Colombia

Starting Price:	$4,053.00
Trip Length:	8 days
Includes airfare allowance from Miami (US)

Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral

Cartagena

Tayrona National Park

Bogotá, Cartagena and Tayrona National Park

Description Pricing Itinerary Hotels

Before too many other travelers catch on to Colombia, see three of the most exceptional and distinctive national highlights: Bogotá, a capital city rife with culture and spirit; Cartagena, an archetypal Colombian city, and a UNESCO World Heritage site; and Tayrona a national park with a notably high concentration of biodiversity, where you’ll have 37,000 acres of white Caribbean beaches and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada at your feet.

During your 4 days in Bogotá, you’ll visit the Gold Museum, Monserrate, Plaza Bolívar, La Candelaria and Zipaquirá‘s Underground Salt Cathedral, and after that, during your 3 days in Cartagena you’ll see the walled city of Old Cartagena, and you’ll have the option to see the Rosario Islands (or the Totumo Volcano).

Then you’ll take a 5-hour transfer from Cartagena to Tayrona National Park, located on Colombia’s northern Atlantic coast near Santa Marta. The main entrance to the park at El Zaino leads to solitary bays, unspoiled beaches, coral reefs, mangroves and mountains.

We offer a choice of 3-, 4-, 5-star and deluxe hotels. In Cartagena the deluxe option is the Casa del Arzobispado or the Quadrifolio Hotel. Cartagena has more than a few fine hotels in the old section of the city; please inquire about these options with one of our travel consultants. Accommodation in Tayrona National Park is in Ecohabs, round, ecologically-friendly, two-floor cabins with thatched roofs (in the style of Tayrona Indian architecture). Note: All Ecohabs have private bathrooms and are set on a stone base. Please inquire about these options with one of our travel consultants.

This tour includes airfare allowance from Miami (US), on non-holiday dates. You do not need to fly via Miami; Yampu will fly you the most direct way to your city of destination. Depending on your travel dates and proximity of travel, we will quote you the most economical surcharge from your city or country of origin.

Additional information on this trip:

Days of Week the Trip can Start:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Visited Cities:
Bogota, Cartagena, Tayrona National Park

Day 1

Bogotá
Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. Bogotá is a modern capital city with stand-out cultural, intellectual and social draws as well as rich colonial heritage.

Day 2

City tour of Bogotá with Monserrate
First you'll visit the Museo del Oro (whose collection features nearly 34,000 gold objects and 20,000 in stone, ceramic, textiles and precious stones from the Quimbaya, Calima, Tayrona, Sinu, Muisca, Tolima, Tumaco and Magdalena cultures). The Museo de Oro's collection is considered one of the most meaningful and substantial collections of its kind—worldwide. Then you'll head to the historic center known as La Candelaria. Old “casonas” (grand houses marked Spanish influence) with iron windows, thick wooden doors, balconies and internal patios and gardens line the ancient streets. La Candelaria unfolds around the Plaza Bolívar, named after Simón Bolívar, El Libertador. Originally called Plaza Mayor, it was used for civil and military events and as a marketplace, bull ring and execution platform.

Once you leave this area, you'll continue on to la Quinta de Bolívar, the country house of Simon Bolívar. Set at the foot of Cerro de Monserrate and surrounded by impressive gardens, the museum is filled with documents, letters, maps, uniforms and personal possessions.

Notes: You'll travel by cable car up to 10,500 feet to the top of the Mountain that looks over Bogotá; museums closed on Monday.

Day 3

Zipaquirá's Underground Salt Cathedral
As you head to the Salt Cathedral, you'll see the central region of the savanna and pass typical Colombian villages as well as greenhouses (in the Flower Region). The structure of the Salt Cathedral is impressive, to say the least. Our visit there begins in a tunnel that exhibits the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross and leads to the dome from which you can observe the great cross sculpted in low relief. We then arrive at the three naves of the cathedral joined by openings that represent the birth and death of Christ. The central nave houses the main altar; a 16-meter cross; and the Creation of Man, a marble statue sculpted by Carlos Enrique Rodríguez.

Day 4

Bogotá – Cartagena
Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cartagena. Upon arrival transfer to you hotel. Cartagena is the fifth largest city in Colombia and a pivotal, Caribbean port. After numerous pirate attacks in the colonial era, a wall was built to surround the historic city center and protect its inhabitants. Cartagena is now a popular tourist destination that retains its colonial architecture and charm.

Afternoon Old Town Walk
Guided walk along the walled old town. (The walled, colonial city center of Cartagena was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.) You'll see churches; colonial houses (their balconies and other architectural nuances); the Museum that was the residence of the five-time president of the Republic, Rafael Nuńez; the Santa Catalina bastion; and Las Bóvedas (The Dungeons), where you'll find hand-crafted souvenirs.

Day 5

Cartagena
Day set aside for personal activities. A full-day tour of Rosario Islands (South of the Bay of Cartagena) is highly recommended.

Day 6

Cartagena – Tayrona National Park
After breakfast 4-5 hour private transfer to Tayrona National Park. Upon arrival check-in at Ecohabs. Afternoon at leisure.

Tayrona National Park, located on Colombia's northern Atlantic coast near Santa Marta, boasts expansive grounds and high concentration of biodiversity.

Day 7

Tayrona National Park
Free day. Explore Pueblito, lie out on the beach, try snorkeling, go horseback riding, rent a bike or just kick back.

Day 8

Tayrona National Park – Santa Marta – Bogotá
Morning transfer to Santa Marta airport after breakfast followed by a connection to Bogotá to take flight back home or overlap with an add-on of your choice.

Suggested Hotels by City and Category *

Bogota
3-star	Dann Norte
4-star	Morrison
5-star	Sofitel Victoria Regia
Deluxe	Charleston Bogota
Cartagena
3-star	Hotel Caribe, Almirante Estelar, Hotel La India Catalina, or similar.
4-star	Hotel Hilton Cartagena (Bocagrande area), Hotel Bovedas de Santa Clara (Old Town), or similar.
5-star	Sofitel Santa Clara (Old Town), La Merced Hotel Boutique (Old Town), or similar.
Deluxe	Casa del Arzobispado Hotel Boutique (Old Town), Quadrifolio Hotel Boutique (Old Town), La Passion Hotel, or similar.
Tayrona National Park
3-star	Ecohabs

* Subject to confirmation at time of booking

Occupancy Type	3-star	4-star	5-star	Deluxe
Double	$4053	$4392	$4923	$5349
Single	$6433	$7415	$8295	$9139

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