Colombia with the family - 15 days

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival in Bogotá

  

  A French-speaking assistant will meet you at the airport and accompany you to your hotel in a private vehicle. They will give you your travel documents and a loan phone. Welcome to Bogotá, a multicultural and dynamic capital in the heart of the Andes, at an altitude of 2,600 m. Dinner at your leisure.

• day 2

  Visit of Bogota

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to the Paloquemao market, the largest flower market in the country, with your French-speaking guide. Tasting of an exotic fruit juice and an empanada. Then, by private transport, you head to the cable car ascent of Cerro Monserrate, located at 3,150 m altitude. The panoramic view of the valley and the city is unique. Lunch at leisure. Graffiti tour by bike in the afternoon. You will discover the historic district of La Candelaria and the street art that colors the streets of the Colombian capital. Dinner at leisure.

• day 3

  Direction Villa de Leyva

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. This morning, you leave by private transport to Villa de Leyva. Lunch at your leisure. Free walking tour to soak up the peaceful atmosphere of this architectural gem founded in 1572, one of the best-preserved colonial towns in the country, enjoying an ideal Mediterranean-type climate. The surrounding green hills give it an air of Castile. Here you will discover churches, numerous cobbled squares, stone fountains carved with gargoyles and coats of arms, statues in honor of the country's illustrious figures, wooden balconies, and shops displaying the diversity of Colombian crafts. Dinner at your leisure.

• day 4

  Villa de Leyva - Barichara

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. This morning, you leave by private transport to the La Periquera natural park and discover its 5 magnificent waterfalls. You walk with your guide in the heart of nature and have the opportunity to swim. Lunch at your leisure. Transfer to Barichara. You visit the village of Barichara at your own pace, which is characterized by the typical construction techniques of its buildings. You will then go to the outskirts of the town to meet the many artisans (stonecutters, potters, or painters). The afternoon will end in the Loma district, which overlooks the town and from where you can enjoy the sunset. Dinner at your leisure.

• day 5

  Chicamocha Canyon and horseback ride in Barichara

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Departure to the Chicamocha canyon where you will go paragliding (about 30 min). This activity is available from 7 years old. You also have the option to replace this activity with rafting on the Fonce river (San Gil) for those over 15 years old only. Lunch at your leisure. You will then go to visit the surroundings of Barichara on horseback with your Spanish-speaking local guide. For about 2 1/2 hours, you will have the chance to discover the Colombian countryside and its tobacco, corn, bean, and of course coffee plantations. A family horseback ride you won't soon forget! Dinner at your leisure.

• day 6

  Barichara - Bucaramanga - Pereira - Alcalá

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Private transfer to Bucaramanga airport. Flight (not included) to Pereira with a stopover in Bogota. Lunch at your leisure. Transfer to your finca in Alcalá. Free afternoon. Dinner included at your finca. B/-/D Estimated travel time: about 4h30 of private transfer. Accommodation: Hotel Bosques del Saman Alcalá – http://bosquesdelsaman.com

• day 7

  Alcalá - Cocora Valley - Salento - Filandia - Alcalá

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you will take seven flights over the coffee plantations, during which you will have the opportunity to marvel at the unique landscapes of the Colombian coffee region (departure from your hacienda). This zipline offers more than 1,900 meters of excitement, with two departments crossed during one of its flights. You then leave by private transport with your French-speaking guide for the Cocora Valley. You will find yourself in a landscape of hills where wax palms, the Colombian national emblem, rise up, reaching up to 60 m high. You will discover the landscapes of the Coffee Axis, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lunch at your leisure. You will spend the rest of the day visiting the villages of Salento and Filandia. You will visit the colonial streets, craft workshops, and viewpoints. Return by private transfer to your finca. Dinner included at your finca. B/-/D French-speaking local guide – entrance to the Cocora Valley included Accommodation: Hotel Bosques del Saman Alacalá – http://bosquesdelsaman.com

• day 8

  Alcalá - La Vieja River - Alcalá

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Highlight of your stay in the coffee region: a day dedicated to exploring one of Colombia's most beautiful landscapes by water. You will discover rolling bocage, a tropical garden, a beautiful arrangement of grazing meadows, gallery forests, and bamboo groves. Unique in its kind, the "balsaje" allows you to explore nature in silence. Carried by the current, you can observe the fauna and flora up close. It is aboard a raft built from bamboo trunks that you descend the course of the La Vieja river, a very calm waterway winding through the rolling landscape of the central cordillera. The raft is guided by polemen, one or two depending on the size of the boat (up to 10 passengers per raft). During the journey, you stop on sandy beaches to swim and take short hikes in the forest to nearby waterfalls. The navigation is easy, the current moderate. You can walk on the raft, get into the water, and let yourself be pulled along by the boat. The average water temperature is 20ºC. You will observe a variety of birdlife: waders, kingfishers, parakeets, black ibises, cormorants, savannah gulls, hummingbirds, and, with a bit of luck, groups of howler monkeys. Typical lunch included. You return in the late afternoon to your finca by private transport. Dinner included at your finca. B/L/D French-speaking local guide (subject to availability) Accommodation: Hotel Bosques del Saman Alacalá - http://bosquesdelsaman.com

