Updated on 04/04/2024
Greetings,
I’m Frank, the proprietor of a premier tour operator based in Bogota, dedicated to crafting personalized and luxurious travel experiences throughout Colombia.
As you navigate through this guide, anticipate discovering a compilation of additional invaluable travel itineraries for your exploration of Colombia.
Content
Colombia Trip Summary
Day 1 – Bogota
Day 2 – Bogota
Day 3 – Bogota – Guatavita – Zipaquira – Bogota
Day 4 – Bogota – Choachi – Bogota
Day 5 – Bogota – Amazonas
Day 6 – Amazonas
Day 7 – Amazonas
Day 8 – Amazonas – Leticia – Bogota – Bucaramanga – San Vicente de Chucuri
Day 9 – San Vicente de Chucuri – Zapatoca
Day 10 – Zapatoca – Barichara
Day 11 – Barichara
Day 12 – Barichara – Jordan
Day 13 – Jordan – Mesa de los Santos
Day 14 – Mesa de los Santos – Bucaramanga – Santa Marta
Day 15 – Santa Marta – Tayrona Park – Santa Marta
Day 16 – Santa Marta – Taironaka – Santa Marta
Day 17 – Santa Marta – Departure
Planned Places/Cities
Bogota
Bogotá is Colombia’s capital and has over 10 million inhabitants. It is Colombia’s political, economic, cultural, and tourist center, accounting for most of the national GDP. It is the third-highest capital city in South America as it sits on over 2.600 meters (8.600 feet) above sea level. With average temperatures of 7°C – 20°C (45°F – 60°F), the climate varies between cold to temperate. Bogotá has an area of 1.775 km2 (685 Square miles), which is more than twice the size of Singapore. It was founded in 1.538 by the Spaniards but was already inhabited by the Pre-Muiscas. Most of the tourist attractions are in the historic center “La Candelaria”. The city’s wide cultural offer represented in museums, theaters and libraries has granted it the name of “the South American Athens”. Some important places to visit in Bogotá are Monserrate Monastery, Gold and Botero Museums, “Paloquemao” and “La Perseverancia” food markets.
Guatavita
The municipality of Guatavita – Cundinamarca 53 km northeast of Bogota is recognized for giving rise to the most representative legend of Colombia, one of the most important in the world and Cultural Heritage of the Nation “The story of the Legend of El Dorado”. It is the religious, cultural and ancestral capital of the Muisca people. In Guatavita there is “Guatavita the Origin of the Legend” an area of 13.8 ha, consisting of a historic center with high heritage value and a cultural and tourist development polygon on the banks of the Tominé reservoir
Zipaquira
Zipaquirá is a historic and enchanting town located in the Cundinamarca Department of Colombia, approximately 49 kilometers (30 miles) north of Bogotá, the capital city. This charming town is famous for its awe-inspiring underground salt cathedral and well-preserved colonial architecture.
The Salt Cathedral is the primary attraction of Zipaquirá and a marvel of engineering and faith. Carved inside the tunnels of a salt mine, the cathedral is an underground sanctuary with impressive salt sculptures, religious artwork, and an ethereal atmosphere. It is a significant pilgrimage site and a masterpiece of Colombian architecture.
Zipaquirá’s historical center features well-preserved colonial buildings, cobblestone streets, and charming squares. Visitors can stroll through the town’s quaint streets and admire its colonial architecture, including the main square, Plaza de los Comuneros.
In addition to its colonial heritage, Zipaquirá has pre-Columbian archaeological sites, such as the ancient Muisca settlement of El Abra, which offers insights into the region’s indigenous history.
Amazonas
The Department of Amazonas is one of Colombia’s most remote and least populated regions, located in the southernmost part of the country. As its name suggests, the department is predominantly covered by the vast Amazon Rainforest, making it a biodiverse and ecologically significant area. Here is an overview of the Colombian Department of Amazonas:
Amazonas is characterized by its dense rainforests, lush jungles, and meandering rivers. The department is part of the larger Amazon Basin, one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. The area is home to an incredible array of plant and animal species, including rare and endangered species such as jaguars, pink river dolphins, and various species of monkeys.
