Colombia: Wild Beauty

Airport pickup in Bogotá and hotel check-in. Dinner and a chance to meet the group.

We’ll ride up to Bogotá’s highest point, Monserrate, where at 3,000 m you get a sweeping view of the city and the green Andes. Then we’ll stroll through the historic center of La Candelaria, where grand colonial architecture sits side by side with graffiti-covered walls, modern shops, and coffee houses.
We’ll learn about Colombia’s past and present, and at a local market we’ll taste exotic fruits, some of which I’m sure you’ve never even heard of.
Overnight in Bogotá.

Just one hour by plane and we’ll find ourselves in one of Colombia’s most picturesque corners. The Eje Cafetero, or Coffee Triangle, is where the famous Colombian coffee is grown. We’ll visit a coffee farm to learn how coffee beans are grown, harvested, processed, and roasted, pick some ourselves, and taste Colombia’s signature drink. We’ll stay at an authentic eco-lodge.

Today we’ll hike through one of the most beautiful places in the country: the Valley of the Wax Palms. This tree is endemic to Colombia, its national symbol, and the tallest palm in the world. Set against mist-covered hills, the slender palms look striking and almost mystical.
Unlike many visitors, we won’t stop at taking photos at the valley entrance. Instead, we’ll do the full 12 km loop trail. We’ll walk through the scenic valley, then dive into the cool of the tropical rainforest, and we’re guaranteed to see hummingbirds! After lunch, we’ll head back to our lodge to rest.
Duration: 4–6 hours; elevation gain: 1,000 m.

Flight to Colombia’s most beautiful city, Cartagena. We’ll arrive in the evening, when the heat has eased and the city has a festive feel. And of course, we’ll try Caribbean cuisine, the most delicious in Colombia.

Today we’ll explore Cartagena by daylight, admiring its colonial architecture and the tropical flowers everywhere. After lunch there will be free time for shopping. Cartagena is full of souvenir stalls and shops selling clothing, ceramics, home décor, and more, making it the best place to buy gifts for yourself and your loved ones. For women, it’s also a fashion paradise, with local designers offering dresses, sarongs, and swimsuits in bright tropical colors.
In the evening, we’ll watch the sun set right into the sea from one of the city’s viewpoints.

Transfer to Santa Marta, the first city founded by the Spanish in Colombia. We’ll check into an eco-lodge near Tayrona National Park, a vast tropical park home to abundant wildlife and to Indigenous peoples who still maintain their connection to nature.
After the transfer, free time to rest: take a walk on the beach or simply relax at the hotel

No introduction to the Caribbean is complete without a swim! Today we’ll take an easy 3-hour hike along well-trodden trails in Tayrona National Park. Here, palm leaves rustle gently, waves crash dramatically against huge boulders, and the sea shows every side of its character: there are calm beaches for swimming as well as spots best suited for watching the ocean’s power. We’ll return on horseback, riding the park’s gentle horses. Overnight at the eco-lodge.

In the morning, anyone who wishes can go tubing: floating down the slow current of a river on an inner tube. It’s a safe and relaxing activity, and with some luck we may spot birds and animals. Tubing is paid separately.

After lunch, we’ll visit a village of the Arhuaco people, who still preserve their traditions and a close connection with nature. After a 20-minute walk through the rainforest, we’ll reach their settlement and talk with the residents and even the community’s spiritual leader, the mamo. It’s a chance to see how the descendants of the ancient Tayrona civilization, which once inhabited these lands, live today. No staged dances or tourist gimmicks, just genuine contact with these people.

We return to the capital. For some, this will be the last day of the tour; others will be getting ready for the Amazon.
In the evening, we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner. Part of the group will fly home the next day, and the rest of us will head to Leticia, where our Amazon adventure begins.

Flight from Bogotá to Leticia (2 hours). We’ll head to the Tacana River, 11 km from town. From there, a guide will lead us on a two-hour walk along jungle trails to a maloca, the traditional house of the Uitoto people. Our hosts will serve us lunch, and after a rest we’ll walk to the border between Colombia and Brazil, keeping an eye out for forest wildlife along the way. Back at the maloca, we’ll learn how mambe is prepared and why the coca plant is so important to the Uitoto people. After dark, we’ll set out on a night walk (1–2 hours): the jungle at night is a whole different world, full of sounds and unexpected encounters. Overnight in hammocks with mosquito nets right inside the maloca.

In the morning, we’ll drive to Leticia and board a boat to travel along the Amazon and the Javari River to a guesthouse in Sacambú, in the heart of the flooded forest between Brazil and Peru. After lunch and some rest, we’ll go piranha fishing. Then we’ll head out on the Javari in search of pink and gray river dolphins, swim in one of Sacambú’s lakes, and watch the sunset over the water. After dinner, we’ll go out by boat again, this time looking for caimans, whose eyes glow in the dark. If the season allows, we’ll also take a night walk through the flooded forest. Overnight at the guesthouse in Sacambú.

We’ll start the morning with a leisurely boat ride along the Sacambú River, taking in the scenery and local wildlife. Then we’ll stop by a Peruvian village where, if we’re lucky, we’ll see the pirarucu (Arapaima gigas), one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. After lunch at the guesthouse, we’ll take the boat back to Leticia and fly to Bogotá.

We say goodbye to Colombia, but not with an “Adiós” (farewell); instead, with a “Hasta luego” (see you later). This welcoming land will be happy to greet you again and show you more of its natural beauty.