Colombia

Starting Price:	£3,131.00
Trip Length:	10 days
Includes airfare allowance from London (UK)

Bogotá

San Agustín Monolith

Cartagena

History and Desert - Bogotá, San Agustín, Tatacoa Desert and Cartagena

Description Pricing Itinerary Hotels

Get ready for an adventure. On this Colombia tour you’ll explore Bogotá, Colombia’s capital; Cartagena, a city filled with historic streets, alley ways and stories; the Tatacoa Desert, known for its eroded rock formations, red earth, cacti and yellow sand dunes; AND the largest collection of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America.

This Colombia tour begins in Bogotá (the capital city). Set high in the Andes (at more than 8,000 feet), Bogotá is replete with culture and rich colonial heritage. You’ll see main squares, churches and museums, such as the Museum of Botero (home to the artwork of Picasso, Renoir, Matisse and Monet, to name a few). From there, you’ll head to Cartagena, a city filled with historic streets, alley ways and stories. Take in the old, walled city’s tiled roofs, balconies and courtyard gardens, and be sure to pack your camera. Words don’t seem to do Cartagena justice.

Next up: the department (or state) of Huila, next to the Alto Magdalena River, where you’ll see the largest collection of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America (from the 5,000-year-old, Augustinian civilization). It’s no shock that this collection constitutes a UNESCO World Heritage site; the preservation of the details of the monuments and sculptures is almost unbelievable. You’ll wrap up your tour in the Tatacoa Desert, or the Valle de la Tristeza, where you’ll see eroded rock formations, red earth, many cacti and yellow sand dunes.

We offer a choice of 3-, 4-, 5-star and deluxe hotels. In Bogotá the deluxe option is the Sofitel Bogotá Victoria Regia, and in Cartagena the deluxe option is the Casa del Arzobispado or the Quadrifolio Hotel. In the Tatacoa Desert you’ll stay at Hacienda Anacaona, a two-story, colonial coffee plantation house, surrounded by flower gardens and conveniently located 3 km outside of town (on the way to San Agustín). The house’s roofs and stairs are made from bamboo, and its interior is decorated with eclectic antiques and assorted, quirky, everyday objects.

This tour includes airfare allowance from London (UK), on non-holiday dates. You do not need to fly via London; 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
Dates this trip is NOT available for online booking (please submit a regular request):
06 April - 12 April

20 December - 02 January
Visited Cities:
Bogota, San Agustín, Cartagena

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 – Neiva – Tatacoa Desert
Transfer to the airport and flight to Neiva. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel. After that, you'll set off on a private tour to the Tatacoa desert (named by the conqueror Jiménez de Quesada in 1538). The climate there is hot and dry, and the temperature tends to be around 27 degrees. That wasn't always the case though. In the Tertiary period, the Tatacoa was a garden with thousands of flowers and trees to its name, and to this day, it's not uncommon to come across petrified mollusks.

Formerly inhabited by the Totoyoe and Doche Indians, the Tatacoa extends from the middle of the fertile valley to the banks of the Magdalena River and boasts eroded rock formations, red earth (known as "Cuzco") and many types of cacti. In “Los Hoyos,” the landscape changes, and yellow sand dunes, not rock formations, prevail.

After you've explored the desert, transfer to San Agustín. Upon arrival to your hotel you'll have dinner.

Day 4

San Agustín
After breakfast you'll take private visits of the San Agustín Archaeological Park; the Mesitas A, B, C, and D; the Fuente Ceremonial del Lavapatos; and the Museo Arqueológico.

In the afternoon you'll head to Colombian massif and the strait of the Magdalena River, a rocky gorge that forces the river to pass through a space that's only 7.22 feet wide. Return to San Agustín, and take a short visit of the town. Upon arrival at the hotel dinner will be served.

Day 5

San Agustín – San José de Isnos – San Agustín
After breakfast you'll (privately) visit two other parks listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites: Alto de los Idolos and Alto de las Piedras. Later that day you'll visit the Colombian Massif, the Mortino waterfalls (600 feet) and Salto de Bardones (1,050 feet). After visiting the waterfalls you'll return to the hotel and have dinner.

Day 6

San Agustín – Neiva – Cartagena
After breakfast transfer to Neiva’s airport to take your flight to Cartagena. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel.

Day 7

Cartagena City Tour
After breakfast you'll take a private tour of the city’s colonial district. You'll start off in Parque Bolívar, a central part of the district, surrounded by large trees and four fountains with a statue of El Libertador at their center. Around the square you'll see the Museo del Oro and the Palace of the Inquisition distinguished by its baroque entrance door. The meetings of the tribunal took place in the palace, and the palace also housed the prison and torture chambers for the alleged opponents of the Catholic church. Your tour continues to the Santo Domingo church and the cathedral and ends in the Ramparts and the Museo de Las Fortificaciones. Afternoon at leisure.

Day 8

Cartagena
Day at leisure. An excursion to the Rosario Archipelago is highly recommended.

Day 9

Cartagena
Day at leisure. Explore Cartagena.

Day 10

Cartagena – Bogotá
After breakfast transfer to the airport for your flight to Bogotá. Once in Bogotá you'll take your international 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
San Agustín
Standard 2 nt package	Package 3/2. 2 nights in San Agustin - simple hotel + transfers + HD archaeological park; HD Isnos +Full Board
Standard 3 nt package	Package 4/3. 2 nights in San Agustin - simple hotel & 1 night Neiva + transfers + HD archaeological park; HD Magdalena River; HD Tatacoa; HD Isnos +Full Board
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.

* Subject to confirmation at time of booking

Occupancy Type	3-star	4-star	5-star	Deluxe
Double	£3131	£3320	£3645	£3893
Single	£4576	£5169	£5737	£6234

Yampu Tours is a trading name of Yampu Tours & Travel Ltd – Registered in England, Company No: 6054303 ATOL Number: 9522 VAT Number 919 1679 90 – 0800 011 2424 – Email Us

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