• day 9

  Alcalá - Coffee Park - Alcalá

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. The National Coffee Park was founded by the "National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia" and the "Departmental Committee of Coffee Growers of Quindío". It is part of the Coffee Culture Park Foundation. It is a non-profit entity dedicated to preserving the cultural and historical heritage of coffee in Colombia, promoting cultural, recreational, and ecological activities, as well as the development of ecotourism in the region. As a theme and amusement park, it is fortunate to be located right in the Coffee Axis, surrounded by the magical landscapes of the Quindío department. You take a private road transport to the National Coffee Park, in the municipality of Montenegro. You discover the coffee park throughout the day, enjoying its attractions for both young and old, as well as the surrounding landscapes. Lunch at your leisure. After lunch, you enjoy the park's attractions again, before returning in the evening by private transport to your finca at the end of the day. Dinner included at your finca. B/-/D Estimated travel time: about 2h by private transfer Accommodation: Hotel Bosques del Saman Alacalá - http://bosquesdelsaman.com

• day 10

  Alcalá - Pereira - Cartagena

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Pereira airport and flight to Cartagena (not included) with a stopover in Bogota. Private transfer to your hotel located in the Getsemani district. Around 5:00 pm, a private transport will take you to the port and you will all board a speedboat (not exclusive). Let yourself be enchanted by the calm waters of Cartagena Bay and enjoy the impressive sunset before experiencing the lively nightlife of both the old city and the modern part. You will be carried away by this special atmosphere that can only be found in the Caribbean, a delightful moment with your family. Lunch and dinner at your leisure. B/-/- Estimated travel time: about 2 hours of private transfer. Port taxes included. Accommodation: Hotel Getsemani Luxury - getsemanicartagenahotel.com

• day 11

  Cartagena

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. This morning, early, you leave by private transfer to the villa of La Boquilla, a beautiful and authentic fishing village on the Colombian Caribbean coast. You have the opportunity to observe and identify native and migratory birds from a traditional canoe. You also have the chance to learn more about the ecosystem, fauna, and flora of the mangrove forest. The tour takes you through the mangrove forests of the "La Virgen" marsh, "Juan Polo," and "La Isla de los Pescadores," before passing through the mangrove tunnels (tunnel of friendship, love, and luck). Lunch included. Return to your hotel by private transport and free afternoon. Dinner at your leisure. B/L/- French-speaking local guide (subject to availability). Accommodation: Hotel Getsemani Luxury - getsemanicartagenahotel.com

• day 12

  Cartagena - Palomino

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the city of Palomino, located about 45 minutes from Santa Marta and Tayrona Park. Check-in and free afternoon at your hotel. Lunch and dinner at your leisure. Estimated travel time: about 4 hours 30 minutes by private transfer. Accommodation: Hotel Chiniu Boutique https://hotelchiniu.com/

• day 13

  Palomino

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, you will set out for an ecological walk of about 30 minutes, during which your local guide will teach you more about the region's fauna and flora. You will also have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Arhuaco dwellings, one of the four indigenous ethnic groups that inhabit the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. You will eventually reach the "rio Don Dieguito," where you can rest for about twenty minutes before heading to the nearby "rio Don Diego" (you can swim in both rivers if you wish). You will relax on inner tubes on the Don Diego river, letting yourself float for about an hour until you reach the indigenous community of Don Diego. Typical lunch included. After lunch, you will get back on the inner tubes and drift again for about 45 minutes until the river mouth where it flows into the sea. Along the way, you may observe red howler monkeys, turtles, birds, and many other animals that live in the forests of the Sierra Nevada. You will return by boat, going up the river to the indigenous community of Don Diego, then return to your hotel. (The order of activities may be modified.) Dinner at your leisure. B/L/- Spanish-speaking local guide and French-speaking translator. Accommodation: Hotel Chiniu Boutique https://hotelchiniu.com/

• day 14

  Return to Bogotá

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. You enjoy your last moments on the Caribbean coast and head towards Santa Marta airport. Direct flight to Bogotá. Upon your arrival at Bogotá airport, a member of the team will be present to return your deposit (upon return of the loaned mobile phone) and to debrief your trip before your international connection. Lunch and dinner at your leisure.