colombia - eldertreks · for our flight to leticia, colombia’s gateway to the amazon. upon...

Detailed Itinerary

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COLOMBIA

Colombia is now ready to welcome adventure travelers! This beautiful country is primed to share its ancient and colonial heritage, its abundant natural beauty and a sincere warmth that makes everyone feel genuinely welcome.

ElderTreks’ 21 day adventure takes you from the Colonial gems of the Andes, to the lush untamed jungle of the Amazon, to pristine coastal regions. In the Amazon, enjoy the exotic wildlife including a plethora of birdlife, primates, caimen, and of course, keeping an eye out for grey and pink dolphins.

A trip to Colombia would not be complete without a visit to a coffee plantation and hacienda. Savor the beautiful surroundings of Pereira, one of the premier coffee regions in the world. Enjoy a day of hiking (or optional horseback riding) in the spectacular Cocora Valley. Visit a traditional Andean market in Silvia, and be impressed by superb sites and

Facts & Highlights21 land days Start in Bogota and finish in Cartegena

Includes all meals Includes 6 internal flights Explore Cartagena - arguably the most beautiful colonial city in the Americas Visit the gold museum in Bogota Search for exotic wildlife in the Amazon Visit a traditional ‘colorful’ Andean market Learn about coffee production at a coffee plantation See the colonial gems of Villa de Leyva, Popoyan and Barichara Relax or hike in Tayrona National Park Explore the mysterious, ancient stone statues of San Agustin

Departure Dates & PriceSep 17 – Oct 07, 2018 - $6995 USD

Activity Level: 2

Comfort Level: Some long drives on dirt roads.

AccommodationsComfortable hotels with private bathrooms.

Aug 14/18

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colonial architecture in the Andean towns of Villa de Leyva, Bogota (including the Gold museum), Popoyan and Barichara. The crown jewel is Cartagena on the coast which is arguably the most beautiful colonial city in the Americas.

The ancient statues of San Agustin are numerous (over 600 in total) and mysterious. No one knows who created them or why. Dating from 1000 to 5000 years, the statues depict people, animals, pregnant women, monsters and even combines people and animals. The tallest is 21’ high and there are many burial sites.

Enjoy coastal stops in Tayrona National Park while staying at the unique ecohabs, one of many beautiful and tranquil experiences during your adventure to Colombia.

Arrival in Bogota Upon arrival in Bogota, Colombia’s capital, we are met and transferred to our hotel. This evening, we have our welcome dinner.

Dinner and overnight in Bogota.

Exploring the Salt Cathe-dral of Zipaquira, Gold Museum & Colonial BogotaWe begin our day with a visit to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira, an underground church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200m (655ft ) underground. After lunch, we will explore the very impressive Gold Museum, home to one of the largest collections of pre-Columbian gold work in the world. We then see Plaza de Bolivar (the city’s main square), govern-ment buildings, the old colonial district known as La Candelaria and San Francisco Church.

We conclude our activities with a ride in a funicular railway or cable car to the top of Monserrate Hill, of-

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fering spectacular views of the city.

Dinner and overnight in Bogota.

Amazon Adventure: Fly to Leticia, Boat to Puerto Narino After breakfast, we depart for the domestic airport for our flight to Leticia, Colombia’s gateway to the Amazon. Upon arrival, we transfer to the pier, to begin our jouney by boat on the Amazon to the vil-lage Puerto Narino. We stop at Amacayacu National Park where we may be greeted by monkeys and other wildlife. Puerto Narino is a terrific example of how a town can be beautiful, functional and practice

sustainability. The people really seem to take pride in their town.

Dinner and overnight in Puerto Narino.

To Tarapoto Lake, Search for Grey & Pink DolphinsEarly in the morning, we depart on our boat jour-ney to Tarapoto Lake. Enjoy the lush verdant beauty of the Amazon rainforest as locals travel in their boats and birds fly overhead. Keep your eyes and cameras ready as we search for grey and pink dolphins, monkeys, caymen and a myriad of exotic and colourful birdlife.


Afterwards, we visit Calanoa Natural Reserve and an Indigenous Tikuna Village.

We return to Puerto Narino for dinner and overnight.

Marasha Reserve, to LeticiaOnce again we travel along the Amazon to Marasha re-serve, where we can search for the unique, colourful flora and fauna while on a hike, from the canopy or even while sport fishing. Later we continue by boat to Leticia.

Dinner and overnight in Leticia.

