Family Adventure in Colombia

Welcome to Colombia! Over the next few days, let yourself be inspired by the hospitality and the small everyday treasures of Colombia, try typical delicacies and the fresh fruit!

Transfer from Bogotá airport to the hotel.

Take a walk to get to know the contrast between the modern and historical part of the city of Bogotá. Walk through the passages of the Paloquemao market, full of merchants offering fresh products from the countryside that gives this region, taste a delicious fruit juice that calls your attention and be impressed with the colors of the outdoor flower market. Walk through the mythical district of La Candelaria, decorated with its colorful colonial houses, located in the old center of the city, in its main square or Plaza de Bolívar.

There you will find the government district, the Primate Cathedral of Colombia, the Palace of Justice, the Parliament and the Mayor’s Office, an important place for its historical events. Visit the famous museum of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, where you will find from his sculptures in different materials, to the paintings that have made him a recognized artist, additional know an exceptional collection of contemporary art, with artists like Van Gogh, Picasso, among others. Walk through the halls of the Gold Museum, to see a unique collection of pre-Columbian gold jewelry, made by the indigenous communities that inhabited Colombia. If the weather is good, a short cable car ride will take you to the hill of Monserrate. From the top, you will be amazed by the impressive size of the city, which is home to more than eight million inhabitants.

In Bogotá there are around 8000 street artists that tell their stories through graffiti. While doing this tour, you will also admire beautiful pieces, learn more about colombian art, politics and history through its street art. You will discover the socio political background of these pieces that can also be found in art galleries. Have the pleasure to explore the beautiful urban art gallery that Bogotá has become,whose society and legislation have allowed to spread color and creativity.

It’s time to leave the capital to go to the old colonial city of Zipaquirá. You visit its impressive underground church, entirely carved in salt stone, and know more about the history of the salt of the region from the indigenous time until our actual time. Then you continue on the main road towards Ráquira, a traditional and very colorful village. This is the perfect place to find souvenir gifts and test your pottery skills. Open the door of a pottery workshop, the village’s specialty, and look behind the scenes: a craftsman explains the process of creation from the mixing to the firing and decoration. You are ready to create your own masterpiece. Arrival in the late afternoon at Villa de Leyva, the former summer residence of the bishops of Tunja. Take a leisurely stroll through the cobbled streets and head towards the Plaza Mayor to end the day with a delicious meal.

Explore the surroundings of Villa de Leyva on a beautiful walk in the surrounding hills (2 hours, easy level). The view of the old colonial town is magnificent. During the tour you will be able to visit different historical attractions, starting with a visit to the Santo Ecce-Homo monastery, declared one of the 7 wonders of Colombia in 2007. Walk through the charming and colourful garden of the monastery. Then, if you are interested in fossils, you can visit the paleontological research centre. Your next stop could be the Monastery of La Candelaria, also known as the “Monumento Nacional del Silencio”, an Augustinian monastery built in 1604 and considered by some as the oldest in South America.

The surroundings of Villa de Leyva are ideal for cycling, roads with little traffic make this tour pleasant and ideal for visiting sites of interest, with a route of 15 km, with stops to visit sites of interest.

It´s time to continue your journey towards warmer lands in the direction of Barichara. You cross lush pastures and then follow a gorge that stretches towards the Suárez river. You can make a few stops to visit a traditional refinery, taste a typical guava mousse, or taste the Cuajada con Melao, a cheese cream with sugar molasses. Arrive at Barichara located at 1300 m above sea level with a pleasant temperature all year round. Feel free to stroll through the cobbled streets and the colonial architecture of this perfectly preserved village, declared the most beautiful village in Colombia.

The next days you can do a lot of different activities. Enjoy an easy walk accompanied by your guide, begins from Barichara to the small village of Guane (about 2 hours). You will pass through tobacco fields and pastures along this road called the Camino Real. Appreciate the fabulous view of the Suarez River valley and the surrounding mountains. Take advantage of a stop at the Guane Fossil Museum to discover the relics of the indigenous tribe of the same name. If you want to refresh yourself after the effort, try the local specialty: Sabajon. A liquor made from milk, jam, and brandy. Surprising but unavoidable once you arrive in Guane! To return to Barichara, you will take the bus or a tuk-tuk, typical transport in the area.

