Upon your arrival at El Dorado Airport in Bogotá, our local partner will be waiting for you. The drive to your hotel, which is located in the old town, La Candelaria, takes around 30–45 minutes, depending on the traffic.

You will be given some practical information about Colombia in general and about your own tour. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. The guide is there to give you a good start to your holiday.

You have the evening to yourself to relax or to explore the cosy old town. Bear in mind that Bogotá is located at an altitude of 2,600 metres, so take things easy to allow your body to acclimatise.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from the hotel by a guide who will take you on a walk around to the highlights of the old town.

A visit to the Gold Museum, Plaza Bolívar and the Botero Museum gives you an exciting insight into the history of Colombia.

Look forward to one of the highlights of the tour, which is the view of the city from the top of Mount Monserrate, which stands 3,152 metres high. The city tour takes place on foot, but fear not, a cable car takes you to the top of Mount Monserrate!

The rest of the day is yours to do as you please.

Today, nothing specific is planned for you. You can explore the city on your own or purchase an extra excursion from home.

Bogotá has much to offer. Head off on adventure in the small streets of La Candelaria and visit the Paloquemao market, one of Bogotá’s oldest markets, selling flowers, exotic fruit, vegetables and much more besides.

You could also take a taxi to the modern part of Bogotá where you will find department stores and lots of shops and restaurants. There are countless possibilities!

We highly recommend purchasing a bike ride, which is a great way to experience the capital, or an excursion to Zipaquirá, the underground salt cathedral located just north of Bogotá.

Today, the tour heads for Santa Marta, which enjoys a scenic location on the Caribbean coast at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport. The flight takes about 1.5 hours.

Santa Marta is one of the oldest Spanish cities in South America. It was founded in 1525. Santa Marta is where Simón Bolívar spent his last days in 1830. More recently, football player Carlos Valderrama, better known as El Pibe, has also put Santa Marta on the world map.

Santa Marta has a pleasant centre with beautiful, colourful colonial buildings, and you will find good restaurants and cosy cafes.

Today, the tour to the Lost City gets under way, allowing you to unleash the Indiana Jones in you, as this tour is a small expedition on foot through the  dense jungle the Sierra Nevada mountains. Rivers have to be crossed and you will be trekking in high temperatures in high humidity. The trek, which is around 50 km long, and takes 4 days, and you will be staying in primitive camps along the way. Your able guide will lead you and your group to the impressive ruins of Ciudad Perdida, better known as the Lost City. We guarantee it will be challenging, and we also guarantee that it’s worth all the effort – it might even be the best memory you take home with you from Colombia.

The Lost City was built by the Tayrona people in around 800 AD. It is thought to have been abandoned at around the same time that the Spanish colonists arrived in Colombia. What makes the Lost City so special is that it was not found until the 1970s, when it was rediscovered by treasure hunters.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from the hotel and driven by 4WD along bumpy roads to the small town of Mamey, where the trek starts. The drive takes around 2.5 hours. Lunch is served in Mamey before you start your hike through the lush jungle towards the first camp, located at an altitude of 520 metres. There is time to relax before dinner is served.

Distance: Approx. 8 km
Hike duration: Approx. 5 hours
Level of difficulty: Moderate

This is the most demanding day of the trek. You will cross the Buritaca River nine times! Lunch is served along the way, and snacks and fresh fruit are also provided to replenish your energy.

Even though it gets hot and sweaty, there’s plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful scenery you are walking through. You pass several local villages on the trek. Remember to respect the people who live here and always ask for their permission before taking pictures.

On your arrival at the camp, you can enjoy a refreshing dip in the river or relax before dinner is served. We almost guarantee you’ll fall asleep early tonight after a hard day in the jungle.

