14 Day-Roundtrip Colombia Deep Inside

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Tour Colombia Deep Inside

It is definitely the most beautiful river we have known in our trips around the globe, Caño Cristales is a special place. Also the sunrise with the birds in the Don Diego River, with the sea and the Sierra Nevada in sight, was unforgettable. Closely knowing the enthusiasm of coffee growers at the farms and making contact with the Kogi Indians in the Caribbean were great lessons for life.

(Andrea Langecker, Germany)

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Bogotá
Day 2
Private City Tour Bogotá
Day 3
Flight to La Macarena, La Manigua
Day 4
Caño Cristales, Guayabero River
Day 5
Flight to Armenia and Salento
Day 6
Salento, Cocora Valley and Acaime
Day 7
Coffee Farm and Botanical Garden
Day 8
Flight to Santa Marta and Taironaka
Day 9
Trekking Don Dieguito and Tubing
Day 10
Kogi indians Tungueka, cultural exchange
Day 11
Sunrise Kayaking and Sierra Nevada
Day 12
Day at leisure, Beach Hotel
Day 13
Drive to Cartagena and Cocktails
Day 14
Return Flight

Route & Places

Included Services

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Land package from Bogotá to Cartagena
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Private transport & transfers
✔
Domestic flights
✔
Overnight stays in double room
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Meals: 13xB/3xL/2xD
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Private english speaking guide on tours
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All entrance fees
✔
24h local phone assitance in english

You will find a list of the services included per day in the detailed itinerary of the tour

Pricing

*Comfort category*	*low season*	*high season*
Standard	from 2.395	from 2.495
Superior	from 2.595	from 2.735
Luxury	from 3.295	from 3.445

Prices in USD, per Person in DBL room

High season: 15.12-15.01 + Easter Week. Low Season: rest of the year

The Caño Cristales Park can close in the dry season (January-April). In this case we propose an alternative program in the same area.

Hotel selection

*City*	*Standard*	*Superior*	*Luxury*
Bogotá D.C	3* Hotel Casa Deco	4* NH Boheme Royal	5* Hotel de la Opera
La Macarena	3*+ La Manigua Ecolodge
Armenia	3* Hacienda Combia	4* Hotel El Delirio	5* Hacienda Bambusa
Tayrona	2*+ Taironaka Natural Reserve
Los Naranjos	3* Maloka Barlovento	4* Hotel Casa Tayrona	5* Cayena Beach Villa
Cartagena	3* Hotel Monterrey	4* La Passion Boutique	5* Casa San Agustín

Hotels subject to availability. In case of not having availability, comparable hotels are chosen.

Itinerary

Arrival in Bogotá D.C

We personally welcome you at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá. The Colombian capital is located on a very wide plateau of the Andes at an altitude of 2,600m. We take you to your hotel, deliver a welcome gift and after a brief briefing about the journey that awaits you, we leave you time to rest.

Included: (B/-/), accomodation in DBL, private transfer, english speaking tourguide

Bogotá D.C. City Experience

On a private tour and accompanied by a specialized local guide, we set out to explore the historic center on foot. We visit the emblematic Plaza de Bolívar and the government buildings. We walk the most important streets, visit the Gold Museum (closed on Mondays) and take a look at the most important and beautiful churches in the historic center. Then we take the cable car to go up to Cerro Monserrate (3,150m) and get the best panoramic view of this huge city. We return to the Hotel. Duration: 4-5h

Included: (B/-/), accomodation in DBL, english speaking tourguide, entrance fees

Flight to La Macarena, La Manigua

On your third day of travel you will fly to La Macarena, a city at the foot of the exuberant Serranía that bears the same name, La Macarena. We meet you at the airport and drive to a typical farm of the so-called Región Llanera to learn about the culture and customs of these lands, close to, but very different from, the urban and cosmopolitan Bogotá. We enjoy the sunset on a short horseback ride and then head upstream to our lodge. We can enjoy an authentic natural paradise, our night will be a tropical wild concert, the sound of the jungle.

