Colombia – Coffee Region & Cartagena
POPULAR HIGHLIGHT
- Explore the Coffee Triangle and learn all about the coffee process, from the plant to our mug.
- Get to know historic Cartagena, home to charming squares, colonial mansions converted into boutique hotels and well-preserved churches
- Taste local foods and learn more about their traditional rhythms: Cumbia, Ballenato, Salsa
- Stay in charming and boutique hotels
- “Let’s make a difference”. Visit a local school in the coffee region and interact with students and teachers. 2% of the total cost of the trip will be donated by the participants. “A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE INDEED”
TRIP AT A GLANCE
DAY 1 – Arrive to Cartagena
DAY 2 – Get to know Cartagena
DAY 3 – Cartagena to Pereira (Coffee Region)
DAY 4 – A day in the Coffee Triangle
DAY 5 – Pereira, heart and soul of the Coffee Region
DAY 6 – Pereira to Cartagena
DAY 7 – Free time to explore Cartagena
DAY 8 – Departure date. Collect your memories and head back home
Colombia – Coffee Region & Cartagena
DAY 1: CARTAGENA
Arrive in Cartagena. Welcome and private transfer to your hotel. Time at leisure
Dinner at a local restaurant
Accommodation: Hotel Casa San Agustin or similar
DAY 2: CARTAGENA
Breakfast
Breakfast and city tour.
Explore the city’s historical monuments. Drive to the 17th-century Convent of La Popa for views of the city and the bay. Continue to San Felipes Fort and stop at Las Bovedas, once a dungeon, now home to shops and boutiques. After lunch, sample an assortment of authentic Colombian rums and quality chocolates led by an international sommelier.
Accommodation: Hotel Casa San Agustin or similar
DAY 3: CARTAGENA – PEREIRA (COFFEE REGION)
Breakfast and Check Out. Private transfer to Bogotá International Airport to take the flight to Pereira.
Arrive in Pereira. Welcome and private transfer to your hotel.
Time for “Let’s make a difference” by visiting a local school. Meet teachers and interact with students. A donation will be made on behalf of the group.
Dinner at the Hotel
Accommodation: Hotel Boutique Sazagua
DAY 4: A day in the Coffee Triangle
Breakfast. Private transfer to “Salento”
Visit Salento, a 19th-century village perched on a plateau over the Quindío River. We will witness local baristas making “latte art,” decorative patterns in the foam on espresso drinks. Going beyond the common leaf or heart patterns frequently seen in Canada. The “latte artists” here often “draw” animals, astrological symbols, faces, and more with coffee and foam. Learn that Coffee is not on the only treasured resource here, by visiting the Cocora Valley. We will travel in yipaos, colorfully decorated Jeeps which are used in local parades and celebrations. After a guided hike near the cloud forest, we will have lunch in a local restaurant. Then we will learn about the wax palm, the national tree, which can grow to a staggering 250-foot height. The world’s highest altitude palm tree—and its tallest—is also one of its most slow-growing, so Colombia has made the wax palm a protected species.
Return to Salento with free time to explore the town further. Walking the Calle Real, Salento’s main street, will give us a glimpse into times past, as many buildings still reflect the bahareque cane-and-mud construction style. While here, we have time to browse the local handcrafts shops.
Return to the hotel in time for dinner. Bonfire in the gardens.
Accommodation: Hotel Boutique Sazagua
DAY 5: PEREIRA, HEART AND SOUL OF THE COFFEE TRIANGLE
Breakfast and private transfer to Pereira
Coffee is the heart and soul of this area and today you will see how this simple bean affects every part of the region on a privately guided tour. Tour a fully functional “Coffee Hacienda” and learn all about the coffee process from start to finish. After your tour of the coffee nursery, coffee fields and processing plant, you will participate in a sensorial experience to awaken your senses so that you may fully understand and enjoy the complex art of coffee tasting and quality selection.
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Return to the Hotel. Free afternoon
Colombian Cuisine Cooking Class and Dinner – Learn how to prepare traditional Colombian dishes. It is going to be fun and engaging. Best of all, we get to taste what we prepared.
Accommodation: Hotel Boutique Sazagua
DAY 6: PEREIRA – CARTAGENA
Breakfast and check out. Private transfer to the airport to take our flight to Cartagena de Indias
Arrive in Cartagena. Welcome and private transfer to your hotel.
Afternoon at leisure
Dinner – Café del Mar” – An ideal place to witness sunset while enjoying a fantastic combination of live music, food, cocktails, entertainment and excellent service.
Accommodation: Hotel Casa San Agustin or similar
DAY 7: CARTAGENA
Breakfast and city tour.
Day at leisure to explore the city or enjoy the beach
Embark on a private sunset cocktail cruise of the bay that takes you to “Club de Pesca” and your farewell dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel Casa San Agustin or similar
DAY 8: DEPARTURE DATE
Breakfast and check out. Collect your memories and head back home.
Private transfer to Cartagena Airport to take our flight back home
Let’s make a difference. Visit a local school in the Coffee Region to meet students and teachers. Time to interact with the local community and learn more about them. 2% of the total cost of the trip will be donated by the participants. “A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE INDEED”
Please Inquire
Rates shown are in Canadian Dollars per person, based on double occupancy. Taxes, Fees are included.
Insurance and Gratuities not included
Flights are not included – We are happy to help with that as well. Our prices are really competitive.