Current as of: December 19, 2025 - 15:13

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms Trip Notes

  • Ways to Travel: Guided Group
  • Destination: Colombia
  • Programmes: Culture
  • Activity Level:

    2 out of 7 - Easy & Moderate

  • 9 Days: Land Only
  • Ages: 18+
  • Trip Code: LCA
  • Carbon Footprint: 68.2kg CO2e

Trip Overview

Colombia’s many worlds reveal themselves through its people, stories, and moments shared

The spirit of Colombia lives in its people: in conversations, kitchens, communities, riverbanks, and hill towns. This Signature Collection journey invites you to be part of that spirit, guided by those who call the country home. Understand how Bogotá residents are reshaping their neighbourhood, spend unhurried time with coffee growers in the Andes, meet Arhuaco leaders in the Sierra Nevada, and trace coastal life across stilted villages and Caribbean streets. Each moment is led by your handpicked Signature Guide, each evening refined by elegant stays that showcase the best of Colombian hospitality.

Venture to the very heart of each destination on our Signature Collection, where every journey is shaped by our unrivalled local connections and insider expertise. Step beyond the ordinary with private invitations, rare encounters, and experiences few will ever share. So when someone says, “I’ve been there,” you’ll simply smile, knowing you’ve experienced it differently.

Signature Experiences:

  • Engage with the community in Bogotá’s Egipto district, hearing how former rivals reshape their streets through art, dialogue, and sport
  • Trace the craft of coffee at a small-batch hacienda, following each stage from seedling to harvest before sharing a rustic lunch with the growers
  • Share a slow afternoon with families in Pijao, Colombia’s pioneering Cittaslow town, gaining a gentle glimpse of daily life while preparing a warm, home-cooked lunch
  • Listen to Arhuaco leaders in the Sierra Nevada, meeting community members and sharing a reflective moment with one of their highly respected spiritual guides
  • Feel the pulse of La Boquilla with a drum and dance teacher, uncovering Afro-Caribbean rhythms shaped by cumbia, bullerengue, and champeta

Signature Day: Experience our distinctive Signature Day, choosing between a float down the river in Taironaka, Tayrona’s coastal trails, La Danta’s waterfall paths, or a banana-led tasting shaped by the Sierra Nevada

Signature Stay: Relax at Tewimake, a luxurious experiential retreat between jungle and sea, where conservation and comfort combine in perfect harmony

Signature Guide: Let your hand-picked Signature Guide lead you to the country’s soul — sharing their home, heritage, and heart

Is This Trip for You?

We have graded this trip Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page.

Driving times: The longest travel time (six hours) takes place on Day 7. All other transfers are under two hours. We also take two internal flights on this itinerary.

Prebooking activities: An immersive adventure of your choice awaits on the Signature Day. All you need to do is prebook the activity at least 60 days before departure through our Signature Collection travel experts.

Group

When it comes to unlocking a destination, your Signature Guide is the key holder. Hand-selected for their extensive experience and unrivalled local knowledge, they ensure your experience runs effortlessly thanks to their exceptional organisational skills. Our Signature Guides are named on our website, so you can begin your journey with complete confidence and anticipation of the wonders each day will bring.

Adult min age: 18

Min group size: 4

Max group size: 16

Itinerary

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Land Only

  • Start City: Bogotá
  • End City: Cartagena

Land Only Itinerary

Day 1
Settle into the rhythm of Bogotá | Welcome reception at Restaurant Leo
Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Welcome to Bogotá, where our journey begins among Andean light, layered histories, and Casa Legado, your elegant city hideaway. Complimentary arrival transfers are arranged, giving you time to settle into the pace of the Colombian capital.

Early arrivals could join a private bike tour that moves through parks, plazas, and striking graffiti, opening conversations around politics, art, and daily life. Alternatively, step inside Colombia’s emerald trade with a guided market tour and workshop, learning about every step of the journey and how expert artisans enhance the stones’ beauty.

As evening falls, gather for our welcome reception at Leo Restaurante, regularly named among the top restaurants in the city. Chef Leonor Espinosa’s tasting menu reveals the biodiversity of Colombia on the plate, each course inspired by their unique culinary philosophy, Cyclobioma: ‘the interconnection between human beings, cultural heritage, and the natural environment’.

Overnight at Casa Legado

Meals included: Dinner

Day 2
Trace the story of Bogotá | Hear tales of resilience in the Egipto district

Step into pre-Hispanic Bogotá at the Gold Museum, guided by a private historian through intricate goldwork and the myths behind it. Later, a cable car glides up Monserrate, where the city stretches below; fast-track access keeps the experience unhurried.

Lunch is ajiaco, Bogotá’s signature chicken and potato soup, served in a much-loved restaurant in the historic core of the city.

