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Colourful colonial buildings with flower-draped balconies on a street in Cartagena, Colombia

COFFEE · CARTAGENA · ANDES

Colombia Holidays

Caribbean Coast, Coffee Country & Lost Cities

See our Colombia holidays
South America
Tailor-made or small group

WHAT TO SEE

Colombia's highlights

  • Cartagena

    Wander the cobblestoned streets of Cartagena, one of the finest colonial cities in the Americas

  • The Lost City

    Trek to the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida), older than Machu Picchu and far less visited

  • The Coffee Triangle

    Stay at coffee fincas in the UNESCO-listed Coffee Triangle

  • The Cocora Valley

    Hike the Cocora Valley among the world's tallest palm trees

  • The Colombian Amazon

    Spot pink river dolphins in the Colombian Amazon

  • Tayrona National Park

    Relax on pristine Caribbean beaches in Tayrona National Park

Holidays in Colombia

Wax palms rising above the green hills of the Cocora Valley, Colombia
Colombia

Colombia Small Group Tour: Bogotá, the Coffee Region, Medellín and Cartagena

11 days / 10 nightsEasy to ModerateSmall group, maximum 15
From£3,699
ATOL protected
View Details
A collage of three vibrant Colombian scenes: a street lined with colorful buildings and umbrellas, a brightly decorated bus, and a cobblestone street with colorful houses.
Colombia
Tailor-Made

Colombia & Its Different Cultures

11 days / 10 nightsModerate2-12 persons
Price on enquiry
View Details
Colonial plaza with yellow buildings and people in the walled city of Cartagena, Colombia
Colombia
Tailor-Made

Roots & Rhythms of Colombia

11 days / 10 nightsEasy to Moderate2-12 persons
Price on enquiry
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Tall, slender wax palm trees stand silhouetted against a cloudy sky on lush green hillsides.
Colombia
Tailor-Made

Exploring Colombia

13 days / 12 nightsModerate2-12 persons
Price on enquiry
View Details
Colourful colonial buildings with wooden balconies and arches on a plaza in Cartagena, Colombia
Colombia
Tailor-Made

Favourites of Colombia

8 days / 7 nightsEasy to Moderate2-12 persons
Price on enquiry
View Details

Prefer fixed dates and a small group? See all our small group tours

A specialist replies within one working day. No payment, no commitment. Tell us what you have in mind

Watch the holiday

From the Andes to the Caribbean

Colombia in 11 Days: Bogotá, the Coffee Region, Medellín and CartagenaWalk under the tallest palm trees on Earth in the Cocora Valley, go deep underground to a cathedral carved out of salt, and end on the old walls of Cartagena, on the Caribbean. This is our 11-day Colombia tour, from the Andes to the Caribbean, with flights from London included.Watch on YouTube
Read the video script

The tallest palm trees on Earth, rising out of the cloud forest. A cathedral carved deep inside a mountain of salt. And at the end of the road, the walled city of Cartagena, on the Caribbean. Visit Colombia with Travelfab. This is one of our favourite ways to see Colombia, from the Andes to the Caribbean. Start in Bogotá, high in the mountains, and go deep underground to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, carved by the miners themselves. Walk the old town of La Candelaria, see the ancient gold of the Gold Museum, and look out over the whole city from Monserrate. Fly to the coffee region, walk under the giant wax palms of the Cocora Valley, and wander the little hill town of Salento. On a coffee farm, follow the bean from the branch to the roaster, right where it grows. Then fly on to Medellín, and ride the metro cable up to Comuna 13, a neighbourhood remade by its own street art. Head west to the colonial town of Santa Fe de Antioquia, then on to Guatapé, with its painted houses, and climb the great rock of El Peñol, for the view across the lakes. Then fly north to Cartagena, on the Caribbean. See the fortress that kept the pirates out, walk the walled city from the Clock Tower gate, wander the street art of Getsemaní, and end the day with a Caribbean sunset. Eleven days, with three short internal flights instead of long drives, a guide throughout, flights from London included, and full ATOL protection. But your Colombia holiday can take any shape you like. Your own dates, your own pace, travelling privately, or adding a few days on the Rosario islands. Tell us what you have in mind, and a Latin America specialist will plan it around you. Plan your Colombia holiday at travelfab.co.uk.

When to go

The best time to visit Colombia

  • December to March

    The main dry season, good for trekking and the beach. In December and early January, Medellín lights up its river and streets for the Alumbrados, its famous Christmas lights. The Barranquilla Carnival is in February.

  • July and August

    The second dry season. Humpback whales pass the Pacific coast from July to October.

  • All year

    Altitude sets the weather, not the month. The Caribbean coast is 26 to 30°C, Medellín 22 to 28°C and Bogotá around 20°C by day with cold evenings.

Where to go

The best places to visit in Colombia

Colombia has emerged as one of South America's most exciting destinations, a country of extraordinary natural beauty, vibrant cities, and warm, welcoming people. From the Caribbean coastline with its colonial jewel of Cartagena to the coffee-growing highlands, from the lush Amazon to the otherworldly Caño Cristales (the "River of Five Colours"), Colombia rewards adventurous travellers with experiences that feel genuinely undiscovered.

