Colombia off the beaten track

Overview

DAY 1: Departure for Colombia.

DAY 2: Visit of the historical center of Bogotá, the Candelaria.

DAY 3: Transfer to San Jose del Guaviare by plane. Visit Orion’s Gate.

DAY 4 : Explore the jungle and visit the Cerro Azul rock paintings.

DAY 5 : Watch pink dolphins and meet with the indigenous community.

DAY 6 : Visit the pink river. Flight to Cali.

DAY 7 : Transfer by boat to Gorgona Island.

DAY 8 : Boat trip to watch the whales up close.

DAY 9 : Discover the fauna and visit of the ruins of the prison.

DAY 10 : Flight to Cartagena de Indias.

DAY 11 : Discover the walled city and its fortress.

Day 1: Departure to Colombia

The D-day has finally arrived. Departure to Colombia.

• Arrival in Bogota.
• Reception at the airport, transfer and installation in your hotel located in the historical center of the city.
• Overnight in Bogota.

Day 2: 2,600 meters closer to the stars

Bogota is the most important city in the country in political, economic and cultural terms. With more than 8,000,000 inhabitants and located at an altitude of 2,600 meters, Bogota is the third highest capital in the world, after La Paz and Quito.

• Guided visit of the historical center of Bogota, La Candelaria.
• Discover la Plaza Bolivar, named after the liberator Simon Bolívar, the Lievano Palace, Bogota’s City Hall, the Palace of Justice, the National Capitol, the Primada Cathedral, the Casa de Nariño and the Presidential Palace.
• Spend your afternoon at leisure.
• Overnight in Bogota.

Day 3 : SAN JOSE DEL GUAVIARE

San Jose del Guaviare is the gateway to the Amazon rainforest. It is the definition of an off the beaten track destination. Long forbidden to visitors because of the internal Colombian war, this magnificent natural site has been opened to tourism since the signing of the peace treaty in 2016.

• Transfer to Bogota airport to fly to San Jose del Guaviare.
• Welcome by your guide and transfer to your hotel.
• Enjoy a delicious typical lunch.
• Visit Orion’s Gate and walk through the magnificent rock formations of the area.
• Return to the hotel for dinner.
• Overnight in San Jose del Guaviare.

Day 4: Cave painting 

El Cerro Azul (the blue mountain) as it is called by the locals is one of the most amazing places in the region thanks to its magnificent collection of cave painting 12,000 years old. 

• After breakfast, departure for a new excursion in this place full of surprises.
• Visit el Cerro Azul where hundreds of cave paintings adorn several walls of rock. each drawings is more interesting than the others.
• Walk through the jungle for a magnificent view of the majestic forest.
• Go animal watching, especially bird-watching!
• Return to the hotel
• Traditional dinner.
• Overnight in San Jose del Guaviare.

Day 5: THE PINK DOLPHINS

Get your camera ready for a short hike in the Amazon rainforest foothills. Pink dolphins are a species endemic to the Amazon that has become accustomed to freshwater rivers.

• Watch a wide variety of flora and fauna such as primates and birds.
• Lunch in a local community.
• Visit the Damas de Nare lagoon to watch and maybe even interact with the pink Amazonian dolphins (Inia geoffrensis).
• Return to the hotel and dinner.
• Overnight in San Jose del Guaviare.

Day 6: THE PINK RIVER

Caño Cristales is known as a liquid rainbow. Here you will find it s little sister, the pink river.

• In the morning, visit the breathtaking pink river for a fascinating discovery.
• Its colouring is due to an endemic algae of the department, called Macarenia Clavigera. When it blooms, between June and early December, the river takes on its characteristic color.
• Transfer to the airport and flight to Cali, with a stopover in Bogota.
• Check-in at your hotel.
• Overnight in Cali.

Day 7: GUAPI AND GORGONA ISLAND

Guapi is a village lost in the middle of the tropical forest of the Colombian Pacific and it is the maritime departure point towards the exuberant Gorgona Island

• Transfer to the Cali airport to fly to Guapi
• Travel by boat to Gorgona Island.
• On the way, it is already possible to see humpback whales.
• Arriving on the island, hundreds of monkeys will welcome you.
• Check-in in the only hotel on the island.
• Dinner at the hotel.
• Overnight on Gorgona Island.

Day 8: WHALES OF GORGONA ISLAND

The island Gorgona is mountainous and with a luxuriant nature. It is home to an impressive biodiversity of reptiles, mammals, amphibians, birds, etc. It welcomes humpback whales every year between July and October. 

• Boat trip to watch the whales up close.
• Lunch at the hotel. You might see the whales from the deck of the restaurant!.
• Spend your afternoon at leisure. Maybe go snorkeling and if you are lucky, you will be swimming with the whales!
• Dinner.
• Overnight on Gorgona Island.

Day 9: THE PRISION OF THE GORGONA ISLAND

For 24 years Gorgona Island was a high security prison for the most dangerous criminals in Colombia. The prisoners lived in very precarious conditions and mortality rates among them were very high.

• Visit the prison to learn more about the living conditions at the time and some surprising anecdotes.
• Lunch.
• Guided hike on the island to visit one of the most beautiful wild beaches.
• Watch primates and many birds while on your hike.
• Dinner.
• Overnight on Gorgona Island.

Day 10: ARRIVAL IN CARTAGENA

Cartagena de Indias has important fortifications and one of the most complete systems of military fortifications in South America. The city of Cartagena de Indias and its fortress are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Return by boat to Guapi and then flight back to Cali and then to Cartagena.
• Welcome at the airport and transfer to a charming boutique hotel located within the walled city.
• Overnight in Cartagena.

Day 11: THE HISTORY OF CARTAGENA

Cartagena de Indias had a key role in the administration of the Spanish empire and in the slave trade. Filled with historical monuments and anecdotes of all kinds, the city will not leave you indifferent.

• Spend your day at leisure. Take this opportunity to discover the walled city, the San Felipe de Barajas castle, the Popa convent, the Getsemani neighborhood, etc.
• Overnight in Cartagena.

Day 12 : ROSARIO ISLANDS

The archipelago of the Rosario Islands, located in the Caribbean Sea, has 27 islands easily accessible. It is a National Natural Park and it shelters a beautiful coral reef.

• Transfer to the port of Cartagena for a boat ride to the islands.
• Possibility of scuba diving and snorkeling (optional).
• Enjoy a panoramic view of the island.
• Spend your time at leisure in a beautiful hotel.
• Enjoy a delicious lunch composed of fresh fish, fried plantain and coconut rice.
• Return to Cartagena in the middle of the afternoon.
• Overnight in Cartagena.

Day 13 : GOODBYE COLOMBIA

Enjoy the last hours before you fly back home.

This price does not include:

Tours not to be missed

Où observer les baleines en Colombie ?