Cartagena Explorer Trips

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)

Really enjoyed our holiday. Lots of variety of experiences, places, food and weather. Some accomodation was outstanding and some less so. New experiences included: Colombian cooking; making rammed earth bricks; basket weaving; trip in a local 'party bus'; sampling coffee smells, aromas and tastes; playing Tejos. Very much: enjoyed the tour of the coffee plantation; riding the metro and cable car at rush hour in Medellin; the visit to the memorial park and communas 13 in Medellin; the underground salt cathedral; markets in Bogota and its local museum. The trip leader was very helpful, extremely well organised, knowledgable and with a great sense of humour. The local guides were also very good. The coaches were very comfortable and the drivers and trip leader very helpful with luggage. There were three 'strenous' activities that other others interested in this tour might wish to be informed about: Camino Real; the massive rock; and the walk in the national park. These led to our group being split into two with one sub group missing all or most of these activities. We understand the need to fly within Colombia but found the 'dog leg' journey to Armenia via Bogota very time consuming.

Would definitely recommend this trip which showed us the contrasts of the country from the cities of Bogota and Medellín to the beautiful areas of Villa de Leyva and the Chicamocha National Park. I learnt so much about the history, geography and culture of Columbia. And having Andres Cristiano as our tour leader was a bonus.

This was an amazing trip. The title "Contrasts of Colombia" sums it up - everywhere we went was so different. The highlights for me were: Bogota - the colourful streets of La Candelaria Zipaquira Salt Cathedral Impromptu salsa dancing in Plaza Mayor in Villa de Leyva Cable car across the canyon at Chicamocha National Park Seeing the condors at Cocora Valley The drive from Armenia to Medellin (it was a long drive, but the scenery was stunning) The "commuter" run on the metro and cable car in Medellin Cartagena - a perfect end to a fantastic trip Andreas was an excellent tour leader. Nothing was too much trouble for him. He was so passionate about his country, giving us lots of information about the culture, people and history. The local guides and drivers was also very good, as was the food and accommodation. A great group of like minded "Explorers" made this a very memorable trip - it is certainly up there with the best!

This was an excellent trip which covered all parts of Colombia. Our guide Andres Cristiano was fantastic, his knowledge, enthusiasm and passion for his Country was second to none. After doing over 50 trips with Explore, I would place him in the top 3 tour leaders. The standard of accommodation was better than expected, as was the food. I would highly recommend this trip.

The Contrasts of Colombia holiday with Explore certainly lives up to its name. From the moment you arrive in Bogotá to the end point in Cartagena you will experience the very best that Colombia offers - and it doesn’t hold back! The colours, people, art, sights, sounds, smells, music and food are vibrant! This is a tour like no other I have been on. Truly memorable for the right reasons. Led by Andreas, an outstanding tour director and our wonderful group we had an amazing trip from start to finish. Andreas kept us on track, sorted any issues quickly and efficiently and with complete ease. He was truly remarkable, an expert in his field. His love of the country is as infectious as his smile and sense of humour. We all learned so much about ourselves, Colombia and each other. And at the end of the day, that’s what we look for in these types of trips, right? Something that stretches our senses and minds. Highlights for me were Bogotá, where you get rooted in the country’s history and its rich, historical past and many challenges from which it is thankfully rebuilding; to the beauty of the Andes, drinking ‘the best coffee’ at the Hacienda de Roble; completing a pilgrimage to Mount Monserrat; stunned into silence at the engineering and the beauty of the salt cathedral; danced the salsa in Villa de Leyva; went on rickshaw rides, discovered wine, cocktails and cable cars; Played the explosive game of Tejo, hung onto oir *****’s jeep in Salento, where we climbed the foothills of the Cocora valley witnessing the flight of the magnificent Condor; to discovering the real Medellín (and how to pronounce it!) and much much more including a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean at Cartagena. From cities, to mountains I only dreamed about to the coast. All remarkable in its own unique way. Beautiful Colombia! Andreas was joined by local guides and drivers who were experts in their local area so could give you their own take and continue to build on your knowledge. If you wanted something or anything everyone went the extra mile to sort! The accommodation was great, really authentic and comfortable and clean. Food is very authentic so don’t expect burger and fries or fried chicken in breadcrumbs! This is the food of Colombia! Personally I like that but if you don’t like coffee you might like to bring your own tea bags. Don’t trust the water and use the guidance that is given in the notes. Weather was good for us so February was a great time to travel. Hot on the coast but a steady temperature inland. Very pleasant! When it rains, an umbrella or poncho is best. Some of the travel days are long and food service can be slower than the UK (as it’s freshly cooked) so you need to be flexible especially when travelling with a large group e.g using the toilets, being on time, ordering ahead etc. but our group was amazing and we all looked after each other, swapped seats etc. everyone was very kind and friendly. Mucking in is best as you spend a lot of time together. So if you are considering this holiday, I would say “I would do it all again in a heartbeat”. Colombia is beautiful and trying to rebuild its reputation with innovative makers, artists, musicians and tourism. There is much to see and admire and I’m proud to be an ambassador and glad to have been. I have come back a better person and with some great friendships and memories. 10/10!! Just remember to ask for Andreas, the best leader!