Bogota - Coffee Region - Cartagena - 11 days
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A sample VIP itinerary, visiting different places in Colombia. Those places are a little out of the ordinary. The idea is to get outdoors and get active, with tours focusing on things like nature, local culture… visiting small towns or farms, hiking, relaxing and mindfulness, with small and boutique hotels.
El Nido del Condor Ecolodge
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Day 1:Bogota- North of Bogota
You will have a private transfer with an English-speaking guide from the airport to your selected hotel in Bogotá. Please be aware of the sign with your name on it. You will spend the night at Hotel Four Seasons Casa Medina in a Premier Room. Included: bottle of water , arrival transfer , English speaking guide , breakfast , room Day 2: Bogota Understand Colombia's most important historical events, focusing on its rebirth and future through the city, geography, and the voices of true Peace Weavers. In this tour you will get to know Bogotá in a different way. You will start your experience in the iconic Bogota National Park, where you will see a relief map of Colombia to get to know the immensity of the Colombian territory and to understand the complexity of the regions of the country, separated by mountains and diverse ecosystems. Then you will visit Distrito Chocolate, a local chocolate company in which a small group of peasants who some years ago were affected by the war and were dedicated to the cultivation of coca, today they bet on building peace in Colombia and produce cocoa to transform it into a very special chocolate. Afterwards you will visit the Historical Centre of La Candelaria where you will take a tour in which you will learn some historical facts about the origins of the political and armed conflict in Colombia. As part of the peace agreement between the Colombian State and the former Farc guerrilla, it was agreed to create some memorials to honour the victims of the conflict. You will visit one of the memorials in honor of the victims located in the center of Bogota. At the end of the tour you will have lunch in a local restaurant. With this experience you will get to know the history of Colombia in a better way and you will be supporting initiatives and efforts of communities that are betting on change and peace in Colombia. The tour lasts about 6 hours and starts at 8:00 AM.
You will spend the night at Hotel Four Seasons Casa Medina in a Premier Room. Included: English speaking guide , entrance fees , private excursion , lunch menu , snack , transport (private) , breakfast , room Day 3: Bogota- Manizales You will have a private transfer from your hotel to the airport in Bogotá. You will have a domestic flight from Bogotá to Manizales. You will have a private transfer from the airport to your selected hotel in Manizales. Please be aware of the sign with your name on it. You will spend the night at Nido del Condor in a Glamping tent. Included: bottle of water , departure transfer , arrival transfer , breakfast , room Day 4: Manizales You will spend the night at Nido del Condor in a Glamping tent. Included: breakfast , room Day 5: Manizales- Pereira - Coffee Tour Truly dedicated coffee enthusiasts can be immersed an entire coffee experience around those magic little beans at our daily coffee tour. You will leave with as much understanding and passion as our guides and the people working on the Hacienda Venecia and will understand your cup of coffee in a whole new way. But first - coffee: To start your day slowly and most importantly with a craft cup of coffee, we will give you general introduction to the world of coffee in our cozy Coffee Lounge. You will learn about the origin and history of coffee, the worldwide distribution, the different coffee varieties and qualities, as well as about the aromas and properties of coffee, café de Colombia and its institution s and the Coffee Cultural Landscape (World Heritage Site by UNESCO). After the perfect morning cup and full of energy, the interactive tour continues with a walk through the plantation to learn more about the growing and harvesting. After you picked your own beans, you will visit the wet mill (operational weekdays only) to learn about the coffee processing and marketing (Juan Valdez brand). As roasting is both a science and art - the difference between perfectly roasted coffee and a rejected batch can be a matter of seconds. You will have the chance to taste and see the beans with different grades of roasting to experience the different aromas, as the roasting brings out the aroma and flavor that is locked inside the green coffee beans. This heat process turns the green coffee bean into the fragrant, dark brown beans we know and love. Cooking