Included: (B/L/D), accomodation in DBL, flight to La Macarena, transfer to airport, english speaking tourguide in La Macarena, entrance fees, private transportation

Caño Cristales, Guayabero River

Today's tour of the Guayabero river will allow you to closely appreciate the wide variety of birds and other animals in the area. We enter the sector of the famous Caño Cristales that is assigned to us by local entities (National Parks and Cormacarena) and enjoy a full day on this wonderful river, classified by many as the most beautiful on the planet. Lunch will be typical of the region, but above all taken responsibly in this wonderful and fragile ecosystem. The return to the Guayabero river is done by 4x4 vehicle, from there we will transport you by boat to the hotel.

Caño Cristales
Also known as "the river of seven colors", "the melted rainbow" or "the river of the Gods", Caño Cristales is about 100 km long and reaches 20m in its widest parts . It is a succession of rapids, waterfalls and pools that in their bottom house the Macarenia Clavigera species of the Podostemaceae family, an endemic plant of the region that changes its colors with the rays of the sun in a process that goes from intense red to green. We recommend going to Caño Cristales between mid-June and mid-November. This is the rainy season in the region, when the river level is adequate to enjoy the colors of the aquatic plants.

Included: (B/L/D), accomodation in DBL, english speaking tourguide, entrance fees, boat and 4wd transportation

Flight to Armenia and Salento

Today we leave the dense jungle to enter the region that Colombia is famous for, the so-called Eje Cafetero "Coffee Axis". We fly with a stopover in Bogotá and then over the Magdalena River Valley to land in Armenia, the coffee capital in the south of this region. More than 600,000 Colombian families are dedicated to the production of coffee, a product that throughout history has had not only economic but also cultural effects. The greens and hills of the western Andes, the colorful "coffee" architecture with flowers and balconies and the set of customs and rhythms that coffee has brought to the country, are sufficient reasons for the region and its landscapes to gain the title of UNESCO Heritage of Humanity. Once on land, we drive to the Salento area, a landscape and cultural idyll in the middle of the central Andes. Enjoy your afternoon.

Included: (B/-/), accomodation in DBL, flight to Aremania, private transportation and transfers, coffee

Salento, Cocora Valley and Acaime

After an early breakfast, you meet your hiking guide at the hotel and drive to the world-famous Cocora Valley, known for its up to 60m high wax palm trees and its beautiful cloud forests. The 5-6 hour circuit hike begins at 2,400m altitude. Along the cattle fields and the humid ecosystem of the Andean jungle you reach the boundaries of the cloud forest on a steep slope, which offers impressive valley views, to the nature reserve "La Montaña" at 2,900m. After a short picnic, you descend into the Quindio River and reach the Acaime Hummingbird Reserve. The way back to Cocora follows the river. Alternatively, you can take a horseback ride through the palm forests of the valley from Cocora. Return to Salento.

Included: (B/-/), accomodation in DBL, english speaking hiking guide, jeep transportation, entrance fees
Hike data → ← 9km ↓ ↑ 650m, 5-6 hours

Coffee Farm and Botanical Garden

Today we venture to know the very roots of the coffee culture. We move to a farm with a long tradition in the region so that its farmers teach us every step in the process of one of the best coffees in the world, from planting and harvesting, to the good cup of coffee served. We learn by doing and I guarantee you that after this experience, every cup of coffee you drink will be a special moment of remembrance.

In the afternoon we visit the Butterfly and Botanical Garden in Armenia. With its nearly 2000 species of butterflies, 70 species of birds and 600 plant arts on less than 13 hectares, this enclosure of nature is one of the greatest expressions of biodiversity in the country. And being Colombia the second most biodiverse country in the world, be sure that it will be a memorable visit.

Included: (B/-/), accomodation in DBL, english speaking tourguide, private transportation, entrance fees, coffee

Flight to Santa Marta and Taironaka

Today we fly to the Caribbean coast to Santa Marta. The Colombian Caribbean coast is one of the most diverse coastlines in the world. It ranges from the tropical rainforests in the southwest to the Guajira desert in the northeast, in between there are wide lagoon landscapes and the almost 6,000-meter-high coastal mountains in the world, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. After reception at the airport, drive along the interesting coastal road to the idyllic Taironaka nature reserve, where you will spend the next few nights. The last kilometers to the reserve are by motor boat up the Don Diego River. Taironaka is an authentic natural paradise on the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This former Tayrona settlement still offers well-preserved pre-Columbian stone terraces and paths and is also popular today with the direct descendants of the Tayrona, the Kogui. Free evening.

