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12 nights from

£4025

The Search for El Dorado

REGIONAL FLIGHT OPTIONS

A complete turn-around from its turbulent past, Colombia today is known for the warmth of its welcome and the wealth of its culture. From Bogotá to Cartagena, this tour teams contemporary cities with colonial towns, coffee plantations and Caribbean shores

The mythical city of El Dorado was first rumoured in 16th-century Europe, when Spanish Conquistadors and serious explorers searched for it across South America. The ‘lost city’ was never found because it was never a city but a ceremony of the Muisca people; a ritual evidenced in the fabulous ‘Golden Raft of the Muisca’ figure, found close Bogotá. Where the mystery ends, our tour begins, the capital’s colonial core encircled now by an up-market, up-tempo, modern metropolitan sprawl. By contrast, Villa de Leyva is little changed in the last four hundred years, a gorgeous glimpse of Colombia’s colonial past, its charm and calm matched by a rural setting; and tradition continues too in the hills of the Coffee Region, where crops are harvested by hand, and coffee is not so much a hot drink, more a way of life. Medellin climbs scenic valley slopes in a mix of colourful cottages and contemporary towers, dubbed the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ for its year-round temperate climate; Guatapé boasts reservoir cruises and rainbow-painted houses; and Cartagena comes very close to pleasing all of the people, all of the time, with coral-stone forts, cathedral towers, Caribbean beaches, and the walled and wonderfully preserved colonial town.

Overview

  • Bogotá  - 3 nights
  • Villa de Leyva  - 1 night
  • Coffee Region  - 2 nights
  • Medellín  - 3 nights
  • Cartagena  - 2 nights
  • Flight  - 1 night
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Tour Highlights

  •  Vibrant Bogotá
  • Historic Villa de Leyva
  • UNESCO Site: Coffee Region
  • Transformed Medellin
  •  UNESCO Site: Cartagena
  • Barranquilla Carnival Departure

A complete turn-around from its turbulent past, Colombia today is known for the warmth of its welcome and the wealth of its culture. From Bogotá to Cartagena, this tour teams contemporary cities with colonial towns, coffee plantations and Caribbean shores

Notes:

This is a full itinerary with some steps (740 steps up at Piedra del Penol) and uneven surfaces. 

Accommodation

Cite Hotel - Bogotá

Modern 4-star hotel overlooking Virrey Park and close to Parque de la 93. Restaurant, bar, pool and WiFi (free). 56 air-conditioned rooms with hairdryer, safe, mini-bar, tea/coffee making facilities and satellite TV.

Posada de San Antonio - Villa de Leyva

A 3-star hotel set in a charming colonial-style house close to the historical quarter of Villa de Leyva. Restaurant, bar, WiFi (free) and 26 rooms with hairdryer, safe, mini-bar and satellite TV.

Hotel Mocawa Resort – Coffee Region

A modern 4-star hotel with colonial architecture in La Tebaida, in the Coffee Region of Colombia. Restaurant, bar, pools, gym, spa and WiFi (free). 105 air-conditioned rooms with hairdryer, safe, mini-fridge, tea/coffee making facilities, satellite TV and balcony/terrace.

Hotel Diez - Medellin

A comfortable 4-star hotel in the El Poblado neighbourhood in Medellin. Restaurant, bar, gym, spa and WiFi (free). 115 air-conditioned rooms with hairdryer, safe, mini-bar, tea/coffee making facilities and satellite TV.

Hotel Armeria Real – Cartagena

A traditional 4-star boutique-style hotel in a colonial-style building, in the Getsemani area, close to the walls. Restaurant, bar, roof top pool, gym, spa and WiFi (free). 40 air-conditioned rooms with hairdryer, safe, mini-bar, satellite TV.

Extra Nights

Stay in Bogotá before you start your tour, or spend extra nights in Cartagena before flying back to the UK

Extra nights are on request, please call to discuss your requirements
Cite Hotel (per night) £62 (2025 £85)
Single supplement £62 ( 2025 £85)

Armeria Real (per night) £86 (2025 £96)
Single supplement £86 (2025 £96)

Cite Hotel - Bogotá

Modern 4-star hotel overlooking Virrey Park and close to Parque de la 93. Restaurant, bar, pool and WiFi (free). 56 air-conditioned rooms with hairdryer, safe, mini-bar, tea/coffee making facilities and satellite TV.

Hotel Armeria Real – Cartagena

A traditional 4-star boutique-style hotel in a colonial-style building, in the Getsemani area, close to the walls. Restaurant, bar, roof top pool, gym, spa and WiFi (free). 40 air-conditioned rooms with hairdryer, safe, mini-bar, satellite TV.

Dates & Prices

per person in a twin/double room

Fri 15 Nov 2024
From London Heathrow
Fri 28 Mar 2025
From London Heathrow
Fri 21 Nov 2025
From London Heathrow
Price Includes:

Air travel and taxes, transfers, 11 nights’ accommodation, breakfast daily, 6 lunches, itinerary as described, services of guides and local representatives. If our specially negotiated airfares are unavailable at the time of booking, a supplement may apply.

Not Included:

Travel insurance, overseas departure taxes, optional excursions, tipping, any government taxes or compulsory charges introduced after publication.

Supplements per person

Single Supplement
  • 2024: Nov 15
  • £745
  • 2025: Mar, Nov
  • £965
Flight Options
  • Air France/KLM from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester or Newcastle
  • On request, please call
  • Air France/KLM Business Class
  • On request, please call
Tour Only
  • Save
  • up to £700
  • Arrival transfer
  • £40 (2025 £48)
  • Departure transfer
  • £38 (2025 £42)

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