5 unusual Colombia itineraries featuring military helicopters and a lost city
If you have clients interested in visiting Colombia they’re probably of the more adventurous sort already. Why not pitch them a self-drive, a tour to a lost city or even a journey exploring the country’s fraught past? Following our article on some of the most recommended Colombia itineraries, Jennifer Morris rounds up five operators’ most unusual options.
1. Getting behind the wheel
Journey Latin America’s 12-day Self-Drive Colombia: Exploring the Coffee Region and Beyond sees clients exploring mostly by self-drive the bucolic coffee region, peppered with historic towns including Salamina, and then venturing deep into Colombia’s heartlands to Honda on the banks of the Magdalena River before looping back to Bogota. Highlights include a visit to the gold museum in Bogota, walking in the ?ra Valley where the iconic wax palm trees grow, and a visit to a traditional hacienda to learn about the coffee growing and making processes.
Book it: Prices start from £2,600pp including domestic flights, transfers, car hire, good-quality hotels on a B&B basis and guided excursions.
2. Delving into a conflict-filled past
Abercrombie & Kent’s Colombia Reborn: A Journey from Conflict to Canvas explores the country’s transformation from a nation plagued by conflict to one embracing peace. This “ground-breaking” adventure begins with a charter flight from Bogota over the lush landscapes of San Jose de Guaviare. From there, clients board military helicopters and venture to the edge of the Amazon basin, where they’ll witness a government project aimed at reintegrating ex-combatants into society. The journey continues to Cerro Azul, sometimes described as the “Sistine Chapel of archaeology”, where travellers can stand before 12,000-year-old pictograms – only recently revealed – with an archaeological expert for interpretation. From atop the mountain, visitors can then look out at the jungle regrowth on terrain once notorious for its cocoa plantations and inaccessibility to the outside world. “This is a profound leap into the essence of Colombia’s quest for peace,” says A&K.
Agents will need to contact the operator for more details.
3. Discovering the new Lost City...
G Adventures’ seven-day Colombia – Trek to the Lost City sees clients head to the 1,000-year-old Ciudad Perdida, also known as the ‘Lost City’, which is older than neighbouring Peru’s Machu Picchu but was only uncovered in the 1970s. The only way to experience the sacred site, built by the Tayrona people, is to embark on a challenging trek deep into the jungle, covering nearly 30 miles across five days. Starting and finishing in Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast, the route sees visitors walk through diverse terrain as they weave through banana trees and cacao plants, grassland and river crossings, as well as getting a glimpse of local life with the Kogi indigenous communities. It culminates in a 1,200-step climb to the city before the steep hike down for some well-deserved rest and recovery.
Book it: Prices start from £599pp excluding international flights.
4. Venture off the beaten track
Latin Routes’ Colombian Heritage itinerary takes in some of the country’s lesser-known towns and cities such as Nuqui, Neiva and San Agustin. This 13-day itinerary takes clients to the more popular destinations of Bogota and Medellin, but also off the beaten track. Travellers will see otherworldly sand formations at the Tatacoa Desert, the second-largest desert in Colombia; visit San Agustin Archaeological Park, home to the largest collection of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in Latin America; and explore the virgin coast of the Colombian pacific in Nuqui, where every year between July and November humpback whales pay a visit.
Book it: Prices start from £3,899pp (based on two people sharing), including international flights.
5. Meet the locals
Intrepid’s 11-day Premium Colombia itinerary will see your clients tour Finca Romelia, a family tourism project with more than 800 species of orchids, which shows how agricultural production and the conservation of biodiversity can coexist. They’ll also get off the beaten path in Mompox, where they’ll take a leisurely canoe ride on the Magdalena River, famous for its rich biodiversity. Specialist guides will explain the country’s diverse history, including a “transformation tour” in Medellin and a visit to San Basilio de Palenque – the first free town created by enslaved people in the Americas.
Book it: Prices start from £4,581pp including accommodation, ground transport (including a domestic flight), selected meals and activities, and the services of a local guide. International flights are extra.
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