Signature Experience: In the afternoon, we hear tales of resilience and transformation in the Egipto district, an area once ruled by criminals, now a symbol of hope. Here, we join the Breaking Borders project, hearing first-hand how former gang rivals are reshaping their community through street art, storytelling, and sport.

Second night at Casa Legado

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3
Settle into the coffee region | Experience the life of a coffee farmer at a small-batch hacienda
Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

An early morning private transfer brings us to the airport for our flight to Armenia, gateway to the green heart of Colombia’s coffee region. On arrival, we settle into Bio Habitat Hotel, surrounded by birdsong and forested slopes.

Signature Experience:  Visit a Fairtrade coffee hacienda for a hands-on insight into the daily life of a small-batch coffee farmer. Walking the fields with the growers, we trace coffee from seedling to drying patios, lend a hand with the harvest, and listen to family stories shaped by global coffee prices and local resilience. A rustic lunch with the coffee growers and a tasting of freshly roasted beans completes the day.

Overnight at Bio Habitat Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4
Experience the calm of Colombia | Walk beneath towering wax palms in the Forest of Silence
Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Signature Experience: Travel to the coffee community of Pijao today, the first town in Colombia designated a Cittaslow, which was recognised for its commitment to slow living, sustainability, and preservation of local culture. Here, we’re welcomed by local families who share gardens, heirloom furniture, and photo albums that quietly recount Colombia’s recent past. With Doña Rosalba, we prepare a simple, comforting lunch together, chopping, stirring, and talking at her kitchen table.

In the afternoon, we continue to the Forest of Silence, where wax palms rise high above the path. A gentle two-hour walk reveals the rhythm of the landscape, with pauses to notice birds, cloud patterns, and take in the stillness.

Second night at Bio Habitat Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5
Delve into the wilds of Tayrona | Meet the Arhuaco people, guardians of the Sierra Nevada
Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Bid farewell to the coffee region this morning and fly to Santa Marta, gateway to the tropical rainforests, sandy beaches, and vibrant coral reefs of Tayrona National Park.

Signature Experience: Meet the guardians of the Sierra Nevada, starting with a 45-minute guided walk through the forest to Katanzama. Here, we’re introduced to the Indigenous Arhuaco people, learning first-hand about their customs and traditions. Then join a Mamo, a revered spiritual leader, whose words illuminate Arhuaco cosmology and guardianship of the land. A simple beach picnic closes the visit.

Arrive at our Signature Stay, Tewimake, a luxurious experiential retreat between jungle and sea, where conservation and comfort combine in perfect harmony.

After a restful pause, we visit the Don Diego River for an evening safari by kayak or boat. As dusk deepens, we watch for howler monkeys and birds, then learn traditional line fishing on the river mouth before the sky fades to copper over the Sierra.

Overnight at Tewimake

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6
Signature Day | Discover the natural wonders of Colombia: forest, coast, or cacao
Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Today is your Signature Day, where you can select an authentic, curated experience to connect deeply with Colombia’s landscapes and communities. You could:

  • Explore Taironaka Natural Reserve, walking ancient Tayrona terraces, visiting a small museum and drifting gently downstream in floats past thick forest to the sea, with time to swim and pause by the water.
  • Enjoy birdwatching in Tayrona National Park, walking shaded coastal trails between beaches and forest clearings, pausing at viewpoints and palm-lined bays for a cooling swim and an unhurried lunch.
  • Walk to La Danta waterfall with a local guide, cooling off beneath its cascade before heading to a small cocoa farm, where you grind beans, make chocolate, and share a simple meal and dessert with the farming family.
  • Stay closer to La Jorará for a banana experience that reveals the ‘fruit library’ of the Sierra Nevada, tasting dishes shaped from multiple banana and plantain varieties while hearing how they sustain local households.

Second night at Tewimake

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7
Move through mangrove channels | Visit two stilt villages, where life plays out on the water
Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Travel by private vehicle towards Cartagena, pausing at the Ciénaga Grande del Magdalena. By motorised canoe, we navigate quiet channels between mangroves and lagoons, watching for birdlife as stilted houses appear across the water.

In the stilt villages of Buenavista and Nueva Venecia, we see daily life unfold above the lagoon: schoolchildren crossing by boat, fishermen mending nets, homes painted in bright colour. A community leader shares the challenges of living on water and the efforts to protect this fragile ecosystem.

After lunch on the coast, we continue to Cartagena. Late afternoon light catches the city walls and balconies as we settle into Bastión Luxury Hotel.

Overnight at Bastión Luxury Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8
Sample Márquez’s Cartagena on a literary tasting tour | Move to the beat of La Boquilla
Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Follow in the footsteps of Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez, walking through Cartagena’s historic streets on a literary tasting tour. With a specialist food concierge, we visit nine locations linked to his novels, pairing scenes from Love in the Time of Cholera and One Hundred Years of Solitude with generous bites, coffee, and local rum that shaped his imagined worlds.

