Welcome to Colombia! Upon arrival at the Rafael Nunez International Cartagena de Indias Airport, you will clear Immigration, collect your luggage and exit Customs. A friendly local representative will be waiting to greet you in the arrivals area, holding a sign with your name on it. For a smooth and comfortable start to your adventure, you will be driven directly to your hotel, where a lovely evening in this urban Caribbean wonderlands awaits. (This service is on a private basis.)

Catamaran Sunset Cruise

Although most visitors amble along Cartagena's quaint cobblestone streets, this evening you will get to appreciate a very different view of the city from the water. One of the best ways to experience this is by sailing away on a private catamaran cruise. A local bilingual guide will join you on this adventure, as you sail the picturesque waters. Admiring the old town and stunning city skyline at night will be a magical experience. During this cruise, you will also have the opportunity to see the entrances into the bay, that the Spanish were so keen to defend. Your guide will explain the sites, for you to understand how difficult it must have been to take the city from the sea. Not only will you experience tonight's colorful sunset, but you can enjoy some nice snacks on board during this two hour catamaran trip. Don't forget your camera! (This service is on a private basis.)

Cartagena

One can certainly take a tour of Cartagena's historic sites, and we encourage our travelers to partake in such a tour. But Cartagena is about slowing down to a Caribbean pace. The city will seduce you, and slowly, it will ask you to stay longer, and wandering its maze-like streets, you may be tempted.

Rivaling Cusco, Peru for its colonial atmosphere, Cartagena is a beautifully preserved time capsule with a marimba and drum-based soundtrack. Open air cafes offer cooling respite from the humid heat, and beaches laced with tanned locals encourage you to join. Everyone in Cartagena seems to be celebrating something, and it takes one a few days to realize: they're simply celebrating life, and this is the norm here. How could you not want to stay?

Half Day Walking Tour

This morning your tour will start with a guided walk through the historic walled city. The Spanish colonial architecture is some of the most impressive and best preserved in South America with its imposing merchant’s houses, narrow streets, flower-bedecked balconies stunning civic buildings and beautiful churches. The city is dotted with many squares and public spaces which are now are home to sidewalk cafés and restaurants where Colombians, and visitors alike, relax and enjoy the magic of this amazing city. You will visit San Pedro Claver: This church was built in homage to the protector of slaves, San Pedro, and serves as a reminder of the turbulent past of Cartagena and indeed the Americas.

The Spanish-born priest arrived in Cartagena, then a slave-trading hub, as a novice priest. Horrified by the treatment of African captives, sold to a motley crew of middlemen on what’s now Plaza de Los Coches, the young man became an anti-slavery activist. The Cloister where Pedro Claver lived and died has become a special place of silence, and reflection-a shrine to the life's work of this extraordinary man. Here, visitors will find examples of Pre Colombian ceramics, and an extensive museum rich with objects of religious art. Adjoining the Monastery is the beautiful baroque church, designed by German and Dutch architects. Here, at the high altar, within a glass encasement, lie the remains of Saint Pedro Claver, “the slave to the slaves”.

You then continue to the Palace of Inquisition. The aim of the Inquisition was to judge crimes against the Catholic faith and this building is the most important example of civilian architecture in eighteenth-century Cartagena. Its construction was finished in 1776 and today it is a museum to the Inquisition with a narrative of this violent period and exhibits of a number of instruments of torture.

Your last stop will be at a chocolate museum before returning to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure. (This service is on a private basis.)

Half Day Tour of La Popa & San Felipe Castle

This morning you will set off to the Castillo San Felipe. This fort is the largest Spanish fortification in the Americas and dominates the old town. Underneath this amazing structure, you will find a labyrinth of tunnels.

From the fort, you will continue on in your private vehicle to the Convento La Popa. The hill is the highest point in the city and commands excellent views of the bay, old town and the Caribbean Sea beyond. Started initially as a humble wooden chapel but later replaced by more solid construction that was fortified two centuries later. Enjoy the flower-filled patio and the views that stretch all over the city and wander through the cool patio and interior of the convent. (This service is on a private basis.)

