Map of Premium Colombia			 including Colombia

Discover the coffee, culture and cuisine of Colombia

Discover the fascinating history, warm hospitality, and rich culture of Colombia on a 11-day small group tour from Bogota to Cartagena. Learn about Colombia’s culture and heritage on multiple food tours, float down a river that has been compared to the mighty Amazon, settle back for a scenic drive through the Eastern Highlands of Antioquia and learn how to roast your own beans in the lush surrounds of Colombia’s coffee country. With signature stays at hotels housed in historic mansions and an expert leader and specialist local guides to show you the way, this tour promises the trip of a lifetime.

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Terms & Conditions

Start
Bogota, Colombia
Finish
Cartagena, Colombia
Destination
Colombia
Style
Premium
Theme
Explorer
Code
QBPC
Physical rating
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1, Max 12

Why you'll love this trip

premium accommodation

Our best accommodation and highest level of service.

premium experiences

Unusual, exceptional and authentic on-trip experiences.

premium knowledge

Led by our most experienced and highest rated local leaders.

  • Delve into Colombian culture through its food, by dining at a legendary local restaurant with roving bands of performers and tasting tropical fruits at the famed Paloquemao market in Bogota, and enjoying a traditional cooking class in Mompox.

  • Stay in the heart of Colombia’s coffee country where you’ll learn about all things coffee at your Feature Stay, Hacienda Sazagua, a cozy family-owned hotel filled with local art collected by the owners.

  • Tour Finca Romelia, a family tourism project with more than 800 species of orchids which shows how agricultural production and the conservation of biodiversity can coexist hand-in-hand.

  • Get off the beaten path in Mompox, where you'll enjoy a Premium Exclusive Experience - a leisurely canoe ride on the Magdalena River which is famous for its rich biodiversity, with many comparing it to the mighty Amazon.

  • Learn about the diverse history of Colombia with specialist guides, including a transformation tour in Medellin and a visit to San Basilio de Palenque - the first free town created by enslaved people in the Americas.

Is this trip right for you?

  • This trip includes time spent travelling in a private vehicle with your group. It’s all part of the adventure and a great way to get to know your fellow travellers. You will make stops at interesting locations to break up the longer drives. Please read the itinerary carefully for travel time estimates.