Signature Experience: Later, we drive to La Boquilla, a fishing community with Afro-Caribbean roots on the edge of the city. As the sun drops, a dance teacher leads us through a drum and dance workshop in a simple beachside kiosk, tracing the roots of cumbia, bullerengue and champeta.

This evening’s farewell dinner is at Celele – named among the world’s top 50 restaurants. As we savour a carefully composed tasting menu, a Colombian historian joins us, drawing together the threads of Colombia’s past and the experiences we’ve shared.

Second night at Bastión Luxury Hotel

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9
Say a fond farewell to Colombia

After a final breakfast, take a quiet moment to remember all that you’ve experienced: Bogotá’s museum halls, coffee hillsides, Sierra rivers, and Cartagena’s sun-warmed stones.

Depending on your flight time, you may wish to linger at Bastión Luxury Hotel or stroll once more through the historic streets. This chapter may close, but Colombia’s stories — and the conversations you’ve shared along the way — will remain ready to return to.

Alternatively, open a new chapter of discovery by speaking to your Signature Collection travel expert about extending your stay.

Meals included: Breakfast

Accommodation

Experience the best of Colombian hospitality

Every aspect of the Signature Collection is meticulously planned to take you deeper into the destination. That means your accommodation is a refined showcase of local hospitality, whether you’re staying in a pioneering luxury hotel or enjoying privileged access to a characterful stay designed to fully immerse you in the local culture.

Below are the accommodations we use on this adventure:

Bogotá: Casa Legado (nights 1-2)

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

A boutique hotel in the leafy Quinta Camacho district, Casa Legado blends mid-century style with a warm, home-like feel. Individually designed superior rooms, tranquil gardens, homemade breakfasts, and attentive service create a cosy retreat after exploring the cultural attractions of Bogotá.

Armenia: Bio Habitat Hotel (nights 3-4)

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Immersed in native forest, you’ll feel at one with nature at Bio Habitat. The experience is completely inspired by the natural world around you, from the slow-food restaurant to the bio spa and wellness center. We stay in Suites.

Tayrona: Tewimake (nights 5-6)

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Between jungle and sea, Tewimake is our Signature Stay: an experiential retreat where conservation and comfort combine in perfect harmony. We stay in luxury bungalows made from natural materials and offering private terraces. Arriving by boat adds adventure, while nature walks, river outings, and cultural experiences provide full immersion.

Cartagena: Bastión Luxury Hotel (nights 7-8)

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Bastión occupies a restored 16th-century mansion within Cartagena’s historic walled city. Elegant rooms sit around a serene courtyard, while a rooftop pool and refined dining space provide a calm retreat above the city’s rhythm, combining considered design with attentive, discreet service.

  • Enhance your stay: Personalise your experience with curated room upgrades and additional nights tailored to your travel plans.

Food & Drink

This journey is designed to deepen your connection to the country through its food and drink. In Bogotá, a refined tasting menu at Leo Restaurante introduces the country’s biodiversity. In the coffee region, home-cooked lunches open intimate windows into family life. Coastal dishes shaped by cacao, plantain and fresh fish lead into Cartagena’s literary tasting tour and an elegant farewell dinner at one of the world’s top restaurants.

Transport

All transport on this journey is arranged for you. Private transfers are used throughout, including to and from airports, hotels, and all daily activities. Two domestic flights are included: Bogotá to Armenia on Day 3, and Armenia to Santa Marta on Day 5. Local travel in Tayrona, the coffee region, and Cartagena is by private vehicle, with additional boat or canoe travel where specified in the itinerary.

Weather & Seasonality

Colombia’s varied elevations create distinct microclimates across this journey. Bogotá sits high in the Andes with cool, crisp days year-round, while the coffee region is mild, with warm afternoons and gentle showers that nourish its hillsides. On the Caribbean coast, temperatures rise and breezes off the sea bring a softer edge to the heat. Conditions shift subtly as you move between mountains, forests, and shorelines, but each region reveals its character in every season.

Joining Instructions

As with all adventures in the Signature Collection, we take care of your arrival and departure transfers, allowing you to fully relax and immerse yourself in the local culture.

  • Arrival airport: El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá (BOG)
    • Your adventure begins with a welcome reception at 6pm on Day 1 at our first accommodation.
  • Departure airport: Rafael Núñez International Airport, Cartagena (CTG)
    • Your adventure concludes after breakfast on the final day.

Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.

Location start: Bogotá
Location end: Cartagena

What To Take

Essential Equipment

There’s no specialist equipment you need for this trip. For more information on what you might need to pack, please see our packing guide.

Practical Information

Visa

Colombia

Citizens of the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most European countries do not require a visa and will be granted a 90-day entry permit on arrival. Please ensure you have at least three blank pages in your passport.

