Colombia is one of the world's most vibrant and exotic countries. It features stunning landscapes, architecture, arts & craft, and cuisine.
This journey will provide a deep immersion into the local culture while staying at state of art luxury signature properties...
Depart on any regularly scheduled flights from the USA to Bogotá (BOG). Upon arrival in Bogotá, upon arrival transfer to the hotel.
Hotel: Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia ★★★★★
Room: Classic
Meals: Dinner
Check in at Sofitel Bogota Victoria Regia. long recognized as one of the finest in city and perfectly located in the Zona G (for Gastronomy), the designated area for the best restaurants in the city.
Meet in the lobby bar of the hotel. (get to know your fellow travelers). Cocktails and Art Encounter at Lamazone Art Gallery, this is one of Bogota’s top exhibition spaces. It hosts worldwide recognized Colombian artists. Owner Joyce Lamazone, an artist herself will welcome us, and introduce us to her creative space.
Welcome 
dinner: A culinary experience at Criterion, one of Colombia’s most awarded restaurants. It features an elegant ambiance, amazing service, but most importantly an exquisite variety menu created by famous Rausch brothers.
This dinner will be a 3-course meal paired with wine; Water, non-alcoholic beverages and coffee are included.
After breakfast, we begin with a visit to La Plaza de Mercado Paloquemao, one of the biggest local markets in Bogotá. Then, continue to explore the historic center “La Candelaria” where we see Plaza de Bolivar main square and The Botero Museum that exhibits the late artist personal collection with pieces that include works by Picasso, Renoir, Dalí, Matisse, Monet and Giacometti.
Lunch at San Isidro restaurant located at The Monserrate mountain: This hill is a pilgrim destination and dominates the city. It rises (10,341 ft.) above the sea level, where there is a church built in the 17thcentury.
After lunch, tour the Gold Museum which has a permanent exhibition of some 32,000 pieces of gold, 20,000 stones, ceramics and textiles all precious to the Quimbaya, Calima, Tayrona, Sinu, Muisca, Tolima, Tumaco and Magdalena cultures.
This evening dinner is on your own, recommendations will be provided by your tour manager.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Today we visit “La Catedral de sal” at Zipaquira village, approx. 1-hour drive. Zipaquira area played an important role as the center of salt-trade, vital to preserve food- before the arrival of conquistadors. Today a religious sanctuary built inside the underground mines.
Lunch at “Andres Carne de res”, Located outside central Bogota, this restaurant is a sprawling 2.76-square-mile venue that encompasses 11 dining areas, two dance floors, more than five kitchens, and a climbing wall. The perfect location to enjoy the typical food of the region.
Drive back to the Hotel
Dinner on your own, reservations will be made at:
Harry Sasson: this restaurant is located at a renovated English house where classic and modern coo-exist to create a very special ambiance, thanks to the magnificent work of architect Saúl Sasson Ruiz. Famous chef Harry Sasson offers a very well executed menu mostly based on local and imported products, exquisitely presented in harmony with colors and flavors of the region.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Optional on your own:
Venture to “Gaira Café Cumbia house”: This is a live music bar-restaurant created by multi Latin-Grammy winner Carlos Vives and his brother. This venue offers Latin vibes for those looking to enjoy a nightcap while listening to local dance-traditional music. Admission is about $5 to $10 depending on the day of the week.
After breakfast, depart to the airport and fly to Medellín.
No city has borne the brunt of that international infamy as much as Medellín, former home of Pablo Escobar. However, the bad days are over and you’ll be more likely to find narco-warfare on Netflix’s series Narcos than on the streets of Medellín
Our first stop in the city of “eternal spring” will be Comuna 13, situated in a valley of Colombia’s mountainous northwest, this community was once the epicenter of extreme violence during the narco wars due to the neighborhood’s strategic position off of the highway leading out of the city. In recent years, an urban renewal project brought a metrrocable and an escalator to the neighborhood, replacing the 350 steps that were once the residents’ only way to reach the main city. The government also commissioned Colombian and other Latin-American artists to cover the public spaces of the neighborhood and around the escalators with murals that tell the story of Medellin and the Colombian people.
Hotel: El Cielo ★★★★★
Room: Standard Suite
Dinner at Carmen – One of the top restaurants in the country, owned by an American-Colombian couple who both trained at the prestigious Cordon-Bleu, the menu melds Colombian flavors with a strong Californian influence.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
Departure to pay a visit to Guatapé, the drive takes around two hours, during which you can appreciate the outstanding landscape of Antioquia. This town has a reservoir created by the Colombian government for a hydro-electric dam. In the middle of the reservoir is the Peñol Rock. The Peñol Rock is possibly a meteorite due to its size, walk up the stairs if you are full of energy (there are 654 steps to get to the top), to view the entire reservation, this is an optional activity otherwise you can enjoy the surroundings. We continue with a quick stop at the picturesque village of Guatapé where all of the houses are painted in quaint pastel colors. After lunch (included), tour the Guatapé reservoir by boat (30 minutes) before returning to Medellin, rest of the afternoon and evening free.
