Colombia trekking holiday, hidden Colombia
Highlights
Bogota | Guided tour of capital | Five days of trekking in Colombia’s Sierra Nevada | Lost City or Teyuna | Santa Marta and Caribbean coast | Buritaca RiverDescription of Colombia trekking holiday, hidden Colombia
Our Colombia trekking holiday takes you on a wonderful journey not only from the Caribbean coast at Santa Marta through the country’s stunning Sierra Nevada jungles, but also back in time. Because the pinnacle of our trek is not a mountain summit, but the Lost City of the Sierra Nevada.After a couple of days in Bogota, where we have a guided tour of the capital city, we take a domestic flight to the coast to start the trekking section of the trip, but soon head inland to the trailhead. From here we trek through and camp in the jungle, passing indigenous villages and cooling streams for two days before reaching the Lost City of the indigenous Tayronas people, built in 800AD. This magnificent remote site is a fine example of pre-Hispanic architecture with buildings built into the tropical, mountainous terraces.
This really is off the beaten track tourism in Colombia and a great trip for those who love to trek in reasonably challenging terrain, take in remote jungle life with a chance to see some of South America’s most underrated ancient archaeology. You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness and please note that you will be carrying all your own personal gear (except for tents, sleeping pads, and cooking facilities).
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
WASTE: The Jungles of Colombia are an incredible place and worth protecting. In Colombia, we practice a Leave No Trace principle. This is important in preserving the jungle in and around the area the Lost City . Reducing waste and reducing the environmental impact of tourism is a big priority of our company in all the place we operate. In Colombia we incentivize environmental stewardship in all of the area with travel through. We do this by assessing all partner lodges based on local ownership, energy-sourcing, and waste disposal. The camps along the trek to the Lost City go to great measures to reduce impact in this remote area. This is a delicate area, home to many jungle animal and local indigenous people. The Colombian Jungle is a precious resource not only to the Colombian but to all people and we must help to protect it. All meals are provided with food that is sourced locally to minimize packaging and waste. Our Colombian guides serve as environmental and waste reduction educators on the trail. They talk about the environmental issues that are challenging the Colombian Jungle and how it affects the local residence. The guides demonstrate and educate best practices for responsible travel to our travelers. WATER: In Colombia, the weather can be hot and very humid. Drinking water is a very important resource. It is an important resource for travelers, and local people. We must preserve this. We encourage our travelers not to use or purchase plastic bottled water, but instead to use reusable bottles. We actively educate clients on the impact of plastic products on the remote environments of the Colombian Jungle.
The Impacts of this Trip
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS: Our company is committed to doing travel right in Colombia. We see travel in Colombia as one of the most effective means of investing in amazing people and places. We hire experienced local Colombian guides from the local communities in which we operate. This is not only the responsible thing to do but provides a better and more authentic Colombian travel experience. We invest 10% of our total revenue in the form of microcredit to small-scale entrepreneurs in Colombia.We partner with microfinance institutions that provide low-interest capital to small businesses in the regions where we operate. We feel this is an effective and responsible way to give back and support the Colombian people that let us explore their country. This is our mission, our passion, and what makes our company very unique in the travel industry.
A FAIR DEAL: In Colombia, our company partners up with local lodge owners in Bogota and Santa Marta, and locally owned camps along the trek to the Lost City. We partner with local Colombian drivers and transport companies that employ local Colombian residents. We focus on partnering with other local businesses in the areas and communities we operate, in order to maximize the local benefits from tourism. We practice an important Leave No Trace principle on all our expeditions and we incentivize environmental best practices among our partners. Our teams are locally hired within Colombia. We travel with respect and preservation of local Colombian customs and the customs of the people that call the Colombian Jungle home. We do this while educating those who travel with us to Colombia in the importance of preserving these important factors. The factors that make a trek through the Colombian Jungle an amazing place to visit and worth protecting
WASTE: The Jungles of Colombia are an incredible place and worth protecting. In Colombia, we practice a Leave No Trace principle. This is important in preserving the jungle in and around the area the Lost City . Reducing waste and reducing the environmental impact of tourism is a big priority of our company in all the place we operate. In Colombia we incentivize environmental stewardship in all of the area with travel through. We do this by assessing all partner lodges based on local ownership, energy-sourcing, and waste disposal. The camps along the trek to the Lost City go to great measures to reduce impact in this remote area. This is a delicate area, home to many jungle animal and local indigenous people. The Colombian Jungle is a precious resource not only to the Colombian but to all people and we must help to protect it. All meals are provided with food that is sourced locally to minimize packaging and waste. Our Colombian guides serve as environmental and waste reduction educators on the trail. They talk about the environmental issues that are challenging the Colombian Jungle and how it affects the local residence. The guides demonstrate and educate best practices for responsible travel to our travelers. WATER: In Colombia, the weather can be hot and very humid. Drinking water is a very important resource. It is an important resource for travelers, and local people. We must preserve this. We encourage our travelers not to use or purchase plastic bottled water, but instead to use reusable bottles. We actively educate clients on the impact of plastic products on the remote environments of the Colombian Jungle.
The Impacts of this Trip
FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS: Our company is committed to doing travel right in Colombia. We see travel in Colombia as one of the most effective means of investing in amazing people and places. We hire experienced local Colombian guides from the local communities in which we operate. This is not only the responsible thing to do but provides a better and more authentic Colombian travel experience. We invest 10% of our total revenue in the form of microcredit to small-scale entrepreneurs in Colombia.We partner with microfinance institutions that provide low-interest capital to small businesses in the regions where we operate. We feel this is an effective and responsible way to give back and support the Colombian people that let us explore their country. This is our mission, our passion, and what makes our company very unique in the travel industry.
A FAIR DEAL: In Colombia, our company partners up with local lodge owners in Bogota and Santa Marta, and locally owned camps along the trek to the Lost City. We partner with local Colombian drivers and transport companies that employ local Colombian residents. We focus on partnering with other local businesses in the areas and communities we operate, in order to maximize the local benefits from tourism. We practice an important Leave No Trace principle on all our expeditions and we incentivize environmental best practices among our partners. Our teams are locally hired within Colombia. We travel with respect and preservation of local Colombian customs and the customs of the people that call the Colombian Jungle home. We do this while educating those who travel with us to Colombia in the importance of preserving these important factors. The factors that make a trek through the Colombian Jungle an amazing place to visit and worth protecting
1 Reviews of Colombia trekking holiday, hidden Colombia
Reviewed on 06 Jan 2017 by Lisa Lawton
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The whole experience was really good, I enjoyed the city visits and the jungle trek.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
To be aware of the temperature and humidity when trekking in the jungle. I had not really taken into account that the entire trip would be in the jungle and
therefore hot and humid every day. Also if you are not very fit that some training is necessary as it is a challenging trek.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I assume that the use of the jungle camps benefited local people and it was definitely one of the better trips in terms of reduction on environmental impacts.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Overall I would rate this as 4 star. It was a great holiday experience with a real mix of activities.
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