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
Bogotá City Tour
After breakfast start in on our private tour 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.
The cathedral beside the square (on the land where Bogotá’s first church was built in 1539) holds weighty collection of liturgical, textile and ornamental objects collected over four centuries. Next to it is the Capilla del Sagrario, known for its superior architecture, and nearby is the Capitolio, built between 1847 and 1926. Influenced by Ionic, Neoclassical and Renaissance styles, it is made of white stone built by several generations of stonemasons. The central area is occupied by the Salón Elíptico, where the meetings of congress take place. The wings house the current Cámara de Representantes and Senate. Busts of former presidents as well as General Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera and Rafael Núńez (the composer of the national hymn) line the internal patio. The tour finishes up in the Palace of Justice.
From there, you'll go to the Museo Botero home to the artwork of Picasso, Renoir, Dalí, Matisse, Monet and Giacometti, to name a few (donated by the artist Fernando Botero and others). After that, you'll head to 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.
Afternoon at leisure. (We recommend checking out another city museum if you're up to it.)
Day 3
Bogotá – Armenia
Transfer to the airport to take your flight to Armenia. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. After check-in you'll take a private tour of the Quimbaya Museum, where you'll see a collection of gold, ceramic and wooden objects dating back to the first, local settlements.
Day 4
Filandia – Valle del Cocora – Salento – Pereira
After breakfast you'll take a private tour of Filandia (known for basket weaving and its “antioqueńo” architecture) and the Cocora Valley. Located within the central mountain range, the Cocora Valley is part of Los Nevados National Park, home to the wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), a tree that can grow to be as tall as 60 meters. The park also boasts many species of birds—such as the hummingbird, the orejiamarillo and the endangered, palmero parrot. The local roads are lined with colonial farm houses with architecture typical of Colombian coffee growing regions. The colonizers, mainly from Antioquia, built houses with wooden columns, tile roofs, and bamboo and mud walls painted in bright colors during the period of the so-called Antioquian colonization. You'll take a short walk to see the palms before you continue to Salento, characterized by colorful, colonial houses. Transfer to Pereira.
Day 5
Pereira – Chinchina – Coffee Farming Region – Manizales
Full-day private tour through coffee plantations set on steep hills. You'll go to one of the area’s coffee producing farms to see the plantation and production system (harvesting, sun drying and processing). (Harvesting in Colombia takes place year round though the principal harvesting months are: October, May and June.) Colombian plants (mainly of the Arabica variety) yield a delicate, light (and well-appreciated) coffee. The coffee process starts after the beans are placed in a germination facility (for about 75 days) and then put in plastic bags (partially exposed to the sun) until they germinate. The small trees are then planted, and they yield their first fruit in about two years. The fruit is harvested once turns bright red (the indication that it has matured). Once the fruit is picked, the pulp is removed, and the beans are washed and sun dried. (Now, most big producers use machinery to clean and dry the beans.) The beans are roasted on-site, sold in grains, ground and exported (ready for consumption). Visit to a “trilladora” after lunch to observe the manual selection of the coffee grains and take part in a tasting. Transfer to Manizales.
Day 6
Manizales
After breakfast you'll set off on a private tour of the town of Manizales, where you'll see Bolívar Square (and a statue by the sculptor Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt), the cathedral, the Republican-style Palacio de la Gobernación, the former train station (now a university), the cable car station, the current seat of the Faculty of Architecture and the wooden cable-car Torre del Herveo, and more. (The cable car used to travel for 44 miles and mainly transported merchandise.) Afternoon at leisure.
Day 7
Manizales – Medellín
After breakfast you'll commence a 4 to 5 hour trip towards Medellín in a private car. Upon arrival to the hotel check-in. The rest of the day at leisure.
Day 8
Medellín City Tour
After breakfast you'll go on a private, half-day visit to the town of Medellín, a renowned commercial and cultural center. Visit to the San Antonio park (also known as La Plazoleta). San Antonio has about twenty Botero sculptures on its grounds.
After that, you'll visit the Museo de Antioquia, one of the country’s most well-reputed museums, to see pre-Colombian, Colonial, Independence and modern art exhibits. You'll continue on to the Plazuela de San Ignacio, one of the most ancient squares in town, surrounded by the Edificio San Ignacio, the historic seat of the Universidad de Antoquia; the baroque church of San Ignacio; and the San Ignacio cloister (known for its Neoclassical style and the Gothic elements in its interior).
Visit to the Parque de los Pies Descalzos, a park that seems to take a leaf out of Eastern philosophy; it has a small bamboo forest, water fountains and a quiet plant path. From there, you'll head to the Parque de los Deseos; the Edificio Inteligente; the Teatro Metropolitano; the Alpujarra, seat to the government offices, the municipality and the Gobernación de Antioquia; and the Cisneros park or Parque de las Luces. Later, you'll continue your trip by cable car, a mass transport system that connects the town center with the surrounding neighborhoods in the hills.
You'll have the chance to see the Santo Domingo neighborhood, where the view of the city and the Parque Biblioteca Espańa is staggering. Return to the city center to reach the Cerro Nutibara, where you can see the city of Medellín from another perspective as well as a reproduction of a typical “paisa” village. Afternoon at leisure.
Day 9
Medellín – Santa Fé de Antioquia
After breakfast you'll depart westward, toward Santa Fé de Antioquia, and pass the Parque de los Tamarindos. You'll arrive at the Occidente Bridge, a masterwork of engineering that connected Medellín to the sea (and accelerated the area’s economic growth). Legend says that Engineer José Maria Villa sketched the construction plans on the sand of the banks of the Cauca River. It was one of South America’s first flying bridges, and its most compelling features are the wires that suspend it and the two towers.
Arrival in Santa Fé de Antioquia, a colonial town through and through. Founded in 1541 by Jorge Robledo, Santa Fé was the capital of Antioquia until 1826 (the year the government was transferred to Medellín). The town's narrow alleys, flanked by houses and buildings whitened with lime, are well-preserved. It is worth visiting the church of Santa Barbara, the museum of liturgical art, the cathedral and the Juan del Corral museum.
Day 10
Santa Fé de Antioquia – Medellín
The morning at leisure. In the afternoon, you'll return to Medellín and make one stop at San Jerónimo, a village known for its beautiful church and characterized by its Colonial and Republican architecture. Along the way, you will see fruit stands selling mango, pineapple, tamarind pulp and oranges.
Day 11
Medellín – Nuquí
Transfer to the airport to take your flight to Nuquí. Upon arrival transfer to the pier to take a boat to Ecolodge El Cantill. After checking-in you'll have dinner.
Day 12
Nuquí
After breakfast you'll go on a private hike to ‘Cascada del Amor’ waterfall and take a swim in thermal waters in the middle of the jungle or in a neighboring stream. After lunch you'll walk through the jungle, learn more about the local flora and rich fauna and, last but not least, whale watch.
Day 13
Nuquí
Day at leisure. Lie out on the beach, try out optional day trips or just kick back.
Day 14
Nuquí – Medellín – Bogotá
After breakfast you'll take the boat back from Nuquí. Upon arrival transfer to the airport to take flight to Bogotá via Medellín. Transfer to hotel.
Day 15
Bogotá
After breakfast transfer to the airport to take your flight to Bogotá, where you'll take your flight back home or overlap with an add-on of your choice.
Colombia
Bogotá
Coffee Triangle
Nuquí
