12 Day Heart of Colombia Coffee and Culture

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Bogotá, Colombia
1 stop
1
Arrive at any time, your driver will be waiting to collect you from the airport and take you to your hotel. There are no activities planned for this day, so just relax and drink plenty of water to help you adjust to the altitude.
9 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 2
La Candelaria and Mount Monserrate
1 stop
2
Mount Monserrate
You’ll be collected from your accommodation in Bogotá and taken on a guided excursion, where you’ll encounter the most important historical locations within La Candelaria. Such as where the rebellion against the Spanish was first planned; the Palace of Justice; Plaza Bolivar, and many more. Once you have visited these beautiful sites it will be time for you to ascend to the great height of 10,341 ft (3152m) and the summit of Monserrate; almost 2,000ft higher than Bogotá. Here you’ll have time to wander through the artisan markets, visit a beautiful 17th-century monastery and enjoy some of the most spectacular panoramic views of the capital city of this great nation. You’ll learn how this mountain was sacred to the indigenous Muiscas people for hundreds of years, how during the June solstice, the sun rises exactly from behind Monserrate and how thousands of pilgrims journey to this destination every year.
8 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 3
Zipaquira
2 stops
3
You’ll be collected from your hotel in Bogotá and be taken directly to the salt mine of Zipaquirá. Where you’ll uncover the ingenuity of the people who 590 ft (180 m) underground converted this ancient salt mine into the amazing church that receives as many as 3000 people every Sunday of the year. Once you’ve finished your tour, taken many photos and come to understand how important this location has been for hundreds of years to the locals of this area. You’ll take the short trip to the town of Zipaquirá where you’ll wander the streets checking out the grand Plaza (main square), Independence Square, and one of the oldest churches you can find in Colombia.
9 hours • Admission ticket free
4
Following Zipaquirá you’ll continue onto the wonderful town of Ráquira. This town is absolutely full of artisans and a dream location for anyone wishing to do a bit of shopping. You’ll find everything here from hammocks to pottery and all Colombian made. For those interested in taking photos and not shopping, there are some fantastic streets and a wonderful town plaza full of giant clay statues. Next, you’ll be arriving at your final destination; Villa de Leyva. Here you’ll take a quick tour with your guide, before enjoying a wonderful night walking cobblestone streets with lanterns scattered along the colonial buildings and the moonlight to guide your way.
9 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Villa de Leyva / Bogotá
1 stop
5
Villa de Leyva
Following breakfast, you’ll enjoy a wonderful tour of the most important locations in and around Villa de Leyva. Your Villa de Leyva tour will include: • Villa de Leyva - Stroll through the beautiful cobblestone streets, and through the largest plaza in Colombia. • Monasterio Del Santo Eccehomo – Declared part of Colombia’s architectural heritage in 1998, the initial convent was founded in 1620. This is simply a beautiful monastery built on a hillside and consisting of a wonderful cloister, church, cemetery, and plaza. • The Terracotta House – Explore the largest piece of pottery in the world. • The Fossil Museum – See, touch, and feel the bones of dinosaurs that once ruled this world. After your tour of Villa de Leyva is complete you’ll start your journey back to Bogotá in the early afternoon, with a photo-stop at the Puente de Boyacá (Boyacá Bridge), one of the most important bridges in Colombian history where the “Battle of Boyacá” was fought and won by the rebels.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Bogotá / Santa Rosa Termales
1 stop
6
Santa Rosa de Cabal
Enjoy a short flight to the heart of the coffee Zone; Pereira, where your transport will be waiting to take you to the wonderful hot springs of Santa Rosa. The Thermal Pools of Santa Rosa is truly one of the most picturesque locations you can visit while in Colombia. Set in a valley surrounded by tropical rainforest the hot springs are quite simply amazing! You can move through the pools finding your perfect temperature, as the boiling hot water enters from the center and the cool refreshing mountain water enters from the sides. You'll absolutely fall in love with the amazing waterfall that is an absolute must to visit. Following this relaxing experience, you'll carry on to your hotel in Salento.
5 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Wax palms, Salento & Coffee
1 stop
7
Salento
This morning you'll start your day with some beautiful views from the Salento Mirador (Lookout), and a look down into the valley you will soon venture through. Next, you'll take a trip into the lush Cocora Valley and a guided tour of the Wax Palm Forest. This valley is spectacular by itself, but when combined with the forest filled with the tallest wax palms in the world, it becomes an almost spiritual experience. You'll get to spend a few hours walking through this peaceful zone with more beautiful views in every direction. After you've stopped for a wonderful lunch you'll continue onto a sensational coffee tour. This is one of the best coffee tours in Colombia and so very unique. The reason being the philosophy of this single lady owner. She has created a Finca that is completely pesticide and machinery free. Every part of the entire process is done by hand and with this, you'll discover the traditional methods of growing the perfect coffee bean.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 7
Filandia / Medellin
2 stops
8
Filandia
Journey to one of the most colorful towns in Colombia; Filandia. Famous for its gastronomy, wonderful Colombian Culture architecture, and fabulous views, you'll enjoy a walking tour where you'll be able to take many photos of the beautiful buildings, along with a trip to the mirador (lookout) where you'll be amazed at the spectacular 360' views you receive.
