Colombia - On the road to Macondo

Details

Destination : Colombia

Number of days : 12 nights - 13 days

Month of departure : August 2024

Departure from : Main Italian airports

Arrival at : Main Italian airports

Departure date : 06/08/2024

Date of arrival : 18/08/2024

Duration: 13 days

GROUP DEPARTURE
26 DECEMBER 2023 TO 7 JANUARY 2024 AND 6 TO 18 AUGUST 2024

or

FREE DATE DEPARTURES MINIMUM 2 PARTICIPANTS

DAY 1
ITALY - BOGOTA
Departure with flight to Bogotá. Arrival, transfer and accommodation in a hotel. Overnight stay.

DAY 2
BOGOTÀ
A full day dedicated to visiting the capital of Colombia, located at an altitude of 2640 metres in the green Andean highlands. We stroll through Candelaria, the oldest part of the city with its old cobbled streets and doorways that reveal arcades and flower-filled patios. We can admire Plaza Bolivar, overlooked by representative buildings in various styles and from different architectural periods; the Cathedral, the sanctuary of Montserrat and the Gold Museum (closed on Mondays), which houses more than 36,000 pieces of pre-Columbian goldsmithery. In the evening, dinner in a typical restaurant and return to the hotel.
Half board including dinner.

DAY 3
BOGOTA - ZIPAQUIRÀ - VILLA DE LEYVA
After breakfast visit to the Botero Museum (closed on Tuesdays) and then departure for Villa de Leyva, stopping en route at Zipaquirà, an important salt-mining centre where we visit the cathedral excavated in the heart of an underground mine. Arrival in Villa de Leyva, founded in 1572, one of the most beautiful colonial towns in Colombia. The large main square, the cobbled streets surrounded by period lime houses with their old portals, wooden balconies, inner courtyards blooming with bougainvilleas, everything here creates a picturesque atmosphere. Check into the hotel and visit the El Fósil Museum, built on the site where the fossil of a marine reptile was found.
Half board including lunch in a restaurant.

DAY 4
VILLA DE LEYVA - BOGOTA - PEREIRA
Breakfast and departure for Bogotá, visiting the Convent of Santo Ecce Homo on the way, which dates back to 1620. From Bogotá continue with the flight to Pereira. Arrival, accommodation in hotel and dinner. 
Half board including dinner

DAY 5
PEREIRA - HIKE IN THE COCORA VALLEY
Excursion to the Cocora Valley, part of the Parque Nacional de los Nevados located in the Central Cordillera of the Andes. This is where the 'Palma de cera del Quindio' grows, the tree that is the national symbol of Colombia and can reach a height of 60 metres. Walk or horseback ride through the rainforest to observe the flora and fauna and visit a coffee plantation. Stop for lunch at a farm where we can enjoy smoked trout, a local speciality. In the afternoon we reach the picturesque town of Salento with its colourful balconies and handicraft shops. We continue on to visit the village of Finlandia. Return to the hotel in Pereira. 
Half board including lunch.

DAY 6
PEREIRA - SANTA MARTA
Morning at leisure for relaxation or individual visits. In the afternoon, transfer to Pereira airport and departure with the flight to Santa Marta, via Bogotá. Arrival, transfer and accommodation in the hotel.  
Breakfast and overnight stay.

DAY 7
SANTA MARTA 
Entire day at leisure for optional excursions such as a guided tour of the town of Santa Marta or a walk (approx. 5 hours) in the Tayrona Park where there are beautiful coves and secluded beaches, ideal for nature lovers.
Breakfast and overnight stay.

DAY 8
SANTA MARTA - ARACATACA, THE BIRTHPLACE OF GARCIA MARQUEZ - MOMPOX
After breakfast transfer through extensive banana plantations to the village of Aracataca, where Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born. Possibility to visit the home of the Colombian writer. In Santa Ana we cross the Magdalena River and then arrive in Mompox. Accommodation in a hotel. 
Half board including lunch.

