Colombia: Wild Magic

Meeting at Bogota airport and hotel check-in. Dinner and acquaintance with a group.

A guided tour of Bogota. We’ll go up Monserrate, the highest point of the city, where at 3,000 meters you get a stunning view of Bogota and the green Andes. Then we’ll walk around La Candelaria, the historic center, where grand colonial architecture sits side by side with graffiti-covered walls, small shops and coffee houses. We’ll learn about Colombia’s past and present and try exotic fruits at a local market. I’m sure you haven’t even heard the names of some of them.

Just an hour by plane, and we’ll be in one of the most picturesque corners of Colombia. The Eje Cafetero, or Coffee Region, is where the famous Colombian coffee is grown. We’ll visit a coffee farm to learn how coffee beans are grown, harvested, processed and roasted, pick some ourselves and, of course, enjoy a freshly brewed coffee. Then we’ll head to our cozy eco-hotel to rest.

Today we’ll hike through one of the most beautiful places in the country: the Valley of the Wax Palms. The wax palm is endemic to Colombia, its national tree and the tallest palm in the world. Against the misty hills, these slender palms look impressive and almost mystical. We won’t just take photos at the valley entrance like many visitors do. Instead, we’ll walk the full loop trail (12 km). We’ll cross the scenic valley, dive into the cool tropical rainforest and see hummingbirds! After the hike and lunch, we’ll stroll through the colorful streets of Salento, with its colonial buildings and relaxed atmosphere. Hike duration: 4–6 hours, elevation gain: 1,000 meters.

Flight to Cartagena, the most beautiful city in Colombia. We’ll arrive in the evening, when the heat fades and the city fills with a festive mood. We’ll walk through colonial streets and see the house of Gabriel García Márquez, Colombia’s most famous writer. For dinner, we’ll try Caribbean cuisine, the most delicious in Colombia.

Today we’ll explore Cartagena by day and admire its colonial architecture and tropical flowers everywhere. After lunch, there will be free time for shopping. Cartagena is full of souvenir stalls and shops with clothing, ceramics, home decor and more. It’s the best place to buy gifts for yourself and your loved ones. It’s also a fashion paradise for women: local designers create dresses and swimsuits in tropical colors. In the evening, we’ll watch the sun set right into the sea from one of the city’s viewpoints.

Transfer to the first city founded by the Spanish in Colombia. Check-in at an eco-lodge near Tayrona National Park, a huge tropical park full of wildlife and home to Indigenous peoples who still keep their connection with nature. After the long drive, we’ll relax at the hotel. Anyone who wants can take a walk along the beach.

We can't miss the swim in the Caribbean sea! Today we’ll go on an easy hike (3 hours) along the trails of Tayrona National Park. Here, palm leaves rustle in the breeze, waves crash dramatically against huge boulders, and the sea shows its changing character: there are calm beaches for swimming and others where it’s best to just watch the waves. After relaxing on the beach, we’ll ride back on the park’s calm horses (40–50 minutes instead of 3 hours). We spend the night in our beautiful eco-lodge.

In the morning, anyone who wants can go tubing. During this relaxing activity, we can watch for birds and animals that we may be lucky enough to spot along the way. Tubing is paid separately.

After lunch, we’ll visit an Arhuaco village. The Arhuaco people still preserve their traditions and a close connection with nature. After a 20-minute walk through the rainforest, we’ll reach their settlement and talk with the residents and their spiritual leader, the mamo. It’s a chance to see how the descendants of the ancient Tairona civilization, who once lived in these lands, live today. Their lost city in the jungle is older than Machu Picchu and it takes 4 days of hiking through a rainforest to reach it. No staged dances or tourist shows, just genuine contact with these people.

We return to the capital: for some, this is the last day of the tour, while others will be getting ready for the Amazon. In the evening, a farewell dinner with part of the group. Some travelers will fly home the next day, and the rest of us will head to Leticia, where our Amazon adventure begins. P.S. I hope we won’t have to say goodbye to anyone and we’ll all continue the adventure in the Amazon together.

Flight from Bogota to Leticia (2 hours). Today’s program includes a two-hour jungle walk to get to know the local flora and fauna, and an introduction to the traditions of the Cocama and Ticuna peoples. At sunset, we’ll travel to the Ronda community and walk to our overnight stay. Accommodation in simple wooden cabins.

Breakfast, packing up and a walk to the pier on the Amazon River. Boat ride to Mocagua, a multi-ethnic community. A walk around the village and a visit to the Maikúchiga Foundation, a project that rehabilitates monkeys and returns them to the wild. Lunch in the community and return to the Mocagua pier. After lunch, we’ll switch to kayaks and paddle to the Tarapoto Lakes (the route depends on the water level in each season). Here we’ll watch birds and river dolphins, both pink and gray. We’ll spend the night in a wooden cabin on the lakeshore. After dinner, we’ll go out by boat again, this time in the dark, to look for caimans and other night creatures of the lake and the flooded forest.

Wake up in the nature reserve, breakfast, packing up and departure to Altamira on Cacao Island, on the Peruvian side. A walk and/or boat ride around the island, depending on the water level. Piranha fishing (if we didn’t get the chance on day two). We’ll see giant ceiba trees, the Victoria amazonica, the world’s largest water lily, and, if we’re lucky, sloths. Lunch in Puerto Nariño, the second-largest town in the Amazonas department. Flight to Bogota and, this time for real, a farewell dinner.

We say goodbye to Colombia. This welcoming land will be happy to see you again and show you more of its natural beauty.