Amazonas is inhabited by indigenous communities, including the Ticuna, Yucuna, Huitoto, and others, each with their distinct cultures, languages, and traditions. These indigenous groups have lived in harmony with the rainforest for generations and play a crucial role in preserving the region’s cultural heritage and natural resources.
Due to its remote location and challenging terrain, Amazonas has limited infrastructure and transportation links. Access to many areas within the department is primarily by boat along the Amazon River and its tributaries. The lack of extensive roads and urban development contributes to the preservation of the pristine natural environment.
The capital city of Amazonas is Leticia, a small and vibrant town situated along the Amazon River. Leticia serves as the gateway to the department and is the main point of entry for travelers arriving by air or river.
San Vicente de Chucuri
San Vicente de Chucurí is a quaint and scenic town located in the Santander Department of Colombia. Situated in the foothills of the Eastern Andes, this charming town is known for its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and outdoor activities.
San Vicente de Chucurí is surrounded by lush green landscapes, with picturesque mountains, cascading waterfalls, and pristine rivers. The town’s setting provides a peaceful and serene atmosphere, making it an ideal destination for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.
The region offers a range of eco-tourism and adventure activities, including hiking, birdwatching, and exploring the nearby natural reserves and ecological parks. The scenic beauty of the area provides ample opportunities for outdoor exploration and relaxation.
The region’s agricultural activities, including coffee and cacao production, provide opportunities for agro-tourism. Visitors can experience the agricultural traditions and practices firsthand, gaining insights into the rural way of life.
Zapatoca
Zapatoca is a charming and historic town located in the Santander Department of Colombia. Nestled in the foothills of the Eastern Andes, Zapatoca is known for its colonial architecture, picturesque landscapes, and cultural heritage. Here is an overview of Zapatoca:
Zapatoca boasts well-preserved colonial architecture, with colorful houses, traditional balconies, and cobblestone streets. The town’s historic center has been designated as a National Monument of Colombia, preserving its architectural heritage.
The central square, Plaza Principal, serves as the heart of Zapatoca and is a gathering place for locals and visitors alike. The plaza features a charming gazebo and is surrounded by historic buildings, creating a pleasant and welcoming ambiance.
Zapatoca is home to several beautiful churches and religious sites, reflecting its strong religious heritage. The Church of San Laureano, with its distinctive façade, is a prominent landmark in the town.
Zapatoca’s gastronomy reflects the traditional flavors of Santander. Visitors can indulge in regional dishes like “pepitoria,” “cabro,” and “hormigas culonas” (big-bottomed ants), a local delicacy.
Barichara
Barichara is a captivating and picturesque town located in the Santander Department of Colombia. Known for its well-preserved colonial architecture, cobblestone streets, and stunning landscapes, Barichara is often hailed as one of the most beautiful towns in Colombia.
Barichara is celebrated for its colonial-era architecture, featuring whitewashed buildings, red-tiled roofs, and traditional balconies. The town’s historic center has been declared a National Monument of Colombia, preserving its architectural heritage.
Barichara is a starting point for the famous Camino Real, an ancient cobblestone trail that leads to the nearby town of Guane. The trail offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside and is a popular hiking route for visitors.
The central square, Plaza Principal, is the heart of Barichara and serves as a gathering place for locals and tourists. It is a perfect spot to relax, people-watch, and soak in the ambiance of the town.
The Santísimo Ecce Homo Church is one of the town’s most significant religious landmarks. Its neoclassical façade and interior make it a beautiful example of colonial religious architecture.
Chicamocha Canyon
Chicamocha Canyon, also known as “Cañón del Chicamocha” in Spanish, is a spectacular natural wonder located in the Santander Department of Colombia. This awe-inspiring canyon is one of the largest in South America and offers breathtaking views, thrilling outdoor activities, and a rich natural and cultural heritage.
Chicamocha Canyon is characterized by its immense size and stunning beauty. With its deep gorges, towering cliffs, and meandering Chicamocha River, the canyon’s geological formations create a dramatic landscape that mesmerizes visitors.