Fly to Pereira, Coffee Re-gionToday, we fly via Bogota to Pereira in Colombia’s beautiful Coffee Region. Experience the contrast of the Amazon, filled with dense flora and exotic wildlife to the mountainous landscape of Colombia’s coffee

region.

Arrive in Pereira and transfer to our hacienda for dinner and overnight.

DAY 7This morning we visit a special coffee growing farm (finca) which includes technical and practi-cal introduction about the whole coffee cultivation and production process. Many consider Colombian coffee to be the best in the world. We will see first hand how coffee is grown and produced. Of course everyone can try a cup or two to appreciate the taste and aroma of Colombian coffee.

Dinner and overnight in Pereira.


-ning Cocora ValleyToday, we depart for the Cocora Valley. We can explore its breathtaking landscapes on foot or by horseback. This is one of the most beautiful places in Colombia. Here we will find the impressive Palma de Cera, the Co-lombian national tree and one of the tallest varieties of palm in the world. On the way back, we stop in Armenia in Salento, a picturesque village in the middle of the cof-fee landscape.

Dinner and overnight in Pereira.

To Popayan; Indigenous Andean Market of SilviaAfter breakfast, we start our long but beautiful day of driving from Pereira to Popayan, one of Colombia’s most beautiful colonial cities. We will make several stops including Buga, famous for being the most important pilgrim church of Colombia. We also stop at Silvia, with its colourful, local market where the

locals dress in their traditional Andean garb.

We continue to Popayan for dinner and overnight.

Exploring the Colonial Charm of PopayanToday, we explore the colonial plazas, churches, ca-thedrals and monuments of Popayan.

Later in the day, we are going to play Tejo, Colombia’s popular game and national sport near Popayan. This ancient sport was played over 500 years ago by the indigenous groups in Colombia.

Dinner and overnight in Popayan.

Drive Over the Andes to San AgustinAfter breakfast, we drive from Popayan to San Agustin, crossing the marvelous Purace National Park. Today is a long drive made nicer by spectacular mountain scenery. In the afternoon, we visit the fa-

Andean Market at Silvia


Popayan

Ancient statue at San Agustin.


Ancient statue at San Agustin.


mous strait of Magdalena. Here, the longest river in Colombia crosses a narrow throat just 2 meters wide.

We continue to San Agustin for dinner and over-night.

Ancient & Mysterious Stat-ues of San AgustinThe Statues of San Agustin are an ancient wonder of Colombia. Spread over a vast area and clouded in mystery, the approximate 600 statues date from 1000 - 5,000 years old. The statues vary from small to giant (21’), from human figures to animals to part human and animal and even pregnant women.

After breakfast, we visit several sites in the San Agustin Archaeological Park. We end the day with a visit to the Archaeological Museum.

Dinner and overnight in San Agustin.

Drive and Fly to Bucara-mangaWe leave the beautiful and mysterious region of San Agustin and drive to Neiva for our flights to Bucara-manga (via Bogota). We will make several stops and enjoy sites enroute during our day of travel.

Dinner and overnight in Bucaramanga.

To Colonial Barichara - One

VillagesIn the morning, we drive to the Barichara to explore this quaint and beautiful village. Founded in 1741, Barichara’s colonial architecture of white-washed buildings and red-tiled roofs are simply stunning.

Dinner and overnight in Barichara.

Villa De Leyva


Hike Camino Real, to Villa De LeyvaBefore departing for Villa De Leyva, we hike the Camino Real to the small and sleepy one horse vil-lage of Guane. Along this stone path, you can see the mountains and canyon in the distance while passing farms and horse ranches.

Later, we drive to Villa de Leyva, one of the oldest and loveliest towns in Colombia. The large plaza is surrounded by the church and whitewashed build-ings, many dating back to the late 1500s. We explore the history of Villa de Leyva through its colonial structures, a perfect town to meander about on foot. We will also drive to a 160 million year old fossil and Ecce Homo.

An evening walk in Villa De Leyva will be filled with charm and ambience with historic colonial buildings lit by lanterns lining the cobblestone lanes.

Dinner and overnight in Villa de Leyva.

Fly to Santa Marta, Eco-

We depart Villa de Leyva and drive to Bogota, where we continue to Bogota airport for our flight to Santa Marta. Upon arrival in Santa Marta, drive to our unique lodge called Ecohabs. Located in Tayrona National Park, the lodge is surrounded by green, built with thatched roofs and boasts spectacular ocean and coastline views.

Dinner and overnight in Ecohubs, Tayrona National Park.