An online “Check-Mig” form needs to be completed between 72 and 1 hr before your flight: Check-mig – Migración Colombia (migracioncolombia.gov.co)

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

If you are travelling via the USA and are eligible to transit under the Visa Waiver Program, you are required to register in advance for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). There is a US$21 charge, which is only payable online. Please see our website www.exodus.co.uk/usvisa for further information.

Please note, not all nationalities have the same eligibility for travel to or transit via the USA, and you may not be covered by the visa waiver program. Regulations stipulate that any person who has travelled to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since March 2011, or have dual nationalities of these countries, may no longer qualify. In addition, if you have travelled to Cuba since 12 January 2021 you will not be eligible for the visa waiver program and should instead apply for a visa.

If you are in doubt of your eligibility, please check the visa requirements with your local US embassy.

Vaccinations and Health

Colombia

There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: polio, tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid, hepatitis A and yellow fever. The risk of malaria is slight but you may wish to consult your doctor or travel clinic for further advice.

Zika fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease and a known risk in places visited on this trip. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, we therefore strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

Local Time

Electricity

Colombia's electricity: Plug types A (two flat pins) and B (three pins: two flat, one round) – 110V, 60Hz

Signature Colombia | Stories Beneath Wax Palms

Money

Colombia's currency: Colombian pesos (COP)

Tipping

On this adventure, tipping for any local support staff is included and will be taken care of locally by your Signature Guide. Tips for your Signature Guide are not included. We recommend a starting point of US$55 to US$65 per group member, to be given at the end. This is discretionary and you may wish to tip a different amount, depending on the service you have received.

Sustainability and Impact

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

We also weave Signature Legacy moments into your itinerary, so the positive impact of your trip lasts long after your stay. These are moments to remember which help people and nature thrive, ensuring you build a harmonious, positive connection with the places you visit.

On this journey, you can:

  • Walk with a community guide in the Egipto district of Bogotá, seeing how your visit supports former rivals who now rebuild their district through collaborative art, open dialogue, and youth-led sport.
  • Spend considered time with rural and Indigenous communities, meeting Pijao residents who champion slower living, then visiting Arhuaco leaders in the Sierra Nevada to learn ancestral practices and plant a native tree that supports ongoing reforestation.
  • Learn directly from makers, joining hands-on workshops, including mochilas weaving and coconut craft, that strengthen local livelihoods, safeguard cultural knowledge, and ensure traditional techniques are passed forward with pride.

Important Information

Your Safe Participation
When booking this trip, you should be confident in your ability to participate in all activities described in these Trip Notes. If you have any doubt about your suitability, please call us and ask to speak to one of the experts on this itinerary. 

Although our leaders are well trained to deal with different capabilities, if they have any concerns about someone’s ability to safely take part in an activity, or their impact on other people’s enjoyment, we authorise them to take necessary action which, in some circumstances, may involve asking someone to miss that activity. 

By booking this trip you agree to our Booking Conditions which clearly state that our leaders have the authority to do this. In these rare instances we will ensure anyone sitting out is safely provided for and offered alternative options where possible. Refunds will not be provided for activities missed and customers may be liable for additional costs incurred. 

Seatbelts
All vehicles used by us should be equipped with working seatbelts, except where approved by us based on the vehicle type or journey. Wherever seatbelts are available, we require our customers to use them for their own safety, even where it may not be a legal requirement.

Travel Safety
For additional information please have a look at the travel safety advice page on our website.

How To Book

Speak to our Signature Collection travel experts to plan your adventure:

  1. Check availability: our website shows real-time availability or contact our team by phone, email or live chat.
  2. Hold a space: You can provisionally hold a space to give you time to finalise your travel plans.
  3. Confirm your booking: Payment of a deposit will complete your booking and secure your place on the trip.

After booking
You will receive a confirmation document and invoice, which includes extra information and guidance about your travel arrangements. Our dedicated Customer Operations team will help you with any pre-travel questions or arrangements and can easily add extensions or extra accommodation to your booking. Final Joining Instructions will usually be sent out two to three weeks prior to departure.

Adding transfers to your booking
If you have arranged your own flights and would like to add transfers to your booking, please provide your arrival and departure details to our Customer Operations team around four to six weeks before departure. Where complimentary transfers are included, they are available for any flight but can only be added to your booking once we have received your flight schedule.

Trip Note validity
Trip notes may be updated after booking; if any updates significantly impact the inclusions or itinerary you will be advised in writing. A link to the most up-to-date Trip Notes will be sent out with your Final Joining Instructions before departure.

The information in these Trip Notes is given in good faith. All holidays can be subject to unexpected changes, and occasionally it may not be possible to follow the itinerary as planned. In these circumstances we will make the best-possible alternative arrangements that maintain the integrity of the original itinerary.