Description
Colombia & Panama Grand Journey
Day wise travel itinerary
Meet & greet at El Dorado International Airport and transfer to your hotel in the high-altitude capital. Relax and acclimatize.
Overnight: Bogotá
Early visit to Paloquemao Market (flowers, fruit, spices). Walk La Candelaria’s cobbles: El Carmen, Santa Clara (Colonial Art), Plaza Bolívar, views of Casa de Nariño, Congress & Justice Palaces.
Tour the Museo del Oro (36,000+ pre-Columbian pieces) and the Museo Botero (Botero works + Picasso, Renoir, Dalí, Matisse, Monet).
Note: Gold Museum closed Mon; Botero closed Tue. Modest dress for churches.
Overnight: Bogotá
Drive to Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral, a vast underground sanctuary carved in halite. Continue to colorful Ráquira, famed for ceramics and artisans. Arrive Villa de Leyva (national monument): whitewashed walls, terracotta roofs, vast stone-paved plaza. Evening stroll.
Overnight: Villa de Leyva
Visit El Fósil museum (Kronosaurus boyacensis) and the serene Santo Ecce Homo Convent (fossil-flecked stonework). Stop at Boyacá Bridge, site of Bolívar’s decisive victory (1819). Return to Bogotá Airport; fly to Pereira (Coffee Triangle). Transfer and unwind.
Overnight: Pereira / Coffee Region
Jeep into the Cocora Valley: towering wax palms (up to 58 m), cloud-forest walks, a warming canelazo. Lunch included. Explore Salento—Plaza Bolívar, Calle Real, artisan cafés.
Overnight: Coffee Region
Travel to Otún Quimbaya for a level rainforest walk amidst wax palms, orchids, birds, butterflies and small mammals. Free time after lunch (pay locally) to enjoy the valley’s scenery.
Overnight: Coffee Region
Hands-on coffee tour: harvest, pulp, dry, roast, grind, and taste Colombia’s finest. Transfer to Pereira Airport; fly to Leticia (Amazon). Sunset stroll to Tabatinga (Brazilian border), Orellana Park & Santander Park (parrot roost).
Note: Yellow fever vaccination required for Amazon. Some guides Spanish-speaking only.
Overnight: Leticia
Speedboat to your lodge in the Calanoa Reserve. Jungle trails and canoe outings with naturalist guide: orchids, bromeliads, giant trees; possible sightings of caiman, turtles, capuchins, woolly monkeys and vivid birdlife. Night walk to tune into the rainforest chorus.
Overnight: Amazon Lodge
Ride upriver to Puerto Nariño and the Natutama Foundation (river fauna interpretation). After lunch, explore Tarapoto Lakes—look for pink & grey river dolphins; try artisanal fishing. Visit Ticuna community.
Overnight: Amazon Lodge
Further rainforest explorations by trail and canoe: clay licks (parrots/peccaries) where possible, hoatzin, otters, macaws, night fauna. Activities vary by lodge and conditions.
Note: A headlamp is essential in the Amazon.
Overnight: Amazon Lodge
Speedboat back to Leticia; airport transfer and flight north to Santa Marta. Drive ~1.5 hrs to Tayrona National Park; check into your jungle lodge on the Caribbean edge of the Sierra Nevada.
Overnight: Tayrona Area
Note: Yellow fever recommended for this region; local departure taxes may apply.
Guided 4-hour hike through coastal rainforest to Cañaveral, Arrecifes and on to Cabo San Juan. Wildlife encounters likely (howlers, tamarins, birds). Swim at Piscina Natural (no swimming at Arrecifes). Picnic lunch included.
What to bring: sturdy shoes, daypack, water, swimwear, repellent, sunscreen.
Overnight: Tayrona Area
Free day with your guide to choose additional walks or beach time (as sea conditions allow). Return to lodge for a final evening in the jungle.
Overnight: Tayrona Area
Scenic coastal drive (~5 hrs) to Cartagena. En route, pass El Totumo Mud Volcano (optional external view). Check into your hotel within or near the walled city—UNESCO-listed and endlessly photogenic.
Overnight: Cartagena
Visit Convento de la Popa (city’s highest point), the formidable Castillo de San Felipe (tunnels & battlements), stroll Las Bóvedas (now artisan arcades), and the San Pedro Claver church & cloister. Afternoon at leisure for cafés and plazas.
Dress code: modest attire for religious sites.
Overnight: Cartagena
Boat to the Islas del Rosario marine park (≈1 hr). Swim in turquoise waters; optional snorkel/kayak/diving (pay locally). Typical fish lunch included. Return mid-afternoon (timing tide-dependent).
Notes: Towel hire included. Boat rides can be bumpy; not suitable for pregnancy.
Overnight: Cartagena
Airport transfer and flight to Panama City. Settle into your hotel in this Pacific-side capital—historic gateway for Inca-bound fleets, now a global hub.
Overnight: Panama City
Tour the Miraflores Visitors Center (multi-level exhibits + lock viewpoints; ships transiting subject to schedule). Drive the Amador Causeway (skyline, Bridge of the Americas, Taboga views). Explore Casco Viejo’s UNESCO-listed lanes, churches and plazas; stay for evening ambience if you wish.
Overnight: Panama City
Early transfer for the famed Panama Canal Railway (≈1 hr, Pacific→Atlantic alongside canal & Gatún Lake). Visit Fort San Lorenzo near Portobelo (UNESCO). See the Agua Clara expanded locks (opened 2016). Lunch included; return to Panama City by road.
Overnight: Panama City
Road & motorized canoe to Embera Quera village on the Gatún River. Share dances, music, traditional body painting, crafts, and a light lunch of fresh river fish with plantain/yucca. Return to the city by late afternoon.
Overnight: Panama City
Private transfer to Panama City Airport for your onward flight.
Important Notes
Payment Policy
- 50% advance payment required at the time of booking.
- Remaining balance must be paid 15 days prior to departure.
Cancellation Policy
- 30+ days before departure: 25% of the package cost.
- 15–29 days before departure: 50% of the package cost.
- Less than 15 days: 100% of the package cost.
- No refund for unused services or last-minute cancellations.