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Colombia’s cities are steeped in culture and history. The museums and some traditional communities will take you back in time to ancient pre- columbine civilizations and the communities of African slaves brought over by the Spanish, where the country’s history comes back to life. This classic colonial adventure will take you to some of the lesser visited destinations on a Colombian tour and give an incredible insight into Colombia’s colonial past!
Special features of our 8 day Colonial Colombia Tour:
Type of Tourism: History, Culture, Classic.
Places to Visit: Bogota, Villa de Leyva, Cartagena.
Duration: 8 Days and 7 Nights.
Type of Service: group tours.
Accommodation: 4 star hotels and lodges at every destination that you will visit. These hotels had been carefully chosen and we can guarantee that you will feel comfortable and your every need catered for!
Today you will arrive to The El Dorado airport in Bogotá. Your driver will be waiting to collect you and take you to the hotel.
Today, we will head out on a half-day visit to the historical centre of Bogota, also known as La Candelaria. This historical suburb is of great significance to the country ́ due to its cultural heritage and its stunning Spanish colonial architecture. The city’s main Plaza is the Plaza de Bolivar, where the statue of Simon Bolivar is found. The plaza was originally used for civil and military purposes The Cathedral found on the plaza's eastern side is constructed on the same spot where the first-ever church was built in 1539. Th...
Today we will leave Bogota to travel to Zipaquirá, the spectacular Salt Cathedral. The name Zipaquirá refers to Zipa, the leader of the Muisca tribe and the chief of these rich salt mines. We will head through a tunnel in the cathedral, taking us to the dome. After we will reach the enormous cross carved into the saline rock and finally the three naves of the Cathedral that represent the birth, life and death of Christ. In the central nave is the main altar, with the huge cross made by the Colombian artist Carlos Enriqu...
Today we can enjoy Villa de Leyva by visiting its cultural and ecological attractions. There are many important museums such as the Colonial Art Museum and the Museum of Maestro Acuña, which exhibits works of this important painter, sculptor and writer. The Fossil Museum, founded in 1977, was built in exactly the same place where a kronosaurus, a marine reptile of more than 120 million years old, was discovered. On the outskirts of the town, there is also "El Infiernito", a pre-Hispanic Muisca site, where around 30 megal...
After breakfast, we will head back to Bogotá, stopping at the Convento del Santo Ecce Homo along the way. Founded by the Dominicans in 1620, this was an important point of evangelization in a region populated by Indigenous communities. On arrival in Bogota, we will head to the airport our flight to Cartagena and will be taken to our hotel for the evening.
Today, we will visit Cartagena's colonial district, starting in The Parque Bolívar, surrounded by large trees and four impressive fountains, with a statue of El Libertador as the centrepiece. Around the square, the Gold Museum exhibits pre-Hispanic objects, and the Palace of the Inquisition, with its impressive baroque entrance. This building housed the prison and torture chambers for the alleged opponents of the Catholic Church. The visit continues to the Santo Domingo church and the cathedral to end at the Museo de Las Forti...
After breakfast, we will head to San Basilio de Palenque, recognized by UNESCO as Cultural Heritage site. The town’s name comes from the Palenques, communities of escaped slaves from the colonial period of the 17th century. This community has survived in San Basilio with their practices, customs and traditions. The inhabitants have retained their African influences in their daily routines, including their “palenquera” tongue which blends elements of Spanish with the African dialects of Bantu. We will visit the...
After breakfast, we will head to the airport for your ongoing flight home or to your next exciting destination!
You can check our safety protocols in the following link: https://www.colombia.travel/en/covid-19-information
We do not include travel or health insurance and we strongly recommend a comprehensive travel insurance for any unexpected circumstances. This is not obligatory, however. An full travel insurance policy that covers cancellations and delays as well as medical insurance.
We suggest that you speak with your doctor to ensure that you are up-to-date with the recommended vaccinations when traveling to the destination.
We suggest that you speak with your doctor to ensure what medications you will need to bring to the destination. Pharmacies and drugstores are common in all cities, however, it is not certain that you will be able to find a specific drug that you can find in your country of origin.
As in any city in the world, there can be pickpockets in crowded places. We suggest being vigilant at all times, but if you are in a group you will always be safer.
We do not include the cost of any domestic or international flight in any of our programs. These services must be booked independently by each guest.
Yes, hotels will charge the cost of a double room as standard, so a single supplement will be charged if you are traveling alone.
VA Expeditions is supported by Valencia Travel, a company with more than 12 years of foundation with a solid financial position. We have insurance from the insurance company La Positiva, that supports us and protects our guests from any eventuality at the destination, covering our guests for more than 5 million US dollars.
Each trip is customizable, but there may be additional restrictions and expenses in each case. We suggest contacting your sales representative for more information.
