The last series of ”Celebrity Race Across the World” ended their epic journey in Colombia, the perfect destination for a cultural tour and beach holiday.
Here are just a few highlight of what you shouldn’t miss on your visit:
- The capital Bogota
- Observe wildlife and nature in the Colombian Amazon
- Colonial beauty in laid-back Cartagena
- A festival
- The coffee region
- Stay in a luxury beach resort.
Highlights of Colombia
Explore Bogota, the Amazon rainforest, Cali, Medellin, Cartagena, Santa Marta and relax on a quiet beach in beautiful Tayrona National Park. 16 nights from £4,655.
Explore Bogota
Surrounded by the Andes, Colombia’s capital is steeped in history and culture. Visit the Museo del Oro, beautiful Iglesia del Carmen, La Candelaria district and enjoy a burgeoning culinary and cafe scene.
Colonial Gems in Cartagena
With its colourful colonial heart, perfectly preserved city walls and endless blue skies, Cartagena is one of the crown jewels of the Caribbean and one of the most beautiful cities in Latin America.
The Colombian Amazon
Explore the natural wonders of the Amazon rainforest in the southern part of Colombia, with the mighty Amazon River running downstream from Peru. Stay in a luxury riverside lodge.
Medellin
Visit one of Colombia’s most culturally-rich cities set in a beautiful, deep valley. Explore the art, history and colonial architecture and travel by cable car for wonderful views.
Santa Marta & Tayrona National Park
Stretching over 21 miles of the Caribbean Coastline to the east of Santa Marta, Tayrona National Park offers an excellent mix of relaxation and hiking opportunities, amid beautiful nature.
The Coffee Region
Located west of Bogota, this area of high altitude, periodic rain and a warm year-round climate provides the ideal conditions for the cultivation of coffee. A fascinating region to visit.
Barichara & Villa de Leyva
A few hours north from Bogota, explore these timeless old colonial towns with cobbled streets, white-washed houses, hidden churches, monasteries and traditional handicraft shops.
Special places to stay in Colombia
Casa Pestagua, Cartagena
A luxury Relais & Chateaux hotel in the heart of Cartagena. Enjoy this Moorish-inspired colonial palace with a lovely courtyard and pool.
Cite Hotel, Bogota
Located in the heart of “Bogota’s Manhattan” overlooking a park. A boutique hotel with cutting edge decor, professional and friendly staff and the infinity pool on the roof top.
Hotel Las Islas, Baru
A stunning, luxury, beachside hotel on Baru Island, just 45 minutes from Cartagena. Stay in a beach bungalow and enjoy the restaurants, spa and breathtaking surroundings.
Ecolodge, Tayrona National Park
Comfortable thatched bungalows overlooking the beach in Tayrona National Park. There is also a restaurant, spa and many activities to enjoy.
Suggested Itinerary:
16 Night Itinerary
Bogota – 3 Nights
The Colombian Amazon – 3 Nights
Fly to Cali – 2 Nights
Medellin – 2 Nights
Cartagena – 3 Nights
Santa Marta – 3 Nights
Journey from the Andes to the Caribbean coast, via the Colombian Amazon
Explore the vibrant capital Bogota with our local expert guide
Fly to Leticia and spend 3-nights exploring the Amazon on foot and canoe from Calanoa Lodge
Discover the music and salsa in the city of Cali
Explore culturally-rich Medellin with its many architectural gems
Stroll the colourful streets of Cartagena, one of the continent’s most attractive cities
Relax on Encanto Island with its beautiful beaches and Cartagena’s Caribbean vibe
Spend time in historical Santa Marta and visit Arrecife and Canaveral
What’s Included:
18 Days / 16 Nights
International flights (1 overnight)
Internal flights
Accommodation as shown on the itinerary
16 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners
Transfers to and from airports
Transport throughout the itinerary
Excursions listed, all with expert, English-speaking guides
Prices are per person
Prices for Special Events, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Easter on request
Click to View Price Guidelines & Accommodation Options Tailor-Made Service
We can modify and adapt this tour itinerary according to your preference or start afresh completely. It is necessary for us to speak on the telephone for us to prepare your precise and detailed tour itinerary.
