FESTIVALS OF COLOMBIA

Transcription

15 days
Countries visited
Colombia
Tour Highlights
• Wandering cosmopolitan Bogota
• The colossal Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira
• Rustic beauty of Villa de Leyva
• Colonial villages in the Coffee Triangle
• Catch the vibe at the Blancos & Negros festival in Pasto
• The “White City” of Popayan
• Marvel at Cartagena’s beautiful architecture
Places visited
Bogota • Salt Cathedral • Villa de Leyva • Armenia • Filandia and Salento • The Coffee Triangle • Valle de
Cocora • Pasto • Popayan • Cartagena
What's included
• Arrival & departure transfers
• Ground transport with driver
• Domestic flights
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• Accommodation
• Meals (refer to itinerary for meal plan)
• English-speaking guides
• Entrance fees to sites & parks
What's not included
• Meals not mentioned in itinerary
• Drinks
• Visa fees (where applicable)
• Tipping
• Personal items (laundry, telephone, etc.)
• Medical expenses
• Any services not mentioned in itinerary
All accommodation subject to availability. Final accommodation choices will be confirmed after booking.
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Your Itinerary Map
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Your Itinerary Explained
Date
Place visited
Meals
B:
The first part of the text in each day is the itinerary schedule and will explain what you will
Breakfast
normally see/do during this day of your itinerary.
--L:
The part of the day’s text in italics (and usually comes after the three dashes “---“) is Lunch
background information on the places or sites on that day of your itinerary. It is not part of
D:
your itinerary and may mention places that will not be visited on your itinerary. If you have
Dinner
any questions please ask us. Travel times where noted are only meant as a guideline.
Tour Itinerary
Day 1
Bogota
Meals
Arrive at airport in Bogota. Transfer to hotel. Overnight in Bogota.
N/A
Bogota
Day 2
Bogota
Meals
Spend the day touring Bogota's highlights including the Gold museum, historic Candelaria
area, the Botero Museum and Monserrate. Overnight in Bogota.
---
BL
Bogota
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Nestled high in the Andes at 2620 m. (8646 ft), Bogota, or Santafé de Bogotá to give it its
full title, is a city of contrasts. It's a city of high-rise buildings standing next to colonial
churches, museums and artisan cafés. Its influences range from Spanish and English to the
Indian. It is a city of wild traffic and calm oases reflecting a bygone era.
La Candelaria is Bogota's old town, a historic neighbourhood in downtown Bogotá. The
architecture of the old houses, churches and buildings has Spanish Colonial and Baroque
styles and it houses several universities, libraries and museums. This vibrant district hosts
the Botero museum, which showcases not only the works of Colombia's most famous
painter but also paintings by Monet and Picasso from Botero's private collection. The
district is also home to the largest and most impressive Gold museum in the world with an
enormous assortment of pre-Hispanic gold work, the church of Monserrate with its
stunning views over the city as well as many government buildings and an array of cafés
and restaurants to suit every taste.
Day 3
Salt Cathedral - Villa de Leyva
Meals
Transfer to Villa de Leyva, stopping at the Salt Cathedral on the way. Overnight in Villa de
Leyva.
--The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the
tunnels of a salt mine 200 meters underground in a Halite mountain. The name "Salt
Cathedral" is mostly to attract tourists - while a functioning church that receives as many as
Salt Cathedral
3,000 visitors on Sundays, it has no bishop and therefore no official status as a cathedral in
Catholicism. The temple at the bottom has three sections, representing the birth, life, and
death of Jesus. The icons, ornaments and architectural details are hand carved in the halite
rock. Some marble sculptures are included. At the entrance of the church, there are 14 small
chapels, representing the stations of the cross, which illustrate the events of Jesus' last
journey. Each station has a cross and several kneeling platforms carved into the halite
structure. The Salt Cathedral is considered one of the most notable achievements of
Colombian architecture and has been denominated as a "Jewel of Modern Architecture".
The cathedral represents for the Colombian people a valuable cultural, environmental and
religious patrimony. The cathedral is part of a larger complex including "Parque de la Sal"
(Salt Park), as well as a small museum of mining, mineralogy, geology and natural
resources.
