The Search for El Dorado

After a successful launch of our Colombia programme in 2011 and with positive reviews from our first few groups, we are pleased to extend the offer into 2013. Colombia is one of the most diverse countries in South America, with colonial cities, Andean landscape, verdant coffee regions and Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Cartagena’s walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984 and Bogota’s Gold Museum is considered the most impressive in the Americas, housing the famous Muisca raft. This beautifully crafted artefact represents the El Dorado ceremony and supports a claim that the legendary ‘Lost City’, which has eluded explorers for centuries, was actually located close by.

In recent years, Colombia has shed its unsavoury reputation and many areas that were previously off limits are now safe to travel and open to visitors. This innovative arrangement includes the scenic coffee region in the west and the less-known, but impressive, San Agustín area to the south. The archaeological park contains the largest group of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America.