.
Day 4 - VILLA DE LEYVA + PASO DEL ANGEL
On this day, after breakfast you will have a 3.5-hrs. transfer to the colonial town of Villa de Leyva, where you will be dropped at a very comfortable hotel. In the afternoon you will visit Paso del Angel Park, which offers several extreme activities such as zip line, sky bikes, rappelling among others in nature before getting back to the town. Once in Villa de Leyva you can walk by its cobblestone streets and discover the secrets of the town by yourself.
Day 5 - BARICHARA + HIKE TO GUANE
On this day, after breakfast you will have a 4-hrs. transfer to your hotel in Barichara, which is a colonial town, considered by many the most beautiful nationwide. In the afternoon, after lunch you will have a guided 2-hrs. hike towards the town of Guane, which is a smaller typical town of the region, where you can discover their culture, people and heritage and will see the first views of Chicamocha canyon. Later on, you will go back to the hotel.
Day 6 - CHICAMOCHA OR SUAREZ RIVER RAFTING
On this day, you will have a full day rafting activity either at Chicamocha River or Suarez River. The first option is smoother but offers great views of the canyon being also longer. The second one offers rapids of 4+ level, being also probably the most famous in Colombia in terms of adventure and requires certain skills to be done. Both are full day activities. At the end of the day, you will be taken back to the hotel.
Day 7 - MOUNTAIN BIKE + PARAGLIDING
On this day, you will have a mountain bike activity starting from Barichara where you will admire the views of the canyon with an expert guide and an escort car. You will have some downhills and some flat parts with few inclinations in order to get to Villanueva town. Once there, you will have lunch and will have a paragliding activity in the afternoon with great views of the canyon from above but can also do it in other further place for a longer activity.
Day 8 - CHICAMOCHA CANYON – DAY 1
On this day, you will be taken to the rural area of Villanueva town in order to start a 10 kms hike (or can do it by bike) down to Jordan town, while enjoying the great landscapes of this canyon, which is the 2nd largest in the world. You will spend the night in the lowest point of the canyon in a relaxing ecolodge that has natural water pools. This will be a 10 kms hike down the canyon far from the crows and suitable for adventure seekers.
Day 9 - CHICAMOCHA CANYON – DAY 2
On this day, you will start a hike of 5 kms with 850 meters of elevation gain, passing by an ancient important bridge and walking by a cobblestone trail, while admiring the landscapes of the canyon. Once you arrive in Los Santos town, you will be taken to the hotel, will have lunch and will have a free afternoon to enjoy the hotel, which is one of the oldest coffee farms nationwide, where you can also learn about coffee from the plantation to the tasting.
Day 10 - FLIGHT TO SANTA MARTA
On this day, you will have a transfer to be at the airport of Bucaramanga 2-hrs. before your flight to Santa Marta with a connection in Bogota. Once in Santa Marta, you will have a transfer from the airport to your hotel in the historical center of the city. In the afternoon you can either have a city-tour visiting the main spots of Santa Marta and also a visit to the Gold Museum or you can just explore by yourself this, which is the oldest city of South America.
Day 11 - LOST CITY – DAY 1
On this day, you will be picked up from your hotel and will join a shared tour, where you first will head 1 hour up north in private 4×4 vehicles. You will have lunch and after a briefing of all the trek, you will start a hike of 8 Kms to Adan’s cabin passing by several wells and natural freshwater pools from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, ending the day by resting in bunk beds in very basic conditions and having dinner there.
Day 12 - LOST CITY – DAY 2
On this day, you will have a trek of 15 kms in total, where you will first pass by the Wiwa indigenous community camp and then you will have lunch. After that you will have a trek bordering Mutanyi, which is an indigenous Kogui village in order to continue the trek to get that afternoon to the Paraíso Teyuna camp, where you will sleep next to the Buritaca river, where you can enjoy its fresh waters and enter the indigenous sacred territory.
Day 13 - LOST CITY TOUR – DAY 3
After breakfast, you will start of the trek to the Ciudad Teyuna (Lost City) where you will ascend 1200 steps that lead to the terraces of our main destination, once there you will have time to enjoy the place, listen to the histories and have a deep explanation of this important archeological site with the guides. After that, you will have lunch on the way back, where you will head to Wiwa’s cabin, completing an 18 km hike.
Day 14 - LOST CITY – DAY 4
On this last day of the Lost City trek, you will have a 15 kms hike descending by great landscapes of the rainforest with rivers, waterfalls and pools that are born in the Sierra Nevada in order to get to the starting point of the experience: El Mamey, where you will have lunch. Afterwards, you will be taken to your Once there, you will have a transfer from the airport to your hotel in Santa Marta.
Day 15 - FLIGHT OUT
On this day, you will have breakfast at the hotel. You will have a transfer included to take you to the international airport of Santa Marta in order to be 3-hrs. before your flight out the country or 2-hrs. before flight connections inside Colombia.
Cost Info
Cost Info
Included
- LODGING 4+ stars hotels, boutique hotels and ecolodges in standard rooms.
- ACTIVITIES All the activities mentioned in the plan, all in private tours and transportations, except when necessary.
- MEALS 14 breakfasts, 12 lunches and 6 dinners.
- TRANSPORTATION All land/sea transportation in private vehicles or shared, when necessary.
- FLIGHTS INCLUDED All internal flights within the country with the following conditions:
- 10kg handbag + 23 kgs with LATAM – AVIANCA airlines All land/sea transportation in private vehicles or shared, when necessary
- GUIDANCE English speaking guides throughout the trip for all activities.
- Full 24/7 bilingual concierge available for monitoring the whole experience and solving requests and comments from the passengers.
