Length: 12 days. Group educational tour to Bogotá, Armenia, Medellín, and Cartagena for 12 or more students or adults. Self-designed custom tours typically led by teachers of high school juniors and seniors.
Highlights: Guided city tour of Bogotá, Visit the Gold Museum, Walking tour of Carrerra Septima, Visit Jose Marti public school, Visit the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, Visit Armenia, Hacienda La Morelia, Visit Cocora Valley National Park, Visit the Antioquia Museum, Visit Santa Fé, Visit the Antioqueños, Visit La Popa and the San Felipe fortress and more!
Itinerary: Bogotá (3), Armenia (2), Medellín (3), Cartagena (3)
Day 1 – USA – Bogotá
Arrival in Bogotá. In the Colombian capital you meet both the antique colonial grandeur, and the beautiful vitality of a modern metropolis.
Day 2 – Bogotá
Bienvenidos! A private bus and driver with an English-speaking guide will escort you to your hotel. Enjoy your guide’s discussion about the transformation of Colombia since the 80´s until 2002. Enjoy a unique ride in classic cars from the 60’s to the Sanctuary of Mount Monserrate. Lunch at Santa Clara restaurant with a traditional Ajiaco (potatoes and chicken stew). Visit the emblematic Gold Museum and coffee time at “Café Pasaje” followed by a walking tour through the “Carrera Septima”, a typical street in downtown Bogotá. Meet at a local restaurant for a welcome dinner.
Day 3 – Bogotá
Visit the José Marti public school to learn about the public education system. Continue to visit the underground Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, a place where the miners carved the rocks to make a tribute to their Catholic faith. Lunch at local restaurant.
Day 4 – Bogotá – Armenia
Transfer to the airport for your transfer to Armenia and visit Hacienda La Morelia, a unique coffee farm. Interact with the coffee pickers and have lunch together. Visit the plantation and enjoy a tasting of the Colombian “arabica” coffees. Dinner included.
Day 5 – Armenia
Half day visit at the Cocora Valley National Park, home of the national tree “the wax palm”, a protected native tree. Finish the tour with a visit at the colonial town of Salento.
Day 6 – Armenia – Medelín
Morning at leisure. Lunch at Rancho El Eden Restaurant followed by a transfer to the airport for your travel to Medellín. Visit the Antioquia Museum with impressions of Colombian art.
Day 7 – Medelín
Journey to the colonial village of Santa Fé. On the way traverse through a long tunnel and cross the river Cauca via the historical West bridge. Enjoy the exuberance of the Antioqueños, the colors and smells. Get to know the village on a walking tour. Lunch will be at a local restaurant. In the early in the afternoon return to Medellín.
Day 8 – Medelín
Visit the “comuna numero uno”, one of the most formerly dangerous neighborhoods of Medellín in the 80’s. At “Biblioteca España”, listen to a lecture about the influence of drug lord Pablo Esco-bar. Walk through the narrow streets and imagine how people once felt. You will be hosted in one of the private homes for lunch. In the afternoon visit Itagui, center of the textile industry with the original blue jeans factory of an international brand. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 9 – Medelín – Cartagena
Morning at leisure. Optional: Half-day excursion to visit the Botanical Garden in Medellín. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Cartagena.
Day 10 – Cartagena
Guided city tour with visit to the monastery of La Popa and the San Felipe fortress. Take a private cumbia, vallenato and champeta dancing lesson. Transfer to Café del Mar to attend a lecture by a university professor about Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nobel Prize-winning author. Afterwards, horse carriages will be waiting to take you for a ride through the beautiful illuminated and narrow streets of the old city. Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 11 – Cartagena
Drive to San Basilio de Palenque, the first independent settlement of African slaves in South America. A local guide will describe the myths of the town. Lunch at a private farm, where you can walk around and learn how to cook the typical stew of the coast. In the evening, tour the bay on a private yacht along the illuminated skyline. Disembark at a local restaurant for a farewell dinner.
Day 12 – Cartagena – USA
Transfer to the airport for your return home with many exciting memories from your journey to Colombia!
