Unique Cultural Tours
Unique Cultural Tours
This incredible and fun nine-day trip will put you in contact with local culture, colonial architecture, gourmet cousine, and stunning nature. Unleash the power of networking in a relaxed, informal setting that transcends traditional boundaries, unlocking new partnerships, collaborations, and innovative ideas in charming Colombia. In addition to:
Community-Building: Embark on a unique voyage that goes beyond sightseeing. This exclusive trip is crafted to provide the perfect backdrop for community-building. Forge lasting connections with the like-minded professionals, share experiences, and create a network that extends far beyond the journey.
Inspiration for Innovation: Bring back more than just memories-bring back big ideas to elevate Colorado. The experience and insights gained during this journey will serve as catalysts for innovation, allowing you to contribute positively to your community and beyond.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Challenge preconceptions and broaden your understanding of Latin culture through this carefully curated itinerary. Break down cultural barriers and foster a deeper appreciation for diversity. Embrace the opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and let Colombia challenge and reshape your assumptions.
This is the ultimate work trip! This isn’t just a trip; it’s an investment in your personal and professional growth. Whether you bring your spouse, business partner, or both, this journey is designed to rejuvenate and inspire. It may even be a business write-off (consult your financial professional).
Cocora Valley near Salento
Cost: $4,195 (market value $6,495). A $500 deposit secures your space.
Get the Early Bird savings of $200 off when you register 6+ months prior to departure! Single rooms are available for an additional $500.
Expert bilingual Colombian Guide
8 nights in comfortable, hand-picked hotels that reflect local culture
13 meals (8 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 2 Dinners)
2 in-country flights during the program
Private, air-conditioned ground transportation in each city
Travel companions include two chamber staff members and Vive Mas Tours owners, Jenny and Stephen Desmond
All activities mentioned in this itinerary, including:
Guided Gold Museum Tour by local expert in Bogotá
Guided Palaquemao Market Visit (includes variety of fruit, baked goods, and traditional dishes)
Guided visit to Cacao Farm by local guide and opportunity to make your own chocolate
Coffee finca tour and tasting
Salsa lesson
Night of playing Tejo, Colombia’s national sport
Locally guided hike at Cocora Valley
One morning of birdwatching with local expert
Cartagena City + Fortress tour
Extra Cultural Activity in Cartagena (varies by tour)
Visit to Barranquilla’s Carnival Museum
Airfare to/from the US
Trip Insurance
9 meals, alcohol, tips
“Choose-your-own-excursion” in Cartagena
Join a Zoom Info Session at 8 pm one Monday a month.
Register for March 18, April 15, or May 20.
Set a 15-minute Zoom or phone call with Jenny.
Experience Colombia:
We’ll explore three different climates and a mix of city and rural adventures in this emerging tourist destination.
The itinerary includes Cartagena, rated “One of the Best Places to Travel in 2024” by Travel & Leisure magazine!
Experience charming Colombia as you get a taste of Bogotá, wander among the world’s tallest palm trees in Salento, sip the famous coffee of Armenia, and explore the 16th-century architecture of Cartagena. This is an incredible nine-day trip connecting you with local culture, colonial architecture, gourmet cuisine, and stunning nature. The UNESCO World Heritage sites will inspire you, and you’ll have personal experiences with Colombians that the big companies can’t offer. The tour wraps up in Barranquilla, the home of the world’s second-largest Carnaval event. Come travel with us!
Bogotá- Colombia’s largest city
Paloquemao Fruit (and flower!) Market
Culture of Bogotá experience
Armenia-UNSECO region
Arabica coffee plantation educational park
Cacao tour
Merengue/Salsa lessons
Salento/Cocora Valley
Hiking the Cocora Valley
Guided birdwatching tour
Learn Tejo (explosive Colombian game)
Cartagena- UNESCO World Heritage Site
Historic walled city & Getsemani
Colombian cooking class, optional beach/snorkeling
Sunset in Cartagena activity
Barranquilla
La Casa Del Carnaval
Farewell dinner (and dancing?!)
Activity Level - Walking up to three miles in a day, often on dirt paths, cobblestones, or other uneven terrain. Elevations up to 9,000 feet.
Day 1: Welcome to Colombia!
Arrive at the end of the day in Bogotá. We will get settled and rested up to start exploring tomorrow. You will be picked up at the airport by hotel transportation and taken to our hotel in La Candelaria neighborhood. If you arrive in Colombia before Day 1, we’ll give you the hotel info to book, or make the arrangements for you.
Extra night in Bogotá fee: $150
Arriving early and want to explore? Check out our recommendations here!
