Colombia Holidays and Tours

Bogotá, Colombia

Nestled at 2,650m/8,694ft between Andean peaks, Bogotá enjoys a near year-round spring climate. This recurring energy permeates every aspect of life here.

Wander La Candelaria’s winding and colourful streets with its coffee shops, artisanal shops and dynamic nightlife.

Peruse the world’s most important and impressive collections of pre-Colombia gold work at the Muséo de Oro, one among many excellent museums.

Savour wonderful culinary treats and zesty fresh fruit juices on the streets.

This is Bogota, Colombia’s vibrant capital.

Cartagena de las Indias, Colombia

Writers, painters and now travellers flock to Cartagena, a wonderful colonial port.

Cartagena’s city wall wraps itself around historic churches, plazas and narrow streets. Fruit sellers, dancers, musicians and more all give the city a vibrancy.

The old ways runs alongside the modern as the very best in 5* hotels and top-end restaurants sit on streets whose taxis are horse-drawn carriages.

Visit castle San Felipe de Barajas for a tour, and the Getsemani neighbourhood for street art and drinks.

Bazurto market is chaotic, enormous, frenetic and often smelly – this is the real underbelly of Cartagena, away from its glistening lights.

Colombia’s Amazon Rainforest

Covering almost a third of Colombia’s entire landmass, the Amazon is host to few people but a myriad of animals and plants.

You can wildlife watch on river trips, keeping an eye out for pink river dolphins, caiman, birds and reptiles, including the Anaconda.

Tours offer a real cultural interaction with the indigenous community, with handicraft workshops, myths and legends explained.

You will also get the chance to see local rituals and dances performed, local food prepared for you and more – Colombia’s rainforest offers an excellent tour.

Colombia’s Caribbean Coast

Sip a cooling drink while lazing on warm, golden sands and listen to the crashing waves of the Caribbean.

The famous Parque Nacional de Tayrona, Santa Marta and the neighbouring Palomino are fabulous places from which to enjoy Colombia’s divine mainland coast.

For the more energetic, hike through lush forests replete with colourful  birdlife to the enigmatic Cuidad Perdida – the Lost City.

For those with more time, fly to Providencia, truly the white-beached Caribbean dream island of dreams.

Colombia’s Coffee Region

Brightly-painted Salento is one of the oldest coffee-producing towns in Colombia and maintains a captivating mix of tradition and new world bustle.

Trekking-clad tourists brush shoulders with local farmers who stroll around in their ‘Aguandeñan’ hats (predecessor to the Panama hat), wellington boots, machetes, moustaches and customary poncho folded over their shoulders.

Then travel by ‘Willy’ jeep to Cocora and the Las Nevadas mountain range.

From Cocora, you can enjoy hikes through cloud forest, visit a traditional coffee plantation and gaze up at the Gigantic Wax Palm trees that grow here, thrusting up to 60m/197ft from earth to skyline.

Medellín, Colombia

Big and bustling, Medellín is becoming the city to visit in Colombia as it shakes off its Pablo Escobar past and emerges as a centre for art, culture and nightlife.

A visit to Plazoleta de las Esculturas to see 20 of Botero’s famous large bronze sculptures is essential, as is a look around the Museo d’Antioquia, showcasing his paintings and also fantastic Colombian modern art.

A good quality metro system makes Medellín very easy to move around, and telefericos can take you quickly up into the mountains for gorgeous views.