Barichara is perfect to explore on foot, walk through its streets to discover unique places that with each of its details fall in love. On this tour visit the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the chapel of San Antonio and the chapel of Santa Barbara, where you can see their carved stone and yellow, a possibility to enjoy its unique architecture. Next to the chapel of Santa Barbará there is an open air museum with a view of the mountains and the canyon of the river Suárez is the Parque de las Artes Jorge Delgado Sierra. Here you can walk along a path lined by twenty-two sculptures carved in stone by artists from the region and eleven countries. From the viewpoint at the top of the town, you can see the Suarez River Canyon, Yariguies National Park, the municipalities of Galan, La Fuente and Zapatoca, enjoy its unforgettable sunsets and trails that tell stories that seduce each of its visitors. Visit places that transform the materials of the region such as stone, mud, fique or cotton. In this foundation of mothers who are heads of families, they work in the production of paper through the use of natural fibers. Visit the Barichara Workshop School Foundation in a beautiful house that used to be a school and now trains technologists and technicians in trades such as: bookbinding, Guane backpack weaving, horizontal cotton loom weaving, ceramics, baking, cooking and music.

Early in the morning you can set off for a short 1.5 hour walk around Barichara to reach the Alfanía farm. On arrival you will be welcomed by the coffee farmers, who will take you on a walk through the coffee plantations and share with you their knowledge of the cultivation and processing of this black gold. The experience ends with a delicious cup of coffee and a brunch of typical tamales, chorizos and arepas in the main house.

In the early morning you leave Barichara and drive to San Vicente de Chucurí. The path that passes through the Canyon del Chicamocha, where, if conditions permit, you can cross the canyon by cable car and enjoy a fantastic view of the deep gorge. You will have the opportunity to look back over the canyon and after a short break you will go to San Vicente de Chucurí. The route to San Vicente del Chucurí is marked by the Topocoro reservoir, created in 2014. The lake is part of the Hidrosogamoso Project, a large hydroelectric power plant that generates energy from the Sogamoso River. A newly built road runs along the eastern shore of the reservoir and offers an impressive view of imposing bridges. The new road has considerably shortened the travel time, so that San Vicente, the center of Colombian cocoa cultivation, is now easily accessible.

Today’s program is a gourmet tour to the cocoa plantations. Accompanied by a local producer, you will discover the different colors of the cocoa fruits, from yellow to purple and green, and learn all about the transformation of a precious bean into delicious chocolate. You will be able to grind your own chocolate and take a sample home with you. After this great experience, you return to your hotel.

Transfer from San Vicente de Chucurí to Bucaramanga airport.

Flight from Bucaramanga to Cartagena.

Transfer from Cartagena airport to the hotel.

Get to know the picturesque streets of Cartagena, its republican and colonial architecture full of history such as the Plaza de la Aduana, where the slave market, the Plaza de Bolívar and the Gold Museum used to be, admire the Inquisition Palace and appreciate the architecture of the Heredia Theatre. In the old city meet the convent and church of San Pedro Claver with its construction of the mid-seventeenth century, walk through Las Bóvedas place that houses a colorful craft market. Visit the Castle of San Felipe, one of the most important forts in the city built on the mountain by the Spanish, during the tour you will be able to contemplate a spectacular view of the city and its coasts. Climb to the highest point of the city to visit the old Convent of La Popa and enjoy the panoramic view of the city.

Day at leisure.

OPTION 1:

Explore the village of La Boquilla, this tour takes you to a small fishing village. Once you arrive in the village (about 30 minutes from the city center), you will board a canoe and cross the mangrove forest and the Juan Polo marsh. You will pass through natural mangrove tunnels such as the Friendship Tunnel, the Love Tunnel, and the Tunnel of Luck. In the swamp, you will see the fishermen at work. The perfect word to describe this beautiful landscape is “peace”. The mangrove forest offers a wide variety of wildlife and fluids. You will see, among other things, different species of birds and crabs and hopefully, a raccoon or green parrot will appear on the banks. After the canoe trip, you will receive fresh coconut water. Then you will walk in the village and on the beach accompanied by your guide who will explain the daily life of this population living mainly from fishing.

OPTION 2:

Cartagena has the biggest aviary in Latin America, around two thousand wonderful birds with exotic and coloured feathers fly across the surroundings of Colombia’s National Aviary, located in Barú Island. Enjoy the most wonderful tour around 7 different environments, with 21 exhibitions and more than 1900 specimens of the 165 bird species. Moreover, you will explore three ecosystems: rainforest, coastline and desert,and a trail, six metres high. An exclusive and expert guide will come along with you during your visit. You have the opportunity to interact with hundreds of birds in one of the biggest and outdoor aviaries of South America. Wander the space that serves as a home for captive breeding preservation and reproduction of endangered species like: harpy eagles, different species of macaws, flamingos, storks, alcaravanes, parrots, condors, cardinals and paujiles. You can also visit the migrating birds that arrive to the aviary’s 21 stations.

Transfer from the hotel to Cartagena airport.

It’s time to say goodbye to Colombia. You will leave your hotel in order to return to Bogotá where you will wait for your international flight.