Salt Cathedral


Salt Cathedral

Tayrona National Park


Tayrona National Park, Playa Crystal; to CartagenaIn the morning, we have time to enjoy Tayrona Na-tional Park. Go for a hike or do nothing but breathe the ocean air and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Later in the day, we transfer to Cartagena.

Dinner and overnight in Cartagena.

-lonial GemToday, we explore Cartagena, arguably the most beautiful colonial city in the Americas. Our explora-tion includes the Convent of La Popa, the highest point of the city with its impressive views of Carta-gena. We continue to the massive fort of Castillo de San Felipe, with its history and mysteries hidden in its stone-walled tunnels. We visit the monument of Zapatos Viejos, the Old Shoes. However, most im-pressive is the huge defensive walls that surrounds the old city, which overlooks the sea and its well-pre-served colonial architecture within these walls. Every street looks more beautiful than the last. During your exploration, you will see cathedrals, museums, plazas, restaurants and cafes. Cartagena has the best

Cartagena: fort of Castillo de San Felipe

shopping in Colombia. Cartagena proudly deserves its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as you will never forget this wonderful destination.


Cartagena - Afrocolom-

Today we explore La Boquilla, an afrocolombian neighborhood in Cartagena by canoe (made of wood), through the natural tunnels of the man-grove forest while we learn about their community, including their fishing techniques. Enjoy some free time in the afternoon before our farewell dinner, to toast all of the sites, memories and locals encoun-tered on your Colombian adventure.


Depart CartagenaOur Colombian Adventure concludes with a trans-fer to Cartagena International Airport for your departure flight.


Cartagena

Cartagena


Questions & Answers

Each group is limited to 16 participants. Small groups are an important ingredient in adventure travel. They allow for more interaction and more personalized service throughout the itinerary.

All accommodations throughout; all meals, starting with dinner on day 1 and finishing with breakfast on departure day (i.e. the last day of the ElderTreks tour); bottled drinking water throughout the trip; all internal transportation; airport transfers on day 1 and departure day (i.e. the last day of the ElderTreks tour); all day trips and entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary; tips for hotels (porterage), national guide, bus driver, restaurants and spot guides; services of a trip leader.

International flights, tips to ElderTreks tour leader, alcoholic drinks, visas and travel insurance.

Yes, in the broadest sense of the word, “educational”. Although we visit many historical sites and although we have talks and discussions on many aspects of Colombian history and culture, this is only one aspect of what we do. We believe that it is equally educational to meet new people on a non-commercial basis, visit their homes, and even try to learn a few words in the local language. Sometimes the most “educational” moments are spent sipping a cold drink in a street market.

All land transportation is included in the land price of the trip. We use mini-vans or Microbuses, 4x4 vehicles, local ferries, motorized boats, planes and of course by foot. The trip cost also includes 6 internal flights.

We always stay in very good hotels, guesthouses and lodges that have been chosen on the basis of location, atmosphere and local charm.

All meals during the itinerary are included, starting with dinner on day 1, and finishing with breakfast on departure day. We eat a variety of local foods prepared in a wide range of

settings. In many cases, we simply order a number of dishes and share, allowing you to sample new foods and decide what you enjoy best. On long travel days, we often take box lunches.

This adventure covers a great deal of territory and travelers should expect, in general, hot, humid weather in the Amazon and on the coast. Temperatures will be more moderate and occasionally cold in the highlands. You should also be prepared for rain.

Insurance coverage is not included in the cost of your trip. Please note that medical insurance is not required for this adventure but is recommended. ElderTreks offers comprehensive travel insurance and we are happy to provide you with a quote if you call our office. If you are purchasing insurance elsewhere, please ensure you provide the details to ElderTreks as soon as possible. *Please note those travelers with pre-existing medical conditions must take out travel insurance at the time of deposit

There is a detailed “What to Take” list in our Trip Kit, which we will send to you after you have booked the trip.

A non-refundable deposit of $500 USD (plus insurance if you want it) is due as soon as you decide to go and will reserve your place on the tour. Payment in full of the land cost is due 100 days before departure. Cancellation charges are applicable and these are outlined in the “Terms and Conditions” section of our brochure.

We would be happy to take care of your air arrangements. ElderTreks offers personalized flight itineraries — not group flights. Stop over en route, come in a few days early, or extend your stay. Call us for a customized itinerary.

If you have any further questions about the trip, please do not hesitate to contact our office for additional information. A Trip Kit containing further details on the destination will be sent to you once you have booked the trip.

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colombia - eldertreks · for our flight to leticia, colombia’s gateway to the amazon. upon...

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