Day 2: Taste of Bogotá
Bogotá is Colombia’s largest city with 8 million people, in the high mountains (8,600’) with consistently cool temperatures in the 70s. Eat a light breakfast because we are headed to the famous Paloquemao Market to taste exotic fruits and snacks. You’ll quickly see why Colombia is the second-largest exporter of flowers in the world.
There are many spectacular things to see in Bogotá, murals, museums, trams, and more, so we’ll have a guided tour as time permits.
After checking in at the airport for a quick flight to Armenia (domestic airfare included in the tour), we’ll have an early dinner. Crepes and Waffles is a social impact business throughout Colombia, and they have a full restaurant in the airport. Savory crepes at a B Corp business, all in Bogotá. You’ll feel good about this!
Our flight to Armenia puts us in the Coffee Triangle of Colombia, so you know what’s coming tomorrow!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3: Armenia
After breakfast and fine locally-grown Arabica coffee, we’ll explore this special UNESCO world heritage region by starting at a coffee plantation.
The farm tour includes understanding the native trees that protect the coffee plants, bean picking (typically Nov-Mar), cherry pulping, washing and the post-harvest processes. The tour is an outdoor educational, interactive experience. It will be fun!
In the afternoon, we’ll learn about cocoa grown in the area, with a little chocolate tasting involved.
We’ll head back to the hacienda where we are staying for dinner and dance lessons. Perhaps taste Colombia's national spirit, aguardiente, with its soft notes of anise layered over tropical fruit, and a perceivable sweetness.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Cocora Valley
After breakfast, we’ll take a 1-hour scenic drive to the Cocora Valley, part of the UNESCO World Heritage region. Enjoy a morning hike through the valley of green pastures, cows, hummingbirds, and wax palm trees.
Here is a short video of the hike.
The wax palm trees are described as looking like, “lit sparklers on the Fourth of July with their long skinny trunks topped with an explosion of palm fronds.” These 200’ tall trees are home to unique birds and much of the Disney movie, “Encanto”, is based here.
After a day in Cocora Valley, we’ll check into our accommodations in Salento where we can rest and relax or go out and explore the charming town.
Tonight we’ll play Tejo, an explosive Colombian game reminiscent of corn hole. Even Anthony Bourdain loves this game!
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 5: Salento
Wake up with the sun for an optional birdwatching tour and maybe even see this Sylph hummingbird with its long tail feathers. If you’re not a birdwatcher, you could sleep in and enjoy a leisurely breakfast or take morning photos of the colorful small town.
This is a great place for shopping, and we have a secret coffee house that we like to visit.
We’ll take a late afternoon flight to Cartagena, and enjoy a delicious dinner in this fantastic city. Get ready for coconut rice, a traditional coastal side dish.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 6: Cartagena
This morning we’ll get a tour of the key places in the city, the San Felipe de Barajas fortress, the modern (Miami-like) neighborhoods, the historical center, and our neighborhood of Getsemani.
Following lunch, you could choose to retreat from the sun in your air-conditioned room, take a refreshing dip in the pool, or explore pirate artifacts at a nearby museum.
In the late afternoon, we’ll go to a Colombian-French fusion cooking class followed by dinner. This social impact business is designed to employ single mothers, both in the restaurant and at the market. You’ll come away knowing how to make patacones, have a full belly, and feel good about the local entrepreneurs you met.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7: Cartagena
You have a free day! What’s your adventure, island hopping? Snorkeling? Investigating Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s haunts? Emerald shopping? Book your adventure in advance on Get Your Guide or Viator, or wait to see what inspires you when you’re there. You can view our recommendations here.
Rejoin the group at 5 pm for a special sunset experience. Dinner will be at Candé, our favorite gourmet restaurant in Cartagena with live music.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Barranquilla
After breakfast, we will drive a couple hours north to Barranquilla, where the River Magdalena flows into the Caribbean. An industrial port city, it is the hometown of Latin Pop Star, Shakira, and hosts the second-largest Carnival in the World (think Rio and Fat Tuesday). We will visit downtown and the museum to see the costumes and floats that have been featured in previous years. Learn about the strong Lebanese influence in the culture of this young city, founded 300 years after Cartagena.
Enjoy a final farewell dinner with your new friends before packing for the flight home.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9: Fly Home
Arrive at the airport 2-3 hours before your flight. We hope you fully experienced the richness of Colombia through fun, hands-on exploration, city and nature experiences with free time built in, all while enjoying the structure and security of traveling in a small group on our custom Viva Cartagena! tour.
Meals: Breakfast