4 hours • Admission ticket free
9
Medellin
Enjoy a short flight from Pereira to Medellín. You'll be collected on arrival and taken directly to your hotel to check in and relax in your new settings
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 8
Fruit Tasting, Comuna 13, and City Tour
3 stops
10
Medellin
You'll start your day with a cable car ride over the hundreds of houses in Comuna 13. Many of these houses and settlements belong to many displaced people from rural areas. Due to a complicated internal conflict between the FARC, Colombian Military, Paramilitaries, and Drug Traffickers, over 7 million people have been displaced in Colombia.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
11
Next, you get to venture inside Comuna 13, something that would certainly have been unimaginable 15 years ago due to the violence and lack of security. Not only is this location the most significant street art district in Medellin, yet it is additionally where the very first open-air electrical escalators in the world were mounted. You’ll get to ride these escalators and get the chance to learn the meanings behind much of the graffiti. Following this unbelievable tour of the graffiti, you’ll be off to enjoy a fruit tasting of some of the most amazing tropical fruits at Plaza la America. This place has almost every fruit you can imagine and so many we guarantee you’ve never seen before!
2 hours • Admission ticket included
12
Medellin
ou’ll be visiting Parques del Río. The place that connects East and West Medellin through the Medellin River. Located in the center of the city, it's well known for its infrastructure, vegetation, and wonderful resting areas. Here you’ll find a unique sculpture from the swiss artist Ugo Rondinone named Colores de la montaña, the only one made for public areas in Latin America. Next, it’s off to visit Barefoot Park. A place to awaken your senses through the sound of water, bamboo paths, paddling pools you can walk through, and a sand path. Following this, you’ll continue your journey and visit a location full of surprises. Where not only will you find the Medellin Civic Center, administrative buildings like the Medellín City Hall, the Park of Lights, along with some of the most important heritage buildings in Medellin's history.
4 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 9
Guatape Rock and Night
1 stop
13
Guatape
Starting your tour at 8 am you begin your adventure with a stop is Old Peñol Replica Town in Guatape. This town square was constructed to look exactly like the sunken village of Old Peñol at the bottom of the manmade Peñol-Guatapé reservoir. Here your guide will explain how, why, when, and show you photos of exactly how this town once looked. You then venture to Guatape Rock also known as Piedra del Peñol, where you can climb the 740 steps to reach the top and have an amazing 360° view of the surrounding area including the 500 km shore-perimeter dam. Next, you'll travel the short distance to Guatape town (The City of Zocalos) where you’ll walk the streets of this beautiful town and learn what is the Zocalo tradition and why it started. You’ll also get to visit the Plaza (main square), Remembrance Street, boardwalk (Malecón) the church, and maybe enjoy a tuk-tuk ride. To complete your day you'll check-in to your hotel and enjoy the night in this wonderful lake side setting.
10 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 10
Medellín Cacao Tour
1 stop
14
Guatape
Collected from your hotel around 7am, you’ll relax in your private transport for a drive of around 3 hours to a Cocoa Finca close to the town of San Rafael. Once here you’ll be greeted with a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs, Arepa (flat cornbread), and of course one of the freshest hot chocolates you’ll ever have in your life! Next, it’s off to explore this chocolate farm with an easy hike of around 1.5 hours through the cocoa plantation of a variety of different cocoa trees. Taking a path through areas of bamboo, bananas, cocoa, giant Yarumo trees, you’ll encounter a natural spring that feeds much of this area. And of course, with such an abundance of wonderful flora, you’ll also find a wide variety of fauna. To complete your tour, you’ll be transported back in your private vehicle to your hotel with some of the most wonderful memories of this Colombian adventure.
11 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 11
Jardin or Jerico
2 stops
15
To enjoy the beautiful heritage-listed town of Jardin you'll want to leave early, as the travel time there can be between 3-4 hours. So you'll be collected at 7 am from your hotel to enjoy a wonderful drive through the Antioquia countryside to arrive at the simply beautiful town of Jardin. On arrival, you'll enjoy a walking tour of this picturesque town wandering the streets and marveling at the colonial buildings and balconies full of flowers. Not only this but you'll also get to visit the Jardín de Rocas. This is where you encounter the simply beautiful bird species called the Gallito de Roca (Cock Of The Rock). An absolutely beautiful bright red bird that is absolutely spectacular for birders and all nature lovers alike. Next, it's off to Cafe de Jardin to discover the wonderful view of Jardin down below. After you've enjoyed the view and a refreshing drink it'll be down into the valley and start your relaxing ride back to Medellín in the late afternoon.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
16
Starting after you've enjoyed a wonderful breakfast your guided tour will start with your first stop at a hill overlooking this town called Morro El Salvador. Here you’ll discover a giant Statue of Christ watching down on the residents far below, along with another wonderful photo opportunity for you. Your 2nd stop in this colorful little town will be Los Balsos Botanical Gardens. Although only a small garden this space will provide you with a true sense of peace and relaxation, while walking along the stone path, and crossing small bridges, designed for the sole purpose of providing you pleasure. By now you’ll be feeling a bit peakish and will enjoy stopping for a wonderful lunch at one of the many restaurants that border the colorful town plaza. Your last stop before your journey back to Medellín will be at the house of Saint Laura. This is the original home of Saint Laura (Colombia’s first saint, Sister - Saint Laura Montoya), and has been converted into a convent and museum.
10 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 12
Departure Day
1 stop
17
Medellin
We’ll have transport waiting to take you to the airport at your desired time.
4 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Service animals allowed
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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