Welcome to Medellín! Arriving at the airport, after clearing immigration formalities, collect your luggage, clear customs and exit to the arrival hall. Your guide will be waiting for you outside to transfer you 30 - 45 minutes to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at you leisure!

Medellin Full Day City Tour

Medellín – the “City of Eternal Spring” – is nowadays the most innovative city of Latin America. During the last twenty years, Medellín went through some drastic changes. An innovative program of development turned Medellín from the most dangerous city in the world into a modern example of urban transformation. Explore the famous Botero Plaza with an exhibition of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whos sculptures have become an icon of the city. Take a moment to learn about the history of the urban conflict in Medellín in the memorial museum. Take the Metro Cable up to Santo Domingo, once a notorious area of gang violence in Medellín. The cable car was constructed to integrate people from the outskirts with metro medellin. This allows visitors a
glimpse into the lives of the people In the Comuna 13 district and its unique Electric Escalators you observe another innovative project that improved the life quality of the people of Medellín. (This service is on a private basis.)

Graffiti Artist Experience

Comuna 13 is a revitalized neighborhood of Medellin. It was once part of the conflict but local government invested a lot in money to completely transform it. Roads, public transportation, social centers etc… have been created. You will have the opportunity to explore it with your guide, and use the public transportation such as the cable car: a perfect example of Medellin recent social transformation.

Additionally, one of Medellin’s defining characteristics is its graffiti. It’s not technically illegal to paint walls here, which has led to a dynamic street art culture. The comuna 13 has a notorious past and understanding many of it’s graffitis, will help you understand more deeply the city and country’s street art culture.
During this 3 hour tour, you will meet a graffitero to understand their perspective and learn about their experiences. At the end you will have the opportunity to create your own stencil. (This service is on a private basis.)

Discover Colombian Art

This afternoon enjoy an exclusive 2 hour art experience. The private gallery (by appointment only) was founded in 1991 under the direction of Alberto Hugo Restrepo who started a space that brings together a collection of around 500 works of classical, modern and contemporary art by established and emerging artists. The different exhibitions give life to a creative showcase that revives the history of Colombian and international art, thus offering collectors and art lovers an enriching and cultural sphere. The gallery is located in their private home. Spend time with Santiago (his son) and discover their fantastic collection and art house in Medellin. (This service is on a private basis.)

Ceramics of Carmen de Viboral

Today, experience local traditions and enjoy a journey into the Eastern Highlands of Medellín. Carmen de Viboral, located in the Eastern Hills outside of Medellín, is known for its tradition of ceramic or pottery manufactures. Since generations the unique style of pottery work turned this economic sector into the most emblematic tradition of the region. Visit the local ceramic museum and learn about the history of pottery in Colombia. Experience a pottery workshop and make your own ceramic handicraft. Passing by the ruins of a historical pottery manufacture, a visit to the traditional family run factory “La Cardona” shows how little has changed between now and then. (This service is on a private basis.)

This morning you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the airport in good time to board your domestic flight. Upon arrival in Armenia, you will be picked up at the airport and transferred to your hotel, approximately a 30 - 45 minute drive.

Hacienda Bambusa Cacao Tour

Welcome to Hacienda Bambusa, a beautiful bamboo house located in the middle of plantain and cocoa plantations, where you can enjoy the charms of nature and take a resting break in the Colombian Coffee Region. You might be able to explore this beautiful property hiking or biking, circle the extensive cocoa plantation, visit the nursery where the yellow, orange and red tones of the cocoa trees will enchant you. Learn about the fermentation and dried process, still
made by hand, by which the cocoa beans turn out ready for export and start the journey to transform into chocolate. Around Hacienda Bambusa, you will also find banana plantations and an amazing bamboo forest, that will invite you to get lost under its shade and relax for a while.

Quindio

Welcome to Colombia's majestic Coffee Country. Quindio is the region in Colombia most well known for mass coffee bean growth, so whether you're staying in Armenia, its capital, or a countryside hacienda, activities here are likely to involve the popular cash crop. Rolling green hills, perpetually tropical green, are continuously worked by a plantation community of locals who are only too happy to feed the coffee drinkers of the world. Locals are very proud of the culture they've worked hard for, and the region's few towns are lined with small cafes serving the goods.

Salento, Cocora Valley & Filandia

The small towns of the coffee region are places full of charm; they seem like brothers separated by mountains. Salento, in particular, has a unique warmth. It is full of cafes and restaurants as picturesque as the doors and windows that colour the town streets. Your eyes are always distracted by the colors and crafts in the stores. Iced coffee, coconut lemonade and trout are the traditional flavors offered in cafes and restaurants. After touring the town, you will take a 20 minute drive, to the Cocora Valley, a charming place with the highest wax palms in the world. It is a green paradise in which you can hike for two or four hours. The
path will allow you to see birds such as owls, hawks and jays, along with some of the 200 species of flowers in the area. If you are lucky enough you might spot an Andean Condor, a magnificent bird with a wingspan of 3.3m (10 ft 10 in).

