Discovery of Colombian roots - 21 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. You settle in and rest before starting your journey the next day. 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

  Discovery of Bogotá

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. This morning, you will take part in a bike tour and discover the historic district of La Candelaria as well as the street art that colors the streets of the Colombian capital. Lunch at your leisure. You will enjoy your free afternoon to visit the historic center of Bogotá. Suggestions: Cerro Monserrate, located at 3,150 m altitude. The panoramic view of the valley and the city is unique. You can also go to Bolivar Square where the National Capitol, the Palace of Justice, the Bogotá City Hall, the "Primada" Cathedral, the "del Sagrario" Chapel, and the Archbishop's Palace are located. The Botero Foundation (closed on Tuesday) and the Gold Museum (closed on Monday) are also must-sees. Dinner at your leisure.

• day 3

  Heading to Leticia, Amazon.

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Flight to Leticia. You are leaving for 5 days in the Colombian Amazon to meet the communities. Visit to the ethnographic museum, where it is possible to appreciate the different cultures of the Amazon and their relationships with nature. After that, you will visit Santander Park where you can observe many parrots. The ideal time to go is around 5 p.m., at dusk. Get ready for a show you won't soon forget! Lunch on your own and dinner included.

• day 4

  Excursion to Mocagua, craft workshop and Maikuchiga Foundation.

  

  Breakfast included. You leave on foot to take a shared boat to the community, about 1h30 along the Amazon River. You settle into a hostel set up by the indigenous community. You walk through the community and can appreciate Amazonian paintings in the indigenous houses. You have lunch in Mocagua with indigenous families, a typical lunch. In the afternoon, you visit the "Monkey" Churuco Miquendo project, from the Maikuchiga Foundation, which is dedicated to the conservation and preservation of this primate species. Return to the village, you participate in a handicraft workshop. Dinner and overnight in the Mocagua community.

• day 5

  Day in San Martin de Amacayacu

  

  Breakfast included. Departure by boat, heading to the community of San Martin de Amacayacu. Welcome by an elder, representative of the Moruapow group, who will tell you about the Tikuna ethnic group. Accommodation at Casa Gregorio or at the Maloca. Lunch included. You will visit the nursery, the "pharmacy" and the Maloca, where the indigenous people will tell us about the medicinal properties of the plants and their uses. You will be shown how to prepare a natural remedy based on essential oil, if you wish. In the Maloca, we participate in a craft workshop with the elders of the community: ceramics and Tikuna language, dances and songs.

• day 6

  Day in Puerto Nariño and the Tarapoto lakes

  

  Breakfast included. Departure for Puerto Nariño by boat. You settle into the hotel. You visit the Natutama foundation, where you can appreciate important aspects of the Amazon River fauna (dolphins, manatees, turtles, fish, etc.). Lunch included. Next, you discover the Tarapoto lakes and enjoy the scenery. Return to the village and free time. In the evening, you participate in a cultural exchange with the elders (or "abuelas") who tell us about aspects of their traditions, myths, and legends. Dinner included and overnight at the hotel.

• day 7

  Heading to Salento, coffee region.

  

  Breakfast included. Flight to Pereira. Once you arrive, your private driver will take you to Salento so you can settle into your hotel. Free time at the end of the day. You can stroll and wander through the colorful streets of Salento, and enjoy your first moments in the coffee region. Lunch and dinner not included.

• day 8

  Excursion in the Cocora Valley

  

  Breakfast at your hotel. Full-day excursion to the Cocora Valley. After enjoying a typical breakfast in Salento, you will take a Willys Jeep to the impressive Cocora Valley, a sacred place that is home to the tallest wax palms (approx. 60 m) on the planet. Your hike will take you across six “Indiana Jones”-style suspension bridges spanning the Quindio River, whose waters flow straight from the glaciers to supply the towns and villages of the department of the same name. After about 2 hours of walking, you will arrive at the Acaime reserve, where you can be charmed by the hundreds of birds that inhabit the area. Return in the late afternoon, after 5.5 km, to your starting point where your Willys Jeep will be waiting for you.

• day 9

  Heading to Medellín, city of eternal spring.

  

  Breakfast at your hotel. Flight to Medellín, then private transfer to your hotel located in the El Poblado district in Medellín. Free time at the end of the day to stroll around and enjoy the pleasant climate of Medellín. Lunch and dinner at your leisure.

• day 10

  Discovery of Medellín

  

  Breakfast at your hotel. This morning you will set out to discover Moravia, a densely populated neighborhood that was once the garbage district of Medellín, an open-air mountain of waste surrounded by a shantytown where residents lived in extreme poverty. The neighborhood is known for the very positive attitude of its inhabitants and its strong community spirit. Visit the neighborhood: you will be accompanied by one of the community leaders and will be able to learn more about this incredible project of social and urban transformation, unprecedented and unique. Lunch at your leisure. Free afternoon to visit Medellín. Recommendation: take the cable car to Parque Arvi, the view of the city is splendid. Also visit Comuna 13 and its graffiti, a lively comuna that has also experienced an impressive social and urban transformation in recent years.