Yes, in addition to multi-day programs, we offer half-day experiences and excursions without overnight, which you can purchase as additional services. In case you wish to purchase one of these services, you can ask your guide, the transfer representative or your sales representative to provide you with the support you need.
Yes, you can add additional or optional services to your regular tour. We appreciate contacting your sales representative for any changes you wish to make.
Yes, you can travel with children and we have many activities to do as a family, however, depending on your itinerary, some experiences can be a bit demanding for young children. As a recommendation, we suggest that you ask your sales consultant if the tour you wish to book is suitable for children.
We work with a maximum group size of 12 passengers for sustainability reasons and a more personaized experience.
We suggest making your reservations at least one month before your trip in order to reserve the best hotels, transportation and services for your travel dates, however, in last minute cases, we can reserve up to 15 days in advance.
We suggest consulting with your embassy to review any documents, tests or special visa you need for your trip.
The official currency in Colombia is the Colombian peso (COP). In large cities there is a good chance that you will find ATMs or ATMs, however, we suggest that you do not rely entirely on this solution, as it may not be enabled to work with your bank.
Yes, we cater for all special dietary requirements. Please let us know at the time of booking if you have any allergies or special dietary needs.
As a sustainable travel company, we are in constant search of how we can improve the sustainability of our operations, that is why we carry out the following activities to generate a fair and sustainable development in our areas of operation: We are now in the process to get the certification of Travel Life to be more sustainable. Travel Life is an internationally recognized, GSTC-Global Sustainable Tourism Council accredited training, management & certification program in sustainability in tourism. Travelife is a three-stage certification program for tour operators and travel agents: (1) Travelife Engaged; (2) Travelife Partner and (3) Travelife Certified. We are at stage 1 – Travelife Engaged. We are working to move forward to stage 2 - Travelife Partner.
We have implemented different practices to be more sustainable, please find attached our sustainability Policy to know some of them.
We promote activities like visits to social and environmental projects.
Some experiences that we offer include a donation to support local communities.
We decided to stop including single use plastic bottles in our transfers and excursions. We are now suggesting our clients to bring their own bottle of water, or we can include a bottle of water with a filter since it is not always possible to drink water from the tap in Colombia. When passengers arrive we share a list with the places they can refill the bottle according to the itinerary they have.
Tips are not included in the cost of the tour. You should plan to tip 10% in restaurants and for your guided services, however, tipping is never required.
Cultural norms vary within each Latin American country, even within each city within the country, however, we recommend the following measures to have a pleasant visit in each destination: Latin American culture in general tends to be closer and more informal than in others cultures, so there is usually always a friendly approach in all conversations, and going directly to the point could be considered offensive to some people. Personal space can be much shorter as well, but without being interpreted as sexual in nature. The schedules are also usually more relaxed and informal, however, this is not the case of VA EXPEDITIONS, since we will always respect the hours indicated in your itinerary. This may be different for other appointments that you can book on your own at other locations.
This depends on each itinerary, and will be indicated in the detail of the day. However, our itineraries always usually include free times to offer more flexibility to our guests.
For any emergency, we appreciate contacting the following number: +57 316 694 8013
At VA Expeditions we believe that every action we take should generate a positive impact on the communities and the environment of our entire production chain, which is why we carry out various activities focused on this objective. For an example of our sustainable projects, visit the following link: https://valenciatravelcusco.com/archivos/socialprojectscolombia.pdf
All our guests have 24/7 support for any type of emergency or eventuality. For emergencies you can contact the following number: +57 316 694 8013. For general inquiries, you can write to us at the following email: info@valenciatravelcusco.com
This depends on each itinerary, but generally is a ratio of one guide for every nine guests.
This depends on the type of the type of Travel insurance that the passenger has. We recommend that you have a comprehensive travel insurance policy for better care and hospital facilities.
The tours are carried out by an expert team that has determined the optimal times of visits to make the most of our guests' time, without rushing. All our programs are customizable, so if at any time at the destination you want to adjust the pace of the trip, you can ask your guide to reach a consensus with the whole group in case you need to make adjustments to the pace of the trip.
Each trip is customizable, but there may be additional restrictions and expenses in each case. We suggest contacting your sales representative for more information.
Yes, you can safely store any luggage at your hotel.
For city tours, there are public bathrooms available, in remote destinations bathroom facilities are more sparse.
In the mountains and remote places there is no Internet connection. Hotels and public places usually have WIFI available.
In cities and tourist centers you will have good telephone reception. In remote areas, there may be no cell phone reception.
It depends on each itinerary, we suggest you ask your travel advisor for the specific information of your program.
We decided to stop including single use plastic bottles in our transfers and excursions. We are now suggesting our clients to bring their own bottle of water, or we can include a bottle of water with a filter since it is not always possible to drink water from the tap in Colombia. When passengers arrive we share a list with the places they can refill the bottle according to the itinerary they have.
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