DAY 9
SANTA CRUZ DE MOMPOX
Founded in 1540, Mompox was of strategic importance during the Spanish rule - from which it gained independence in 1810 -, a centre of trade between Cartagena, on the coast, and Bogotá, in the entrerror. Instead of just one central square, Mompox has three, each with its own church: the colonial architecture of the old town centre survives intact and has been listed by UNESCO as a 'World Heritage Site'. The decline of its fortunes in trade is due to erosion and sedimentation that changed the course of the Magdalena River: today it almost seems as if we are in a city suspended in time. It was here that Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez set many of his novels and it was here that Francesco Rosi shot some scenes of the film Chronicle of a Death Foretold. The visit begins by mototaxi: we ride along Calle Real del Medio admiring houses with carved wooden balconies overflowing with bougainvillea, then along the scenic Calle de la Albarrada alongside the river. We reach the vividly coloured Church of Santa Barbara and other Baroque-style religious buildings. We continue on to visit the atmospheric Central Cemetery, then the craft workshops producing gold and silver jewellery. After a typical lunch, we travel by boat to Cienega de Pijino, 20 minutes from Mompox, to discover the great variety of flora and fauna typical of these wetlands. Return to the hotel in Mompox. 
Half board including lunch.

DAY 10
SANTA CRUZ DE MOMPOX - SAN BASILIO DE PALENQUE - CARTAGENA
Early in the morning, we leave Santa Cruz de Mompox in the direction of Cartagena, which is reached by a 200-kilometre journey (approximately 7 hours). We stop in San Basilio de Palenque, where a community of descendants of slaves, who took refuge here during the colonial period (17th century), live: African traditions and customs survive intact, the language mixes Spanish with expressions of Bantu dialects. The 'palenqueras', dressed in colourful clothes, carry panniers laden with fruit balanced on their heads; while the women are at work, the men look after the children. Meeting with the local community and brief demonstration of typical dances in the small school: a treasure handed down from generation to generation, inscribed by UNESCO as an 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. Accommodation in a hotel in Cartagena. 
Half board including lunch.

DAY 11
CARTAGENA
Cartagena is a city steeped in history that retains all the charm of the colonial era. A UNESCO-protected city founded in 1533, it played a crucial role as a commercial centre and port of embarkation for the Crown's treasures during Spanish rule. Visit to the most significant places and monuments such as the Bolivar Park, the Gold Museum and the Museo de la Popa. Continue on to Santo Domingo Church and the Cathedral, ending with the San Felipe Castle, a fortification considered a World Heritage Site and one of the seven wonders of Colombia. Its style perfectly reflects that of Cartagena and is a symbol of the history experienced by the city over the centuries. Afternoon at leisure for individual visits.
Breakfast and overnight stay.

DAY 12
CARTAGENA - BOGOTÁ - ITALY
Breakfast. Transfer to the airport and departure with the flight to Bogotá. Continuation with the flight to Italy.

DAY 13
ITALY
Arrival in the afternoon.

THE FEE INCLUDES

● Domestic flights as per the programme ● 23 kg baggage allowance ● Transfers by car or minibus depending on the number of participants ● Accommodation in the hotels indicated at the start of the tour ● Meals detailed in the programme ● Visits and excursions as per the programme ● Assistance from qualified local staff and Italian- or Spanish-speaking local guides during guided tours ● Italian-speaking local guide from 8 participants ● "Premium Multi-risk" insurance (Trip Cancellation or Trip Modification, Trip Interruption, Medical Expenses, Travel Assistance, Covid-19, Baggage)

 

THE FEE DOES NOT INCLUDE

● Intercontinental flights - Security and airport taxes payable locally only ● Entrance fees to monuments and parks (payable locally - approx. Euro 130/140) ● Possible introduction of new government taxes or increases in these and increases in the cost of entrance fees to the various sites of tourist interest, parks or nature reserves of which we are not aware at the time of drawing up the quotas - Drinks, tips and anything else not expressly indicated

PLEASE NOTE:

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION FOR GROUP TRAVEL:  We would like to inform you that in certain locations with low accommodation capacity, accommodation may be provided in small establishments that do not have all rooms of the same category. In these cases, the allocation will be made taking into account the date of booking.

 

 

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