Colombia tailor made tour, culture & coffee

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£2310

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11 days excluding flights

Tailor made

“This comprehensive tour of the culture – and the coffee, transforms Colombia from misunderstood to – when you leave – much missed. 11 days won’t feel like enough, but it will open your eyes to the country’s charms.”

Highlights

Description of Colombia tailor made tour, culture & coffee

Colonial charms, coffee culture and Caribbean coastline: this private tour of Columbia takes in two great cities, the lovely scenery around highland towns, Andes villages and the coffee regions. It ends on a white beach in a national park. You’ll fly or take scenic drives between sights, and have the option to explore deeper with horse riding tours and zip lining adventures.

Colombia isn’t all about coffee, but it’s a good place to start. On this tour, you’ll spend multiple nights on a traditional coffee farm (finca) in coffee country. Book-end this delicious excursion with two fascinating cities: Bogotá, with its amazing Gold Museum, dilapidated grandeur and colonial architecture, and Cartagena, where the streets are a heady mix of Caribbean and African culture, and the history includes plenty of pirates. End the trip on the Rosario Islands, a national park containing stunning white sand islets, where you can relax on island time.

Colombia is fairly new to tourism. Whilst you’ll get the thrill of being off the beaten track on this tour, you’ll also encounter wonderfully welcoming people, and a fascinating mix of Hispanic, African, colonial and indigenous stories. Somewhere between seeing the enormous underground church at Zipaquirá salt mine, and hiking between the spindly wax palms in coffee country, you’ll develop a deeper appreciation for this South American nation.

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.com

Departure information

This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements

Vouchers

Accepted

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.

As a company we love Latin America and strive to protect the rural and urban landscapes which we take you to visit. We work with local operators which have a proven record in training guides to set a good example in their respect for their surroundings and pass on advice and encouragement to visitors on how to preserve the fragile environment in simple ways, such as by refilling a water bottle, disposing of rubbish responsibly, not disturbing local communities or wildlife and not purchasing items made from endangered animals or plants. When selecting accommodation, we give preference to hotels, lodges and cruise vessels which have a verifiable commitment to eco-friendly practices.

We select our partners with great care to ensure that their values match ours. The supplier of our local services in Colombia is a founding member of Acotur, an association which brings together tour operators across the country so that they can work together to protect Colombia’s natural environments and shape the growing tourism sector in a responsible and sustainable manner. By liaising with the Colombian government on policy, Acotur aims to advocate ecotourism and provide capacity building opportunities for professionals affiliated with the association. Each company within Acotur must fulfil stringent requirements, which include a commitment to benefiting local communities and to the conservation of the environment: eating at local restaurants and employing trained guides who advise travellers on sustainable practices are just some of the ways in which these aims are achieved.

The Impacts of this Trip

In the town of Villa de Leyva you will stay at Posada de San Antonio, three adjoined colonial mansions which have been beautifully restored to retain the original structure, features and atmosphere. Your stay at this family-run guesthouse will give you an insight into the story of the town and an opportunity to learn more about its history and how its cultural heritage is being preserved.

We pride ourselves on delivering our clients truly authentic and unforgettable experiences in Latin America and immersing them in the culture of the places they visit: an integral part of Colombia’s economy is the coffee industry and this holiday will give you the chance to experience life on a real coffee finca. As well as learning about the process of coffee production, you will see how tourism is directly benefitting these coffee farmers whose families have been working this land for generations: in an increasingly competitive market, farmers have opened up their properties to tourists in an effort to bolster business. By staying at a coffee finca such as Casa Delirio, you will be supporting this national industry which keeps so many Colombians in employment, as well as helping to ensure a sustainable future for these farmers.

In addition to this, you will see parts of the country that are less visited by tourists. For example, on your way to Villa de Leyva you will have the chance to stop at the colourful village of Raquira. The clay in the area has meant that the village has been famous for its pottery since the time of the Spanish conquest. It is the best place for buying ceramics and with three quarters of the area’s economy centred around handicrafts, it is a vital part of the region’s income. By purchasing your souvenirs here instead of in the larger cities where you are more likely to find imported mass-produced trinkets, you will be directly contributing to the local economy and supporting the people of the area.

Environment

As a company we love Latin America and strive to protect the rural and urban landscapes which we take you to visit. We work with local operators which have a proven record in training guides to set a good example in their respect for their surroundings and pass on advice and encouragement to visitors on how to preserve the fragile environment in simple ways, such as by refilling a water bottle, disposing of rubbish responsibly, not disturbing local communities or wildlife and not purchasing items made from endangered animals or plants. When selecting accommodation, we give preference to hotels, lodges and cruise vessels which have a verifiable commitment to eco-friendly practices.

We select our partners with great care to ensure that their values match ours. The supplier of our local services in Colombia is a founding member of Acotur, an association which brings together tour operators across the country so that they can work together to protect Colombia’s natural environments and shape the growing tourism sector in a responsible and sustainable manner. By liaising with the Colombian government on policy, Acotur aims to advocate ecotourism and provide capacity building opportunities for professionals affiliated with the association. Each company within Acotur must fulfil stringent requirements, which include a commitment to benefiting local communities and to the conservation of the environment: eating at local restaurants and employing trained guides who advise travellers on sustainable practices are just some of the ways in which these aims are achieved.

Community

The Impacts of this Trip

In the town of Villa de Leyva you will stay at Posada de San Antonio, three adjoined colonial mansions which have been beautifully restored to retain the original structure, features and atmosphere. Your stay at this family-run guesthouse will give you an insight into the story of the town and an opportunity to learn more about its history and how its cultural heritage is being preserved.

We pride ourselves on delivering our clients truly authentic and unforgettable experiences in Latin America and immersing them in the culture of the places they visit: an integral part of Colombia’s economy is the coffee industry and this holiday will give you the chance to experience life on a real coffee finca. As well as learning about the process of coffee production, you will see how tourism is directly benefitting these coffee farmers whose families have been working this land for generations: in an increasingly competitive market, farmers have opened up their properties to tourists in an effort to bolster business. By staying at a coffee finca such as Casa Delirio, you will be supporting this national industry which keeps so many Colombians in employment, as well as helping to ensure a sustainable future for these farmers.

In addition to this, you will see parts of the country that are less visited by tourists. For example, on your way to Villa de Leyva you will have the chance to stop at the colourful village of Raquira. The clay in the area has meant that the village has been famous for its pottery since the time of the Spanish conquest. It is the best place for buying ceramics and with three quarters of the area’s economy centred around handicrafts, it is a vital part of the region’s income. By purchasing your souvenirs here instead of in the larger cities where you are more likely to find imported mass-produced trinkets, you will be directly contributing to the local economy and supporting the people of the area.

Climate