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Locally Hosted Independent Tour Suggested Departure Day: Any day

ITINERARY (Subject to change without notice):

Day 01 - USA – Bogota: Meeting upon arrival Bogota and transfer to Hotel Casa Medina.  Balance of the day at leisure.

Day 02 - Bogota: This morning you will enjoy a visit to the fourth largest city in South America and one of the most cosmopolitan. Highlights will include Bolivar’s Square flanked by the Cathedral, Palace of Justice, President House, and the Capitol. In the historic district of downtown known as “La Candelaria,” visit the Gold Museum with over 30,000 pieces of pre-Columbian artifacts. Stop will also be made at Bolivar’s Country House. Then continue up by cable car to the summit if Monserrate, a religious pilgrimage site since 1640 and offers fantastic views of the city and valley below. (B)

Day 03 – Bogota: Full day excursion that will take you outside the city along the Pan American Highway, passing charming villages en route. We reach the town of Zipaquira with its spiritual Salt Cathedral, built within an actual salt mine some 600 ft. within the mountain. Continue the sojourn to the colonial town of Guatavita where, where it is said the legend of “El Dorado” had its origins. (B/L)

Day 04 – Bogota – Bucaramanga – San Gil: Mid-morning transfer to the airport for the flight to Bucaramanga. Here you will be met and driven some 2-hours to the area of San Gil, the department of Santander’s crown jewel for natural wonders and adventure tourism.  The next four nights will be spent at Hotel Wassiki Campestre. (B)

Day 05 – San Gil: The morning will find you on a hike up to the 180 meter Juan Curi waterfall, from which you will descend by rappelling the falls. At the bottom, relax at the natural pool. Continue the excursion by tandem paragliding over the Curiti region, admiring the Chicamocha Canyon from above. Lunch included en route.  (B/L)

Day 06 – San Gil: The day begins with an adrenaline-rushing rafting experience on the Rio Suarez (15KM of class III-IV, some rafting experience required). Somewhere along the “rush” you will find that this is one of the most beautiful parts of the region! There will be even time to swim in areas of calmer crystal clear waters. Next adventure, will be much more tame – visiting what some say is the most beautiful town in Colombia, Barichara, with it’s stone streets, white colonial houses and churches. Founded in 1705, it was declared a National Monument in 1975. Day is not done, we end it by visiting the archaeological museum at Guane with its collection of fossils found in the Rio Suarez River. This area was also the pre-Columbia empire of the Guane culture. Lunch included. (B/L)

Day 07 – San Gil: Today’s adventure will be by horseback around the area near the village of “Valle de San Jose” and the “Pachamama” farm. Along the way, you will “life-see” Santander culture and learn about organic crop cultivation. Enjoy a vegetarian lunch made with produce grown on the farm. (B/L)

Day 08 – San Gil – Bucaramanga – Bogota – Santa Marta - Tayrona National Park: Morning transfer to the Bucaramanga airport for flight to Bogota where there is a change of plane continuing on to Santa Marta. Sometimes referred to as “The Pearl of America,” Santa Marta, like most coastal regions of the Caribbean, has a rich cultural history. Founded by the Spanish in 1525, it is the oldest city on continental America. In addition to the indigenous Tairona culture of the region and the predominately Spanish heritage, in the 19^th Century a considerable amount of French, English and Americans migrated to the area. It eventually served as a major port exporting bananas and coal. Today it is not only a maritime port, but has a growing tourism hub. Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to the Canaveral part of the Tayrona National Park, about 1+ hour drive from Santa, You will spend the next three nights in the Ecohabs. These “thatch-roofed” cabanas hugging the hillside jungle are simple, chic and minimalistic. (B/D)

Day09 – Tayrona National Park: Day at leisure to expolore at your own pace and enjoy the sun-surf-sand of the nearby Arrecifes area. (B/L/D)

Day10 –  Tayrona National Park: A full day hiking excursion to enjoy the beauties of what some say is one of the most beautiful sports in South America, as well as this country’s most scenic area. The park covers some 37,000 thousand acres (of which 7000 are on coastal waters). Most of Tayrona Park is dry tropical virgin forest, with some 200 species of birds, 100 mammals, 50 reptiles as well as deer, eagles, iguanas, monkeys, etc. Enjoy walking along the park trails and perhaps visiting “El Pueblito,” the remains of an indigenous culture, similar to what is found at Cuidad Perdida, but much smaller in scale. Lunch provided on day’s excursion. (B/L/D)

Day11 – Tayrona National Park-Santa Marta- Cartagena: This morning you will leave the Park and be driven some 5-hours to the premier coastal city of the country, Cartagena with a brief stop at Barranquilla, the country’s major port, en route. Your hotel will be the boutique La Merced. In the afternoon there will be a guided tour of Cartagena, once the only port in Spanish South America until Buenos Aires was founded. The morning city tour highlights will include the Convent of La Popa, on a hilltop overlooking the bay, visiting the monastery and the chapel of “La Virgen de La Candelaria.” Visit the enormous fortifications at San Felipe built in the 17th century to protect the city from English, French and Dutch pirates. The walled city has the best preserved colonial architecture, declared a “Patrimony of Humanity.” Here we find Las Bovedas (the old dungeons) now boutique shops and handicraft stores, numerous plazas, churches, and restaurants. (B)

Day12 – Cartagena: Day at leisure to explore this very historical city at your own pace. (B)

Day13 – Cartagena – Islas Rosario (Isla Grande): This morning you will be transferred to the docks and board the motorlaunch to Isla Grande, one of the 27 islands in the archipelago lying off the coast (about 1-hour), at times described as the “Sevens of Seven Colors” due to the multicolored seabed corals that shine through the turquoise waters. You accommodations will be at Hotel San Pedro de Majagua.  (B/D)

Day14 – Islas Rosario (Isla Grande): At leisure or optional activities you can partake of are diving, kayaks, sunfish, canoeing, sportfishing. (B/L/D)

Day15 – Islas Rosario (Isla Grande) – Cartagena: At the appropriate time (1600) , take the boat back to the dock in Cartagena, and transfer to La Merced Hotel for your last night. (B/L)

Day16 – Cartagena – USA: Transfer to airport for departure. (B)

RATES and DETAILS: