Colombia & Its Different Cultures

Day 1: Arrive Bogota

Airport transfer and check-in. Take it easy at 2,640m. If you're up for it, walk the Zona Rosa neighbourhood for dinner — it's flat and close to most hotels.

Day 2: Bogota Bike Tour & Gold Museum

Morning guided bike tour through Bogota — covering La Candelaria, parks, fruit markets and street art. The city has one of the world's best cycling networks. Afternoon at the Gold Museum (free, and the collection is extraordinary). Evening tejo experience at a local bar — Colombia's national sport involves throwing heavy metal discs at gunpowder-filled targets. It's loud, social and involves beer.

Day 3: Salt Cathedral & Villa de Leyva

Morning excursion to Zipaquira for the Salt Cathedral — a full cathedral carved 200 metres inside a salt mine. It's far more impressive than it sounds. Continue north to Villa de Leyva, a colonial town preserved almost exactly as it was in the 1700s. Check in and walk the enormous cobblestone plaza before dinner.

Day 4: Fly to Pereira — Coffee Region

Morning transfer back towards Bogota for the flight to Pereira. Check in to a traditional finca in the coffee zone. Afternoon at leisure — hammock on the veranda, hummingbirds in the garden, coffee from the farm next door.

Day 5: Cocora Valley & Salento

Drive to the Cocora Valley and hike among the towering wax palms — the tallest palm species on earth, some over 60m. The trail goes through cloud forest with good birding. Afternoon in Salento for coffee tasting at a working farm and browsing the artisan shops. Return to your finca.

Day 6: Fly to Medellin

Transfer to Pereira airport for the flight to Medellin. Check in at El Poblado. Afternoon free to explore the neighbourhood — restaurants, wine bars, and the Parque Lleras area.

Day 7: Medellin Transformation Tour & Comuna 13

Full-day Medellin experience. Morning covering the city's transformation story: the metro cable, the library parks built in former conflict zones, and Plaza Botero. Afternoon guided graffiti tour of Comuna 13 — the outdoor escalators, the art, the music, and the personal stories from local guides who grew up there.

Day 8: Fly to Santa Marta — Tayrona

Morning flight to Santa Marta. Transfer to accommodation near Tayrona National Park. Afternoon at the beach or exploring the town of Taganga.

Day 9: Tayrona National Park

Full day in Tayrona. Hike from the park entrance through jungle to Cabo San Juan beach — a spectacular bay with boulders, palm trees and howler monkeys overhead. Swim, have lunch at the beach restaurant, and hike back. The round trip takes about 5 hours including beach time. Optional: stay at the park's basic camping or hammock accommodations.

Day 10: Transfer to Cartagena

Morning drive along the coast to Cartagena (about 4 hours). Check in and spend the afternoon exploring the walled city. Guided walking tour covering the Clock Tower, the main plazas, and San Pedro Claver. Walk the old city walls at sunset for your last evening in Colombia.

Day 11: Departure

Breakfast, then transfer to Cartagena airport for your departure flight.