COLOMBIA

We will dedicate this day to Bogota, the capital of Colombia. Santa Fe de Bogotá is a city of contrasts. It is a dynamic, attractive and unique metropolis, which remarkably organically combines historical monuments of the colonial era with modern, sometimes even futuristic, architectural masterpieces.

The first thing we’ll do is go to Mount Montserrat. The best way to capture Bogotá in your memory is from a bird’s-eye view. For this we will go up to the observation deck near the monastery built in honor of the Black Madonna of Montserrat. Only here, when you look at Bogotá, do you truly understand how huge this city is and how it manages to connect so many different lives.

Afterwards, we’ll go back to the center and learn about the history of the city and the country from the graffiti. Everything that happens in the country, what the locals live and what they dream about, finds its reflection on the walls of the city.

We will continue our tour of the capital of Colombia in the famous and unique Museum of Gold, where there are amazing items that, one might say, have miraculously survived and come down to us from the pre-Columbian era.

The gastronomy of Bogotá deserves special attention. Tourism in Colombia begins with local food . In the evening we will go to one of the local restaurants with local cuisine to make sure. After dinner we will go to the hotel to regain our strength before the exciting adventures that lie ahead.

Early in the morning we will go to the city of Pereira, the coffee “capital” of Colombia. We will devote the first half of the day to this invigorating drink. Colombia is rightly considered the world leader in coffee production, but most of all Colombian coffee is famous for its quality. Only the Arabian varieties are grown here. It is officially forbidden to import Robusta coffee into the country, so as not to inadvertently spoil the results of many years of breeding to create unique varieties. We will visit coffee farms-fincas, where the best Colombian coffee is grown-and walk through the coffee plantations, which offer stunning views. During the tour we will see all the stages of coffee production and have a tasting.

After lunch, we will go to the Valley of Cocora, also called – palm valley. The tallest palm trees in the world grow here. The height of these trees reaches up to 80 meters! The tops of the palm trees are located among the clouds, because the valley itself is at a high altitude. The trunk of the palm trees is covered with wax, which the locals used to make candles, so you can hear another name – wax palms.

The valley is home to five different species of small hummingbirds. We will have several hiking trails and we will be able to enjoy this unique nature to the fullest.
In the evening transfer to the hotel in the city of Pereira.

After breakfast, we will be transferred to the city of Medellín. In the 1980s and ’90s, Medellín was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world!

Medellín is the hometown of the odious drug lord Pablo Escobar. It was here that the Medellín Cocaine Cartel was created, involved in illicit drug production and trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping, terrorism and murder.

In the 1980s and 1990s, many of Medellín’s poor neighborhoods were out of police control. All power in these areas belonged to the drug cartel, and the most dangerous of them was considered the 13th commune, San Javier. In order to restore order and establish control over the commune in the late 1990s and early 2000s, two military operations involving tanks and helicopters were carried out.

Today, the 13th commune is open to tourists. We’ll take a tour with a local guide to understand how once the world’s most dangerous neighborhood has become a tourist mecca in Medellín these days. We will learn the history of the municipality and experience its unique atmosphere. We will see how and what people live today in what was once one of the most dangerous areas of the world, see the creativity of local artists and dancers.

In the evening we walk through the central part of the city and go to one of the restaurants for dinner.

Today we will dedicate the day to the outskirts of Medellín. The first location of the day is the Piedra de Guatape, which offers absolutely dizzying panoramic views. This rock is 220 meters high and can be climbed by a staircase of 649 steps. The Tahamis, a tribe of Indians in the region, have long worshipped the rock. Incredible views of Lake Guatape await us, where we can take many beautiful photos.

Then we go to the small town of Guatape, which is called one of the most colorful cities in the world. All because the city’s residents paint their homes, stores, cafes and even hospitals in bright colors, and decorate the floors with murals. The walls, doors, window frames, stairs, and even the roofs of houses are covered with colorful pictures! Thanks to the steep relief of the streets and bright facades, the city looks very photogenic.
In the evening we return to Medellín, have dinner and go to rest at the hotel.

Probably a lot of us have heard a name like Pablo Escobar. Today we’ll travel to the filming locations of theTV series Narcos – we’ll see Pablo Escobar’s prison, which he built for himself, visit the cemetery where Pablo and his family are buried, and also, go to the eponymous, which Escobar built for the poor, with famous graffiti and a museum in his honor.

Today we’ll be traveling to the white-sand islands of the Caribbean. 700 kilometers from the coastline of mainland Colombia lies the island of San Andrés, a small paradise where the influences of the British, Spanish, pirates and corsairs have intertwined to produce a rich culture that pulses to the rhythm of reggae. It is a great place for beach vacations, water sports, scuba diving and ecotourism. Already through the portholes of the plane San Andres shows travelers its calling card – an amazing seven-colored sea with many colorful fish and corals full of life.

This day we will take a boat trip on San Andres Bay. We will have the opportunity to appreciate the underwater world of the Caribbean Sea using snorkeling masks. Numerous tropical fish, starfish, corals, sponges, stingrays, and turtles are not all we will see on a boat trip.

Today is a beach day.

San Andres Island is the perfect destination for a beach vacation with fine white sand and shimmering from blue to green sea water. Travelers from all over the world come here in search of magnificent views like a postcard. Here, the cheerfulness of Colombians lives on in the breeze of the sea, in the rustling of coconut palm leaves and in carefree smiles.

Today we have a flight to Cartagena, a city that is rightfully considered the “calling card” of Colombia!

The historic center of the city is protected by UNESCO. Many colonial era buildings, churches, monasteries and shady squares can be found here. The walled pedestrian area is called the “outer city”. The shopping malls of Cartagena, built on the site of the Las Bovedas prison, are also of interest.

We’ll have breakfast and head out to explore the old part of town. Here you can walk for hours looking at the colonial buildings, each of which is a unique work of art.

Above Cartagena rises a hill where the ancient Catholic monastery of Convento de La Popa has stood since the 16th century. From here, you can get a bird’s eye view of the city and learn more about its religious history. You can touch the military events of centuries ago during a tour of the San Felipe Fortress, the main defense citadel of medieval Latin America.

We say goodbye to a bright and colorful Colombia. A flight to Bogota and a flight home awaits us.

*Tour leaders may make changes to the program depending on weather conditions and unforeseen situations.