Welcome to Colombia! Upon arrival at Bogota International Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

After breakfast this morning, begin your tour of Bogota at the famous food market, Paloquemao, located in the heart of the city. Then it&#8217;s a short drive to Monserrate, where from a height of 10,000 ft. you can see the spectacular views of the city. Accessed by funicular or cable car, it feels like a separate world. Beyond the chapel with its 17th century Fallen Christ, enjoy the exquisite local food stands offering everything from chocolate and tamales to soups, sausages, and handicrafts. Walk through &#8216;La Candelaria&#8217;, a historical neighbourhood in downtown Bogota featuring cobble stone streets and Spanish Colonial and Baroque architecture. Then visit the Gold Museum that showcases 34,000 gold pieces as well as 20,000 bone, stone, ceramic, and textile articles belonging to 13 Pre-Hispanic societies. (B)

Bogota

Following a delicious breakfast at your hotel, transfer to the airport for your flight to Medellin. Enjoy the remainder of the morning at leisure. Early this afternoon, get to know the history of Pablo Escobar and his impact on Medell&#237;n. You will better understand why Pablo Escobar is still the most controversial person in Colombia&#8217;s recent history. (B)

Bogota | Medellin

Today, experience the coffee culture on a typical Colombian farm. Departing Medell&#237;n, enjoy a scenic ride through unique landscapes and then revel in this unique opportunity to observe the entire process of coffee making &#8211; from the plant to the cup. Stroll through the coffee fields learning more about growing and collecting the coffee beans. After an authentically inspired countryside lunch, you will get an insight into the roasting process and how to prepare your next cup of coffee in the best possible way. (B,L)

Medellin

This morning after breakfast, the city comes to life when you visit the &#8220;Pueblito Paisa&#8221; and enjoy breathtaking views over the city. Explore famous Botero Square with an exhibition of the Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whose sculptures have become a landmark of the city. Take the Metrocable, constructed to make the inner city more accessible to people from the outskirts, up to Santo Domingo, once a notorious area of gang violence in Medell&#237;n. Today, it allows visitors a glimpse into the lives of the local population. In the Comuna 13 district with its unique electric escalators, you observe another innovative project that improved the quality of life of the people of Medell&#237;n. (B,L)

This morning after breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Cartagena. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. This afternoon, visit the massive Fortress of San Felipe, the largest fort the Spaniards built in South America. After, head to the city center and discover landmarks such as the official entrance to the walled city and the Clock Tower (Torre del Reloj). Learn all about the city of Cartagena while strolling along its colorful streets, winding alleyways, and main squares. At the end of the tour, visit the convent of San Pedro Claver. (B)

Medellin | Cartagena

After breakfast at your hotel, you will embark on a one-hour cruiCartagenase to the Rosario Islands. Because of its underwater riches, the islands were declared a national park. Bask in the sun and enjoy small beaches with crystal clear water where you can swim or snorkel. Savor an included lunch as part of today&#8217;s tour. In the afternoon return to Cartagena. (B,L)

Cartagena | Rosario | Cartagena

Your last day in Cartagena is yours to delight in at leisure. Take a walk through the city, do some last-minute shopping, or relax at the beach &#8211; the choice is yours. (B)

Cartagena

Transfer to the airport for your flight home. (B)

Cartagena to USA (or extend your stay)

COLOMBIAN IMAGES

Rosario Islands

Tourists having fun in Cartagena

Upon arrival in Colombia, you will be transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to explore and acclimate to the altitude.

Armenia

Start the day with breakfast at your hotel then depart for Filandia, a colorful and traditional Colombian village. Then it&#8217;s on to Salento, scarcely changed since its founding in 1842. These countryside villages of adobe houses and clay-tiled roofs offer a stage-like setting complete with cowboys on horseback. After Salento, we continue to nearby Cocora Valley for lunch at a local restaurant. Savor a delicious meal before a leisurely walk in the lush valley where you will see beautiful orchids and bromeliads, as well as the remains of pre-Columbian tombs and dwellings. Along the way, check out the Wax Palm, Colombia&#8217;s national symbol known for growing to nearly 200 feet in height. (B,L)

Armenia | Filandia | Salento | Cocora Valley | Armenia

Rise and shine with breakfast at your hotel and get ready to venture out into nature. An astonishing variety of colorful flora and fauna thrive in the Coffee Region, and a visit to the beautiful Botanical gardens in Calarca is a must. The Quind&#237;o department presents a wide collection of trees, plants, and insects. Here the butterfly house within the garden is home to thousands of stunning iridescently colored butterflies. Outside the butterfly house you will find many kinds of heliconias and ferns, as well as a great variety of the 235 different palm species that grow in Colombia. Walk through the thick bamboo forest and admire the tall Guadua species of Bamboo. (B,L)

Power-up with breakfast at your hotel before embarking on a zip-line canopy tour adventure, an exhilarating way to see Colombia&#8217;s landscape and agriculture from high above. Safely fastened into a harness, you cast off an elevated launching deck and let the cables whisk you over the deep, lush gullies of coffee and banana trees to the next elevated deck. On landing, your guide will remove you from the zip line, and you proceed to the next launching deck for more action. (B,L)

<div>After breakfast, visit the settlements of C&#243;rdoba, Pijao, and Buena Vista. Drive through lush green hills and valleys to arrive first in C&#243;rdoba. Here, many of the locals work on the steep slopes of the coffee plantations. The club is a great place to enjoy a coffee while watching the elders play billiards. Next it&#8217;s on to Pijao. Enjoy a leisurely walk in the main square that serves as the local &#8220;hot spot.&#8221; Next, break for lunch at a restaurant in town before heading to a nearby hacienda. Coffee haciendas build their entire existence around the germination, classification, and preparation of coffee. Here, you will learn about the art of cupping, the tasting and classification of flavors, as well as aromas, and bodies of different types of coffee beans. You will also be able walk around the plantation and nursery and learn how the plants are grown and cultivated before reaching the cup. At the end of the day you will be an expert in Colombian coffee. (B,L) </div>

Armenia | Cordoba | Pijao | Buena Vista | Armenia

Transfer to the airport to board your flight to Bogota to begin your journey home. (B)

Armenia | Bogota to USA (or extend your stay)

COLOMBIA - LAND OF COFFEE

Filandia

Balconies in Salento

Cocora Valley

Coffee Triangle, Armenia

Colombian Coffee

Travel to Colombia&#160;and experience the country&#8217;s most intriguing treasures with Central Holidays. From its pre- Colombian history to its modern and bustling cities of today&#8230;From the acclaimed art of Fernando Botero&#8230;to its storied past starring Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel&#8230;from the rich history of coffee farming to its lively music and culinary scene, our&#160;Colombia vacation packages&#160;showcase the vast diversity of the country every step of the way. Featuring some of the most natural diversity in all of Latin America, you&#8217;ll see everything from verdant hilly landscapes with waterfalls and ravines to tropical forests, to volcanic mountains, rich valleys, and desert areas. Get to know Colombia's key cities on expert guided tours of such famed places as Bogot&#225;, Medellin, and Cartagena. Take time to bask in the warmth of its beaches and islands. Venture along on your ideal&#160;Columbia travel package&#160;to some of its more off- the-beaten-path little towns. History and culture come to life in Colombia with Central Holidays as the country shares with you its indigenous roots and customs, European colonial architecture, authentic dishes, festive celebrations, colorful costumes and handicrafts, and diverse music for a lifetime of memories you are sure to cherish.

Experience history, intrigue, and lively culture on our Colombia vacation packages

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