Walking in Colombia Tour

Welcome to Bogota, Colombia’s incredible capital city! Transfer from the airport to your hotel and prepare to start your tour.

Take a private walking tour today of Bogota’s historic district. Here in the heart of the charming La Candelaria colonial area, you can visit Plaza Bolivar and the well-known gold museum. Then ride a cable car to the Monserrate Sanctuary (3,152 m/10,341’), to see a fantastic view of the city. You also have the option to visit a museum dedicated to Botero, a famous Colombian artist.

Leave Bogota early and drive north to the state of Boyaca. The drive is fascinating as the bustle of the metropolitan capital fades behind you and you are immersed into the life of rural Colombia. Stop along the way at the Puente de Boyaca monument which commemorates the last battle for Colombian independence. Continue on to Nobsa, a town known for traditional handicrafts including the Ruana or poncho, which is a traditional symbol of Andean culture. One of Colombia’s few vineyards is also found here. Leave Nobsa and drive another hour to reach the town of Mongui, where you’ll spend the night in a hotel.

Explore Colombia’s paramo ecosystem today. The paramo is a unique alpine ecosystem found above the treeline but below the permanent snowline. Hike a circuit trail to the Paramo of Oceta, which is one of Colombia’s best preserved paramo areas. Ride in 4x4 vehicles to reach the trailhead, then trek for about 5 hours to complete the loop. You’ll see El Pedrisco, the Frailejones Valley, the Oceta Canyon, the viewpoint of La Laguna Negra, Stone Town, and the beautiful Penagos Waterfall. After your trek, return by 4x4 vehicle to the village where you will take a tour of the town. Mongui is a well-preserved colonial town, full of fascinating architecture and religious history.

Leave Mongui and drive back to Bogota today. Along the way, stop at the stunning Lake Guatavita, which has long been associated with the legend of El Dorado. Walk around the rim of this lake and learn more about the legend and the response of the Conquistadors to the legend. From here, continue driving south to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, which is a beautifully illuminated church built underground in the tunnels of a salt mine. After visiting this amazing place, continue driving and reach Bogota late in the afternoon.

Fly from Bogota to Neiva, where you’ll meet your guide and transfer to Villavieja. Take some time to rest in your hotel, then explore the Tatacoa desert. Your tour will stop at several different points of interest. There is also an astronomic observatory nearby that you can visit if the weather is clear. Spend the night in Villavieja.

Leave Villavieja and drive for about 5 hours to reach San Agustin. Enjoy a beautiful scenic drive through the Colombian countryside. Arrive at your hotel, settle in, and take some time to enjoy the lovely gardens there.

Take a private tour today of several archaeological parks in the San Agustin area. Begin by visiting San Agustin Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Colombia’s most important archaeological sites. Here you’ll find ruins and remnants of a civilization that had already vanished when Europeans first explored the area. The huge stone figures here are especially remarkable. Continue your tour to the Alto de los Idolos and the Alto de las Piedras archaeological sites. Spend another night in your hotel in San Agustin.

Travel today to Popayan, which is sometimes called the White City because the elegant colonial architecture here is whitewashed. This bustling university city in the Cauca Valley is surrounded by beautiful green hills. After checking in to your hotel, take a tour of the city. Included on your tour are stops at the Casa Mosquera, a colonial mansion where Simon Bolivar once stayed, and two beautiful churches: Iglesia la Ermita and Iglesia San Francisco. End your day at El Morro del Tulcan, a peak that offers incredible views of the city.

Leave Popayan and travel to Salento. This colorful village is known as the Gateway to the Cocora Valley. Your hotel here is a destination in itself, with incredible and extensive grounds that are well-worth exploring. You’ll arrive at the hotel in the afternoon and have plenty of free time to enjoy your surroundings.

If your journey to Salento falls on a Tuesday, you can stop along the way at the Silvia Market, an authentic market run by the local Guambiano tribe. This is not a tourist market, but a wonderful way to experience the traditional way of life in the Colombian countryside.

