Colombia
CULTURAL 15D (A)
This tour is designed for people with interest in nature and culture and human interactions having a mix of the hidden gems in the south of the country, adding a visit to the beautiful Caribbean Sea and the eco-touristic destination of Santa Marta.
In this tour you can expect to have many interactions with indigenous and rural communities in their territories, while enjoying some of the most important archeological sites of the country, the Andean mountains of the south of the country, the marvelous beaches of the Caribbean, along with astonishing nature, national parks, the architecture of colonial towns and cities and a general great cultural component.
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 different proposed activities and at least one pair of sneakers for change. Footwear can get wet during the hikes.
- Swimsuit, beach towel and water shoes, as there will be chance to take baths in the sea and pools of some of the destinations.
- 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
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 where you will have the check-in. You will have the rest of the day at leisure. Subsequently, you will have time for dinner and rest.
Day 2 - BOGOTA CITY-TOUR
On this day, after breakfast, you will have a full day city-tour of 7 hours approx., starting at 9:00 AM at the lobby of the hotel (the hour can change if you need more recover from the international flight), where you will visit the most iconic spots of the capital of Colombia, such as La Candelaria neighborhood, Monserrate church and the gold museum of Bogota. At the end of afternoon, you will be taken back to the hotel.
Day 3 - GUATAVITA + ZIPAQUIRA
On this day, after breakfast, you will be picked up at 8:00 AM in order to have a full day private tour visiting the 2 most iconic attractions of the surrounding area of Bogota: Guatavita lagoon, where you will learn about the origin of El Dorado legend and then will visit Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral, which is an underground roman catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine. At the end of the day, you will be taken back to Bogota.
Day 4 - SAN AGUSTIN ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK
Day 4: SAN AGUSTIN ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK
After breakfast, you will be taken to be at the airport 2 hours before your flight, and will fly directly to Pitalito. Once there, you will be picked up and will have a 30-minutes transfer to your hotel in San Agustin. You will have lunch, and after that, you will have a tour at the Archeological Park with our bilingual guide, discovering the first statues of the region in this place that has the best collection of archeology nationwide. Later on, you will be taken back to the hotel.
Day 5 - TOURISTIC RING OF SAN AGUSTIN
On this day, you will have a full day tour starting at 8:00 AM, visiting by car the main attractions of the surrounding area of San Agustin, which are the Bordones waterfall, the Magdalena strait, the Obando museum, the statues of Isnos and Alto de los Idolos. At each place you will have different stops where you will have the explanation of the history and mysticism of the area, At the end of the afternoon, you will be taken back to your hotel.
Day 6 - PURUTAL & LA PELOTA SITES
On this day, you will start at 8:00 AM visiting some of the most beautiful statues of the whole region, located at La Pelota and Purutal sites. These statues still keep the original colors that the civilization that build them used almost 2.000 years ago. In the afternoon you will be taken in a 3-hours transfer to a hotel where you can't expect luxury, but instead surrounded by great nature in the municipality of Coconuco, located next to Puracé National Park.
Day 7 - PURACE NATIONAL PARK
After breakfast, you will start exploring the main attractions of the Puracé National Park at 8:00 AM by car, where you will see different waterfalls, hot springs, well preserved ecosystems up to 3.000 m.a.s.l. and even with some luck the Andean condor, all of that in an indigenous territory in the protected area of Purace National Park. In the afternoon, you will be taken on a 1.5-hour transfer to the city of Popayan.
Day 8 - POPAYAN, THE WHITE CITY
On this day, you will have at 9:00 AM a city-tour with our bilingual guide, exploring the beautiful historical center of Popayan, which is called the white city as its buildings preserve this color. In the afternoon, you will be taken to "Hacienda Calibio", which was in important place for the independence of the country or/and can have a silkworm’s experience where you will see how locals make this ancient natural fabric, before being taken back to the hotel.
Day 9 - CALI, THE CITY OF SALSA & MUSIC
On this day, you will explore Cali, which is the third largest city of Colombia and the world's capital of Salsa music. During the morning you will have a guided city-tour and in the afternoon, you can explore the city at your own. You can optionally hire an activity at night in order to attend one of the several highly recommended live Salsa dance displays.
Day 10 - FLIGHT TO SANTA MARTA
On this day, we will pick you up at 9:00 AM, for have a 1-hour transfer to the airport of Medellin, in order to be 2 hours before your flight to Santa Marta. (12:13-13:28). Once there, you will have a private transfer to your hotel in Santa Marta, located next to Tayrona National Park. you will have a free afternoon at leisure to enjoy the wild beaches and the pool of this great place where you will spend the nights in the region.
Day 11 - TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK
On this day, you will have a shared tour to Tayrona National Park, where you will begin a guided hike along its trails, where you will be able to appreciate its rocky landscapes and wild beaches. With a little luck you will be able to see some fauna along the way and contemplate the unique landscape of this place until you reach the famous San Juan del Guia cape. In the afternoon, you will return by walk and then by vehicle to the hotel.