The canyon provides spectacular panoramic views from various viewpoints and lookout spots. The viewpoints offer vantage points from where visitors can appreciate the vastness and splendor of the canyon and the surrounding landscapes.
Santa Marta
Santa Marta is the capital of the department of Magdalena and is located on the Caribbean coast at just 5 meters (16 feet) above sea level. Therefore, temperatures here range between 21°C and 33 °C (70 – 91°F). The city spreads over a large area and is flanked by mountains from different sides. The immediate Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is mostly inhabited by indigenous communities and not only reaches the highest point in Colombia with the Pico Cristóbal Colón – at a height of 5,700 meters (18,700 feet)- but is also the highest coastal mountain in the world. Santa Marta is the perfect starting point for many leisure and holiday activities. Along the coast to the east, you will find Tayrona National Park, the most famous national park in Colombia. There are also wonderful beaches. Another highlight is the Lost City hidden in the Sierra, which can be visited in a 4-day trek.
Tayrona National Natural Park
Tayrona National Natural Park, often referred to as just “Tayrona Park,” is a protected area located along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Situated in the northern part of the country, the park is renowned for its stunning coastal landscapes, biodiverse ecosystems, and cultural significance as the ancestral land of the indigenous Tayrona people.
Tayrona Park is celebrated for its breathtaking natural beauty. It encompasses a diverse range of landscapes, including pristine beaches, lush rainforests, rugged mountains, and crystal-clear rivers. The park’s rich biodiversity is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, making it a haven for nature enthusiasts and wildlife lovers.
The park is famous for its stunning beaches with white sand and turquoise waters. Some of the most popular beaches include Cabo San Juan, La Piscina, Arrecifes, and Playa Cristal. Visitors can relax on the shores, swim in the Caribbean Sea, or snorkel to explore the vibrant underwater world.
The park holds significant cultural importance as the ancestral land of the indigenous Tayrona people, who have inhabited the region for centuries. Several indigenous communities still reside within the park, maintaining their traditions, language, and connection to the land.
Within the park’s boundaries, there are various archaeological sites that bear witness to the ancient Tayrona civilization. Some of these sites include ancient terraces, ceremonial areas, and burial grounds, offering insights into the history and culture of the indigenous people who once thrived in the area.
Taironaka
Taironaka is an eco-hotel but also an open-air museum with different activities offered. The architecture of this eco-hotel are circular houses with stone base, raised in wood and covered by palm leaves, similar to those found, the same that, according to their size, location and constructive peculiarities, showed that they were a site perhaps intended for religious ceremonies and confirmed that it was a settlement of Tairona Indians.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Bogota
Arrival to Bogota
You will be picked up at the airport in Bogota and driven to your hotel.
The bilingual guide will be waiting for you at the exit of the airport.
Accommodation
Here you will find the best hotel recommendations in Bogota.
Day 2: Bogota
Full day City tour Paloquemao, Monserrate, Museums and La Candelaria
Your first stop will be Paloquemao, an emblematic place for supplying families and businesses in Bogota. It offers with the highest quality a great variety of flowers, fruits, vegetables, meat, groceries, dairy products, herbs and much more. There, our Colombian tradition and culture is preserved and proudly represented by offering a unique sensory experience with all the colors, smells and most delicious flavors that come from all regions of Colombia. Then you will visit ‘La Candelaria’ neighborhood and the historic center of Bogotá, full of colorful colonial buildings and stone streets. During the tour you will visit The Gold Museum and the Botero Museum, both in La Candelaria. The Gold Museum is the place to discover the largest collection of pre-Hispanic goldsmithing in the world, with approximately 34,000 pieces of gold and about 25,000 objects in ceramics, stone, bone and textiles made by several Colombian indigenous cultures, this Museum close on Tuesdays. In the Botero Museum, you will find a large art collection donated by the famous local artist Fernando Botero, including 87 pieces of universal art and 123 works made by Botero himself. Pieces from international artists such as Renoir, Monet, Degas, Dalí, Pissarro, Bonnard, among others, are present in the museum.
