Best of Colombia

From Medellín to Cartagena, discover the best of South America on one diverse adventure

Combining Colonial-era relics with forward-looking cities, ancient civilisations with brash, bold street art, rainforests soundtracked by howler monkeys with ever-so-wild beaches, Colombia is the best of South America in one neat package. Discover it for yourself on this immersive trip, which combines the city life of Medellín and Cartagena with an exploration of the rural and natural, visiting Tayrona National Natural Park and an organic coffee farm in Minca. To make the trip even easier, we’ve also handpicked a selection of comfortable hotels, allowing us to make the most of our time in this welcoming country.

This trip includes a few of our Citizen Science Departures. These special departures offer you the opportunity to be involved in the collection of freshwater samples during the trip. The environmental DNA information derived from this sample will contribute directly to the eBioAtlas; the world’s largest repository of flora and fauna species data, contributing to the conservation and restoration of biodiversity both locally and globally. To book onto one of these special departures, see the Dates & Prices tab. For more information on these departures and the eBioAtlas, click here.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that improve life for the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Find out more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here, and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• The use of a local leader means our customers will be well informed about local traditions, and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels and restaurants, the emphasis on eating locally produced food, including street food, and support of other local enterprise.
• We visit San Basilio de Palenque, a local guide will teach us about the history and culture of the Afro-Colombian town.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, led by a local guide, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively eliminate or reduce waste, for example eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles and instead providing refills for reusable bottles.
• We visit Tayrona National Natural Park, the entrance fee contributes towards conservation efforts in this area.
• Our Animal Welfare Policy ensures all our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices with regards to working animals and wildlife viewing.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Through our Planet Promise, we have pledged to halve the carbon footprint of our trips by 2030 and made rewilding and carbon compensation commitments for every customer who travels.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish behind in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, we’d ask you to consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring your own reusable water bottle on this trip; filtered water will be provided on our vehicle where tap water is not drinkable.

Is this trip for you?

This trip is graded Activity Level 2 (Leisurely/Moderate). For more on our trip gradings, visit our Activity Level Guidelines page.

A reasonable level of fitness is needed, but no special experience is required. There are some short walks, the hardest of which is in Tayrona National Natural Park, which is about three to four hours’ long and temperatures are high.

We travel by private minibus and take internal flights. On Day 6, there are about seven to eight hours of driving as we travel from Tayrona to Cartagena via Minca.

Expect a wide range of temperatures – the Caribbean coast can be hot and humid.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

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.

Visa

Colombia

Citizens of the 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.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/colombia 
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/colombia
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/colombia/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Colombia.html

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.

Food & Drink

All breakfasts are included on this trip.

Breakfast is often eggs (fried, boiled or scrambled), bread or arepas (thick corn pancakes), local cheese, tea or coffee and a fruit juice.

Please note, rural Colombia is not very vegetarian friendly, where meat forms a major part of the diet. However, in Medellín and Cartagena there is a wide choice.

Weather

In Medellín, the climate is warm during the days but can be cool in the evenings. On the Caribbean coast, the weather is generally very hot and humid year-round. Rain is always possible.