Today you start your Colombian adventure!
A driver will be waiting for you at arrivals and will bring you directly to your cozy hotel in the historic center of Bogotá. Depending on your arrival time, you will have some free time to calmly acclimatize, get used to the altitude, and relax.
Accommodation: Hotel Casa de la Vega
After your breakfast you will be brought back to the airport so you can take a flight to the beautiful, green and mountainous south of Colombia.
From the airport you will be brought to your hotel in San Agustin that is surrounded by the green mountains that are so characteristic for the area.
After installing yourself in the beautiful lodge, you will leave the accommodation to get a first impression of the mysterious San Agustin and its rich history.
Accommodation: Akawanka Lodge
You will start day 3 with a visit to the archaeological park of San Agustin. This is the perfect place to learn more about the mysterious pre-Columbian San Agustin culture. The park is an open-air museum and is an important UNESCO world heritage site. An English-speaking guide will make sure to tell you everything there is to know about the many statues the park holds.
After visiting the park, it will be time to visit a couple of places in the surroundings of San Agustin. Your guide will drive you to some locations in the mountains where you can find different statues and tombs belonging to the San Agustin culture so you can admire these archaeological findings in their original site. Click here for more information on this tour.
Don’t forget to keep your eyes open while driving around because the surroundings are wonderfully green, with all kind of plantations on the hillsides, and with hidden waterfalls between the bushes and forests.
Accommodation: Akawanka Lodge
You will have the morning to enjoy the last moments in San Agustin, so you will take advantage of this time to visit some more archaeological sites and natural attractions in the surroundings with an experienced guide.
In the afternoon you will set course for Popayán, La Ciudad Blanca. This drive will take around 4 hours, but, luckily for you, it will take you through gorgeous landscapes on which you can let your eyes feast! The hotel in Popayán is located right in the historical center, so immediately after arriving you can start discovering this “white” city.
Accommodation: Hotel Dann Monasterio
Early in the morning, you will be brought to a specific place in the mountains where it is known that condors live in the surroundings. This particular spot is located 1.5 hours’ driving from Popayán, and the gorgeous condors can usually be spotted flying over the immense valley. An indigenous guide will accompany you and feed the condors on a rocky outcrop.
You will have to hide in the bushes and then hopefully see the condors descend to devour the meat. This spectacle will happen at a distance of more or less 10 meters from your hiding place. The guide will make sure that everything goes smoothly and safe. For more information on this Condor Feeding Tour, click here.
After condor spotting you will be taken for a walk in the surrounding mountains so you can admire the typical mountain flora and fauna of this area. If it is a clear day, you will be able to see the Purace Volcano. After the walk it will be time to return to Popayán.
Accommodation: Hotel Dann Monasterio
Today is Tuesday and this is a very important day in the whole province. It is the day that the indigenous group, The Guambianos, gather in the village of Silvia. They live scattered in the mountains around Popayan and are known for their gorgeous traditional blue and pink clothing, with a special type of hat. On this day, market day, they wear their typical clothes and come to the village to sell their produce and buy products they need for the week. This market day offers an interesting insight in the lives of this indigenous community.
You will be brought to Silvia after your breakfast so you can witness this colorful local event with your own eyes. Remember to go have a look in the market hall where many of them come together, but the Guambianos will also be selling their products in the streets itself. They come and go to this event in their typical colorful buses called “Chivas”. Click here for more information on the Silvia Indigenous Market.
In the afternoon, when the market is finishing, you will be brought to Tierradentro. Silvia is on the way to Tierradentro from Popayan so you won´t have to spend too much time anymore in the car. After a drive of 2 hours through the beautiful mountains you will arrive to your hotel in Tierradentro.
Accommodation: Hotel El Refugio
The archaeological tour of Tierradentro will take a full day. You will leave in the morning with a local indigenous guide to discover this area by foot. He will bring you to the first circular tombs that can be found all over the region. Not only the tombs are absolutely beautiful but also the spectacular mountains of Tierradentro and the department.
The not-to-be-underestimated walk will take 4 to 5 hours, but you will be given time to rest, enjoy the views, get explanations by your expert guide, and have lunch in time.
Accommodation: Hotel El Refugio
On day 8 you will leave the green and mountainous Tierradentro and go to the dry and reddish Tatacoa desert. This is a drive of about 6 hours, and you will be able to see how the landscapes gradually change and the temperature rises as you get closer to the desert.
You will be brought directly to your hotel in the town of Villavieja, which is located right at the start of the desert. The hotel is a renovated colonial-style mansion with a very nice courtyard and a refreshing swimming pool.
Accommodation: Hotel Casa del Angel
You will start the day with a typical Colombian breakfast and after that it will be time for the Tatacoa desert tour. Together with a local guide you will discover the weird landscapes of one of the most arid zones in Colombia.
The tour lasts around 4 hours and you will notice that a part of the desert is reddish while another part is rather yellowish. You will see giant cacti and weird rock formations everywhere along the tour (click here for more information about this tour).
