12 Day itinerary in Colombia, South America
Experience the best of Colombia on an unforgettable adventure from Bogota to Cartagena! This unique Bamba travel tour takes you from Colombia's vibrant capital to the historic, coastal charm of Cartagena, offering diverse excursions including the Coffee Zone, Medellín's rich culture, and the breatht... Read More
By Bamba Travel Inc
Physical Difficulty
Recommended Age
Operated in
GUIDANCE
starting point
trip type
trip attributes
Backpacking
Start
Night
End
Bicycle around bustling Bogota on a guided tour
Sip artesanal coffee from the Manizales region
Go on a mangrove tour through pristine nature
Enjoy the natural setting of the Taironaka Natural Park and look out for the local fauna
Bicycle around bustling Bogota on a guided tour
Sip artesanal coffee from the Manizales region
Go on a mangrove tour through pristine nature
Enjoy the natural setting of the Taironaka Natural Park and look out for the local fauna
Accommodation Categories
Day 1: Bogota, Colombia
Bogota City Day Trip
Departure Time: 9:00
Duration: 4 hrs
The panoramic tour through Bogotá begins in 93 Park, a well known commercial area packed with restaurants and high-end stores. You will also visit the T Zone of Bogotá, very sought out by tourists thanks to its enchanting bars and cafes. The next stop of this Bogotá City Tour will be the emblematic neighborhood Usaquén, a place where you will appreciate Bogota’s creativity expressed through its beautiful artisanry. Right after, you will head to the city center to walk around the streets of La Candelaria, known for its particular colonial balconies and for being one of the areas that has best conserved the past of this capital city. In downtown Bogotá, you will also visit the Bolívar Plaza and the Chorro de Quevedo, two must-see tourist spots in the Colombian capital. Finally, you will make your last stop at the Monserrate station and, if you choose (the cable car or chairlift is not included in the price), you can go up to one of most breathtaking lookout points in Bogotá, located at 3,150 above sea level. Upon finishing the tour, the driver and guide will be waiting to take you to a central meeting point in the city.
Day 2: Manizales, Colombia
Bogota to Manizales
Type: Bus
Time: 06:30, 08:00, 09:30, 11:00, 14:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:00, 21:30, 21:50, 22:00
Duration: 9 Hours
Transfer from Bogota to Manizales
Please make your own way to the bus station to catch your bus to Manizales.
Day 3: Hacienda Venecia, Colombia
Manizales Coffee Experience 2D/1N
Departure Time: 08:30, 08:45, 09:00 hrs
Duration: 2 days
Coffee Tour (L)
In the morning, you will be picked-up from your accommodation and transferred to Hacienda Venecia, a working coffee farm with 100 years of history and tradition, declared part of the cultural and landscape heritage, by UNESCO in 2009. During the 3-hour tour, you will receive a detailed explanation about the processing of coffee, which includes learning the culture, history and varieties of coffee, watching the roasting process, experimenting with scents and flavors, walking through the coffee plantations and visiting the wet mill, where the coffee is washed, dried and packaged. You will also visit the main house gardens which hold 100 years of history, and are a symbol of the typical architecture of the region. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure and overnight at the Hacienda.
Meals: Lunch
Accommodation:
Day 4: Manizales, Colombia
Manizales Coffee Experience 2D/1N
Transfer to Manizales & End of Trip (B)
Make your own breakfast before saying goodbye to your new friends. After checking-out from your accommodation, you will take a shared transfer back to Manizales 17:00 where this amazing adventure will come to an end.
Note: A transportation is available at 14:00 from Hacienda Venecia to the main highway (included in the value of the package) where you can take a bus to Manizales (not included).
Meals: Breakfast
Day 5: Medellin, Colombia
Manizales to Medellin
Type: Bus
Time: 04:30, 05:00, 06:30, 08:30, 10:00, 10:15, 11:30, 15:30, 17:30
Duration: 5 Hours
Transfer from Manizales to Medellin
Please make your own way to the bus station to catch your bus to Bogota.
Day 6: Medellin, Colombia
Medellin City Tour
Departure Time: 8:30, 13:00
Duration: 4 hrs
This Medellín City Tour will take you to iconic places such as the Parque de las Esculturas, also known as Plaza Botero, an urban space that exhibits 23 sculptures by local artist Fernando Botero. You will also visit the Parque de Los Pies Descalzos, a space full of gardens and bamboo that invite children and adults to play barefoot and connect with nature. Other important attractions that you will see during this tour of Medellín are the Parque de Los Deseos, located next to the House of Music, the Planetarium, the Explora Park and the University of Antioquia. To end this visit to the iconic places of Medellin, we will take you to the Cerro Nuibara where you will find Pueblito Paisa, a replica of a typical town in the department of Antioquia (known as paisas), with a variety of restaurants and souvenir shops to take home. During the tour, you can take the Metro and the Metrocable, an aerial public transport system that connects to the outer zone of Medellín, where you can see the city from above and learn more about its social composition and its development in today's society. This city tour is the perfect introduction to Medellín, as it provides travelers with an overview of the most important points of interest and attractions in the city.