plantain workshop - The art of cooking a plantain, savory and sweet. This cooking class featuring the versatile and important plaintain is very hands-on and shows you everything you need to know to prepare them as a local! They can be steamed, boiled, stir-fried, batter-fried, deep-fried, mashed, or curried. They are sometimes even used as a stuffing, in salads and soups or in dips. Our local culinary team will show you different ways to prepare both ripe plantains (maduros) and green plantains (verdes) to enjoy them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Go home with recipes to serve them prepared as a side, an appetizer or as part of the main dish. After using your hands on skills, finish the class with tasting the literal fruits of your hard labor - delicious variations you just cooked yourself. Buen Provecho! Lunch You will spend the night at Hotel Sazagua, in a Standard room. Included: local guide , lunch , breakfast , room Day 6: Salento- Pereira - Wax Palm Empire - La Carbonera & Colonial Town of Salento Private transfer from the hotel to Salento. We will start our day trip in Salento at 7:30 am, there we will take a Jeep Willys, which is the traditional vehicle of this region, for a 23 kilometer trip along the old road that connected Salento with Ibagué and Bogotá. The road is gravel and is used by mountain bike enthusiasts and farmers of the region. On the way you will witness the lush landscapes of the Central Mountain Range and the National Park of the Nevados. We will ascend approximately 3340m and stop to enjoy the impressive view of Paramillo del Quindio. Then we will start the descent and on the way we will appreciate a wax palm valley until arriving to our destination, La Carbonera Farm. On the farm we will take an one hour walk among the wax palms, one of the hightest palms in the world -up to 70 meters-. Once at the main house of the farm we will rest and take a typical drink of sugar cane water with colombian cheese. After this amazing tour, we will return by Willys Jeep to the starting point of the hike where we will have lunch. For the return to Salento there are two options, you can choose one of them:
You will spend the night at Hotel Sazagua, in a Standard room. Included: bottle of water , box lunch , English speaking guide , private excursion , insurance , transport (private) , breakfast , room Day 7: Pereira- Cartagena Private transport with English-speaking guide from your hotel to Pereira Airport. Your will have a domestic flight from Pereira to Cartagena. You will have a private transfer from the airport to your selected hotel in Cartagena (Centro or Bocagrande). Please be aware of the sign with your name on it. You will spend the night at Hotel Casa San Agustin in a Deluxe room. Included: transport (private) , English speaking guide, breakfast, room Day 8: Cartagena City Tour Cartagena de Indias is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in America. Its historic downtown, walled by the fortifications built in the colonial time, still preserves its original architecture and nowadays the walled city is shown in an endless number of colors that fill it with life and Caribbean charm. It's fascinating history as one of the pearls of that time, a place where treasures were stored and the largest port for slaves, gives Cartagena, the city declared heritage of humanity by UNESCO, enormous importance. Stories about severe pirates attacks remain present in numerous fortresses that remain intact until today. The city tour starts visiting the hill of La Popa, an old Augustinian convent located at 150 meters in the highest point of the city. From here we have the best view of Cartagena and we can learn the strategies applied to defend the city in the colonial times in relationship with the surrounding topography. Then we visit the greatest fortress ever built by the Spaniards in their colonies, San Felipe the Barajas. In an one hour tour, we can appreciate this military architecture masterpiece built in Coraline stone. Then we explore the historic downtown, wherein a walk of about 2 hours we meet the most representative and beautiful squares, churches and streets. You will have an English speaking guide included. Boat Sunset Sailing - You will take a boat this afternoon and go into the harbour of Cartagena, where you can watch the sun setting over the skyline of Cartagena. Enjoy this beautiful moment while enjoying a drink. You will spend the night at Hotel Casa San Agustin in a Deluxe room. Included: entrance fees , local guide , insurance , transport (private) , English speaking guide , Boat , breakfast , room Day 9: La Cartagena Real Culture and Social Reality This tour is for those travelers who want to experience the culture in an authentic and non-touristic way, get to know