Suggestion to dine at the hotel restaurant El Cielo: listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in Lantin-America by chef Juan Manuel Barrientos Michelin Star holder).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast we check out of the hotel and head to downtown Medellin for a quick visit to the Museum of Antioquia: This building houses one of the largest collections of works by Botero, a journey to explore the meaning of Medellín’s transformation through contemporary art. Here we see Plaza Botero, surrounded by the Museum of Antioquia and Rafael Uribe’s Palace of Culture, this is a 7,000 m2outside park that displays 23 sculptures by Colombian artist Fernando Botero who donated these and several other artworks for the museum’s renovation in 2004.
Lunch at In Situ located in the Botanical Gardens, with a quick visit to Orquidiário at the Botanical Gardens, designed by Mr. Restrepo.
Transfers to the airport to get on a flight to Cartagena. upon hotel check-in evening at leisure.
Hotel: Bastion Luxury Hotel ★★★★★
Room: Superior
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Optional: Drinks at famous local bar Alquimico.
This morning we depart for a visit to the San Felipe Fortress built on San Lázaro hill to defend the city from pirates and erected in honor of the poet from Cartagena, Don Luis Carlos López, back in Ciudad Vieja (old city), visit the Convent and Church of San Pedro Claver, built in the middle of the XVII century. Also visit the Zenú Gold Museum, inaugurated in 1982 by the Bank of the Republic, which has a gold and ceramics collection from the main pre-Columbian cultures. Lastly, continue to the handicrafts zone of the Bovedas, a collection of archways built into the city wall of Cartagena and that were used until the end of the 1700s to house armaments and then later as a prison in the 14th century.
The afternoon is at leisure to spend at the pool or the Spa. An optional excursion to visit the fishing village of La Boquilla, also a former slave colony will be offered.
Evening and dinner on your own, reservations will be made at Celele culinary project: Project Caribbean lab was created as a research initiative which focuses on visible food culture and biodiversity of the territory. Chefs Jaime Rodriguez and Sebastian Pinzon started this experimental venture with the goal of demonstrating that Caribbean food is much more than fried fish, coconut rice and fried plantains.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Excursion to the archipelago of the Islas de Rosario. Pass secluded and deserted islets known only to local fisherman and spend the day relaxing on board or swimming in the pristine Caribbean water. On the way to the islands, you will pass through Bocachica, a defensive fortification built by the Spanish to safeguard this important port. The Rosario Islands are a group of 30 islands off the coast of Cartagena. Due to its beautifully intact ecosystem, the archipelago was declared a national park in 1977. The coral reefs host a Great variety of sea fauna and flora, with abundance of colorful fish, corals and plants. Due to the city’s strategic location, Bocachica is an eminent example of the military architecture of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and also one of the most important ports of the Caribbean.
Lunch will be served at Beach Club Blue Apple resort. This lunch will have a pre-arranged menu, water, one non-alcoholic beverage and coffee are included. (alcoholic beverages will be paid by participants separately on the spot)
Return back in Cartagena from the islands
Farewell dinner at La Vitrola, this beautifully decorated restaurant offers an exquisite local seafood menu as well as a unique ambiance harmonized by renamed local musicians.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for return flights. Cartagena (CTG)/USA.
Free morning.
Optional: take a trip to visit Colombia’s National Aviary (1-hour drive from Cartagena) opens from Monday to Sunday 9:00am-5:00pm. Km 14,5 via Cartagena-Barú.
Check out at 12 PM, Departure back to the US, there are direct flights from Cartagena to NYC, Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
NOT INCLUDED
TRAVEL PREP/INTERNATIONAL AIRFARE
American, Avianca, JetBlue are among airlines that can be used to book international airfare for this tour. We recommend booking at least 7 months in advance if you want to use Frequent Flyer Miles. We could assist you with your international air booking in Business or Coach class (First Class is rare nowadays on international flights, but if available, we can quote it.) Please ask us to quote for you. We often have favorable rates. There is a standard $35 per ticket ticketing for this service.
If VISA is required for this destination please contact us for assistance.
If you prefer to use a visa service, we recommend using www.g3visas.com . To speak directly to G3visas, call 888.883.8472 (toll-free in the U.S.).
Please note that visas cannot be processed more than 90 days prior to departure and processing may take several weeks to complete. You may also apply directly at the Consulate in your area.
You must have a valid passport that remains valid six months past your return to the U.S. You should also have a minimum of two empty passport pages.
It is recommended you have your regular vaccinations up-to-date before traveling. For further information, visit the Center For Disease Control website: http://www.cdc.gov/
All departures are guaranteed on a minimum number of participants. A Tour Manager will accompany a tour also based on a minimum number of participants. This tour can be operated as a Private Tour, can be customized and repriced based on a final itinerary. Rates are based on a minimum participation of 6. For fewer than 6 participants, rates may be revised.
A pre-departure e-mail will be sent to you approximately three weeks prior to departure day
Tell us where would you like to travel, we incorporate new destinations every year. We’ll be in touch.
Reach us directly at:
+1 (305) 432.1254 | duni@impactencounters.com
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