Which Colombia itineraries are most highly recommended by operators?

Heritage Cities

Though Colombia has stunning natural beauty, its heritage towns, with their mixture of Spanish colonial period architecture and traditional decoration, offer an attractive cultural education.

Audley suggests clients explore the historical heart of Colombia’s capital Bogota with its famous gold museum, see artist Botero’s distinctive chunky sculptures in Medellin and the colourfully painted houses of Guatape, then tour the fortified city of Cartagena.

BOOK IT: Audley’s Cities of Colombia tour, taking in the above highlights, costs from £4,125pp for 12 days, including flights.

• audleytravel.com

Coastal Nature

Adventure and beach are not mutually exclusive in Colombia as Hernan Acevedo, Intrepid’s general manager for the destination explains: “Tayrona National Park is a magic place. It has beautiful beaches and secret coves for swimming and relaxing, mountain backdrops and wildlife-filled jungle perfect for hiking. Visiting is a delight for the senses – as well as seeing the nature you can hear the chirping and buzzing of the jungle.”

BOOK IT: Intrepid’s 10-day Explore Colombia tour costs from £1,576pp. It includes two nights at Guachaca, a base for Tayrona National Park exploration, besides Cartagena, Barichara and Bogota.

• intrepidtravel.com

Indigenous Communities

In Southern Colombia there are opportunities to encounter the indigenous communities of the Amazon. Guambiano Indians who wear traditional dark blue ponchos and black hats live in villages around Popayan and on Tuesdays sell handwoven wares and produce at the nearby Silvia market. 

Journey Latin America has an itinerary visiting Popayan and, from Amazonian lodge accommodation, the Mocagua community, who can demonstrate their basket and ceramic making skills near homes painted with wildlife. 

BOOK IT: Journey Latin America’s 12-day Off the Beaten Track Colombia: San Agustin and the Amazon private tour departs Bogota and covers Villa Vieja and the Tatacoa Desert, San Agustin Archaeological Park, Popayan, Cali and the Amazon. It costs from £2,930pp, excluding flights.

• journeylatinamerica.com

Beach Bliss

Colombia not only has the depths of the Amazon but also a stunning Caribbean coastline. For reef snorkelling and relaxation consider Providencia, an island in an Unesco marine reserve between Costa Rica and Jamaica which is accessible from Cartagena. Wild Frontiers offers three days here as part of a wider tour.

BOOK IT: Wild Frontiers’ 15-day Colombia in Style suggested itinerary, from £6,355 excluding flights, teams Providencia with Bogota, the cowboy country of Los Llanos, Medellin, a coffee farm hacienda and Cartagena.

• wildfrontierstravel.com

Birdwatching

From hummingbirds to parrots, Colombia is bursting with colourful birdlife. Audley Travel’s dedicated birdwatching itinerary visits four hotspots, among them Minca.

“In Minca’s Reserva El Dorado, clients spend time with an expert naturalist and watch for the 357 species of birds found on site, 21 of which are endemic,” says Catherine England, Audley’s senior product executive for Colombia.

“The wide range of elevations and ecosystems attracts many different species and much important research on the fauna and flora of Colombia is conducted here.”

BOOK IT: Audley’s 15-day Birdwatching in Colombia tour costs from £10,670pp including flights. Besides Minca, clients visit the Acaime Hummingbird Reserve, Tinamu Nature Reserve and Rio Blanco birding reserve in the coffee region, plus the coast and mangrove habitats of Salamanca National Park.

• audleytravel.com

Fabulous Food

Many operators’ tours include stays in Colombia’s famous coffee region (often accessed via Medellin), with chances to see the drink’s progress from farm to cup. Latin Routes has a foodie themed itinerary which goes further, elevating the country’s cuisine. Besides two days in the scenic coffee region it covers a gastronomic tour in Bogota, a community project-supporting cooking class in Medellin and a Gabriel Garcia Marquez literary menu tour in Cartagena.

BOOK IT: Latin Routes’ Flavour of Colombia 14-day tour, outlined above, costs from £3,899pp including flights.

• latinroutes.co.uk

Lost city trekking

Colombia offers its own less well-worn trekking routes to lost cities. Ciudad Perdida at Teyuna is approached through lush mountainside jungle, farmland and Kogi communities, partly following the Buritaca river.  The trek culminates in a climb up the 1,200 stone steps and 169 terraces built by the Tayrona people in around 800 AD.

BOOK IT: The seven-day Colombia Lost City Trekking tour from G Adventures is a challenging round-trip to and from Santa Marta with campsite accommodation. It costs from £599 excluding flights.

• gadventures.com

Desert to Pacific  

Colombia’s contrasting landscapes range from rainforest to desert to grassland and all are accessible to visitors. Latin Routes’ Colombian Heritage itinerary incorporates a visit to the striking red rock formations of the Tatacoa Desert and a nearby palaeontology museum, then Unesco-listed San Agustin Archaeological Park which contains the largest group of megalithic sculptures and religious monuments in South America. It also includes relaxation at a lodge near Nuqui on the Pacific coast, within reach of hot springs and waterfalls.

BOOK IT: Latin Routes’ 13-day Colombian Heritage tour costs from £3,899pp including flights. Besides the above regions it includes the cities of Bogota and Medellin.

• latinroutes.co.uk

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