Cartagena Tours in April 2027

A beautiful country with so much to see. Catalina was an excellent guide who was always on call to help us explore this country and her local recommendations were always excellent . The local guides were also excellent at bringing their areas to life. There are a few tweaks I would make to the itinerary. In Bogotá the itinerary should flex depending upon the weather. On our trip we should have gone to Monserrate on Sunday when the sky was clear and the market on Monday in the rain. In the coffee region I agree that the botanical gardens would have been more interesting than the basket weaving and mug painting. Finally in Medellin I think there should be more opportunities to explore with a guide on the understanding some areas maybe challenging ( part of exploring is to see the real country)

Columbia is beautiful, full of treasures both in the people & the landscape. The history is incredible and the resilience of the people is amazing, considering what they have been through. Catalina, the local tour guides, drivers and hotel staff could not have been more knowledgeable, friendly, professional and helpful. They were an absolute pleasure to be around. My rooms at two hotels were good, one excellent & 3 average, the easy access for mosquitoes in these 3 wasn’t ideal and when you have such busy days, you need to be comfortable & relaxed overnight.

Colombia is a beautiful and colourful country, which is keen to overcome its historic negative connotations. The geo-political situation seems to have placed some restrictions on the areas covered on the trip so the degree of “contrasts” was more limited when compared to other Latin American trips I’ve experienced. We had excellent local guides throughout the trip who were keen to share their knowledge, passion and experience with us. Highlights included the excellent Gold Museum in Bogotá, beautiful Barichara and the Camino Real hike, the Jeep ride to the Corcora Valley, the visit to Comuna 13 in Medellin and the vivid architecture of Guatape and Cartagena. The ubiquitous natural juices were fantastic, made with a wide variety of previously unknown and more familiar fruits. Accommodation was good, with comfortable beds, clean if compact bathrooms, and characterful properties e.g. in Villa de Leyva, Barichara and Cartagena. In Medellin we had a bit of luxury as well as air conditioning rather than a fan! Despite a dreadful forecast, the weather was largely kind to us except for part of the time in Bogotá and Ville de Leyva where we faced some torrential downpours. From a packing perspective we went from fleeces, rain jackets and umbrellas in Bogotá and Villa de Leyva to cotton tops, hats and shorts elsewhere, with Cartagena very hot and humid. Areas for improvement: There was a mix up with the airport transfer for those arriving on the group flight, leaving several people initially stranded but that issue was addressed. The itinerary could benefit from some modifications. On day one in Bogotá we were left to our own devices until 6.00pm. At the hacienda where we spent 3 nights it felt like Explore was struggling to fill the time - with the basket weaving and cup painting and three hour tour of the coffee plantation - when we could have gone to the nearby botanical gardens which some in the group decided to do independently. There was little time spent seeing Medellin itself (and we were warned against doing anything outside the scheduled activities) although the trip to Comuna 13 and excursion to Guatape were great. There has been some over-development and over-commercialisation of some sights, such as the Corcora Valley. The trip notes referred to various local museums but they tended to be shut on the days we visited the towns. That was especially a disappointment in Villa de Leyva where several of us had wanted to see the Terracotta House.

I very much enjoyed my first overlanding experience. My tour leaders have been all fantastic. Everything was organised extremely well so I was able to do all activities that I wanted.