Essential Colombia

Package Includes:

  • Roundtrip international and domestic airfare from Toronto*
  • Welcome assistance upon arrival and departure at all airports
  • Private transfers and porterage between airport and hotel
  • 9 nights accommodation
    • 3 nights each in Bogota at Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel, Superior Room ★★★★
    • 3 nights in Pereira at Sazagua Hotel Boutique, Junior Suite ★★★+
    • 3 nights in Cartagena at Bantú Hotel, Superior ★★★★
  • Breakfast daily and one lunch
  • Hotel taxes and service charges
  • Airport & departure taxes**

*Add-ons from other cities available upon request.

 Optional Add-On Tours: (Priced separately)

  • Zipaquira Salt Cathedral
  • Salento and Cocora Valley tour

Pricing as indicated valid April 2, 2020, based on two passengers travelling together.  Subject to availability at time of booking.
Blackout periods apply. For alternative dates, inquire for pricing. Itineraries are fully customizable.

For tourist entry into Colombia, taxes are paid locally upon entry before proceeding to Immigration Control. Exceptions apply.

Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required for entry from other Latin America countries. 

**Airport and departure taxes are included, subject to change at any time. Optional tours and activities not included.

For terms and conditions, click here.
Ongoing monitoring of the Zika virus continues around the world including Central, South America and the Caribbean. Please evaluate your risks before travelling.

Essential Colombia

Travel itinerary

Day 1

TORONTO – BOGOTÁ  Fly from Toronto to Bogotá. Welcome by local representative and transfer to your hotel.

Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel, Superior Room
★★★★
Day 2
Breakfast

BOGOTÁ  Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. This morning, your guide will pick you up from your hotel and begin a tour of the city of Bogotá. Visit the local market to taste and learn about the unique variety of fruits and flavours Colombia has to offer. Continue on to visit the Fernando Botero Museum. Take a cable car to the top of Monserrate for wonderful views of the city. After lunch on your own, walk through the historic city center, known as La Candelaria to see the beautifully preserved colonial buildings and steep stone paved streets. Return to your hotel and enjoy the rest of your day at leisure to explore on your own.

Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel, Superior Room
★★★★
Day 3
Breakfast

BOGOTÁ  After breakfast, enjoy your day at leisure. We recommend an optional tour of the spectacular Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral, one of the most notable achievements of Colombian architecture.

Best Western Plus 93 Park Hotel, Superior Room
★★★★
Day 4
Breakfast

BOGOTÁ – PEREIRA  Enjoy breakfast, then transfer to Bogotá airport to board your flight to Pereira, located in the heart of the Coffee Gold Triangle, giving you an opportunity to explore the lush coffee plantations of the region. Welcome by our local representative and transfer to your hotel.

Sazagua Hotel Boutique, Junior Suite
★★★
Day 5
Breakfast

PEREIRA  After breakfast, travel to a typical farm to experience how coffee farm activities unfold. Wear coffee workers clothing and live through the experiences on a coffee farm; see how they gather, peel, thrash, toast and mill the coffee beans the traditional way. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.

Sazagua Hotel Boutique, Junior Suite
★★★
Day 6
Breakfast

PEREIRA  Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Today, take your day at leisure. Many optional tours are available including a tour of Salento and Corcora Valley to see unique Bahareque architecture and visit Cocora National Park to see the world’s tallest Palm, the wax palm. On this optional tour, continue to the Botanical Gardens and Butterfly Park to experience an abundance of flora and fauna, especially varieties of hummingbirds and unique butterfly species.

Sazagua Hotel Boutique, Junior Suite
★★★
Day 7
Breakfast

PEREIRA – CARTAGENA  After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Cartagena, the highlight of Colombia. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, the walled city has a wealth of character that will capture your senses; from its well preserved colonial architecture, romantic atmosphere, vibrant flora, balmy temperature, excellent cuisine and amazing sunsets over the Caribbean to its warm and inviting people. Welcome by our local representative, transfer to hotel.

Bantú Hotel, Superior
★★★★
Day 8
Breakfast

CARTAGENA  After breakfast at your hotel, enjoy your morning at leisure. In the afternoon, tour the most important monuments of the city. Visit La Popa, built at the beginning of the 17th-century on the hill of the same name for a magnificent view of the city and bay. Continue on to San Felipe’s Fort, visit San Pedro’s Church and Convent.

Bantú Hotel, Superior
★★★★
Day 9
Breakfast / Lunch

CARTAGENA  After breakfast, transfer to the beautiful Islas del Rosario archipelago located an hour and half south of the Bay of Cartagena. Populated with a great variety of reef fauna, white sandy beaches and beautiful crystal-clear waters make the scenery truly spectacular. Take the opportunity to swim, snorkel or relax in a hammock. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Return to your hotel and overnight.

Bantú Hotel, Superior
★★★★
Day 10
Breakfast

CARTAGENA – BOGOTÁ – TORONTO  After breakfast, transfer to the airport to board your flight to Bogotá and your connecting flight to Toronto.

Essential Colombia

General information & maps

Columbia – Arrival and Departure Airport Taxes

The airport tax is the amount charged to passengers for the use of airport facilities – this is charged upon each entry and exit. The current cost is $35 USD ($ 61,000 COP) each way and changes every year. It is mandatory for the passenger to pay the value when using both regular and informal commercial air transport.

The following are exempt:

  • Passengers in transit who arrive and depart on the same date with a destination different from the origin
  • The crew of Colombian companies traveling in performance of their duties
  • The staff of the armed forces and the Colombian National Police traveling on official business
  • Children under two years of age

Ensure you receive the appropriate stamp in your passport at the airport based on the reason for your travel – Tourist vs. Business stamp – or you may be required to pay additional lodging taxes. Gateways International nor our local representatives will be held responsible for incorrect or missing stamps.

Please note that in Colombia, departure tax must be paid by all international departures, both Colombian and foreigners living in Colombia; this applies additionally for foreign tourists visiting or in transit when their stay exceeds 60 days in the territory of Colombia. There are there can be situations when the entry and exit taxes are included in your ticket.

Citizens of Canada – Colombia Reciprocity Fee

Effective December 1st, 2014, Colombia will begin charging a reciprocity fee to citizens of Canada arriving at an airport in Colombia.

The fee of approximately $88 CAD (or 160.000 Colombian pesos) per person is valid for a single entry into the country, and is payable by international credit card or debit card. If made in cash, the payment must be in Colombian pesos. A dedicated counter will be available to Canadian citizens who must pay the reciprocity fee before proceeding to immigration control.

The fee does not apply to Canadian citizens who:

  • Are under the age of 15 or over the age of 78
  • Hold a valid visa to enter Colombia
  • Are connecting through a Colombian airport to another country
  • Are headed to Cartagena or to the archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina
  • Hold a diplomatic passport and are travelling on official duty (this includes delegates)
Essential Colombia

Not included

  • Gratuities to guides and drivers
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Travel insurance
  • Reciprocity and/or local taxes if applicable
  • Visas required for entry into the country as necessary. Please discuss this with your travel agent to determine your requirements prior to departure.
10 days

from$3149cad

Comments to her travel agent on her recent family trip to Peru:

“My goodness – fabulous trip! Thank you so much for all of your help – we were hand held and guided seamlessly through a VERY ACTIVE trip! Kids calculated we did 12 flights in 12 days LOL! We had great weather – no rain YIPPEEEEEEEE. Super big thank you – you are a WIZARD!”

Barbara E., Quebec
January 7, 2019