Day 4
Villa de Leyva
BL
Meals
Day around Villa De Leyva including half day walking tour of this beautiful village where
time seems to have stood still. Afternoon free to go walking, horseriding (additional cost)
or check out a 120m year old dinosaur fossil. Overnight in Villa De Leyva.
---
BL
Villa de Leyva
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Declared a national monument in 1954, Villa De Leyva has been preserved in its entirety
and virtually no modern architecture exists. The result is a colonial town par excellence - a
place where the streets are still cobbled and the walls still whitewashed. Stroll through its
unhurried streets where the locals will greet you with a welcoming smile. Swelled with
visitors from Bogota on weekends, it is typically much quieter and more pleasant on
weekdays. Discovered in 1977 not far from Villa De Leyva, you can visit an incredible fossil
of a Kronosaurus, the most complete Kronosaurus fossil in the world. The fossil of the 120m
year old infant Kronosaurus measures about 7m (without the tail) and this incredible
creature with his tail would have measured about 12m in length despite not having reached
its teenage years.
Day 5
Bogota - Armenia
Meals
Drive to Bogota for flight to Armenia in the coffee triangle. Transfer to accommodation.
Rest of the day free to relax and enjoy the property. Overnight in Armenia.
B
Bogota
Day 6
Filandia and
Salento
The Coffee Triangle
Meals
Spend the day touring the Coffee Triangle including Salento, Filandia and Cocora
Valley. Overnight in Armenia.
--Filandia and Salento are two small pretty colonial style villages set in stunning
surroundings. Salento is the oldest village in the Quindio region with cobblestone streets
and a wealth of restaurants, cafés and bars. Filandia is home to the beautiful María
Inmaculada church and its streets are lined with colourful buildings with wooden balconies.
In a country full of beautiful landscapes, the Valle de Cocora still stands out. The valley
stretches east of Salento into the lower reaches of Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados,
with a broad, green valley framed by sharp peaks. Everywhere you’ll see the famous wax
palm, the largest palm in the world (up to 60 meters high) and Colombia’s national tree.
Valle de Cocora is also home to a trout farm and the trout dishes are top quality. Local
fauna includes mountain tapirs, spectacled bears, pumas, sloths, yellow-eared parrots,
black-billed mountain-toucans, Andean condors and hummingbirds. It is a perfect area for
hiking.
BL
In a country full of beautiful landscapes, the Valle de Cocora still stands out. The valley
stretches east of Salento into the lower reaches of Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados,
with a broad, green valley framed by sharp peaks. Everywhere you’ll see the famous wax
palm, the largest palm in the world (up to 60 meters high) and Colombia’s national tree.
Valle de Cocora is also home to a trout farm and the trout dishes are top quality. Local
fauna includes mountain tapirs, spectacled bears, pumas, sloths, yellow-eared parrots,
black-billed mountain-toucans, Andean condors and hummingbirds. It is a perfect area for
hiking.
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Day 7
The Coffee Triangle
Meals
Spend half the day learning about the coffee making process on a coffee farm. Rest of the
day free to relax or explore by yourself. Overnight in Armenia.
BL
Armenia
Day 8
Bogota - Pasto
Meals
Transfer to airport for flight to Bogota and connection on to Pasto. Transfer to hotel. Rest
of the day free to relax or explore by yourself. Overnight in Pasto.
B
Bogota
Day 9
Carnaval de
Negros y
Blancos
Carnival
Meals
Full day at the carnival. Overnight in Pasto.
--The Carnaval de Negros y Blancos (or Blacks and Whites' Carnival in English) is the largest
and most important celebration in southern Colombia celebrated in the city of Pasto. It's
celebrated from 2 to 7 January of each year and in 2009 was proclaimed a Masterpiece of
the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The Origins of the modern
festival date back to 1912 but its roots go back much longer and have their traditions in
indigenous cultures.
