100% customisable travel idea
Giant Palm Trees, Cabañas and Zip Lines Active Colombia with Teens
Colombia - Bogotá - Salento - Cafe Region - Medellín - Tayrona National Park - Cartagena
100% customisable travel idea
Colombia - Bogotá - Salento - Cafe Region - Medellín - Tayrona National Park - Cartagena
100% customisable for you
Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed and privately transferred to the lively Chapinero Alto district, where you’ll settle in for two nights. Shaped and lovingly restored by a pair of designers, your hotel stands out for its three elegant brick houses dating back to 1910. Decor touches by local artists give each space a unique character. The rooms feature soft colours and contemporary furnishings. The landscaped communal areas add a refreshing tropical touch to the whole. The café, open all day, offers a culinary experience far beyond what you might expect from a typical hotel restaurant, using produce from the organic farm just outside the city. You’re also ideally located to explore the capital with ease.
Bogotá is a city of contrasts, perched at an altitude of 2,600 metres (8,530 feet). Its neighbourhoods pulse with a distinctly Andean energy and feature an eclectic mix of architecture: colourful colonial buildings and more recent red-brick apartment blocks. In many places, the painted façades reveal the creativity of local graffiti artists and muralists. In fact, contemporary art is booming and galleries are springing up everywhere. Just like the innovative restaurants in Zona G (for “gastronomic”).Scheduled - a tour of the capital with a private guide. Bogotá is a rich, vibrant city, not always easy to get to know or understand. The best way to experience it is to visit the places where Bogotanos live, stroll through the parks, the markets (especially Paloquemao market), and the streets adorned with many murals - a reflection of the vibrant local art scene, which each year sees more than 2,000 art graduates emerge in different disciplines. During this walk, the city will also reveal its architectural treasures and some highlights such as La Candelaria, the historic centre with colonial and baroque styles and its artists’ studios. A captivating insight into Bogotá and, more broadly, all of Colombia.You won’t want to miss - the Botero Museum and the Gold Museum. During your explorations of the capital, especially after strolling through La Candelaria, make sure to step inside two of the country’s most fascinating museums. First, the Gold Museum. Its exhibitions offer essential insight into pre-Columbian civilisations and are highly aesthetic - something you might not expect from the somewhat austere appearance of the building’s façade. The Botero Museum, dedicated to the famous Colombian artist who made the rounded forms of his characters and subjects his trademark, is just a ten-minute walk away.
Private transfer to the airport and flight to Pereira, in the coffee region. After another transfer, you’ll settle in for three nights in the heart of Cocora Valley. Your hotel is a true haven of peace, with just a handful of rooms reflecting the region’s typical colonial style - warm tones, weathered wooden floors, wooden furniture and touches of local arts and crafts - opening onto lush green mountains and filled with generous natural light. Local cuisine is celebrated here, with ingredients sourced directly from the property's vegetable garden. Arepas (iconic corn cakes from the region, filled with meat, beans or cheese), among other specialities, are homemade and can be enjoyed with a view of the garden. Traditional cheese rolls and delicious fresh fruit are also served.
Salento, a picturesque village in Quindío, sits in the heart of lush mountains and fincas where cows and horses roam peacefully. Standing out from the surrounding greenery, it resembles a patchwork of bright colours displayed on the façades, balconies and shutters of the houses. A charming town renowned for its handicrafts and its view over the entire Cocora Valley, where the landscape is dotted with the delicate and iconic silhouettes of endemic wax palms that seem to reach ever higher. Scheduled - zipline tours above the coffee plantations, in private. Get ready for an adrenaline rush in another valley, the Cauca Valley, home to Colombia’s longest zipline course, stretching over two kilometres (1.2 miles) and featuring no fewer than seven crossings. While flying over coffee fields and forest, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views of the region, with snow-capped peaks as a backdrop. An exhilarating experience - reaching speeds of up to 75 km/h (47 mph) and heights of 100 metres (328 feet) in some places - yet perfectly safe, as a private instructor will accompany you from start to finish.
Scheduled - A day in the Cocora Valley, in private. Setting out from Salento, you’ll head into the stunning Cocora Valley, a lush and humid area of the Andes that offers truly unique landscapes: orchids in every colour growing wherever they please, the famous Andean wax palms, and endless fields dotted with charming haciendas perched in the midst of it all. The hillsides and ridges promise wonderful walks (and views); you can experience them with a private guide who knows the area like the back of their hand. Back in the village, you’ll try your hand at tejo,a game much loved by Colombians. This is an ancient game where players aim at a square target (cancha) covered with clay, with a metal ring and small pouches of powder that explode when struck. It’s addictive!
Private transfer to Pereira airport and flight to Medellín. After another transfer, you’ll check in for two nights at a unique property, halfway between a guesthouse and an actual hotel. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the service is attentive. The décor is superb, with an extensive use of natural fibres, baskets and other woven pieces. The walls display pretty, soft and calming shades. A few antique elements - such as the tiles and furniture - are combined with more contemporary mirrors and lighting, along with local arts and crafts. A contemporary take on Colombia, far from certain clichés. It’s the same story at the restaurant - a café that charmingly embraces its French bistro style. Hearty breakfasts and international dishes are served here. All of this takes place in one of Medellín’s most pleasant and lively districts, El Poblado.
