10 Day Medellín, Pacific Coast and Cartagena

Alkaen USD 2 895,00 $
  • Kesto: 10 Päivät (noin)
  • Paikka: Medellin, Medellin/Colombia
  • Tuotekoodi: 10 day mde - pac - ctg

This is an example of a fully customizable 10-day package tour.

Full list of Medellin day toursFull list of Cartagena day tours

You’ll start your Colombian journey in Medellín, where you’ll enjoy the culture of the Paisa (the name given to those born here). You’ll love this city tour, filled with famous artwork, amazing graffiti in Comuna 13, cable cars, and a journey to the massive Guatape Rock. Here you’ll climb to the top for an amazing view, and have the opportunity for a boat cruise, a coffee tour, or even a helicopter flight overlooking this magnificent area.
Next, you’ll discover the untouched beauty of the Pacific Coast; with whale watching, beautiful beaches, and thermal pools. 
Finally, Cartagena will be waiting to show you the beauty of this ancient city, along with a day on a Tropical Island, fruit tasting, and some local markets

Day 1: Medellín, Colombia

Welcome to Colombia!

Arrive at any time, your driver will be waiting to collect you from the airport and take you to your hotel.

There are no activities planned for this day, so just relax and maybe check out your neighborhood.


Day 2: Comuna 13 and City Tour

You'll start your day with a cable car ride over the hundreds of houses in Comuna 13. Many of these houses and settlements belong to many displaced people from rural areas. Due to a complicated internal conflict between the FARC, Colombian Military, Paramilitaries, and Drug Traffickers, over 7 million people have been displaced in Colombia.

Next, you get to venture inside Comuna 13, something that would certainly have been unimaginable 15 years ago due to the violence and lack of security. Not only is this location the most significant street art district in Medellin, yet it is additionally where the very first open-air electrical escalators in the world were mounted. You’ll get to ride these escalators and get the chance to learn the meanings behind much of the graffiti.

Continuing your journey, you’ll be visiting Parques del Río. The place that connects East and West Medellin through the Medellin River. Located in the center of the city, it's well known for its infrastructure, vegetation, and wonderful resting areas. Here you’ll find a unique sculpture from the swiss artist Ugo Rondinone named Colores de la montaña, the only one made for public areas in Latin America.

Next, it’s off to visit Barefoot Park. A place to awaken your senses through the sound of water, bamboo paths, paddling pools you can walk through, and a sand path.

Following this, you’ll continue your journey and visit a location full of surprises. Where not only will you find the Medellin Civic Center, administrative buildings like the Medellín City Hall, the Park of Lights, along with some of the most important heritage buildings in Medellin's history. Not only this but you’re also going to see the Eternal Flame, a monument to freedom speech, the biggest vertical garden in Medellín, the giant Monumento a la Raza by Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt, and other interesting sculptures and places.

Carrying on to your nest stop of Parque San Antonio, you’ll find 4 of Botero's sculptures, the most important ones are The Hurt Bird and the Peace Bird, one of the sculptures was destroyed after a terrorist attack in 1995, and the other one, an exact replica of the first one brought to Medellin in 2000.

Next, it’s off for a stop at Botero Plaza, an iconic place additionally referred to as Sculptures Park. This urban space displays 23 sculptures of the renowned son of Medellin and Master Sculptor Fernando Botero.

After wandering through and marveling at this al fresco gallery, you’ll move onto the Cultural Palace, a beautiful neo-Gothic style building, and a visit to the very first church built in Medellin during the colonial period; the Candelaria in 1776, along with the 2nd oldest church la Iglesia de la Veracruz, built-in 1803.

The last stop in today’s tour will be the Parque Memorial Inflexion. Previously known as The Monaco Building (one of the personal apartment buildings of Pablo Escobar), which was bombed by the Cali Cartel in 1990 and torn down by the city in 2019. Now it is a memorial park dedicated to the victims of narcoterrorism. It has three sections, the first one is the path of the heroes, this place is a tribute to famous or important figures in Colombia’s history that were killed by Pablo Escobar. The second and third sections show the bombings and terrorist attacks that took place between the worst years of 1984 and finished in 1993 with the death of Pablo Escobar. During these 9 years, there were approximately 208 terrorist attacks and 46,612 victims.

Day 3: Guatape Rock with Coffee Plantation Day Trip

Starting your tour at 8 am you begin your adventure with a beautiful scenic drive to an outstanding coffee farm in Antioquia, where you will receive a full tour and explanation of how the whole process of growing the perfect coffee bean occurs. You’ll come to understand the process of planting, handpicking the ripest beans, de-pulping, washing, sorting into classifications, drying, roasting, and finally making the perfect brew.

Your next stop is Old Peñol Replica Town in Guatape.  This town square was constructed to look exactly like the sunken village of Old Peñol at the bottom of the manmade Peñol-Guatapé reservoir. Here your guide will explain how, why, when, and show you photos of exactly how this town once looked.

You then venture to Guatape Rock also known as Piedra del Peñol, where you can climb the 740 steps to reach the top and have an amazing 360° view of the surrounding area including the 500 km shore-perimeter dam.

Before you head back to Medellín you will make a stop in Guatape town (The City of Zocalos) where you’ll walk the streets of this beautiful town and learn what is the Zocalo tradition and why it started. You’ll also get to visit the Plaza (main square), Remembrance Street, boardwalk (Malecón) the church, maybe enjoy a tuk-tuk ride, and more.

Day 4: Your Beachfront ECOLODGE

On arrival to Nuquí you'll be collected from the airport and taken directly to the marina for your boat ride to your home for the next 3 nights; La Bayka eco-lodge. Set in an amazing scene just a short stroll to the water's edge, La Bayka is an idyllic location to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. 