B
The processions begin on January 4th with the Arrival of the Castañeda Family, a colourful
family who were believed to be pilgrims heading to Las Lajas. The parade includes various
characters including a flamboyant grandmother, a daughter dressed in white, ready for
marriage but clearly pregnant, mischievous children and a drunk priest!
Day 10
Carnival
---
Meals
BL
Blacks' Day
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January 5th is Blacks' Day. This day marks the date when African slaves were free to
indulge their playful outbursts. People polish their faces black and go out to celebrate in the
streets. By tradition, the Queen of Carnival travels through the city in a convoy, distributing
black cosmetics. The cosmetics serves like a mask in order to homogenize all social classes
and ethnic groups as one great family settled on the slopes of Taita Urcunina, but it also
gives people the freedom to be more playful than they normally would. Throughout the
day, orchestras play in various city parks.
Day 11
Whites' Day
Day 12
Popayan
Carnival
Meals
--January 6th is Whites' Day, also known as the "Great Parade". In contrast to the previous
day, people are painted white generally with talcum powder, flour, cream or cosmetics. The
main attraction is the Grand Parade, snaking along for nearly 7 km on a path of about 15
km, running through the streets of the downtown, the Plaza del Carnaval (Carnival Plaza)
and various avenues along the so-called Senda del Carnaval (Carnival Path). The majority of
the city's citizens and a handful of tourists and visitors crowd the streets to witness this
parade, cheering and throwing confetti or streamers, and dancing to traditional songs and
rhythms.
Popayan
B
Meals
Transfer to Popayan. Spend the afternoon on a guided tour of the town. Overnight in
Popayan.
--Popayan was founded in the year 1537 by Sebastian de Belalcazar. Because of its beautiful
white colonial houses, it is known as the "White City". Popayan has played a major role in
Colombia's history dating back to the early days of the Spanish conquest and into the
twentieth century. A number of Colombian presidents were born in Popayan including, most
recently, Guillermo Leon Valencia from 1962 to 1966.
B
In 2005, Popayan became the first city to be designated a City of Gastronomy as part of the
UNESCO Creative Cities initiative. The typical dishes of the city are a legacy of Spanish and
indigenous cultural interaction, integrating special components of the region with fruits
brought from Spain.
Popayán is also widely known for the solemnity of Easter processions during which it
commemorates the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Since the sixteenth century
processions have passed through Popayán's historical downtown. During Easter week,
Popayán is also home to the Festival de Música Religiosa (Festival of Religious Music),
which began in the 1960s.
Partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1983, Popayan’s administration had the foresight
to take their time with its reconstruction. Two decades later there is almost no evidence of
the damage on the stunningly uniform white streets. Rich with impressive churches and
colonial architecture, it’s easy to spend hours wandering around this quiet and relaxed
town where every street leads to another just as beautiful.
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Day 13
Cartagena
Day 14
Cartagena
Meals
Transfer to airport for flight to Cartagena via Bogota. In the afternoon, take a tour of the
city. Overnight in Cartagena.
--Meander through Cartagena’s picture-perfect streets, and admire the city that is famous
for both its beauty and its history. Founded in 1533, Cartagena became the main port on
the Caribbean coast during Spanish rule. Treasure was stored in the city until it could be
taken to Spain and for this reason, in the 16th century, Cartagena suffered five
sieges including one led by Francis Drake in 1586. This is why the Spaniards then built the
forts (Fuertes) and walls (Las Murallas) that still encompass the old town. The Puerta Del
Reloj (Clock Gate) signifies the entrance to the inner part of the walled city, also called
Calamari. Just behind this is the Plaza de los Coches which used to serve as a slave market.
The Plaza de la Aduana and Plaza de Bolivar also have fascinating historical context as
well as the numerous churches, museums, convents and monuments.
Cartagena
BL
Meals
Free day in Cartagena to wander the city's beautiful streets and plazas at your
leisure. Overnight in Cartagena.
BL
Cartagena
Day 15
Bogota
Transfer to the airport to depart on a flight to Bogota.
Meals
B
--- END OF SERVICES ---
Bogota
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FESTIVALS OF COLOMBIA

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