Scheduled - Walk through Medellín in the footsteps of a local. You have an appointment with an authentic Paisa, delighted to share their love for their city with curious visitors. It’s an opportunity to experience the city in a more intimate way, quietly blending into the daily life of its residents, freely discussing local social and cultural issues, neighbourhood transformations, gastronomy and anything else that interests you! The walk unfolds according to each person’s tastes and wishes. You won’t want to miss it - La Casa de la Memoria. Unfortunately, the city of Medellín is inextricably linked to the armed conflicts that have shaken the country, mainly because of drug trafficking. And if it’s not very welcome to share your fascination with Pablo Escobar’s exploits with the locals, it’s because Colombia - and especially the wounded region of Antioquia - wants to move forward. In this sense, the Casa de la Memoria Museum is a wonderful tool for the essential duty of remembrance. For foreign visitors, it is also a place full of insights into the different episodes of violence, explained through photographs, interactive elements and audiovisual displays. It’s a moving exhibition that teaches us much about Colombia’s complex history.
Private transfer to the airport and flight to Cartagena. After another transfer, you’ll settle in for two nights in the San Diego district, in the heart of the old city. The building displays elegant 18th-century architecture, and the rooms have undeniable colonial charm. Some reveal bare stone, others feature exposed beams. Guests can enjoy terraces outdoors, courtyards shaded by climbing plants, and a delightful swimming pool in the middle of a patio. Another pool, perched above, looks out over the city’s tiled rooftops. The restaurant, meanwhile, invites you to sample local flavours, once again sheltered in a small courtyard. A few streets from here stand the Clock Tower and the house of Gabriel García Márquez.
Cartagena exudes Caribbean lifestyle, with a mild climate all year round that fosters a festive atmosphere. Founded in 1533 and known for its colonial architecture, it has inherited a rich history and remains a symbol of prosperity and independence. Often considered the twin sister of Havana - although, unlike the Cuban capital, it has been completely restored - Cartagena was a major Spanish port in South America for a long time. The imposing San Felipe de Barajas and San Fernando de Bocachica fortresses (18th century), where privateers and pirates met their match, still stand as noble witnesses to this history. Prosperous yesterday, prosperous today. As for its religious history, you can follow it along the streets, from the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Alexandria (17th century) to the Palace of the Inquisition (18th century), passing by the Iglesia de San Pedro Claver (17th century), known as the apostle of enslaved Africans.
Already scheduled - ceviche cooking workshop in private. You have an appointment at a restaurant set in a colonial house, where you will prepare a delicious ceviche - a dish of raw fish marinated here with lime juice and coconut - together with a chef. Tasting session.Things to see and do - Walks in the Getsemani district. To reach it from the fortified town, you’ll need to go past the Clock Tower. You’ll then enter a delightfully bohemian district, with colourful alleyways lined with charming houses with colonial façades and many murals that attract urban art enthusiasts. It's no surprise that artists express themselves freely in the area - Getsemani is a historic place of protest, revolution and alternative culture. The vibrant heart of the neighbourhood, the beautiful Plaza Trinidad is always full of life. Between Getsemani and the historic city centre, don’t miss Centenario Park - a charming little green space where sloths, monkeys and iguanas rescued from wildlife trafficking have made their home.
Private transfer to Tayrona and check-in for three nights on the edge of the park, in a small complex of independent cabañas. Pretty and spacious, they are surrounded by nature, giving you a taste of what you’ll see in the nearby park. The modern buildings blend beautifully into their surroundings thanks to a green roof and discreet architecture. Inside, the décor is simple and fresh, with wood and natural tones. Each cabaña opens onto a beautiful wooden terrace with views of the trees. A small pool lets you cool off during the hottest hours, and the lounge chairs are ideal for relaxing during quiet moments.
Opened in the late 1960s, Tayrona National Park fiercely protects 150 km² (58 square miles) of land and 30 km² (12 square miles) of marine areas. The diversity of habitats attracts an equally varied array of wildlife: the canopy stirs as howler monkeys pass by, crocodile eyes come alive in the mangrove, while somewhere hidden in the undergrowth, a feline (oncilla or jaguar) dozes. Numerous trails wind through this Colombian gem, giving visitors a good sense of its highlights. Arrecifes, Arenilla and the beaches inevitably fill up as the day goes on, while offshore, the waters around Aguja Island and Punta de Granate delight divers. A sacred land of the Tayrona tribes who lived here until the arrival of the Spanish, the park closes its doors for several weeks each year for rituals and to renew the land - a request from the indigenous tribes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to help preserve this treasure. Optional - tubing down the Río Don Diego.
Scheduled: Paddleboarding on the Mendihuaca River. The Mendihuaca River rises in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and joins the Caribbean Sea to the east of Tayrona Park. Its calm waters make it an ideal spot to try (or improve your skills at) paddleboarding. During this excursion led by a private instructor, you’ll paddle through lush vegetation, keeping an eye on the riverbanks - you never know when you might spot some local wildlife.
Private transfer to Santa Marta airport and return flight. Night on board, arrival the next day.
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