Finally, you will visit the Sanctuary of Monserrate, which is the most iconic point of the city and the main tourist attraction. It sits at 3,150 meters (10,334 feet) above the sea level, therefore, it offers spectacular views of the city. To climb the mountain, you can take the cable car or walk along the trail.
Day 3: Bogota – Guatavita – Zipaquira – Bogota
Full day tour Guatavita Lagoon and Salt Cathedral
The Guatavita Lagoon is located approximately 90 minutes from Bogotá. This lagoon is the setting for the authentic “El Dorado Legend”. It was a sacred place for the Muiscas indigenous people and it is still used as such today. Guatavita has an altitude of 3.100 meters above sea level (10.170 feet) and an average temperature of 5 °C to 11 °C (41° F to 52 °F). To get to the lagoon you must walk a path and due to the rainfall, we recommend wearing comfortable clothes and keeping a raincoat on hand. After the visit to Guatavita you will go to the Salt Cathedral in Zipaquirá – the first wonder of Colombia, which is located in a salt mine 180 meters underground. It is a place regularly visited by Catholics, but its architecture and history leave all visitors astonished.
Day 4: Bogota
Full Day Eastern Hills and La Chorrera
In the morning you will be picked up by a local guide and a private driver. The destination is the hills of Bogota, for which you will travel for about an hour and a half. You will enjoy a hike in the mountains to reach La Chorrera waterfall, the highest in Colombia. It will be a day of connecting with nature, admiring the beauty of the place. After the activity in the morning you will have lunch in the nearby town of Choachí.
Day 5: Bogota – Leticia – Amazonas
Travel Day
You will travel from Bogota to Leticia.
Amazon Forrest Lodge
Upon arrival in Leticia, you will be picked up at the airport. You will then drive to the pier where a boat is already awaiting you. After a great river cruise and probably also seeing pink river dolphins, you will arrive at your Amazon forrest lodge.
You can visit an indigenous village, walk through the Natural Reserve, walk through the Mocagua Island, do a boat trip to look for pink dolphins, canoe through the flooded forest where you can observe birds, sloths and a great diversity of fauna and flora of the lowland rainforest. You also can visit the garden of a traditional doctor who will explain the use of medicinal, among many more activities. Sometimes even families of Monkey visit the lodge.
Day 6: Amazonas
Amazon Forrest Lodge
You can visit an indigenous village, walk through the Natural Reserve, walk through the Mocagua Island, do a boat trip to look for pink dolphins, canoe through the flooded forest where you can observe birds, sloths and a great diversity of fauna and flora of the lowland rainforest. You also can visit the garden of a traditional doctor who will explain the use of medicinal, among many more activities. Sometimes even families of Monkey visit the lodge.
Day 7: Amazonas
Amazon Forrest Lodge
You can visit an indigenous village, walk through the Natural Reserve, walk through the Mocagua Island, do a boat trip to look for pink dolphins, canoe through the flooded forest where you can observe birds, sloths and a great diversity of fauna and flora of the lowland rainforest. You also can visit the garden of a traditional doctor who will explain the use of medicinal, among many more activities. Sometimes even families of Monkey visit the lodge.
Day 8: Amazonas – Bogota – Bucaramanga – San Vicente de Chucuri
Travel Day
Today you will travel from Amazonas to San Vicente de Chucuri.
You will be picked up at the airport Palonegro in Bucaramanga upon arrival. You will then drive to San Vicente de Chucuri, also known as the Cacao capital of Colombia. After approximate 3 hours you will arrive at this small village and check in to your hotel.
Depending on the transfer time you will enjoy a cacao experience including dinner.
Day 9: San Vicente de Chucuri – Zapatoca
Lengerke trail
Transfer from the hotel in Zapatoca to the start of the walk located 5.7 km from the urban area. The second stage of the Lengerke trail starts at the Zapatoca airfield. First you pass the airfield and then turn left to start descending. In the first kilometer there is a part that is a bit steep and slippery. This part can be avoided by walking a short distance along the road. You will descend until you reach the Suárez River Canyon to the first Lengerke suspension bridge in Colombia. Time to have a snack.
