A group tour through Colombia. We saved up for this unforgettable trip together for five years! Going on holiday with 12 girls is amazing, but also chaotic, haha. To turn this fun chaos into organised chaos, so that the organisers could also enjoy their holiday, we enlisted the help of Lustrum Fiesta / Travel Fiesta. Highly recommended if you want to travel with a large group through South America. Since we didn't arrange everything ourselves, I don't have all the details about transport and costs, but I do have some great tips about the coolest activities and sights. Colombia is a fantastic country, with so many different things to do and areas to see. It really has everything, and two weeks wasn't enough time to see all the highlights. So I'll be back soon, Colombia.
Made possible in part by Nicky Cornelissen and her delightful diary entries, written during the journey for those back home
Everything about a group tour through Colombia
1. The route
Route through Colombia
Tip: My tip is to visit Guatape as a day trip from Medellín. If you find this too much, you can also stay there overnight.
Medellín
Hostel: Rango Boutique Hostel
After breakfast, we went to visit one of the most notorious neighbourhoods in the world: Comuna 13. Once there, we met our tour guide. Comuna 13 has been renovated in recent years, with cable cars, lifts and escalators being installed. Instead of walking uphill for an hour, we now only had to stand on the escalators for four minutes – win! This neighbourhood offers a beautiful view of Medellín, and we heard many stories about the notorious Pablo Escobar, who long considered Comuna 13 his home base. Finally, we thoroughly enjoyed the amazing street art here.
Medellín is not only known for its notorious neighbourhoods, but also for its music! Reggaeton, for example, but this is certainly not the only music blaring from the speakers of the bars. Colombians may well consider themselves to be the best salsa dancers in the world. So make your trip complete and take a salsa lesson.
Do you have time and want to do something adventurous? Then go paragliding in San Félix. This is a small village just outside Medellin and – crucially for this activity – a little higher than Medellin. From here, you can paraglide and fly for about 15 minutes above the amazing city of Medellin. As someone who is afraid of heights, I found it terrifying and wonderful at the same time!
Must see & To do
- Communa 13
- Paragliding
- Salsa class
- Explore the El Poblado neighbourhood | Parque Lleras
- Old town | Old Railway Station, Palacio Nacional, Botero Square or Veracruz Church
- Botero Square
- Basilica of La Candelaria
Please also view Emilie's blogs with all the tips on the best restaurant is Medellin.
Jericho
Hostel: We had a private finca here called Las Tapias, a villa (coffee farm). Highly recommended if you are travelling with a large group. You can also hire this villa with chefs. This is definitely recommended because you are just outside the village and there are no really large supermarkets.
Take the bus to Jerico! For many people in the Netherlands, coffee is a must-have in the morning! When you are in Colombia, a visit to the famous coffee fields is a must. Pick coffee beans, visit the “factory” and feel, taste and smell lots of coffee (beans)! It's really great fun to see and it's also in beautiful surroundings. Jerico is a really cute village full of colourful houses with red roofs, charming squares, a beautiful cathedral and spectacular views from the ‘Morro El Salvador’ viewpoint.
Must see & To do
- Coffee tour
- Strolling through the village
- Shopping for leather bags
- Viewpoint Morro El Salvador
Costeno Beach
Transport to Costeno Beach: For a modest sum of 50/60 euros, you can fly from Medellin to Santa Marta. From there, it is a 1.5-hour journey by taxi or bus to Costeno Beach.
Hostel: Costeno Beach Hostel
After a long journey (bus from Jerico to Medellin, flight from Medellin to Santa Marta, bus from Santa Marta to Costeno Beach), we arrived in paradise! Consteño Beach has a wonderfully laid-back atmosphere and the locals here have no concept of time, let alone rushing. It is also one of the most beautiful beaches in Colombia. The perfect place to surf!
