Andean and colonial Colombia :
on the gold and coffee route

Arrival at Bogotá’s El Dorado international airport, at an altitude of 2,640 m. Transfer to your hotel in the Candelaria district and end of the day free to enjoy the Colombian capital at your leisure, with its mix of modern districts and historic center, urban architecture and lush parks. Night in a hotel in Bogotá’s historic center.

Visit Bogotá’s historic and cultural center, which has preserved its authentic colonial atmosphere; along the cobbled streets, you’ll discover colorful facades, beautifully carved wooden balconies and Baroque churches. – The Gold Museum, one of the most dazzling on the continent. Nearly 34,000 pieces of gold are on display, making it the world’s largest collection of pre-Hispanic gold and silverware from the Quimbaya, Taironas, Muiscas and Tolimas civilizations.

– Fondation Botero , dedicated to the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, where his own works (some 100 drawings, paintings and sculptures) are on display, along with his private collection of no fewer than 85 masterpieces by internationally renowned artists (Renoir, Dali, Chagall, Picasso, Miro, ….) – The Candelaria district, Bogotá’s historic and cultural center, has retained its authentic colonial atmosphere, with its cobbled streets, colorful facades, beautifully carved wooden balconies and Baroque churches – Plaza Bolivar, with its imposing buildings (City Hall, Palace of Justice, Cathedral, National Congress…) Overnight in a hotel in Bogotá’s historic center.

Departure for Sugamuxi province, with a stopover at the Nemocón salt mines, thirty minutes from Zipaquira. Here, 80 metres underground, you’ll pass through 1,600 metres of tunnels through which eight million tonnes of salt were extracted between 1816 and 1968. Numerous optical effects caused by the dissolved rock salt reveal 28 mirrors. Impressive attractions include the chapel chamber, where an immense field of 1,300 kilos of stone symbolizes the world, or the 1,600-kilogram salt crystal, cut into a heart shape in the 1960s by miner Miguel Sánchez. The stalactites and stalagmites also include an ecological trail, an auditorium and a geology room. Transfer to your hotel and end of the day free to enjoy the Andean atmosphere of Mongui. Night in a hotel in Mongui.

Early morning departure for a hike in the heart of the Paramo d’Oceta, one of the best preserved paramos in Colombia. The paramo (from the Spanish páramo, plateau, moor) is a high-altitude neotropical biotope found between 3000m and 4000m in the Andes Cordillera, between the forest limit and the eternal snows. You’ll walk through this spectacular vegetation and admire the beautiful frailejones (plants with silvery leaves). You’ll then arrive at the village of Mongui for a lunch break. In the afternoon, visit Mongui, one of the Colombian Heritage Villages. Stroll through cobbled streets and colonial houses, visit churches including the Basilica of Our Lady of Mongui, and cross the Calicanto Bridge. Mongui is also famous for its footballs, and you’ll visit the workshops where they’re sewn by hand. Overnight in a hotel in Mongui.

Departure from Sugamuxi department for Bogota airport and connection to your domestic flight. Domestic flight to Pereira. Arrival in the « coffee triangle » (made up of three departments: Quindío, Risaralda and Caldas). It is here, on the high Andean plateaus of western Colombia, that almost 10% of the world’s coffee is grown, at altitudes ranging from 800 to 1,800 metres. Welcome and transfer to your hotel. Night in a hotel in Salento.

A day dedicated to discovering the villages and landscapes typical of the coffee region. On the program, a Willys tour through the verdant Cocora Valley and a hike among the wax palms (Colombia’s national tree). Then you’ll head off to discover the avocado plantations of the Cocora Valley. We’ll explain everything you ever wanted to know about avocados. You’ll also enjoy a tasting of their best selection. Lunch break in a magnificent traditional hacienda. In the afternoon, visit the village of Salento: panoramic tour, discovery of local architecture and typical bamboo constructions (guadua). Return to your hotel at the end of the afternoon. Night in a hotel in Salento.

Return transfer from the Cocora valley to the village of Filandia for a free visit of Filandia, another gem on the coffee route. This small, colorful village has nothing to envy of its neighbor Salento and offers beautiful views over the region. Overnight in a hotel in Salento.

This morning, perched on the coffee-growing hills of the town of Pereira, the owner of this small finca opens his doors to you for a coffee tasting like no other. Join him as he takes you through the coffee roasting process, which consists of heating the coffee « almonds » to produce black beans. From the millimetre-tuned machines, the smell of coffee is created before your very eyes, or rather before your very nose. Once you’ve roasted your « raw » coffee, you’ll leave with it, and then stay for lunch to taste the owner’s famous « tamal ». Departure for Pereira airport. Domestic flight to Cartagena de Indias. Welcome to Cartagena de Indias, on the Caribbean coast. Transfer to your hotel in the historic center and end of the day free to discover the unrivalled charm of this superb colonial city, listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Night in a hotel in Cartagena’s historic center.

Departure for a guided bike tour of Cartagena, starting in the historic center, where you’ll pass by the main squares and monuments of the colonial center. The tour continues to Gethsémani, home to Florentino Ariza, the main character in the famous novel Love in the Time of Cholera, written by Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez. Next, you’ll cross the Roman Bridge to the Manga district, to visit Cartagena’s oldest cemetery. Finally, you’ll walk along the promenade of Bocagrande, an ultra-modern district often nicknamed « Little Miami », to reach the colonial center. This original discovery of the city will be punctuated by stops so that your guide can explain Cartagena’s rich history to you… Overnight in a hotel in Cartagena’s historic center.

Early in the morning, departure by road to Mompox. Check-in at the hotel and free afternoon in the colonial town of Mompox to stroll the typical streets to the rhythm of its inhabitants. Night in a hotel in Mompox.

In the morning, visit a goldsmith’s workshop renowned for its fine gold and silver filigree jewelry (filigrana momposina). Lunch on the banks of the Rio Magdalena, before exploring La Cienaga de Pijino (marshland) aboard a traditional boat. Along the way, you’ll enjoy the picturesque scenery and observe the fauna (egrets, herons, iguanas, monkeys, etc.) and abundant flora (mangroves). Overnight in a hotel in Mompox.

Free morning in the colonial town of Mompox to stroll through the typical streets to the rhythm of the locals. Depart Mompox for Santa Marta and overnight in a hotel in the Tayrona region.

Departure for the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where you will take a small boat up the Don Diego River to reach the Tayronaka reserve. The city of Tayronaka is another lost city of the Tayrona Indians. This mythical city was the setting for the film Mission (1986) starring Robert de Niro. Accompanied by a guide, you’ll retrace the history of this ancient civilization, then float down the Don Diego River to the sea. Return to the reserve by boat and enjoy lunch in the heart of the Sierra Nevada. In the early evening, take a boat down the Don Diego River to enjoy the scenery as night falls. The colors are superb: some flowers open at this time of day, and new species of birds arrive at the end of the day to spend the night. Once on the beach, an aperitif awaits you to admire the sunset over the Caribbean Sea. Then you’ll go fishing in the traditional way with the local fishermen, while their wives prepare a fire on the beach to cook the day’s catch. You’ll have dinner on the beach before returning to the reserve. Night in a hotel in the Tayrona region.

Wake up in the reserve. If you wake up early, you may be lucky enough to hear or see howler monkeys on site. In the morning, transfer to Santa Marta airport for your domestic flight. Domestic flight to Bogota.