Holidays to Colombia from the UK: the walled city of Cartagena on the Caribbean, the wax palms and coffee farms of the Andes, Medellín and the painted town of Guatapé, and Bogotá with its gold and its Salt Cathedral. We book your flights with the trip, so the whole holiday is ATOL protected. Our Colombia small group tour runs on set dates from £3,699 per person, with flights from London and three internal flights included, and you can join it on your own. If you would rather travel privately, every route here can be tailor-made around your dates, so tell us what you have in mind and we will build it with you.

Colourful colonial houses with balconies and bougainvillea on a street in the old town of Cartagena, Colombia

CARIBBEAN COAST

Cartagena, the walled city

Cartagena de Indias is one of the most beautiful colonial cities in the Americas. Its UNESCO-listed old town is a labyrinth of cobblestoned streets, bougainvillea-draped balconies, and grand plazas ringed with pastel mansions. The city pulses with street performers, rooftop bars, and some of the finest seafood in South America.

Beyond the walls, the Caribbean coast unfolds into the pristine beaches of the Rosario Islands and the colonial port of Santa Marta. Tayrona National Park is where jungle-backed beaches meet coral reefs at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, the world’s highest coastal mountain range.

For something beyond the tourist trail, the fishing village of La Boquilla sits twenty minutes from the old town. Local fishermen run traditional canoe trips through the mangrove channels, and the Batambora drum school offers hands-on Afro-Colombian percussion. Cartagena's nightlife pulses with champeta and salsa, a current that crests in February at the Barranquilla Carnival, the second-largest in the world.

Wax palm trees towering over rolling green hills in Colombia's Cocora Valley with misty Andes mountains

ANDES & COFFEE

Coffee Country in the clouds

Colombia's Coffee Triangle (Eje Cafetero) is a UNESCO Cultural Landscape draped over the lush hills of the central Andes. Stay at traditional fincas, learn the bean-to-cup process, and walk through cloud forest into the surreal Cocora Valley, home to the world's tallest palms, rising sixty metres above the cattle pasture.

Salento is the gateway, colourful balconies, artisan shops, narrow streets that fill on weekends. The haciendas around Montenegro run horseback rides through coffee-covered mountains, ending with a fresh tinto on the veranda. The whole region moves to a quieter rhythm: hot mornings, cool nights, the smell of roasting beans.

INTO THE JUNGLE

Colombia's Lost City

Colombia's ultimate trek is the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida), a four-to-six day jungle hike to a 1,200-year-old Tairona civilisation site that predates Machu Picchu by 650 years. The trail passes through dense tropical forest, river crossings, and indigenous Kogi communities who still consider the site sacred.

For nature lovers, the Amazon around Leticia offers riverside lodges and encounters with pink river dolphins. Caño Cristales, accessible only a few months per year, is a river that turns red, yellow, green, blue, and black from aquatic plants, earning its nickname as the most beautiful river in the world. The Tatacoa Desert in Huila is Colombia's second-largest arid zone, with striking red and grey rock formations perfect for stargazing.

BETWEEN PLACES

Wilder Colombia

Cabo San Juan at sunrise, Tayrona National Park
The red river plants of La Macarena
El Peñol, the great rock above the Guatapé lakes
Colourful houses with painted zócalo panels along a cobblestone street in Guatapé, Antioquia, Colombia

CITIES & STREET ART

Cities, colour, street art

The painted pueblos of Antioquia, Jardín, Guatapé, El Peñol, are destinations in their own right: bright facades, intricate door panels, alleyways covered in murals. Climb the 740 steps of La Piedra at Guatapé for a panoramic view over the lake-and-island landscape below.

An hour away, Medellín, once synonymous with cartel violence, has transformed into a model city of innovation and culture. Ride the cable cars over the hillside barrios, visit the Botero Museum, and walk the open-air galleries of Comuna 13, once the city's most dangerous neighbourhood and now covered in striking street art with escalators built into the hillside.

Bogotá rewards at least two nights. The Gold Museum holds over 55,000 pre-Columbian gold pieces, the largest such collection in the world. La Candelaria's colonial quarter is full of street art and hole-in-the-wall restaurants; the funicular up Monserrate (3,150m) opens onto the entire city. La Macarena, at the foot of the hills, has become Bogotá's culinary hub.

Practical answers

Know before you go to Colombia

  • Getting there

    Non-stop, about 11 hours

    Avianca flies non-stop from London Heathrow to Bogotá every day, in about 11 hours. With one change in Madrid, Paris, Frankfurt or Zurich it takes about 13 and a half to 15 and a half hours. Cartagena, Medellín and the coffee region are a short domestic flight from Bogotá. We book your flights with the trip, so the whole holiday is ATOL protected.

  • Language

    Spanish

    Spanish. English is spoken in hotels and by guides in the main cities and tourist areas, and much less in small towns, so a few words of Spanish go a long way.

  • Money

    Pesos, and cards work in cities

    The Colombian peso (COP). Cards are accepted in most hotels and restaurants in the cities. Carry cash for markets, taxis, tips and smaller towns, where cards are less common.