• day 11

  Excursion to Guatapé

  

  Breakfast at your hotel Head towards the village of Guatapé, located about 2 hours from Medellín. Free day with vehicle and driver at your disposal. Suggestions: climb the Rock of Peñol, the view of the lake and the surroundings is breathtaking... From up there, the spectacle is simply magnificent! The charm of the village of Guatapé lies in the colorful bas-reliefs on the walls of the houses, which tell the customs and legends of the region. Many artisan workshops are present in the village. You can also take a boat on the lake for a relaxing moment with a splendid view of the surroundings. Lunch at your leisure. Return to Medellín at the end of the afternoon. Dinner at your leisure.

• day 12

  Santa Fé de Antioquia and its colonial architecture

  

  Breakfast at your hotel Head towards Santa Fé de Antioquia, the cradle of all the warmth, kindness, and joy of the Paisa people. Its colonial houses, beautiful churches, and cobbled streets are the stage for the origin of an entire people. Santa Fe de Antioquia was declared a national monument in 1960. Its eight colonial-style churches, houses in white and ochre tones, windows and doors in decorated wood, the Puente de Occidente, a suspension bridge built in 1895, the Museum of Religious Art, the smell of coffee, colorful roses, and the taste of tamarind invite you to discover this place out of time. Lunch at your leisure. Free time at the end of the day to visit the city. Dinner at your leisure.

• day 13

  Direction Cartagena de Indias

  

  Breakfast at your hotel Flight to Cartagena. Once you arrive, your driver will be waiting to take you to your hotel located in the historic center of Cartagena. Lunch and free time for the rest of the day to discover this fantastic city. Dinner at your leisure.

• day 14

  Discovery of Cartagena

  

  Breakfast at your hotel. Free day dedicated to visiting Cartagena and its most emblematic neighborhoods. Suggestions: stroll through the colonial streets of the city founded in 1533, which drew its wealth from port activities. From here, indeed, the riches conquered by the Spanish in South America (gold, silver) were shipped to Europe. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and it is easy to see why. The buildings recall the splendor of the colonial era, with their superb carved wooden balconies. The wooden doors open onto sumptuous patios. Visit Santo Domingo Square, Las Bovedas and its artisans, the Popa convent offering a unique panorama of the city, as well as the imposing San Felipe fortress, from where you can admire the sunset. Lunch and dinner on your own.

• day 15

  Direction Santa Marta

  

  Breakfast at your hotel Private transfer to Santa Marta. You settle into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day free to visit the center of Santa Marta, a city located between the Sierra Nevada and the Caribbean beaches. Lunch and dinner at your leisure.

• day 16

  Excursion to Tayrona Park

  

  Breakfast at the hotel. Private transfer to Tayrona Park to start your day of excursion. This park of more than 15,000 hectares is one of the most fascinating ecological reserves on the South American continent. Located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, it offers a wild landscape made up of thick tropical forest plunging into the Atlantic Ocean and coves with rugged relief. It includes 108 species of mammals and 300 species of birds. You will walk along beautiful paths between forest and sea to Arrecifes. You will take breaks on the beaches, in natural pools. You will walk to the magnificent beaches of Cabo San Juan where you can swim. Return to Santa Marta at the end of the day. Lunch included Dinner on your own

• day 17

  On the way to La Guajira: Manaure and Cabo de la Vela

  

  Departure between 4:00 and 4:30 in the morning, heading towards La Guajira. Typical breakfast in Palomino or Riohacha. You get back on the road for about 1h30 to reach the city of Uribia, where you take a panoramic tour to visit it, before getting back on the road for about twenty minutes to the village of Manaure. In this village, you visit the salt flats and the salt harvesting process is explained to you in more detail. You then continue your journey through the Ayuama desert, San Martin or Puerto Bolivar depending on weather conditions, until you reach Cabo de la Vela. Typical lunch in a Wayuu inn. You then have free time to enjoy the beach, swim or simply relax, before going to visit the "Pilon de Azucar", where you can also enjoy the sea and watch the sunset from the lighthouse. Dinner in a Wayuu inn.

• day 18

  Taroa Dunes and Punta Gallinas

  

  Breakfast included. Departure by 4x4 from Cabo de la Vela towards the Taroa dunes, where you can enjoy a refreshing swim. You continue on the road for about 40 minutes until you arrive at Punta Gallinas, where you have lunch. Lunch included. After lunch, you go to visit Bahia Honda, Bahia Hondita ("bahia" means bay in Spanish), Punta Aguja as well as the Punta Gallinas lighthouse, from where you can watch the sunset. Typical dinner in a Wayuu inn.

• day 19

  Bahia Hondita, its mangroves and pink flamingos

  

  Breakfast included. After breakfast, you leave by boat to navigate in Bahia Hondita, where you can observe, in its mangroves, the fauna and flora, and more particularly the different species of birds, such as flamingos, if the season allows. Lunch included in a Wayuu inn. After lunch, you can enjoy your free time to walk on the beach, swim, or simply relax. Dinner in a Wayuu inn.

• day 20

  Direction Santa Marta

  

  Breakfast included. Departure by 4x4 from Punta Gallinas towards Uribia. The journey takes approximately 3 hours. Lunch included. After lunch, head to Riohacha, where you can enjoy your free time walking along the pier, visiting the cathedral as well as the Nicolas de Federmann and José Prudencio Padilla parks, and finish by buying handicrafts if you wish. You then hit the road again around 3 p.m. towards Santa Marta to your hotel. Dinner on your own.

• day 21

  Departure for Bogotá and international connection.

  Breakfast at your hotel. Flight to Bogotá, then your international connection.