Included: (B/-/), accomodation in DBL, flight to Santa Marta, english speaking tourguide from Santa Marta Airport, private transportation, entrance fees, boat transport

Trekking Don Dieguito and Tubing

After breakfast, we visit the small Tayrona Museum to learn about the history and way of life of this culture. Then you head for a typical bungalow of the Kogui Indians (Bohío) and walk further to pre-Spanish terraces and to a small viewpoint. After lunch, we walk through the lush nature along the “Don Diego” river and reach the mouth of the “Don Dieguito” into the “Don Diego” river after about an hour. Here we can swim in the meeting point of both rivers: the first river with warm waters, the second with somewhat cooler ones. Finally, let yourself drift downriver on a tire tube and reach the nature reserve after about 1 hour.

Included: (B/-/), accomodation in DBL, english speaking guide, tubing guides, equipment, entrance fees

Kogi indians Tungueka, cultural exchange

The indigenous Koguis are the direct descendants of the pre-Columbian Tayrona civilization and are native to the valleys of the Palomino, Don Diego, San Miguel and Ancho rivers. Their population is estimated at 10,000, and their home is the slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Our so-called “big brothers” see themselves as guardians of the Sierra's natural treasure, which in its culture is the center of the world and the origin of all life. Even today they see themselves as guardians of the cosmic balance and are one of the most important and valuable ancient cultures worldwide. We drive along the picturesque coastal road to the village of Rio Ancho, Guajira and hike through the rainforest, along the Río Ancho river, to the indigenous settlement of Tugueka. Here we follow a local coommunity member that will give us a little insight into their everyday life. We also have the opportunity to exchange ideas with the heads of the village. Afterwards we walk to the close by river and have a picnic on a large stone. You have time to jump into the floods before returning to Rio Ancho and the hotel.

Included: (B/L/), accomodation in DBL, english speaking specialist, local tribe member company, donation for community projects, private transportation

Sunrise Kayaking and Sierra Nevada and Beach Hotel

A true nature experience awaits you today. We board paddle boats at sunrise and work our way down the river to the mouth of the Don Diego River in the Caribbean Sea. With a little luck, you will see many howler monkeys on the way and behind you the snow-capped mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. When we arrive at the sea, you can take a relaxed bath in the river or the ocean, have a good coffee and wait for a motorboat to pick you up and brings you back to the reserve. At noon we drive you to your beach Hotel, home for the next 2 nights.

Included: (B/-/D), accomodation in DBL, english speaking guide, equipment, local kayaking guides, boat transportation, coffee

Day at leisure, Beach Hotel

Enjoy a day of rest and at your free disposal on the beach. As an optional tour we can organize a visit to the nearby Tayrona National Park. This is something that we can organize quickly and spontaneously during your trip.

Included: (B/-/D), accomodation in DBL

Drive to Cartagena and Cocktail

Today we pick you up before noon to transfer you to Cartagena. The approximately 5-6 hour drive surprises with a diversity of landscapes, towns and cities. Among others, we cross the Isla Salamanca National Park and its variety of mangroves. After crossing the Magdalena River in one of its widest parts, we will go around the outskirts of Barranquilla, the largest city in the Colombian Caribbean, to take Route 90, a very diverse and beautiful coastal route.

Cartagena de Indias is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in America. Its historic center, walled by the fortifications built in the colonial era, preserves its original architecture and is displayed today in a myriad of colors that fill it with life and Caribbean joy. Its fascinating history as one of the pearls of that time, a place of collection of great treasures and the largest port of slaves in the colonies, gives immense importance to this World Heritage City. The stories about those pirate attacks of great magnitude are present in each of the fortifications that remain intact until today.

We invite you to farewell cocktail in a special place of the city and with staff from our agency.

Note: On this day we can optionally add a private tour of the city of Barranquilla or the city of Cartagena. For this we must leave at 8am from the beach hotel. This is something you can book during your vacation.

Included: (B/-/-), accomodation in DBL, private transportation