Continuation of the Camino Real until reaching Guane, formerly the last town of the Guane Indians. There we will rest and then transfer by vehicle to Barichara.
Distance: 17.86 KM
Maximum elevation: 1,983 m
Minimum elevation: 766 m
Elevation gain: 420 m
Elevation loss: 1,353 m
Day 10: Zapatoca – Guane – Barichara
Lengerke trail
Transfer from the hotel in Zapatoca to the start of the walk located 5.7 km from the urban area. The second stage of the Lengerke trail starts at the Zapatoca airfield. First you pass the airfield and then turn left to start descending. In the first kilometer there is a part that is a bit steep and slippery. This part can be avoided by walking a short distance along the road. You will descend until you reach the Suárez River Canyon to the first Lengerke suspension bridge in Colombia. Time to have a snack.
Continuation of the Camino Real until reaching Guane, formerly the last town of the Guane Indians. There we will rest and then transfer by vehicle to Barichara.
Distance: 17.86 KM
Maximum elevation: 1,983 m
Minimum elevation: 766 m
Elevation gain: 420 m
Elevation loss: 1,353 m
Day 11: Barichara
Free day
Barichara is a great and beautiful town and you can discover it by yourself.
Day 12: Barichara – Jordan
Lengerke trail
After breakfast there will be a transfer from the hotel in Barichara to the starting point of the walk (called Alto de Marta) approximately 45 minutes away. There you will begin the descent through the second biggest canyon in the world. After descending 6.9 kms, we will arrive at Tamarindo, where a natural space awaits us to have lunch and rest in the cabins to rest under the shade. The site is situated next to the Chicamocha river. There you also will have lunch.
Distance: 15,51 KM
Maximum elevation: 1,683 m
Minimum elevation: 460 m
Elevation gain: 454 m
Elevation loss: 1,200 m
Day 13: Jordan – Mesa de los Santos
Lengerke trail
Early start to avoid the heat of the canyon. This walk will take us for 8 kms (3 km from the accommodation to the center of the town of Jordán) and then 5 km uphill to the town of Los Santos. In Jordán, the city with the smallest population in Colombia and the first tollbooth built on a suspension bridge.
In the afternoon visit to the Guane pictograms, after lunch, and head to the lodge at Mesa de los Santos.
Distance: 8.5 KM
Maximum elevation: 1,680 m
Minimum elevation: 460 m
Elevation gain: 1,452 m
Elevation loss: –
Day 14: Mesa de los Santos – Bucaramanga – Santa Marta
Arrival to Santa Marta
You will be picked up at the airport in Santa Marta and driven to your hotel.
The bilingual guide will be waiting for you at the exit of the airport.
Accommodation
Here you will find the best hotel recommendations in Colombia.
Day 15: Santa Marta – Tayrona Park – Santa Marta
Full Day Tayrona Park
You will be picked up at the hotel and drive to Taganga, where you will start an incredible adventure to the Tayrona Park, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, just 30 minutes from Santa Marta. Upon arrival you will take a boat to one of the busiest places in the park, Cabo San Juan. Here you will have free time to enjoy the park’s best option for swimming, hiking and, of course, relaxing in a hammock. In the afternoon you will walk to the entrance of the park, approximately 3 hours. There you will be picked up by a driver to get to your hotel.
Day 16: Santa Marta – Taironaka – Santa Marta
Full Day Tour Taironaka and Don Diego River
Your guide will pick you up to take your full day tour. In the natural reserve of Taironaka, located at km 58 of the road leading to Riohacha, it is possible to see the cultural and historical importance of the Tayrona culture. There are restored terraces where the indigenous people used to build their homes and an archeological museum with original artifacts. The area is of great importance for the Koguis, direct descendants of the Tayrona. One of the most fun activities in Taironaka is tubing down the Don Diego River.
Day 17: Santa Marta – Departure
Departure
Today is the last day of your trip. Depending on the hour of your flight, a car will pick you up at your hotel and bring you to the airport.
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