The afternoon ends in Finlandia, another town full of balconies and a much quieter and cooler place. Here you will be able to learn how the baskets with which coffee is collected are made. Then visit the unmissable viewpoint, a 27m (88 ft.) tall structure that offers a panoramic view of the entire coffee region. On a clear day you can also see the "Nevado del Tolima". (This service is on a private basis.)

Full Day Trip to Pijao

Pijao is a small town in the middle of the Andes mountain range. The secrets that make this a magical place are the stories of its inhabitants. On this tour of Pijao, Juan David a local guide will take you to meet people like Don Leo, a small coffee farmer in the area who will kindly accompany you for a tour of his farm while he tells you the history of his life and the origin of the coffee he produces. The houses in Pijao are a fundamental part of the tour, inside they hide wonderful gardens full of hydrangeas, anthuriums, roses and Saint Joachim. Visit a local house and share a pleasant chat with the owner while you enjoy a hot drink made with the aromatic plants that grow in the garden. In Pijao you will learn how coffee is the axis of life for people in this Colombian region. For those with an adventurous spirit, a paragliding flight could be an incredible experience to finish this day! (This service is on a private basis.)

Horseback Riding

This morning enjoy a 2 -3 hour scenic horseback riding excursion in a nature reserve near Bambusa. There amidst beautiful landscapes, an experienced rider will guide you through the lush forest with native tree species, a pineapple crop and some streams, along the way you will also find cattle and sometimes even buffalo. You'll feel like a true llanero!

This morning you will say goodbye to your new friends at Hacienda Bambusa and transferred to the Pereira airport in good time to board your domestic flight, approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival at the Santa Marta airport, you will be picked up at the airport and transferred to your hotel, about 30 minutes.

Tayrona National Park

The Santa Marta mountains slide easily into Caribbean jungle, and eventually into the balmy beaches of Tayrona. Nearly 30,000 acres of protected beach, dotted with the occasional palm frond lodge, is your playground. The park is large enough to encompass a few different biomes, from the dry west covered in succulents, to the eastern rainforests, all framed by the ocean to the north.

All our lives, we've heard of the legendary Colombian beaches. When the country was closed for business to tourists, they were just a pipe dream. Now they're open to all, and boy, they live up to the hype. Come here, stay here, and then stay here longer. You won't regret it.

Crystal Beach Excursion

Pack at beach bag for today's excursion to the beautiful Crystal Beach! Crystal Beach is a great spot to relax, swim and snorkel. This journey takes an hour and a half on route plus 10 minutes boating. We will provide you with beach gear including snorkel equipment and a packed picnic lunch with refreshments so that you can comfortably spend the day relaxing and exploring this piece of paradise. At 4pm you will return to your hotel. (This service is on a private basis.)

Katanzama Village Visit

Have an unmatched authentic cultural experience with the local Katanzama community. Explore their diverse territory by walking through the crops to reach the village, discover the huts and the Arhuacos community school. Along the journey a member of the community will guide you through the community and their way of life. They can be shy at the beginning, so be sure to ask questions and the goal is to slowly break the ice end your journey with a picnic. Transfer from Santa Marta to Perico Aguao is approximately 1.5 hours and then a 45 minute walk to the Katanzama community. This is the perfect opportunity to learn about the culture and agriculture tradition and how to weave backpacks or plant endemic trees with the community. (Length: 4-7 hours) . If interested, you can ask about voluntary donations like school kits, grooming items, work tools such as shovels. (This service is on a private basis.)

At 9am this morning, you will be picked up at your hotel to begin your journey to Cartagena. The drive will take about 4.5 hours so sit back, relax and enjoy the views.

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?

Afternoon Historic Center Tour

This afternoon, embark on a 3 hour walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the historic walled city center of Cartagena, Colombia. This tour is perfect on your arrival day, to familiarize yourselves with the beautiful historic center of Cartagena inside the walls that protected the city during the invasions of pirates, declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 1984 by UNESCO. Let us show you the colorful streets inside the walled historic city and its colonial architecture. You will see the most important landmarks, such as the Clock Tower (Torre del Reloj), Parque de Bolívar, Plaza de San Pedro Claver, Plaza Fernandez Madrid, Santo Domingo and San Diego areas. Your guide
will tell you about Cartagena’s founding and will share interesting stories full of legends, pirates and interesting facts in every corner. Finish the tour with a refreshing cocktail at Cafe del Mar.(This service is on a private basis.)

This morning you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to the Cartagena airport in good time to board your international flight home. We hope that you had an incredible trip and wish you a smooth journey home!