You'll be arriving mid-late morning and have time to organize your things before enjoying a wonderful fresh lunch.

NB A Tourist Tax of $30.000 Colombian Pesos per person will need to be paid before leaving the airport.

Included activities: 
  • 30 min guided walk to the Cascada del Amor (The waterfall of Love) where you can enjoy a refreshing swim in this peaceful location.
  • 1 hour guided walk to the Thermal Hot Springs (Entrance fee of $15,000 pesos not included)
  • 1x Whale Watching tour of 2-3 hours during the months of July to mid-October.

Day 5: Still in Paradise...

You'll wake to the wonderful relaxing sounds of the ocean and the native birds singing at the start of another beautiful Pacific Coast day!

Included activities: 
  • 30 min guided walk to the Cascada del Amor 
  • 1 hour guided walk to the Thermal Hot Springs

Day 6: Another Peaceful PACIFIC Morning

You'll be waking once again to the soothing sounds of the waves and the singing birds searching for their morning meal. 

You'll have time for a quick swim or a short hike, and another wonderful breakfast before taking a boat back to Nuquí and on to the airport for your flight back to Medellín. 

On arrival, you'll be collected and taken directly to your hotel to check-in and relax in the city of the eternal spring.


Day 7: Cartagena City Tour

With our bilingual guide explaining the history behind every important site you visit. You'll discover panoramic views of the city from Cerro de La Popa; a convent built in 1606, and the highest peak overlooking Cartagena. Explore inside the historic Castle San Felipe, learning the paths and methods of defending this heritage-listed structure from pirates and invaders around the world. 

Enjoy an in-depth private tour of the Jewel of Colombia, the magical UNESCO heritage-listed city of Cartagena de Indias Colombia. Including the must-see stops, plazas, restaurants, cafes, and bars within the walled city. 

You’ll step back in time on a journey through the layers of history uncovering some surprising, surreal, and sometimes scary stories as you explore every aspect of the city's charming colonial streets and take in all the main landmarks of Cartagena's famous walled city. All the time learning of the true history of this city's historic struggle between the Spanish colonialists and pirates from many different nations.

Your tour will include the Clock Tower monument, the original entrance of the fortified city, and your starting point for the tour through the historic center of Cartagena de Indias. Your tour will also include unmissable locations such as Bolivar Park, the Plaza Saint Pedro Claver, the Plaza de Los Jagüeyes, San Diego, and of course the colorful streets of Gertsemani.

This truly is the most complete journey of the main areas of Cartagena, and the perfect tour to enjoy not just the history, but to also get acquainted with the most important Cartagena landmarks.

Day 8: Getsemaní and Bazurto Markets

Enjoy a walking tour of this colorful neighborhood, with your bilingual guide. You'll get to explore the streets filled with graffitiCentenario Park, and the Holy Trinity Square. not to mention discovering where all the hip cafes, bars, and restaurants in this neighborhood are hidden away. 

Next, it's onto the typical Colombian markets of Bazurto full of amazing tropical fruits, and everything you could want to buy.

You’ll begin your guided tour with an introduction to the daily life of these hard-working Colombians. Many of them have been up hours before the break of dawn to ensure their stalls are ready for the influx of locals and tourists alike.

Following this, you’ll be learning about the different fruits, along with sampling this wonderfully colorful and exotic flavored produce. You’ll learn the different seasons, names, and the sweet and sour flavors of each.

Next, you’ll carry on maneuvering your way through the stalls into the meat section of the market, where you’ll find all manner of freshly cut meat from a wide variety of animals, as well as a huge variety of fish as well.

After this introduction to the wide diversity of Colombian, fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish, you’ll be starting to feel a little bit hungry. So, you’ll be guided through even more stalls and people to discover a wonderfully authentic restaurant called Celia’s. Here you’ll learn how the locals cook their meals and enjoy a delicious fresh lunch.

A tour to a real Colombian market would not be complete without a stroll into the artisan and community area. Here you’ll enjoy people playing dominos and other games all day long, along with encountering a fantastic business where posters are painted and created for people and events all by hand.

To finish up your fantastic tour of these genuine Colombian markets you’ll enjoy a freshly made juice with your choice of whichever fruit you so desire.

This may only be a 3-hour tour, but it’ll provide you with wonderful memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Day 9: Rosario Islands - Relax in a Tropical Paradise.

Enjoy a wonderful ocean cruise on a speedboat to the Rosario Islands; arriving at a beautiful picturesque beach for a typical Caribbean lunch, crystal clear waters, water-sports, white sands, and palm trees. 

You'll be assigned your personal beach space which will be exclusive for yourself and members of your group. 

You'll receive full beach service, a fantastic typical lunch; use of deckchairs and umbrellas; a cocktail on arrival, and English-speaking hosts. 

You will have the full day to relax and enjoy your space along with kayaking, and the ability to hire gear for snorkeling or paddleboarding.

This will be one of the highlights of your Caribbean adventure!


Day 10: Today it is Farewell to Cartagena & to Colombia - or extend your stay!

Hablamos pronto, safe travels home, and visit again soon!

We’ll have transport waiting to take you to the airport at your desired time.


What's included?

  • 7x Accommodation - 3-5 star hotels
  • 2x nights beachfront Pacific Coast Ecolodge
  • 9x breakfast, 4x lunch, 2x dinner
  • Private transfers in an air-conditioned car
  • All airport transfers
  • Private excursions
  • English-speaking guide on all excursions
  • All entrance fees
  • 24-hour support group

Exclusions

  • International and domestic flights
  • Travel Insurance
Please note:
  • Humpback whales visit every year between the months of May and November (best months July to October)

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