Colombia in the Wild

BOGOTA
Flight to Bogota. Welcome at the airport by your French-speaking guide.

Set on a vast high plateau 2,600 m above sea level, Bogota is a metropolis of over 8 million inhabitants, drawn from every region of Colombia — a city as diverse as the country itself. Its architecture reflects more than four centuries of history. The Andean capital, at the gateway to the Amazon, will charm you with its colonial quarter as well as La Candelaria, a neighbourhood of brightly coloured houses. Bogota’s artistic reputation owes much to Botero, who made it his muse; the foundation bearing his name is well worth a visit. Two nights in this city are not too many to fall for its architecture, its craftsmanship and its atmosphere.

THE LLANOS
The Llanos region is home to some of the country’s largest anacondas. You will set out to track one and learn surprising details of its habits and hunting technique. The vast expanse of the Colombian Llanos teems with wildlife — howler monkeys, pumas, caimans, wild horses and white-tailed deer. Far from city lights, you can take in a remarkable starry sky and discover the nocturnal fauna.

THE COFFEE REGION
Between mountains and fertile valleys, this region produces half of Colombia’s coffee and more than 10% of the world’s output. This lush, hilly region at the heart of the “Tierra Paisa” is a source of pride for the Colombian people. It enjoys an excellent climate and one of the country’s richest concentrations of biodiversity. The Aralcal forest lies within a coffee plantation and is home to more than 150 bird species and 100 tree species. A walk through this unique ecosystem is a pure delight. Filled with giant wax palms that seem closer to the sky than to the ground, the Cocora Valley is an intoxicating place of rare beauty, striking for the diversity of its fauna and the many shades of green in its flora.

TAYRONA NATURAL NATIONAL PARK
In the Sierra Nevada and along the Caribbean coast, Tayrona National Park is a nature reserve home to numerous animal and plant species. It is also a refuge for farming communities and indigenous peoples such as the Kogi. These are among the indigenous groups most attached to their traditions. The Kogi, Kankuamo, Wiwa and Arhuaco have survived in these mountains not only the Spanish invasion, but later the greed of large landowners and the Colombian civil war.

CARTAGENA DE INDIAS
A UNESCO World Heritage city, Cartagena de Indias faces the Caribbean Sea and was, for nearly four centuries, the storage point for the gold of the Americas. Repeatedly attacked by pirates, it is also the most heavily fortified city in the Americas. Cartagena de Indias, Colombia’s creole pearl, blends an impressive colonial heritage with a distinctly Caribbean energy. Above the Andalusian-arabesque houses of the colonists who plundered Inca gold rise the bell towers of churches, built in thanksgiving for such opulence. The Spanish turned it, through monumental fortifications, into the most jealously guarded city of their empire — before independence in the 19th century crowned it with opulent palaces. A beauty today dressed in the warm colours of the Caribbean. Wander its lanes and plazas to the rhythm of cumbia colombiana.

Summary:
– 2 nights in Bogota
– 4 nights in the Llanos
– 2 nights in Pereira
– 1 night in Armenia
– 2 nights in Tayrona
– 3 nights in Cartagena