Distance: Approx. 14 km
Hike duration: Approx. 8 hours
Level of difficulty: Moderate–hard

Today’s trek starts early with an ascent of approx. 660 vertical metres. The last stretch of the way into the Lost city is via a steep staircase with 1,200 steps of all different shapes and sizes. The climb is hard, but when you reach the top, you can give yourself a pat on the back and be enthralled by the impressive sight that greets you. This 35-hectare area is made up of a complex system of buildings, roads and stairways, connected by more than 150 terraces, squares and stone roads, scattered up and down the mountainsides. From the top, you’ll enjoy great views over the dense jungle and the impressive ruins complex.
Your guide will give you an exciting insight into the Lost City’s history, and you also have time on your own to explore this magical place in the heart of Sierra Nevada’s jungle.

There is only one way into the Lost City and one way out. After spending around 3–4 hours at the ruins, you return along the same road that you came from and head for the camp where you spend the night in the jungle for the last time. There is nothing quite like lying and listening to the sounds of the jungle when night falls. The jungle animals and insects wake up just as the sun goes down. It’s fascinating to lie and listen, barely able to keep your eyes open after a long day, having enjoyed the experience of a lifetime in presence of history.

Distance: Approx. 15 km
Hike duration: Approx. 9 hours
Level of difficulty: Moderate–hard

After breakfast, you walk back to the small town of Mamey, where a hearty lunch is served. From here, you will be driven back to your hotel in Santa Marta in a 4WD. You will probably then choose to enjoy a relaxing evening with a long, hot bath, a nice meal, a well-deserved “I did it” beer and then a soft bed to sleep in.

Distance: Approx. 13 km
Hike duration: Approx. 6 hours
Level of difficulty: Moderate

You have the day to yourself in Santa Marta. You can explore the city on your own or purchase a guided tour of the city from home. You can also purchase a tour to the nearby Tayrona National Park, which boasts unique flora and fauna and some of the most beautiful beaches in Colombia.

After breakfast, it is time to bid Santa Marta farewell. You will be picked up from the hotel and driven to Cartagena – a drive of around 5 hours.

You will stay in Cartagena’s charming old historic district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Behind the thick city walls, you will find beautiful colourful colonial houses, smiling ladies selling fruit and a mass of travellers on foot or in horse-drawn carriages exploring the cosy narrow streets.

In the afternoon, you will go on a 2-hour street food tour in Cartagena, when your guide will introduce you to the array of delicious specialities served in the city’s streets and alleyways. These are specialities that visitors often avoid for the simple reason that they don’t know what they are. Look forward to experiencing and enjoying a taste of Cartagena just like the locals do.

You have the day on your own to explore Cartagena, a veritable melting pot of cultures from Colombia’s indigenous population as well as the Spanish and the Africans.

With an average temperature of 30 degrees all year round, you may find yourself making a beeline for a shady spot on a bench in Bolívar Park, overlooking the beautiful Santa Catalina Cathedral. Or perhaps you would like to go shopping at some of the many exclusive shops with air conditioning.

You also have the opportunity to visit the small, UNESCO-listed town of Palenque de San Basilio, the first free town founded by the African slaves that managed to escape from the Spanish colonial power.

In the afternoon, you can go on a guided tour and see the impressive fort of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.

Enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants on the city’s large squares or on the roof terraces overlooking the city roofs.

You have the day to yourself in Cartagena. If you’ve not yet had your fill of beautiful colonial buildings, we highly recommend a walk in the Getsemani district. 15–20 years ago, this area of Cartagena was not somewhere you went. This was where the poor people lived, and the area attracted both whores and pickpockets. Today, Getsemani has become the hip district with small shops where local artists sell their art, trendy cafés and coffee shops. Visit Plaza Trinidad and enjoy the unique atmosphere here in the afternoon, when it buzzes with life.

The time has come to say goodbye to Colombia, so enjoy your last morning in Cartagena.
You will be picked up from your hotel and driven to the airport. The time of this depends on when your overseas flight leaves.  The drive to the airport takes around 30 minutes.

You land in the UK after an eventful tour of Colombia.