Wild and Wonderful Colombia

Arrive Bogotá, meet your English-speaking guide and transfer to hotel x 2 nights in Bogota

After breakfast we start exploring the Colombian capital city.  We start with a trip to the top of the Monserrate Hill offering a spectacular view of the city, and then walk through the old town, La Candelaria, with its colonial architecture and the main square Plaza Bolivar. Visit the famous Gold Museum, which houses the world’s greatest collection of pre-Hispanic Indian gold artefacts and jewellery then end the day with a visit to Paloquemao, an authentic market place, where we will see and taste typical fruits

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and departure flight to Santa Marta, the first European settlement in Colombia located close to the highest coastal mountain in the world, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. After arrival, visit the colonial centre of Santa Marta, see the oldest cathedral in Colombia and the small fishing village of Taganga. Then continue to the Tayrona National Park located east of Santa Marta. 2 nights including breakfast.

We explore the park and its beaches on a full day guided walking tour visiting the most important beaches such as Arrecifes, Arenilla, La Piscina and Cabo San Juan del Guia.

Early in the morning we start our long journey to Mompox via Aracataca, where the Colombian Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born. We visit the most important places related to his life, then continue overland crossing the Magdalena River twice until we reach Mompox by late afternoon

After breakfast, guided tour of Mompox, the town often referred to as ‘the town that time forgot’.  We will visit some of its important churches and the main squares, and in the afternoon we will  have a boat ride through small river channels leading to the large Cienaga de Pijiño, with plenty of birdlife to spot en route.

In the morning, we explore other parts of Mompox and visit a local silver filigree workshop, one of the most famous products of the town. We continue by car until we reach Magangue where we cross the Magdalena River in a ferry. Once on the other side of the river we continue by car until San Basilio de Palenque, considered to be first village of free slaves in South America and birthplace of Afro-Colombian culture.  Our visit allows us to meet with local people and learn about their history and customs. Continue to Cartagena to our hotel in the old area of the city.

After breakfast, we will have morning guided tour including the best known monuments of the UNESCO world heritage city of Cartagena. We start at the Convent of La Popa (the highest point of the city) and continue to the Castillo de San Felipe, an immense fortress ffull of history and mystery. We walk along the huge defensive  wall that surrounds the old city, overlooking the sea on one side and the well-preserved colonial architecture on the other.  Transfer to the airport. End of trip!