Day-by-Day Summary
Day Activity Location
Day 1 Fly to Bogota Bogota
Day 2 City Tour & Monserrate Hill Bogota
Day 3 Culinary Tour Of Bogota Bogota
Day 4 Travel to Calanoa The Colombian Amazon
Day 5 Exploring Calanoa The Colombian Amazon
Day 6 Mocagua Island & pink dolphins The Colombian Amazon
Day 7 Fly to Cali Fly to Cali
Day 8 Salsa tour of Cali Fly to Cali
Day 9 Travel to Medellin Medellin
Day 10 City tour of Medellin Medellin
Day 11 Fly to Cartagena Cartagena
Day 12 City tour of Cartagena Cartagena
Day 13 Full day on Encanto Island Cartagena
Day 14 Travel to Santa Marta Santa Marta
Day 15 Arrecife and Cañaveral tour Santa Marta
Day 16 At leisure in Santa Marta Santa Marta
Day 17 Return to the UK In Transit
Day 18 Arrive in the UK –
Itinerary Overview
Bogota
Day 1
Fly to Bogota
Depart the UK on early morning flight to Bogota, arriving in the evening. On arrival, you will be met by your guide and transferred to your chosen hotel for 3 nights. This is also the opportunity for our guide to provide you with expert local advice, explain your programme and answer any questions you may have. Bogota is a vibrant capital steeped in history, with colonial churches and squares, surrounded by the peaks of the Andes.
Day 2
City Tour & Monserrate Hill
Today enjoy a full day privately guided tour of Bogota. Our first stop is Drive the historical colonial neighbourhood of La Candelaria. We will walk by the library of Luis Angel Arango and to the Plaza de Bolivar, the heart of Bogotá, where locals and visitors mingle. Visit the Cathedral, the Congress Palace, the Cardinal’s Palace, the colonial churches of El Sagrario and San Agustin, the Independence House, the Palace of Justice and the City Hall which are all located in this square. We continuing to forested mountains to “Cerro de Monserrate”, with its white catholic church located at the top and has been a site of worship since 1657. On a clear day you will have the opportunity to enjoy a spectacular view of the city.
We continue to the “Museo del Oro”. This museum displays one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian gold. Your tour ends with a visit to the “Museo de Botero”, housed in a renovated colonial mansion. The approximately, 120 pieces of art-works on display, are all donated by Fernando Botero, Colombia’s contemporary artist. His work is well-known for the ‘proportionally exaggerated’ fat figures.
Lunch is included today at a local restaurant.
Day 3
Culinary Tour Of Bogota
Enjoy a half day tour discovering the unique Colombian gastronomy that has been influenced by Indigenous, Spanish, African, and Arab cuisine. Bogotá combines a great variety of new tropical fruits, vegetables, all types of meats, seafood, cereals, grains, legumes, tubers, and others. We begin with an early morning visit to the Paloquemao’s Market where you can taste some of Colombia’s exotic fruits such as granadilla, pitaya, chirimoya, ouchuva, mangostino and avocado. Sample fresh juices including lulo, curuba, carrot and passion fruit. We continue to “La Puerta Falsa”, a famous bakery and a traditional cafeteria in Bogotá, where we try typical breakfasts including tamal & chocolate.
We continue to one of the city’s oldest restaurant, “Las Margaritas”, known for serving the traditional cuisine of Colombia and where you can sample Bogotá’s famous dish ajiaco and empanadas.
The Colombian Amazon
Day 4
Travel to Calanoa
Today we take a domestic flight to Leticia, from where we travel by boat up the Amazon River to Calanoa, a natural reserve located on the banks of the Amazon River, beside the Amacayacu Natural Park and home to several indigenous communities of the Tikuna people.
We arrive at the lodge where we stay for 3 nights on a full board basis. On arrival take a guided visit to the Reserve’s fruit garden and buildings, with an explanation of the Calanoa project concepts of sustainable design. After dinner, enjoy a night walk into the forest of the reserve, with local guides, to spot frogs and insects.
Day 5
Exploring Calanoa
This morning we visit the village of Mocagua and meet the locals for a fascinating insight into their way of life.. Enjoy lunch at the lodge with local produce and traditional cuisine, Calanoa style including a tour of the kitchen.
We then explore the Reserve, with indigenous guides, crossing to the Matamata creek, at the edge of the Amacayacu National Park, observing the extraordinary diversity of plants and animals. If the water level allows, return at dusk to the lodge by boat, drifting down the creek and listening to the sounds of the forest.
Day 6
Mocagua Island & pink dolphins
Today we take a trek in Mocagua Island with expert naturalist guides. After lunch at the lodge, we cross the Amazon by canoe to the Peruvian side where to spot pink dolphins.
