Cultural Immersion Colombia

Today, we will head out on a graffiti bike tour in the historic centre 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. Bogotá’s has incredibly colourful graffiti, murals and street art on the walls found in the historical centre. This graffiti has an artistic, social and political form of expression of the city’s inhabitants, offering a fantastic insight into the local culture. 

 Today we will head to the airport for our flight to Pereira for a specialized coffee processing tour. We will head directly to the Finca del Café, where coffee tastes better A local expert will take you through the coffee plantations, showing you how they process the coffee, from planting, manual picking and pulping. We will then toast the beans on a wood stove in the country house's kitchen, for an authentic coffee experience. During this tour, we can appreciate a number of viewpoints made from bamboo, with spectacular views over the coffee landscapes of the Finca. Finally, we will complete the drying process of the coffee bean and visit the coffee processing centre. After a few samples, of course, we will then head to the hotel for the evening.

Today, we will head to the Hacienda Santa Clara hotel, for an authentic gastronomic experience and interactive cooking class. We will be welcomed by the specialist chef who will take us to the town's local market, called the "Village Gallery". This market is preserved in time, with its distribution and its tradition. We will be able to talk with an agricultural seller and taste their different seasonal fruits. With the chef's help, you will buy the ingredients to prepare the traditional dish, while learning the local market's popular slang. We will then visit the "yerbatero", recognised for their homoeopathic knowledge passed down from generation to generation from his ancestors, who will explain all about the healing properties of the local plant varieties. We will then head back to the hotel to light the wood fire, then start cooking the main dish, assisted by local cooks. We will prepare arepas, and the traditional chorizo santarrosano, the traditional product of this region. 

After breakfast, we will head out on a visit to the Cocora valley, located in the central mountains of the department of Quindío. This valley forms part of the Parque Nacional de Los Nevados and is the ideal place to marvel at the “Quindian wax palm”, the national tree of Colombia. This tree can reach a massive 60 metres high and is the home of a number of bird species, such as the hummingbird and the endangered palm parrot.

We can get to the valley either by hiking or on horseback and we will head into the cloud forest to witness its incredible biodiversity of flora and fauna. On our way back to the hotel, we will make a stop off to visit the tallest wax palm in the world.  We will learn why the indigenous people of the region, worshipped this tree. In the afternoon, we will head to the traditional town of Salento to enjoy a city tour, visiting the Plaza de Bolívar with its colourful balconies, the Calle Real, the handicrafts shops and the Cocora mirador. We will then head to Filandia for the evening, a traditional Colombian town of colonial buildings, the Plaza de Bolivar and a number of coffee shops. This is the perfect place to absorb the traditional atmosphere and perhaps some local spirits. We will then enjoy a basket making workshop, where you will have an authentic basketry experience. This experience is led by a professional, who will teach you how to weave with “bejucos”, tropical plants with long and thin stems, used by coffee pickers. We will then return to the hotel for the evening.

Today we will leave early for our next destination, the famous city of Medellin.

Today we can enjoy a Community Experience in Moravia, which is one of the benchmarks for social and urban transformation in Medellín. This densely populated neighbourhood, due to the number of displaced people left by the armed conflict in the country, was once the municipal garbage dump of the city and where residents used to live in extreme poverty.  Sustainability projects were developed, and cooperatives were formalized and we can see the social transformation created by the community itself. We will get to know the neighbourhood's streets, learning about the history and visiting the old garbage hill transformed into a beautiful garden. We will then learn more about the community projects in place today. After this fascinating tour, we will head back to our hotel.

After breakfast, we will head out to the small town of Carmen del Viboral in the Eastern Hills outside of Medellin, renowned for its traditional ceramics and pottery. The unique style of pottery turned this activity into the most emblematic tradition of the region. We will visit the local ceramic museum and learn about the history of pottery in Colombia. After, we will experience a pottery workshop where you will make your own ceramic pots. We will pass through the old pottery manufacturer, then visit the factory La Cardona, belonging to a traditional family.  Here we can experience the local traditions of the Eastern Highlands of Medellin.

After breakfast, we will head to the airport for our flight to Cartagena

Today, we will visit Cartagena's colonial district, starting in The Parque Bolívar, which is 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 Fortificaciones. You will then have a free afternoon for your preferred activities.

After breakfast, we will head to La Boquilla, a fishing village 20 minutes from Cartagena. Upon arrival, you will be greeted with a refreshing iced coconut water. Here, an artisanal fisherman will take you in his canoe to cross the Ciénaga de Juan Polo will teach you how to open and throw a cast net and select and prepare fish bait traps. After sharing details about his work and fascinating stories reflecting the cultural elements of his community, we will enjoy a cooking class in the house of a local family. We will help with the preparation of the starter and then enjoy a 3-course meal while you have a canoe ride through the mangrove forests. We can appreciate the colours and diversity of birds and wildlife that inhabit the swamp. Afterwards, you will have an hour to enjoy the beach and taste some traditional desserts before returning to Cartagena.

Today is our final day of the tour! We will drop you off at the airport for the flight home or on to your next incredible destination.