  • Plugs

    Type A and B, 110 V

    Colombia uses type A and B plugs (flat pins, as in the US) at 110 V and 60 Hz. UK devices need an adapter. Most phone and laptop chargers take either voltage, but a UK hairdryer is made for 230 V and may not work properly at 110 V, so check its label.

  • Phone and internet

    An eSIM is easiest

    Buy an eSIM before you leave or a local SIM from Claro, Movistar or Tigo with your passport. Signal is good in the cities and towns, and weaker in the countryside and the mountains. Hotels have wifi.

  • Time zone

    5 hours behind the UK

    Colombia is on UTC minus 5 all year, with no daylight saving. That is 5 hours behind the UK in winter and 6 hours behind in British Summer Time.

  • Tap water

    Treated in Bogotá and Medellín

    Tap water in Bogotá and Medellín is treated and meets Colombian standards. Elsewhere, or if you have a sensitive stomach, drink bottled water, which is cheap and easy to find.

  • Tipping

    10 percent, your choice

    Restaurants often suggest a 10 percent tip on the bill. By law it is voluntary, you can say no, and a suggested tip can never be more than 10 percent. A small tip for guides and drivers at the end of the trip is welcome.

  • Visa and entry

    No visa for up to 90 days

    UK passport holders can currently visit Colombia for tourism without a visa for up to 90 days. You can ask to extend it in Colombia by up to 120 days, to a maximum of 180 days in any 12 months. You need an onward or return ticket. If your flights connect through the US you also need a US ESTA. Check gov.uk before you book and again before you fly.

  • Health and vaccinations

    Check 4 to 6 weeks before

    TravelHealthPro, the UK travel health service, recommends hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid for most visitors and says routine jabs should be up to date. It recommends yellow fever vaccination for some areas, but generally not for trips only to Bogotá, Cartagena or Medellín. Costa Rica and Panama ask for a yellow fever certificate if you arrive from Colombia. Mosquitoes spread dengue and other viruses, so pack a good repellent. See your GP or a travel nurse 4 to 6 weeks before you go.

These answers are a guide as of 2026. Entry rules change, so check the UK government travel advice for Colombia before you book and again before you fly. For vaccinations, TravelHealthPro's Colombia page has the full advice.

Which eSIM should I buy for Colombia?

An eSIM gets your phone online as soon as you land. You buy it online, install it at home on wifi and switch it on when you arrive. Most phones from the last few years take one: if yours does, its settings will offer "Add eSIM". All three below work in Colombia; where they differ is how you pay for data.

  • Best for set data

    Airalo

    Airalo has the widest choice of plan sizes and a Latin America plan if you are visiting more than one country. When we checked, it was usually the cheapest for a set amount of data, such as 10 GB.

  • Best for a laptop

    Saily

    Saily is priced close to Airalo, the app is simple, and it puts no limit on hotspot use, so it is a good pick if you need to connect a laptop. Our code TRAVELFAB takes 10 percent off.

  • Best for unlimited

    Holafly

    Holafly sells unlimited data only, priced by the number of days, so you never have to keep an eye on it. Sharing it as a hotspot is capped at 1 GB a day. Our code TRAVELFAB takes 5 percent off.

For maps, WhatsApp and photos, 5 GB is plenty for two weeks, and a set amount of data is the cheaper way to buy it. For video calls or working on the road, go unlimited.

We may earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It never adds to your price, and it does not change which one we suggest.

Before you book

Your Colombia holiday questions

UK citizens do not need a visa for tourist visits of up to 90 days. In Colombia you can ask to stay up to 120 days longer, to a maximum of 180 days in any 12 months. Your passport must be valid when you arrive, and Colombia recommends at least six months left after the date you leave. No vaccinations are compulsory, but yellow fever vaccination is recommended if visiting areas below 2,300m, including the Caribbean coast, Amazon, and Coffee Triangle.

Wondering how you get there? Read our guide to flights to Colombia from the UK, with routes, flight times and what a return costs in 2026.

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What our customers say

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They organised excellent accommodation and transfers from airport to destination and between destinations which was seamless and gave us peace of mind for our trip. We stayed in the nicest casa particular in Havana right on the outskirts of the major hustle of the old town but within walking distance to every site and lots of lovely restaurants. Our hotel in Varadero had 5 a la carte restaurants which were delicious and wonderful beaches! Would definitely go back to Cuba and use TravelFab again.

Annabelle

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Excellent service. Fabien responded to all our queries promptly and efficiently and was always willing to spend time talking to us. The itinerary was well-considered and well-organised with an adequate amount of time in each location. Locations were varied and interesting. The service provided by the B&B owners was good to outstanding. The organisation of the coach services for transfers from one destination to another was super with comfortable journeys in clean, air-conditioned coaches. Thanks, TravelFab!

David

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Travel Guides & Tips

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Tailor-made · ATOL 10898

Plan your tailor-made Colombia trip

Tell us when you want to travel, who with, and roughly what budget you have in mind. A Latin America specialist replies within one working day with a bespoke proposal.

Plan a tailor-made Colombia trip