Fly to Cali
Day 7
Fly to Cali
Today we leave the Amazon and take a domestic flight from Leticia to Cali, where we transfer to your hotel for a 2-night stay on a bed and breakfast basis.
Day 8
Salsa tour of Cali
Today explore Cali on a guided tour themed around salsa. You will get to know the Obrero neighbourhood where dancers go to enjoy salsa. You will appreciate its history and influence on the culture of the City. Visit a music collector and take a salsa class at a renowned school. The tour ends with a rumba with salsa show that will get you on your feet.
Medellin
Day 9
Travel to Medellin
Take a morning flight to Medellin, you will be met by one of our representatives and taken to the Intercontinental Hotel for a 2 night stay. Rest of the day at leisure.
Day 10
City tour of Medellin
Our guided tour takes you to the most important touristic sights of the “City of Eternal Spring”. Explore downtown Medellín and the historical centre. Listen to local musicians and the traditional “Guasca” music while visiting the Parque Berrío. Stroll through the hustle and bustle of downtown Medellin to the famous Botero Plaza with an exhibition of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whose sculptures have become a landmark of the city.
Take the Metro Cable up to Santo Domingo, which was once a notorious area of gang violence in Medellín. The cable car was constructed to make the inner city more accessible to people from the outskirts. While enjoying the spectacular view you learn more about the transformation of Medellín from one of the most dangerous cities in the world into a fascinating melting pot of cultures with possibly the friendliest and warmest people in the world.
Cartagena
Day 11
Fly to Cartagena
Today we take a domestic flight to Cartagena, transferring to our hotel located in the historical district for a 3-night stay on a bed and breakfast basis. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Cartagena de Indias, with its beautiful walled-city, is one of the most historically important cities in the Caribbean. Founded by the Spanish in 1533 as a port from which to export the gold found in the New World back to Spain, it came under near-constant attack from pirates and marauders, and was taken a number of times including by Sir Francis Drake. This necessitated the building of the defensive walls which still surround the colonial city, as well as a number of forts all around the bay. The largest of these, the San Felipe Fort, towers over the city and can still be visited for beautiful views over the historical skyline and the bay.
The walled city has been completely restored to its former glory, with monuments in leafy squares, cobbled streets, colourful houses with exotic flowers draped from wooden balconies. Many town houses have been converted into boutique hotels.
Day 12
City tour of Cartagena
Today enjoy a half-day guided tour of Cartagena visiting Bocagrande, a modern residential district and the Convent of La Popa, built at the beginning of the XVII century on the hill of the same name. From here a beautiful view of the city and the bay can be admired. We continue to San Felipe’s Fort, built in the XVII century to protect the city. After a careful look to the construction, continue to the walled colonial city and stop at the handicraft stores of Las Bovedas. We walk along the streets admiring the old houses and beautiful balconies and visit the Convent of San Pedro Claver.
Day 13
Full day on Encanto Island
Today we enjoy a full day on one the beautiful islands of El Rosario, located 30 miles away by boat, south of the Bay of Cartagena. Encanto Island is a beautiful island with about 200 meters of white sand beaches and crystal clear water. These small islands have been protected by the authorities since 1977, when they were declared a National Park. The park’s coral reefs, mangrove habitats and lagoons support more than 1,300 different species in nearly 500 square miles. You can relax on a beach, enjoy a walk around the island or swim. Lunch is included today and the hotel on the island has a beachfront bar and snacks can be purchased throughout the day.
Santa Marta
Day 14
Travel to Santa Marta
Today we travel to historical Santa Marta, arriving at our hotel for a 3-night stay on a bed and breakfast basis. The rest of the day is at leisure.
Day 15
Arrecife and Cañaveral tour
Today we take a full day tour to Arrecife and Canaveral.
Day 16
At leisure in Santa Marta
Relax on the beach or at your hotel.
Return to the UK
Day 17
Return to the UK
Transfer to the airport and take a domestic flight to Bogota for your onward overnight international flight to the UK.
Day 18
Arrive in the UK
Arrive back in the UK in the morning.
First Class Accommodation
Prices from £4855 per person Sep to June (Excluding Christmas)
Total Cost from £6125 per person July to August High Season (+ Christmas)
What’s Included:
18 Days / 16 Nights
International flights (1 overnight)
Internal flights
Accommodation as shown on the itinerary
16 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 3 dinners
Transfers to and from airports
Transport throughout the itinerary
Excursions listed, all with expert, English-speaking guides
Prices are per person
Prices for Special Events, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Easter on request
