New Trip: 9-Day Treasures of Colombia with Bogota, San Agustin, Coffee, Cartagena
Story by Adventures Within Reach
Come join us on our newest trip in Colombia - 9-Day Treasures of Colombia. This is a truly wonderful trip for travelers who have joined us previously for Machu Picchu by train, loved it, and want to explore more untouched corners of beautiful Latin America, especially for its archeological treasures, vibrant South American cities, and beautiful colonial towns. Colombia's bad reputation was valid 20 years ago, but things have changed - a lot: starting from around 2006, the nation has made amazing progress and peace now reigns in all of the areas AWR trips visit. Travel with us and find out the truth for yourself -- the only harm done is you'll be kicking yourself for not coming sooner!
You will start in Bogota, with its bustling, creative energy, then travel to San Agustín Archeological Park, a UNESCO world heritage archeological site, considered one of the top two such sites in Colombia. UNESCO says the San Agustín Archeological Park boasts "the largest group of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America (and) stands in a wild, spectacular landscape. Gods and mythical animals are skillfully represented in styles ranging from abstract to realist. These works of art display the creativity and imagination of a northern Andean culture that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century." San Augustin should be on anyone's radar who dreams of Easter Island, Machu Picchu, and the like.
We continue on to the beautiful, colonial, living spiritual pilgrimage town of Popayan; the scenic, authentic heart of coffee country in Armenia; and end this amazing tour in Cartagena, the crown jewel of colonial cities in Latin America.
You can start this trip any day of the year. It makes an ideal Saturday to Sunday trip. The dry seasons in the interior, traditionally, run from December through March, then again in July and August. While it rains other times of the year, people still travel and have an amazing time. In the rainy seasons, expect short but powerful rains in Cartagena but largely skies are clear. The country is equatorial, so temperatures remain static throughout the year for the most part, with the main fluctuations caused by altitude. Only in the thick, jungle rain forests of the Colombian Amazon does rain really become profound. Our advice: the times to truly avoid travel in Colombia are Christmas-New Years and Easter Week. This is because native Colombians love to travel in their country and tourist numbers peak at famous sites, parks, hotels, cities, etc. and it is better to avoid that level of crowding.
You can easily add days to the trip, for example, in Armenia, with its hot springs, parks, and more to explore, or Cartagena, for those who are interested in scuba, photography, and the like.