Itinerary

Welcome to Bogota! Upon arrival at El Dorado International Airport in Colombia, you will be met by an Intrepid representative and transferred to your hotel. Here you will meet your leader and fellow travellers at a 6pm welcome meeting. If you arrive early, perhaps take some time to stroll through the Botanic Gardens or visit the National Museum of Colombia. After the welcome meeting, your leader will take you to a legendary local restaurant with 4 floors inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. With multiple dance floors, a 75 page menu, and roving bands of performers, it’s the perfect spot to get to know your group and kick off your Colombian adventure in the heart of Bogota.
Accommodation
  • Bioxury Hotel Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Welcome Dinner
Meals Included
  • Dinner
After breakfast, discover Colombia's charming mix of old and new on two exclusive walking tours with an expert local guide. First you’ll head to Bogota’s fruit market to taste famous local fruits like lulos, granadillas and guanabanas and learn about Colombia’s culture and heritage as you chat with market traders. After you’ve eaten your fill of delicious fruit, head to the La Candelaria District where your expert guide will introduce you to the historic buildings and street art that make this area famous. Learn about Colombia's storied history and why cosmopolitan Bogota is so full of surprises. Tonight, you may like to take advantage of your hotel’s excellent location near one of the city’s best dining precincts and head out for a bite to eat with your group.
Accommodation
  • Bioxury Hotel Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Bogota - Visit to Paloquemao market
  • Bogota - La Candelaria Walking Tour
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
After breakfast, take a private transfer to the airport for your flight from Bogotá to Pereira. On arrival, drive to the heart of Colombia’s coffee country where you’ll learn about all things coffee, from how the seed germinates and grows to what makes the perfect cup of coffee, at a local coffee farm. After you’ve toured the farm, a coffee grower or ‘chapolera’ will welcome you to their house and show you how to dry roast the beans you collected in a wood stove, grind it the traditional way and filter it to create a wonderful, authentic brew. Then travel less than an hour to reach Hotel Sazagua, a family run Feature Stay hotel with lush tropical surrounds. If you have time, take a dip in the pool or sway in a hammock before a dinner of traditional dishes like ceviche in chipotle ‘leche de tigre’ and patacon (smashed plantains).
Accommodation
  • Hacienda Sazagua (Feature Stay) Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Pereira - Coffee Plantation Tour with Coffee Tasting and Making
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
Special Information
Today’s total driving time is approximately 2.5 hours.
After breakfast, travel from Hotel Sazagua to the Cocora Valley and discover Salento’s lush landscape, traditional architecture, craft workshops and colourful houses decorated with hanging baskets filled with flowers. From here, continue to the verdant Valle del Cocora where Palma de Cera, Colombia's national tree and the tallest tree in the world, thrives surrounded by the lush landscape and distant hills covered with palms. Take a two-hour stroll and learn about the local plants followed by a delicious lunch and traditional games such as ‘Tejo y Sapo’ accompanied by a ‘Colombian pola’, a traditional beer and soda mix named after the country's first female revolutionary.
Accommodation
  • Hacienda Sazagua (Feature Stay) Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Pereira - Cocora Valley and Salento Tour
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
Special Information
Today’s total driving time is approximately 3 hours.
Today you’ll travel from the coffee region to Medellin. On the way, visit Finca Romelia, a family farm dedicated to the preservation and conservation orchids, Colombia's national flower. Stroll past 840 species of orchids and admire more than 200 different bird species as you tour the farm which produces citrus and avocados. After a delicious farm lunch, continue on to Medellin and your comfortable hotel for the next three nights. After a long day of driving you may like to unwind by joining an optional salsa class where you can learn how to dance like a local.
Accommodation
  • Hotel Park 10 Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Pereira - La Romelia Orchid farm visit
Optional Activities
  • Medellin - Salsa dancing lesson - Starting from - USD27
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
Special Information
Today’s driving time is approximately 5.5 hours. Please note drive times may increase during rainy season.
After breakfast, it’s time to discover the town of Medellín. The "City of Eternal Spring" was once known for danger and conflict. Today, it has been transformed into a thriving, welcoming and innovative destination with a focus on social justice and inclusion. Join an expert local guide to learn about the turbulent history of Medellin, how it has changed and what it is like to live here in the present day. Discover the city’s newest invention, the Comuna 13 escalators, which uses transport to unite different social classes. This afternoon, you can choose to explore independently or you may like to join an optional tour of Moravia, the most populated ‘barrio’ of Medellín where rubbish piles have been transformed into a garden-covered hillside.
Accommodation
  • Hotel Park 10 Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Medellin Transformation Tour
Optional Activities
  • Moravia tour - Starting from - USD28
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
After breakfast, you'll leave the city behind and head off the beaten path to the hidden gem of Mompox. First you'll transfer to Olaya Herrera Airport for the 1.5 hour flight to Corozal. From here, you will travel to Mompox - a village frozen in time. Founded in the 1500's on an island in the Magdalena River, Mompox hasn't changed much over the centuries. Upon arrival, you'll set out on a leisurely canoe ride on the Magdalena River which flows from Colombia into the Caribbean Sea. The river’s beauty has inspired artists, painters and poets for hundreds of years and its waters are famous for their rich biodiversity. Take in the beauty of the sunset from its calm waters before you head back to the hotel to relax or perhaps enjoy dinner with your group.
Accommodation
  • Bioma Hotel Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Mompox - Sunset Canoe Ride
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
Special Information
Today’s driving time is approximately 3.5 hours.
A direct flight to Mompox may be available. If so, this will be included.
After breakfast, join a three hour walking tour to discover the historic centre of Mompox which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city grew from what used to be an island vault for gold and silver plundered by the Spaniards during the colonization of the Americas, and is filled with historic squares and churches. This afternoon, attend a three-hour cooking class where you will learn how to cook one of the region’s traditional dishes. This afternoon, you may like to join an (optional) filagree workshop where you can make your own piece of jewellery in the local style or go on a bike ride through the Albarrada waterfront area.
Accommodation
  • Bioma Hotel Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Mompox - City Tour
  • Mompox - Traditional Cooking Workshop
Optional Activities
  • Mompox - Filagree workshop - USD26
  • Mompox - Bike ride through the Albarrada - USD5
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
After breakfast, sit back and enjoy the scenery as you head towards magical Cartagena. Along the way you'll stop at San Basilio de Palenque, where an expert local guide will share the history of this unique town which achieved freedom 200 years before the Independence of Colombia. Having maintained its own culture, including a unique language, throughout the centuries, Palenque is a world within a village. Discover the traditional medicine practice, the museum house, the Benkos Biohó monument and more, and share the culture and customs of the local people as you learn a little of their language. After a traditional lunch, travel to Cartagena and your hotel - an historic mansion within the historic center.
Accommodation
  • Hotel Nácar Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Cartagena - San Basilio de Palenque Tour
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
Special Information
Today’s driving time is approximately 7 hours.
The inner walled city is the main attraction in Cartagena – it's packed with beautiful churches, monasteries, plazas and mansions, which you will explore with a local guide this morning. Founded in 1533 by Spaniard Don Pedro de Heredia, Cartagena was a major centre of early Spanish settlement in the Americas. Its gold and silver exports made it a popular target for pirates, and its walled fort (now on UNESCO's World Heritage list) was built to protect both shipping and the slave trade. Today its laidback atmosphere and colorful streets make for easy strolling and great photo opportunities. The rest of the day is yours to explore your way. Join an optional rum tasting experience, explore the old city or walk the city walls. Tonight, head out to dinner with your group at a local restaurant for a delicious farewell dinner.
Accommodation
  • Hotel Nácar Or Similar (1 night)
Included Activities
  • Cartagena - City Tour
  • Farewell Dinner
Optional Activities
  • Cartagena - Rum tasting - USD82
Meals Included
  • Breakfast
Your trip through Colombia comes to an end after breakfast this morning. If you’d like to stay on in Cartagena, we can help arrange additional accommodation for you (pending availability), or talk to your sales agent if you would like to add on a transfer to the airport.
Meals Included
  • Breakfast