This morning, you will be picked up from your hotel in Cartagena and transferred to the pier. (This service is on a private basis.)

A shared boat will take you from Cartagena de Indias to Múcura island. (This service is on a group basis.)

Rosario Island

Rosario Island is a group of 27 islands is surrounded by coral reefs, and is the perfect location to go snorkeling and swimming from the pristine white sandy beaches. It's one of the 46 natural national parks of Colombia, created to protect one of the most important coral reefs of the Caribbean Colombian Coast. This marine habitat creates one of the most diverse and riches marine ecosystems in Colombia. The park has an extension of 120,000 marine and land hectares, and is associated with marine pastures, mangroves and the numerous species of algae and animals that have their habitats in the area, all of which feed the numerous corals and fish life that inhabit the reefs.

Now, is the perfect time to really indulge in your stay. Surrounded by a luxurious beachside setting, enjoy your resort to the fullest and take advantage of all the amenities!

Once you have check out of your hotel you will take a shared boat from Múcura island to Cartagena de Indias. (This service is on a shared basis.)

From the pier, you will be transferred to the airport in good time to board your domestic flight. Upon arrival in Medellin, you will be picked up from the airport and transferred to your hotel for an evening at leisure. (This service is on a private basis.)

Medellin

Contained in a bowl-shaped valley between two mountain skylines, Medellin's crowded urban sprawl reaches up into the skies around you. What was once the setting for the drug violence of the 80's and 90's is now home to a population moving proudly into a peaceful and prosperous new century. A powerful economy is helping them reach that admirable goal, and with it comes public arts projects and neighborhood beautification.

Locals here hold themselves a little apart from the rest of Colombia. It may be the moderate temperatures, or the Andean culture, but Medellin holds itself to a more European ideal. You'll hear less Caribbean drums here, and more western music. The people are definitely still Colombian though, so expect bars packed with beautiful people, restaurants overflowing with good food and a hopeful energy difficult to find anywhere else in the world.

Half-day tour to Botanic Garden, Botero square & Cable car

Medellin is certainly a city with a colorful history; from the cities valiant founding fathers trekking across the Andes, through to the dark days of drug cartels and the city’s more recent rebirth as one of South Americas most vibrant & progressive. A tour of the central part of Medellin can really help to bring the city to life and to help you understand why Medellin is so important to Colombia in terms of both commerce and culture.

The city tour will take in all principal sites and locations of this fascinating location. These sites will include the “Plaza Botero" the famous Botero sculpture park where many giant sculptures of Colombia most famous artist and Medellin born sculptor Fernando Botero are exhibited. A ride on the city’s famous metro and cable car system will not only provide great views of the city but will be a chance to understand a bit more about the geography and social makeup of Colombia's second city. (This service is on a private basis.)

Half-day Social Transformation & Street Art tour

Medellin has undergone a major positive transformation in the past 10 years, one of the main pillars of which is urban architecture. The construction of parks, pedestrian zones, museums, transport systems, libraries and schools, public spaces have not only improved the city’s public spaces but has also had a strong positive influence on its social dynamics. The tour will take place in the working-class neighborhood of San Javier, famous for its open-air electric escalators, which were built in 2011 to replace the 350 stairs leading to the top of a steep hill and thus to improve the local residents‘ mobility. Your guide will take you around the neighborhood and give you some special insight into some of the social initiatives that are taking place in the area. After visiting the San Javier library park, you will have the opportunity to ride on the aforementioned electric escalators and enjoy a beautiful view of the city from the top of the hill. (This service is on a private basis.)

Although your adventure must come to an end today, you will be leaving with new friends, amazing experiences and memories to cherish for the rest of your life. Once you have checked out of your hotel, you will be met by your driver and transferred to the airport in good time to board your international departure flight.

We wish you safe and happy travels home! (This service is on a private basis.)