the social reality of the city, taste fruits and typical food, learn about the traditions and beliefs of the natives, their music and their way of facing life. It is a complete immersion in the local culture. The whole adventure will be guided by a local bilingual guide who has been in charge of showing the visitors the social reality of the city and the authentic way of life of the cartageneros, without adaptations for tourism. We will meet Alex, who has a foundation that bears his name and is in charge of teaching English to children in underprivileged neighborhoods. We will start in Getsemaní, an ancestral and colorful neighborhood where its residents know how to enjoy life. Then we will head to the Bazurto market, the heart of the city, a place where partying, food and work all combine to create an atmosphere full of life and flavors with countless exotic fruits and typical preparations of the city. From there we will go to La Boquilla neighborhood, a fishermen's place by the sea where we will take a canoe to cross mangrove tunnels and swamps together with local fishermen. Finally, we will get to know the project that Alex is carrying out with children from the San Francisco neighborhood and we will have lunch at the house of a local family. The tour lasts approximately 5 to 6 hours
You will have an English speaking guide included. You will spend the night at Hotel Casa San Agustin in a Deluxe room. Included: Activity , private excursion , insurance , lunch menu , snack , transport (private) , English speaking guide, breakfast, room Day 10: Cartagena You have a private transfer from your hotel to the harbour in Cartagena. You will be accompanied by an English speaking guide. Day pass to the Blue Apple Beach club located on the beautiful Tierra Bomba Island. Lunch and transfers are both included. Private transfer from the harbour to your selected hotel in Cartagena. Please be aware of the sign with your name on it. You will be accompanied by an English speaking guide. You will spend the night at Hotel Casa San Agustin in a Deluxe room. Included: transport (private) , English speaking guide , breakfast , room Day 11: Cartagena You have a private transfer from the harbour to Cartagena airport. Please be aware of the sign with your name on it. You will have an English speaking guide included. |
Sample 2021 low season price per person, including flights: US$4397 (price for flights can change) Included
Prices without the Colombian VAT (19%) The prices shown are without the extra 19% VAT on top as foreign tourists do not have to pay this tax. We can therefore only guarantee this price if we have copies of the passengers´ passports as proof of their nationality. Not included
Hotels
Hotel Four Seasons Casa Medina North of Bogota
This landmark building, faced with stone columns and an exquisite brick façade, remains true to its origins, retaining wooden beams, wrought-iron accents and hand-crafted doors, all offset by white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. Just steps from the vibrant “Zona Gourmet,” a neighbourhood boasting many of the city’s best restaurants, Casa Medina is right in the bustling centre of the financial district, equidistant from the designer boutiques of the Zona T and the historic buildings of the colonial quarter, each just 20 minutes away by car. El Nido del Condor Ecolodge Manizales
The tents have a king size bed and a separate living room with a sofa. Inside the room, there are a fireplace, a desk, a table for the suitcase, a wardrobe, 2 butterfly chairs, 2 night tables, a teapot, binoculars and a coat rack. 
El Nido del Condor Tent
The bathroom is private, the toilet is separate and from the hot water shower you can see the landscape. They also have a circulation system that connects the rooms by means of elevated and illuminated walkways and satellite wi-fi.
Hotel Sazagua Pereira
In Sazagua we have 15 exclusive rooms; our restaurant has a wide gastronomic offer with emphasis on regional cuisine as well as a relaxing spa built with natural materials from the area, where our guests are recharged with natural energy. We design unique experiences tailored to our visitors inside and outside the hotel, recreating the daily life experiences of the Colombian mountains. Hotel Casa San Agustin Cartagena
Influenced by the subtle shades of the nearby Caribbean Sea, the guest rooms and suites feature a blue-hued palette accented by natural fabrics and rich dark woods. Ironwork beds, chandeliers and sconces specially commissioned by local artists share space with vintage pieces, art and artifacts for an overall atmosphere that feels relaxed and residential. Some guest rooms have private plunge pools or Jacuzzis and all feature luxurious Frette linens and citrus-scented Ortigia bath amenities. |