Spend the whole day exploring the Cocora Valley today. Take a guided hiking tour where you’ll learn more about the national tree of Colombia: the wax palm. This amazing tree is the largest variety of palm in the world and can grow to be 60 meters tall. The wax palm, and the unique yellow-eared parrots that only nest in wax palms, are endangered species. Your tour route will be customized to suite your abilities and interests, so you are sure to have a memorable, personalized experience.

Leave Salento early in the morning and drive for about 2 hours to Pereira in the coffee area. A brief stop in this city gives you the opportunity to shop for snacks or any other last-minute needs before heading into the mountains. Drive another 2 hours from Pereria along the banks of the Otun River. You’ll pass La Florida and La Suiza rural areas, then reach the El Cedral trailhead (2,105 m/6,906’). Begin your trek here, with a moderate climb for about 2.5 hours to La Pastora refuge. Camp in tents here in the cloud rain forest.

After breakfast, return to the same trail and continue to follow it through the cloud rain forest. Hike for about 4 hours, beginning with a gentle ascent but gradually growing steeper. You’ll soon arrive at your destination, El Jordan farm (3,195 m / 10,482 ft). Camp in tents in this idyllic location, surrounded by volcanic hills that are full of dense forests and beautiful waterfalls.

Continue hiking today on the same trail that climbs up through the valley. As you gain elevation, notice how the landscape changes and you are surrounded by eroded volcanic terrain. Hike for about 2 hours to reach the colorful meadows of the El Bosque crater valley. Stop here to rest and eat in the shade of the high, semi-circular basalt walls. Continue your ascent up along a series of ridges until you come to Mosquito Lake. Watch for El Paramillo del Quindio and the Nevado Santa Isabel volcanoes in the distance as you climb. From Mosquito Lake to Otun Lake, the trail follows gentler terrain. Otun Lake is the largest lake in Los Nevados National Park, but you’ll find the camping area near the National Park’s huts. The rest of the day is free to explore this amazing area, including the lake shore and native frailejones (espeletia), plants that are related to sunflowers. Spend the night in tents at the Otun camping area (3,933 m/12,904’).

There are two different trails that lead from Otun Lake to the Campo Alegre Farm. Your guide will choose which trail is best depending on the weather and the physical condition of the group.

Route 1: Western Lake Trail

Follow the western shore of the lake then cross La Asomadera Pass (4,139 m/13,579’). Here, on the border between the Caldas and Risaralda states, you’ll get a spectacular view of Otun Lake. Descend gently past pasture fields to reach Potosi, the northern entrance to the park. Continue for a short distance to reach the Campo Alegre Farm. Transportation awaits you there to drive for 3-4 hours to a coffee farm near Manizales where you will spend the night.

Route 2: Eastern Lake Trail

This trail hugs Otun Lake’s eastern shoreline then ascends to the Asomadera ridge (4,237 m/13,901’). You’ll pass remote and untouched natural areas and beautiful waterfalls on the way up, then the trail from the ridge passes several small lakes as it descends again to the lower Asonadera Pass (4,139 m/ 13,579’). Here it joins up with the Western Lake Trail and follows the same route to the Campo Alegre farm, with transportation onward to Manizales. The Eastern Lake Trail is both longer and more demanding than the Western Lake Trail.

Enjoy a calm and peaceful morning relaxing at the Hacienda Venecia. This authentic working coffee farm continues to produce prize-winning coffee. Its farmhouses, built in the traditional paisa style, have been converted to a hostel and a hotel where guests are welcome to take a tour to see to process of producing coffee, from seed to making a really good cup of espresso. Your tour lasts 3-4 hours, then you’ll spend a second night here.

You’ll be picked up from the coffee farm for the 45-minute drive to Manizales Airport. Fly back to Bogota and either catch your next flight or get a transfer back into Bogota.