On this 8-day tour, enjoy some of the favorite destinations in Colombia. Meet your guide and visit the most iconic and historical landmarks in the downtown area of Bogota. Next, fly to Manizales to learn about the coffee world and explore the Hacienda Venecia coffee farm. Experience every stage of the coffee production process and enjoy an authentic glimpse of life on a coffee farm. Get ready for a day trip to Los Nevados National Park to see the magical ecosystem in the mountains of the Central Andes. Relax in natural thermal baths and enjoy close-up sightings of some of Colombia’s unique birds. Lastly, stroll around Cartagena with your guide and discover the rich culture and well-preserved colonial architecture, arts, music, and food. Visit multiple parts of Colombia and see the best that each place has to offer.
Highlights
Enjoy a guided tour through the vibrant city of Bogotá
Learn about Colombia's coffee culture and visit local coffee farm
Explore Cartagena's rich culture and well-preserved colonial architecture
Take a day trip to Los Nevados National Park and relax in natural baths
Visit the San Basilio de Palenque, known for first free town for Africans
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Upon arrival at Bogota Airport, a private vehicle will transfer you to your hotel in Bogota. After settling in, take a free walk around the hotel on your own and explore the restaurant or cafe nearby.
Bogota is a vibrant city, full of color, contrast, and history. On this tour, your host will take you on a walking tour to the most iconic locations in Bogota. This tour will give you a deep understanding of the capital's culture and allow you to learn about local food and traditions.
The walking tour will begin in the historical center of the city. Start at Monserrate, a church at the top of a mountain that gives you an appreciation of how big and diverse Bogota is. Afterward, you will head to La Candelaria, where your host will share the official and non-official history of the country. You will also have the chance to try some typical snacks and coca tea while exploring one of the oldest and most traditional handicraft markets downtown.
Day 3: Fly to Pereira | Manizales | Hacienda Venecia Farm
After breakfast, a private transfer will take you to the airport in Bogota to catch your flight to Pereira. A private vehicle will take you from Pereira Airport to Hacienda Venecia Farm Lodge in Manizales for your following activity. Settle in and explore the area for the rest of the day.
During your stay at the Hacienda Venecia Coffee Lodge, you can choose two optional activities; the Hacienda Venecia farm tour and the Chocolate Workshop.
Option 1. The Hacienda Venecia Coffee Tour is a trip throughout the coffee world and an exploration of a working coffee farm. The farm provides a stunning backdrop for this tour, where visitors can experience every stage of the coffee production process as it happens and enjoy an authentic glimpse of life on a coffee farm. During the tour, you will learn about several key issues relating to coffee, the product that is symbolic of this region and Colombia and is recognized all over the world.
Listen and learn about the coffee culture, including its origin and history, worldwide distribution, species, growing, processing, and harvesting (walk through the coffee plantation). Visit the wet mill (operational weekdays only), marketing (Juan Valdez brand), roasting process, aromas and properties of coffee, Café de Colombia and its institutions, and the Coffee Cultural Landscape (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Option 2. This chocolate workshop is the perfect activity for those who love chocolate and want to learn how chocolate is made. Take part in this unforgettable interactive chocolate workshop that will let you splendidly appreciate chocolate! You will pick fresh fruit from the cacao tree in the Hacienda Venecia and taste the raw cacao bean. After that, you will learn the journey of the dried and fermented bean that magically transforms into chocolate splendor. During this workshop, you will roast and grind your cacao beans to discover the whole chocolate-making process.
The cacao experience is full of delicious aromas, colors, and flavors. Create your homemade custom chocolate delight with flavors that match your taste buds to enjoy after the class or as a treat to bring home
After breakfast, another early start on a wonderful day trip into the high mountains of the Central Andes. Discover the magical ecosystems of the paramo, relax in natural thermal baths, and enjoy close-up sightings of some of Colombia’s unique birds.
The two-and-a-half hour drives through the National Park passes through some of Colombia’s best-preserved paramo – a stunningly biodiverse ecosystem of high-altitude moorland unique to northern South America – and past large glacial lakes like Laguna Negra. There’ll be plenty of stops to enjoy the clean mountain air and marvel at the remarkable views of the snowcapped Ruiz Volcano.
After taking some time to search for the Buffy Helmetcrest hummingbird, one of Colombia’s most unique endemic species, you will carry on to Termales del Ruiz Hotel for lunch. In the afternoon, take the chance to enjoy the hotel’s facilities, including their natural hot springs and world-famous hummingbird feeders (keep an eye out for the sword-billed hummingbird, the only bird on earth with a beak longer than its body!)
After breakfast, a private transfer will take you to Pereira airport to catch your flight to Cartagena. A private vehicle will take you from Cartagena Airport to your hotel for your next activity.
Stay at the Bantú Hotel by Faranda Boutique, the perfect place to stay to discover all of Cartagena’s charm. This 5-star boutique hotel will stun you with its tranquil courtyards and cutting-edge design. While the decoration draws inspiration from San Basilio de Palenque culture, the architecture is a product of colonial romanticism.
In the afternoon, go on a walking tour around the magnificent city of Cartagena. Cartagena was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1984 and is one of the most recognized cities in all of Latin America for its colorful diversity and architectural conservation. This walking tour with a historian and an English-speaking guide takes you through the beautiful streets of the old town and main sites and teaches you about the past and modern-day of this gorgeous and fascinating city. Your guide will also focus on architecture, art, music, food, and culture.
Arrive to a warm welcome in the Palenquera language. Your day will start with a historical tour through the most emblematic points of what is considered to be the most important aspects of humankind's intangible oral legacy.
Located 60 km from Cartagena, the Palenque de San Basilio is a community of descendants of African Maroons from the 17th century. The mythical leader, Domingo Biohó, was a leader whose fierceness was reflected in the reports that the governors of the Province of Cartagena sent to the Crown.
Learn about the memorial to Benko's Biohos, the creator and leader of Palenque, and the residence of Kombilesa Mi, a musical ensemble dedicated to preserving and promoting Palenquera music and its unique instruments. Learn about ancestral and communal justice, which has been the way to solve local problems within the Palenquera community. Traditional leaders oversee the process. Finally, your experience will end with a traditional lunch that will introduce you to local flavors and techniques.
Day 8: Return Home
1 Breakfast
After breakfast, you will be transported from your hotel to Cartagena airport in time for your departure flight.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is 50%, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Jack Charney
TrustScore 4.8 | 176 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 176 reviews on
9 hours ago
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.