Meals

10 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners

Transport

Plane, Private vehicle

Accommodation

Comfortable hotel (10 nights), Feature Stay (2 nights)

Included activities

  • Welcome Dinner
  • Bogota - Visit to Paloquemao market
  • Bogota - La Candelaria Walking Tour
  • Pereira - Coffee Plantation Tour with Coffee Tasting and Making
  • Pereira - Cocora Valley and Salento Tour
  • Pereira - La Romelia Orchid farm visit
  • Medellin Transformation Tour
  • Mompox - Sunset Canoe Ride
  • Mompox - City Tour
  • Mompox - Traditional Cooking Workshop
  • Cartagena - San Basilio de Palenque Tour
  • Cartagena - City Tour
  • Farewell Dinner

Premium Inclusions

  • Arrival airport transfer
  • Tipping for accommodation, activities and transport
  • Luggage transfer
  • Daily breakfast and signature local meal experiences
  • 24/7 on-ground support

Dates & availability

Trip departures are unavailable.

There are currently no scheduled departures on our Premium Colombia trip. If you are interested in other trips in the region visit one of the links below.

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Important notes

1. A complimentary airport arrival transfer is included; valid if you are arriving on Day 1 or if you have booked pre-tour accommodation through us. You must provide your flight details to your booking agent at least 14 days prior to travel.
2. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information. 
3. Travel is always an adventure and, as destinations reopen, there are a few challenges as everyone gets back up to speed and adjusts to the new normal. Our leaders are experts when it comes to dealing with anything unexpected along the journey, so pack your understanding and flexibility, sit back and relax while they take care of the rest.
4. In order to comply with tourist regulations set by the Colombian government, a copy of your passport will be required. This will be emailed to our local office in Colombia, your tour leader will assist you with this on day 1.

Essential trip information

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