It's a bit different from surfing the internet... Wind in your hair, running across the beach with your surfboard under your arm and catching those waves! But not really: hair in knots, half swallowed by the sea, sand everywhere (in places you don't want it), a few extra bruises, but a lot more fun! If you don't like surfing, you can go tubing, which is also an experience in itself! Tubing down the river in a tube with a beer in your hand through a beautiful nature reserve.
Everything can be easily arranged from the hostel. Hostels offer excursions at reasonable prices. In addition, you can enjoy delicious lunches and dinners at the hostel for around €5 per meal. And... we haven't even mentioned happy hour yet 😉
Must see & To do
- Sunrise & Sunset
- Surfing
- Tubben
La Guajira Expedition – 3-day tour
A trip that has not been done often by other LustrumFiesta groups, but one I would recommend to everyone. This was truly the highlight of my trip. An expedition through the desert! I have never had so much fun in a car (4×4). Every time, there was a different (even more beautiful than the last) view and a driver who thought he was participating in the Dakar Rally!
Tip: All meals are included during this 3-day tour.
We drove from Costeno Beach to Palomino. And from Paolomino to Uribe by minibus. From there, we travelled through the desert to Cabo de la Vela in large, heavy 4×4 vehicles. The La Guajira region is home to the Wayuu tribe, an indigenous tribe that makes the colourful Mochila bags.
Tip: Buy a pack of Oreos in advance. Why? This is how you pay the toll to the Wayuu children.
The toll roads in the desert were very unusual. On the one hand, because there was no road, so what are you paying toll for, I hear you ask? On the other hand, because it is collected by children and it involves biscuits rather than money, as we are used to.
It's a phenomenon that evokes mixed feelings: it's nice to give the children cookies along the way and see their smiling faces, but at the same time it's confronting to see that they really have very little or nothing. And when they ask for water, which is truly a basic necessity of life, you are brought back down to earth with a bump.
La Guajira Expedition – 3-day tour
At our first stop in Cabo de la Vela, we slept in the desert, on the beach in hammocks. How special was that? I slept like a log. The next morning, we drove on to Pilón de Azúcar in a truck to enjoy the view and take a dip in the water at Playa del Pilón beach. Along the way, you can get a delicious Venezuelan beer for €1. From Playa del Pilón, we drove on to Playa Ojo del Agua and Piedra Tortuga to watch the sunset. After that, we drove back to the village of Cabo de la Vela.
The next day, we got up early and drove (or sailed, if the road was too bad) to our hospedaje at Punta Gallinas. This place is rarely visited and is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful natural spots in Colombia. Rarely have you seen such a bizarre desert landscape with high dunes and a beautiful sea. Here we visited the beach of Playa Aguja. After lunch at the hospedaje, our tour continued to Mirador de Casares, De Dunas de Taroa/Playa Taroa and then the northernmost tip of South America, Punta Gallinas. After the tour, it was time to head back to Santa Marta.
We wanted to drive straight to Cartagena, but because it was too long a journey, we were advised to stop overnight in Santa Marta. It was a relief to arrive at this lovely hostel, Republica Santa Marta, after two nights in hammocks.
Cartagana
Hotel: Republic of Cartagena
After a bus journey of approximately 4.5 hours, we arrived in Cartagena. Hundreds of years ago, an important port was established in Cartagena (1533), which allowed the city to grow considerably. Today, this city largely lives off tourism, partly because Cartagena is the perfect base for a beach holiday in Colombia. The old town is truly a feast for the eyes and very pleasant to walk through. In 1984, the walled city was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is a place you will want to visit!
To end your trip in style, you can choose to spend your last day on the water. A private catamaran, four crew members, lobster for lunch; something along the lines of “we can't complain!”
Must see & To do
- Explore the old town | La Ciudad Vieja
- Santa Domingo Square
- San Pedro Claver Cathedral
- Clock Tower
- View the street art in the Getsemani neighbourhood
- Castle of San Felipe de Barajas
Please also view Emilie's blogs with all the tips on the best restaurant is Cartagena.
Would you like to know more about this group tour through Colombia, or has something in the above text changed? Please let us know at [email protected].