Colombia: Culture, Coffee & Caribbean

Welcome to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, sat high on an plateau in the Andes. There’s plenty packed into this trip, but today we settle in and rest, ready for the adventures ahead. Aim to arrive at the hotel this afternoon/evening (arrival in the early hours of the morning of Day 2 is also possible, see Joining Instructions in the trip notes). There will be a message waiting with information about tomorrow’s meeting time. Accommodation: Casa de la Vega (or similar)

Following our welcome briefing, in which we meet our tour leader and go over the trip, we get to know the city with a walking street food tour in the early afternoon. On our adventure, we sample the flavours of Colombia’s different regions at market stalls, snack bars and street food stands. We taste a variety of fresh juices in a traditional fruit shop in the historic centre and empanadas vallunas (dumplings filled with meat, chicken and vegetables). We are also shown how Bogotá’s traditional hot chocolate is made and where it comes from. And on Plaza Chorro de Quevedo, we taste chicha (a fermented corn liquor from the Andes) and many exotic fruits at a small market. Next, we visit the Gold Museum, giving us a chance to admire some of the 30,000-plus pre-Columbian gold artefacts on display. In the evening, we head to a traditional, rustic Colombian pub for a game of tejo. This popular pastime was invented by the Chibcha people – metal discs (tejos) are thrown at targets called mechas, small packets of gunpowder wrapped in paper. The aim is to hit the mechas and make them explode! Two national beers per person are included (this is the entrance fee for the game). Accommodation: Casa de la Vega (or similar)

Today we take a journey through time from Bogotá’s Colonial era to the present-day city. From the grand Plaza de Bolivar and the surrounding government buildings, we continue to La Candelaria, the historic district, and visit the Botero Museum, which holds a wonderful collection of the Colombian artist’s paintings and sculptures. Walking along Carrera Septima, a busy pedestrian zone, we reach the Iglesia de San Francisco, the oldest church in the city. We then take the cable car up Monserrate (10,340ft/3,152m), a mountain from which there is a spectacular view of the metropolis and surrounding plateau. Our day continues as we head out of the city and visit the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá. This impressive piece of ecclesiastical architecture was dug 395ft (120m) underground in a salt mine in the 1950s. We round off our visit with a quick visit to the town of Zipaquirá itself. Accommodation: Casa de la Vega (or similar)