Viva Colombia! 14-Day Family Adventure with Teens

Points of Interest : Bogotá
Welcome to Bogotá! At the airport, your driver will be waiting to transfer you and your family to your hotel in the historic city center, known as La Candelaria. Once checked in, take time to rest after the flight and enjoy the comforts of your hotel in this atmospheric colonial neighborhood.

• Meals included : None
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Casa Deco (Bogotá)

Points of Interest : Bogotá
Start the day in the vibrant metropolis of Bogotá. Begin with a freshly pressed guanábana juice at the Paloquemao market and stroll through the narrow streets of La Candelaria. Then visit the famous Gold Museum, home to an outstanding collection of pre-Columbian gold artefacts. Afterwards, a cable car or funicular takes you up Monserrate hill for sweeping views over the capital – always a highlight for kids.

Optional: After the museum, head to the Chapinero Alto district to visit “aMano”, a private art studio focused on handmade crafts. Young travelers can transform simple bags into beautiful pre-Columbian-inspired souvenirs using their creativity.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Casa Deco (Bogotá)

Points of Interest : Bogotá, Ciudad Bolívar
Embark on an authentic and transformative full-day excursion to the southern Bogotá neighborhood of Ciudad Bolívar, once heavily stigmatized and now a symbol of resilience, collective creativity, and community empowerment. This experience helps you see the city with new eyes, challenge preconceptions, and support local initiatives that use art, education, and social engagement to drive change.

The tour is led by the Association for Rural Community Tourism in Bogotá, a local organization of farmers and community leaders who host, guide, and organize the visits. They promote socially focused, sustainable tourism as well as agro- and ecotourism, strengthening cultural identity and the local economy. Together with them, you discover a different Bogotá: lively, committed, and deeply human.

Your adventure starts at the Portal del Tunal station, where you board the TransMiCable, a modern cable-car system linking hillside districts to the rest of the city. From the cabins you can observe the neighborhood’s urban and social development while your local guide explains its history, challenges, and successes.

Arriving in the El Paraíso sector, you walk through Ciudad Bolívar’s open-air museum, where murals and graffiti tell stories of resistance, memory, reconciliation, the environment, and youth leadership. Street art here serves as a powerful tool to understand the past and imagine new futures, with opportunities to talk to local artists and community leaders.

At lunchtime, enjoy a home-cooked meal in a community restaurant or a family home. Typical dishes from the Andean region, prepared with local ingredients, offer a warm and authentic culinary experience.

In the afternoon, visit youth collectives, community libraries, cultural centers, or social initiatives such as recycling workshops or environmental projects that illustrate the community’s daily efforts toward sustainable transformation. These encounters invite dialogue, mutual learning, and reflection.

The day concludes at a viewpoint in Parque Entrenubes or nearby green spaces, where you take in sweeping landscapes and reflect on the relationship between city, community, and nature. In the late afternoon you descend again by TransMiCable to Portal del Tunal and return to your hotel in Bogotá.

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Casa Deco (Bogotá)

Points of Interest : Villa de Leyva
Today you leave the capital and drive towards Lake Guatavita. Learn about the legend of “El Dorado”, a ceremony in which the Muisca chief was covered in gold dust while emeralds and gold objects were offered to the lagoon. You reach the crater lake on a hike through high-altitude páramo vegetation up to more than 3,000 m, where you are rewarded with spectacular views of the emerald-green water below.

Continue along the main road towards Tunja, passing the Sisga reservoir, where you can stop to taste fried trout. Do not miss the Puente de Boyacá on the way – the site of Simón Bolívar’s decisive victory over Spanish colonial forces. From here it is only a short drive to the charming colonial town of Villa de Leyva. Stroll along its cobbled streets and head to the vast Plaza Mayor to round off the day with a delicious dinner.

Approximate driving time: 4 hours.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Campanario de la Villa (Villa de Leyva)

Points of Interest : Villa de Leyva
From your hotel you take a short drive to the town of Sáchica, about 5 km from Villa de Leyva, where today’s tour begins. You discover the historical importance of this settlement for the Muisca people and how the Spanish conquest changed life here. You also learn about colonial relics such as the Stone of Punishment, the atrium cross, and the church itself.

You then hike through agricultural fields along small paths used by local farmers. The trail leads up into the hills to an open-air rock art gallery whose origins remain unknown. Spanish chroniclers wrote that these were sacred places for pre-Columbian communities. The rock engravings reflect teachings passed down from the Muisca’s own ancestors, and locals in Sáchica strive to preserve and share the meaning of these archaeological treasures, which have long been threatened by destruction.

The exact route can be adapted according to weather conditions, personal interests, and fitness level.

Optional: Visit the nearby village of Ráquira, a traditional, brightly colored town famous for its pottery. It is a perfect place to pick up souvenirs and for kids to get creative. Step inside a pottery workshop to see behind the scenes as an artisan explains the process from mixing the clay to firing and decorating. You can even try your hand at creating your own masterpiece.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Campanario de la Villa (Villa de Leyva)

Points of Interest : San Gil, Barichara
Leaving the highlands, you descend into a warmer region on your way to Barichara. The road winds through lush green pastures and along a deep gorge opening towards the Río Suárez. Those with a sweet tooth should not miss the chance to try cuajada con melao – fresh curd cheese served with sugar cane syrup – along the way.

You also have the opportunity to visit one of the traditional sugar mills in the area and taste guava paste. From the town of San Gil it is just a short drive to the award-winning colonial village of Barichara, renowned as one of Colombia’s most beautiful towns.