- The English-speaking guides and drivers that will be meeting them are:
- MEDICAL ASSISTANCE CARD The tour includes a travel assistance card for all the days that covers possible accidents, medical attention and emergency transportations for a quick response in case of being necessary according to the evacuation time during the activities and level of medical attention at the destination.
Not included
- International flights..
- Activities, additional drinks or elements not described in the plan.
- Tips, snacks and souvenirs.
- Personal items not described in the itinerary.
- Other languages speaking guides/translators.
Add-ons & optionals
Add-ons & optionals Expand All
- Other languages speaking guides/translators, according to availability of guides for the desired date, in this case it is advisable to book in advance.
- Private tours for smaller groups that don’t want to have shared activities and transportations.
- Private single rooms for just one person (price under request).
- Upgrade to a higher accommodation that can be quoted upon request and confirmation of availability in that hotel.
- Specialized guides for special itineraries.
What to take?
What to take?
- Hat and/or other sun protection for the head and neck.
- Sunglasses to protect your eyes from the reflection of the sun.
- Clothes according to weather in each destination:
o Bogota & surroundings: Jacket or cardigan.
o The rest of the destinations: Long-sleeved shirts to avoid sunburn and mosquito bites during outdoor activities.
- Comfortable pants and avoid wearing jeans.
- Waterproof, preferably quick-drying clothing or a rain poncho.
- Appropriate footwear for the hikes, trekking shoes are advisable and at least one pair of sneakers for change. Footwear can get wet during the hikes.
- Rubber boots are mandatory in Chingaza, especially in the rainy season and at least one pair of shoes to change. The lodge can provide rubber boots, but we need to know in advance the show size of each visitor.
- Trekking poles might be useful for the treks.
- Swimsuit, beach towel and water shoes, as there will be chance to take baths in the sea, rivers, lagoons and creeks of the area.
- Sunscreen and mosquito repellent.
- Protection for electronic devices since they may be susceptible to damages due to humidity and/or rain.
- Non-disposable rigid container to refill water (canteen or thermos).
- Personal documents and count with your own medical insurance.
- Personal medicines and first aid kit.
Map
Map
Gallery
Gallery
Recomendation
Recomendation
WEATHER CONDITIONS, CONNECTIVITY & BILINGUALISM
It is necessary to be properly prepared for the weather conditions on the travel dates, which are detailed below, but as this is an approximation, please note that they may vary. Also keep in mind that you will visit several rural areas, where communications might be difficult and also you need to take into account that not everywhere you can find bilingual staff or people at the destinations.
Bogota D.C. (Days 01-04):
Temp. Min: 6ºC Max: 14ºC, slightly humid climate / (3000-3600 m.a.s.l.)
Good phone signal and wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English.
Villa de Leyva (Days 07-08):
Temp. Min: 8ºC Max: 18ºC, slightly humid climate / (2149 m.a.s.l.)
Good phone signal and wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English.
Barichara (Days 9-10):
Temp. Min: 14ºC Max: 27ºC, slightly humid climate / (1300 m.a.s.l.)
Good phone signal and good wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English, having staff at the hotel to communicate in English.
Chicamocha Canyon (Days 11-12):
Temp. Min: 14ºC Max: 27ºC, climate / (1450 m.a.s.l.)
No phone signal and broken wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English.
Tayrona National Park & surroundings (Days 09-11):
Temp. Min: 17ºC Max: 27ºC, slightly humid climate / (0-100 m.a.s.l.)
Appropriate phone signal and good wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English, having staff at the hotel to communicate in English.
FAQ´s
FAQ´s
PLUG TYPE
• Voltage: 110V
• Frequency: 60 Hz
• Plugs: Type A / B
CURRENCY
Colombian Peso (COP) 1 USD = 3.800 COP aprox.
It is advisable to carry cash for extra expenses during the trip since in some areas access to ATMs and dataphones may be limited or non-existent:
- Chingaza National Park
- Chicamocha Canyon
- The Lost City
REDUCTION OF WASTE GENERATION
We promote the reduction of waste generation from single-use plastics, so we recommend bringing your own non-disposable rigid container to refill water in hotels, especially for days when outdoor activities are planned.
VACCINES
Currently, there is no major outbreak of contagious disease or mosquito transmission in the areas to be visited. However, if there is an outbreak or important biological risk in the destinations to be visited, it will be informed in a timely manner prior to the trip.
Vaccines are not mandatory, but in the case of traveling to the jungle regions of the Pacific and the Amazon it is advisable to have the yellow fever vaccine at least 10 days before the trip: https://colombia.travel/en/practical-information/health-and-vaccines
TIPPING
- Tipping is not mandatory, but if you consider you can tip the guides with an amount from 50.000 to 100.000 COP (12 to 25 USD approx.) per day of service.
- At the restaurants the suggested tip is 10% of the service.
SEASONS
- The dry season in Colombia ranges from Mid-November till March, in this period of the year you can expect to have easier hikes and less rain in general.
- The river levels will be lower and you can expect less mud and drier trails.
- The rainy season starts in April and ends in mid-November, being May and October the rainiest months in Colombia and from June to September a softer rainy period.
- Local holidays like Catholic Holly Week, June and July, the schools rest week in the third week of October, Christmas, New Year, Wise men and other public holidays might need reservation in advance to guarantee availability of lodging and logistics for the experience.
PLEASE INFORM IN ADVANCE ABOUT
- Food restrictions and/or preferences.
- Important illnesses to take into account, disabilities, allergies and/or other medical conditions that may affect the development of the activities.
- Blood type.
- Special requirements for the trip within the reach of our logistics.
- Inform us if you don’t know how to swim.
- Shoe size for borrowing the rubber boots at the lodge.