Day 12 - KATANZAMA INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY
On this day, you will be picked up at 9:00 AM in order visit a special “Arhuaco” indigenous community that inhabits the area next to Tayrona National Park, where you will have a full day of cultural immersion, having lunch with them. You will also do a handcraft workshop and will enjoy freshwater rivers, while learning about their rituals, cosmovision, cropping, way of life and relationship with nature. At the end of the afternoon, you will be taken to your hotel.
Day 13 - STILT TOWNS + CARTAGENA
On this day, you will be picked up at 6:00 AM and will have a 1-hour transfer to Nueva Venecia, which is a stilt town declared world heritage by UNESCO located in Cienaga Grande de Santa Marta. There you can see how locals have lived for centuries with a very close relationship with the water and nature there. You can see some wildlife and also see how fishermen and the communities live in stilt houses before having a 3-hours transfer to Cartagena.
Day 14 - CARTAGENA WALKING TOUR
On this day, you will have a 3-hours shared walking-tour starting at 10:00 AM, visiting the main spots of the walled city of Cartagena. You will have a guided walk by the cobblestone streets of the walled city, discovering its museums, secrets and getting information about this important colonial city and its Spanish heritage with its characteristic Caribbean atmosphere. You will have a free afternoon and night in order to enjoy the city by yourselves.
Day 15 - FLIGHT OUT COLOMBIA
On this day, you will have breakfast at the hotel, and you will be taken to the international airport of Cartagena in order to be 3 hours before your flight out the country or 2 hours before flight connections inside Colombia.
Cost Info
Cost Info
Included
- LODGING 4+ stars hotels, boutique hotels and private natural reserves.
- ACTIVITIES All the activities mentioned in the plan, all in private tours and transportations, except when necessary.
- MEALS 14 breakfasts, 12 lunches and 1 dinner.
- TRANSPORTATION All land/water transportation in private vehicles, except when necessary for some boat trips in the Pacific and the Caribbean coast.
- FLIGHTS INCLUDED All internal flights within the country with the following conditions:
- 10kg handbag + 23 kgs with LATAM – AVIANCA airlines.
- 5kg handbag + 15 kgs luggage for CLIC, SATENA & Charter flights (where we can add weight at no additional cost up to 23 kg of luggage exclusively at the airport before flight check-in and when there are no flight advisory weight restrictions).
- GUIDANCE English speaking guides throughout the trip for all activities in private tours.
- Full 24/7 bilingual concierge available for monitoring the whole experience and solving requests and comments from the passengers.
- 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 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.
Map
Map
Gallery
Gallery
Recomendations
Recomendations
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.
Bogotá D.C. (Days 01-04):
Temp. Min: 6ºC Max: 14ºC, slightly humid climate / (2600 m.a.s.l.)
Good phone signal and good wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English.
Guatavita (Day 03):
Temp. Min: 6ºC Max: 14ºC, slightly humid climate / (2700 m.a.s.l.)
Good phone signal and wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English.
Zipaquira Salt Cathedral (Day 03):
Temp. Min: 8ºC Max: 19ºC, slightly humid climate / (2650 m.a.s.l.)
Good phone signal and wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English.
San Agustin (Days 04-6):
Temp. Min: 19ºC Max: 28ºC, slightly humid climate / (1730 m.a.s.l.)
Regular phone signal and wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide but locals do not speak English.
Purace National Park (Days 06-07):
Temp. Min: 4ºC Max: 16ºC, humid climate / (1760 m.a.s.l.)
Regular 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.
Popayan (Days 07-09):
Temp. Min: 22ºC Max: 32ºC, humid climate / (1760 m.a.s.l.)
Regular 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.
Cali (Day 09):
Temp. Min: 24ºC Max: 32ºC, humid climate / (1018 m.a.s.l.)
Regular 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.
Santa Marta & surroundings (Days 10-13):
Temp. Min: 17ºC Max: 32ºC, 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 with just to communicate in English.
Cartagena & surroundings (Days 13-15):
Temp. Min: 24ºC Max: 32ºC, humid climate / (0-100 m.a.s.l.)
Good phone signal and good wi-fi.
You will have a bilingual guide and many locals speak fluent 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 approx.
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 existant:
- Purace National Park
- Tayrona National Park
- Minca
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.
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 aprox.) per day of service.
- At the restaurants the suggested tip is 10% of the service.
SEASONS
- Contrary to the seasons in the rest of the country, the rain and dry seasons occur in different months.
- Normally, the rainy (high waters) season starts in January and ends in May, however, it is starting to be more difficult to exactly know when the season will change.
- On high waters season you can easily get to several spots and destinations by canoe or boats while in the dry season you will have to walk longer distances.
- In the low waters season that starts from June to November there is less rain, and some river wildlife might be easier to spot, but when there is a strong drought the lagoons and lakes might have affectations to spot wildlife.
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 activities.
- Blood type.
- Special requirements for the trip within the reach of our logistics.