Approximate driving time: 5 hours.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Casa Peak (Barichara)

Points of Interest : Guane, Barichara
Today you follow the historic Camino Real from Barichara to the small village of Guane. The stone path leads past tobacco fields and cattle pastures, offering sweeping views over the Río Suárez valley and the surrounding mountains. In Guane, stop at the charming fossil museum, which kids usually love.

Depending on fitness level and weather, you either continue on foot along small trails through the rolling countryside around Barichara or take a tuk-tuk to reach Finca San Pedro. Here, the owner serves a homemade vegetarian lunch, and you can relax in the shade of the garden.

Optional: Join an activity focused on corn, learning about its cultural value and cultivation in the region, and how the typical Santander arepa was traditionally prepared in clay pots, as done by the Guane Indigenous people. Grinding, kneading, and roasting the dough is a hands-on experience. Afterwards you play “Bolo Criollo”, a traditional local bowling-style game, and enjoy a picnic with farm and regional products.

Back in Barichara by tuk-tuk, stroll through the narrow streets and browse small galleries and craft workshops. You can also visit a paper-making workshop where you and the kids can try making your own sheets. The rest of the afternoon is free – relax by the hotel pool or head out on a horseback ride in the countryside.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Casa Peak (Barichara)

Points of Interest : Barichara
Enjoy a full free day in Barichara with your family. Wander the tranquil streets, relax at the hotel, or choose one of the many optional activities available in the area.

Optional: For an adrenaline-filled outing, go rafting on the Río Fonce (Class III rapids), about an hour’s drive from Barichara. After a safety briefing and instructions from a specialist guide, you embark on a fun descent through the canyon, enjoying the surrounding forest scenery from the raft.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Casa Peak (Barichara)

Points of Interest : Medellín, Barichara
Today you leave Barichara and travel towards the spectacular Chicamocha Canyon and the airport of Bucaramanga. Depending on weather and the day of the week, you may cross the canyon by cable car, taking in breathtaking views over the deep gorge and winding river below.

From Bucaramanga you board a domestic flight to Medellín, Colombia’s famed “City of Eternal Spring”. On arrival at José María Córdova Airport, a private transfer takes you to your hotel in the city.

Approximate driving time: 3 hours.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Campana Boutique (Medellín)

Points of Interest : Medellín
In around four hours, this city tour introduces you to Medellín’s most important sights and its remarkable transformation story. Explore the downtown and historic center, soaking up the atmosphere at Parque Berrío, where street musicians play traditional guasca music. Walk through the bustling streets to Plaza Botero, home to 23 bronze sculptures donated by artist Fernando Botero to his hometown – now iconic symbols of Medellín.

Next, ride the cable car up to Santo Domingo, a hillside neighborhood that was once notorious for gang violence. The cable car system was created to connect the city center with poorer districts, physically and socially integrating their residents into urban life. As you admire panoramic views over the valley, your guide explains how Medellín evolved from one of the world’s most dangerous cities into a vibrant hub of innovation and culture. Details of the tour can be adapted on the spot according to your interests.

• Meals included : Breakfast, lunch
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel Campana Boutique (Medellín)

Points of Interest : Guatapé, Cartagena
Head into the mountainous region of western Antioquia to discover the picturesque lake district around Guatapé. Climb the famous Piedra del Peñol, a giant granite rock offering a stunning 360-degree view of islands, peninsulas, and green hills rising from a vast blue reservoir. Afterwards, enjoy a typical Colombian lunch on the shores of the Guatapé reservoir.

Take time to wander through the town of Guatapé, a peaceful place with pleasant climate, known for its church and the colorful bas-relief panels (zócalos) decorating the façades of every house. In the afternoon you return to José María Córdova International Airport.

Flight from Medellín to Cartagena, followed by a private transfer from Cartagena Airport to your hotel in the historic city.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel 3 Banderas (Cartagena)

Points of Interest : Cartagena
Enjoy a free day in Cartagena to discover this enchanting Caribbean city at your own pace. Stroll along the cobbled streets of the walled old town, admire the colorful colonial mansions with balconies draped in flowers, and feel the lively coastal atmosphere.

Optional: Join a half-day excursion to the fishing village of La Boquilla. Your local guide collects you at the hotel and transfers you to the village, where canoes are ready for a two-hour tour through natural mangrove tunnels. Learn traditional fishing techniques and observe the rich biodiversity of the mangrove ecosystem. On the way back, refresh yourself with chilled coconuts on the beach.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel 3 Banderas (Cartagena)

Points of Interest : Cartagena
Today you take part in a coconut workshop with Damartes in La Boquilla, a coastal community near Cartagena. This four-hour art and empowerment experience allows you to support a remarkable community micro-enterprise run by seven women – mothers and grandmothers who are heads of household. Since 2008, they have transformed traditional coconut handicrafts into a powerful tool for economic and social empowerment.

On arrival in La Boquilla, you are warmly welcomed at a rustic beachfront restaurant. This workshop offers a deeply human encounter with the art, stories, and female strength of a resilient community. The artisans create jewelry, accessories, vases, and decorative objects from coconut shells and fibers, breathing new life into natural materials through creativity and dedication. The project emerged as a response to the region’s machismo culture, and over time the women have gained financial independence and the respect of their community.

In this space of cultural exchange, you learn about their inspiring life stories, talk with them, and craft your own handmade piece – such as a bracelet, key ring, necklace, or pair of earrings – to take home as a meaningful souvenir of this transformative encounter.

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Accommodation : Night at Hotel 3 Banderas (Cartagena)

Points of Interest :
After a leisurely breakfast, it is time to say goodbye to Colombia’s Caribbean coast. You are transferred from your hotel to Cartagena’s airport to check in for your return flight to Europe. Wishing you a pleasant journey home and hoping to welcome you back one day!

• Meals included : Breakfast
• Last day : Transfer to Cartagena airport for your return flight