Day 7: Santa Marta, Colombia
Medellin to Santa Marta
Type: Bus
Time: 09:15, 13:00, 16:00, 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00
Duration: 16 Hours
Transfer from Medellin to Santa Marta
Day 8: Taironaka Natural Reserve, Colombia
Taironaka Natural Experience 3D/2N
Duration: 3 days
Santa Marta - Taironaka Natural Reserve
Departure from your hotel. Transfer by car for 1 hour and 40 minutes to Don Diego, an ideal place to appreciate the wonders of nature, where freshwater merges with the salinity of the sea.
A 1-hour hike along an ecological trail, followed by descending into tubing activity, an ecological walk where we will witness the river's mouth to the sea. Return to the starting point with a guided tour.
Transfer by vehicle to Tayronaka and entrance to the site, a 20-minute ecological walk, lunch, and a guided tour of the archaeological site, with free time to enjoy the place.
You will start with a tour to the Ancestral Trails and the Archaeological Traces, Terraces, and Indigenous Architecture, where you will hike on a reconstructed stone-paved trail among ancient paths, aqueducts, stairs, terraces and relics of this ancient city. Originally settled by ancient peoples for its fertile soils, the area is landscaped with colorful tropical flowers among cacao plantations.
The archaeological museum showcases ancient Taironaka life as goldsmiths, craftsmen, sailors and warriors, here you will find more than 300 Taironas archaeological pieces and current pieces of the Kogui culture.
Get to the hotel at 5:00 pm and overnight at Taironaka Natural Reserve.
Accommodation:
Day 9: Taironaka Natural Reserve, Colombia
Taironaka Natural Reserve (B)
Start your day with a tasty Colombian breakfast and get prepared for an exciting day.
Feel free to explore this natural reserve for your enjoyment.
Overnight at Taironaka Natural Reserve.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation:
Day 10: Santa Marta, Colombia
After enjoying your delicious breakfast, spend the morning to enjoy the park before catching your transfer back to Santa Marta.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 11: Cartagena, Colombia
Santa Marta to Cartagena
Type: Bus
Time: 07:30, 11:00, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 18:00, 20:45
Duration: 5 Hours
Transfer from Santa Marta to Cartagena
You will be picked up at your accommodation/meeting point for your shuttle transfer to Cartagena, where you’ll be dropped off at your next accommodation/meeting point.
Day 12: Cartagena, Colombia
Totumo Volcano & Mangrove Forest Tour
Departure Time: 8:00
Duration: 10 hrs
Visit the Totumo Mud Volcano, a mythical volcano filled with mud located an hour away from Cartagena. Take a mud bath and enjoy its curative values. The legend says that one day, a monk spilled holy water in the volcano, full of lava.
The lava turned into a soft, thick mud having the power of curing and rejuvenating. You will witness wonderful muddy landscapes - a peculiar geographical formation that turned into one of the most visited places in Colombia, you cannot miss it! On arrival, you will climb a rustic wooden stairway that will take you to the summit of the volcano - 20 meters high and 2.000 meters deep. You will then bathe in the volcanic mud, where you will feel like if you were floating while enjoying a panoramic sight of the Santa Catalina region.
The moment you step into the crater of the Totumo Volcano, you'll notice the density of its warm thick mud, which helps to tone your skin. The maximum allowed time to stay in the mud is 15 minutes; it's not recommended to stay longer due to the temperature. After the bath, you'll be able to retreat to the mud of the Totumo swamp.
Afterward, we'll have a delicious typical lunch in the area, which will include different regional specialties. After lunch, we'll move to the area of La Boquilla for a tour of the mangroves of Cartagena. During the tour, we'll see what species of plants and animals inhabit this unique natural ecosystem.
The tour will then take us to a swamp where we'll go on a canoe ride to check out the different natural mangrove tunnels. Here, you will also enjoy a show involving an artisanal fishing technique.
Finally, we'll return to Cartagena, where arrival at your hotel is scheduled for 8 hours after pickup
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation
Meals
Transport
Activities
Not Included
Travel that Makes a Difference
By choosing to travel with us, you support local communities, wildlife, and the environment. We are dedicated to positively impacting the world through every journey we offer.
Let’s regenerate the planet together
We overcompensate your entire journey’s carbon footprint including flights - for free.
$0 USD