Accommodation: Hotel Casa del Angel
After a delicious breakfast it will be time to set course for the famous coffee zone of Colombia. It will be a serious drive of about 8 hours, but you will make the necessary stops and you will always be able to ask the driver to stop to take pictures of the impressive landscapes.
By nightfall, you will arrive at Reverie Lodge, which is surrounded by lush gardens and the rolling green landscapes that make Colombia’s coffee region so unique. From everywhere, including your cabin, you can take in wide views over the mountains and their plantations, while the different viewpoints around the property invite you to slow down and connect with nature.
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Accommodation: Reverie Lodge
In the morning you will leave your beautiful hacienda to pay a visit to the Cocora Valley. You will make an amazingly beautiful walk in the valley that is dotted with large palm trees. These peculiar trees are the national tree of Colombia, the Quindio Wax Palm tree, and they can get as high as 60 meters.
Afterwards, you will visit Salento, a colonial town nested at the feet of the Cocora Valley, where you will have the opportunity to walk around and take pictures of the cute colorful houses. Click here to see all details of this fantastic tour.
Accommodation: Reverie Lodge
In the morning it will be time to discover Colombia’s alternative gold: coffee! You will take part in a coffee tour on the plantations of the hotel. Like this you will learn, from seed to end product, how the processes are to get to a coffee as delicious as the Colombian one. Of course, you will be given the chance to try out different coffees from the region.
In the afternoon you will have some free time to relax in the hotel and enjoy the birds and flowers of the garden.
Accommodation: Reverie Lodge
Day 13 will start early. At 05:00 you will be picked up by our English speaking guide at your accommodation. He will drive you all the way up in the mountains to Parque de los Nevados. This is a national park with glaciers, impressive valleys, paramos and snow-capped mountain peaks.
Around 08:30 you will arrive in El Potosi, where you will be served a typical Colombian breakfast. After fueling your stomach and muscles you will start your walk to La Laguna del Otun. This is a walk at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level that lasts around 5 hours.
It is a walk of medium difficulty and it will be relatively relaxing as it is mainly a flat path. At this elevation there is a 100% páramo vegetation, which is so unique and specific for the mountains in Colombia.
Around 2 pm you are expected to be back in El Potosi to have lunch. From there you will start your drive to one of the best bird-watching spots in the world.
Accommodation: Tinamu Birding Reserve
Today is bird-watching day! Your day will start at 06:00 with a discovery walk in the reserve since the earlier the better for spotting birds. You will be guided and accompanied by a bird specialist.
At 08:00 you will have breakfast, and half an hour later it will be time for the next guided walk in the reserve with your bird-watching specialist.
Around 12:00 it will be time for lunch, and afterwards you will go for a third birdwatching walk in the reserve, or you could opt to relax in the gardens watching the hummingbirds feed.
Each trail is specifically made for bird watching, and there have been at least 220 different bird species spotted in the reserve. Your guide is a true specialist and will give you as much explanation as possible.
By nightfall you will be brought to the airport of Pereira (a 1-hour ride), so you can take a flight back to Bogotá.
Accommodation: Casa de la Vega
Time has come to discover the historical center of Bogotá. An English-speaking guide will pick you up after breakfast and take you for an exploration tour through La Candelaria.
You will walk over the picturesque cobblestone streets of the oldest neighborhood in Colombia, La Candelaria. This neighborhood is home to a collection of interesting museums, like the Botero Museum. This is one of the most prominent places where you can admire the work of Colombia’s most famous contemporary artist, Fernando Botero.
Bogotá also holds the famous Gold Museum where you can let yourself be amazed by the biggest collection of pre-Latin gold artifacts. You will also pay a visit to Plaza de Bolívar, Chorro de Quevedo, and Eje Ambiental with your passionate guide.
Accommodation: Hotel Casa de la Vega
Today you will explore the beautiful surroundings of Bogotá. Your English-speaking guide will pick you up after breakfast for an awesome day to the mysterious Guatavita Lake and the impressive Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá.
You will start by visiting Guatavita and continue your exploration day with a typical lunch. Afterwards, it will be time to discover the salt cathedral. This is an active salt mine, 120 meters deep, with statues and crosses carved out of salt.
Around the start of the evening, you will be dropped off at your hotel in Bogotá center. Click here for more information on this Guatavita and Zipaquira tour.
Accommodation: Hotel Casa de la Vega
After discovering the green areas of Colombia, time has come to start thinking about turning back to your home country. You will be dropped off at the airport and this will mean the end of your beautiful trip.
All local flights.
Land transport, tours, and accommodation as mentioned in the itinerary.
Breakfast in each hotel.
Premium Travel Insurance (Click here to see what is included)
24/7 support from the Lulo Colombia staff.
The use of one of Lulo’s mobile phones on your trip.
A local SIM card with emergency credit.
A travel application with access to all details of your trip.
International flight.
Not mentioned services and meals.
Price based on group of 2.
Price is subject to change, depending on availability of hotels and flights.
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