Highlights
- Learn how to make artisanal cheeses and Bogotá's signature dish, ajiaco
- Visit Bogotá landmarks like the sacred lake of Guatavita and Cerro Monserrate
- Discover the colonial squares and rich history of Villa de Leyva
- Fly to Cali for a salsa show and a "hidden dinner" experience with live music
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Bogotá, Ajiaco Cooking Lesson | Bogotá |
| Day 2 | Guatavita Lake & Cerro Monserrate | Bogotá |
| Day 3 | Transfer to Villa de Leyva, Local Tour | Villa de Leyva |
| Day 4 | Artisanal Cheese Workshop & Tasting | Villa de Leyva |
| Day 5 | Fly to Cali, Evening Salsa Show | Cali |
| Day 6 | Helicopter Valley Tour, Private Chef's Dinner | Cali |
| Day 7 | Cali City Tour, Depart |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Bogotá, Ajiaco Cooking Lesson
Welcome to Colombia! This handsome South American country is perhaps best known for its diversity of landscapes, ecosystems, and cultures. Each region is unique, some in small ways (like accents and musical tastes), while others seem like entirely separate countries. This is particularly true of the central Cudinamarca region. While other parts of Colombia are known for tropical beaches, jungles, and coffee fields, Cudinamarca is famous for its chilly mountain ecosystems and cities of the high Andes, like the capital of Bogotá.
Upon arrival at the airport, your private driver will pick you up and take you to the Sofitel Victoria Regia. With a privileged location in the exclusive Chapinero area, this 5-star hotel offers a touch of French luxury in Bogotá. Stepping through the front doors, you'll be met with a grand foyer and spiral staircase. In the spacious suites, you'll find king beds, bathrooms stocked with L'Occitane products, and chic decor with accents inspired by local culture. Even the gourmet restaurant Basilic mixes the two cultures, using French avant-garde techniques to prepare dishes with local ingredients.
After dropping off your bags, you'll transfer to a private local workshop where a professional chef awaits. Here, you'll learn how to prepare ajiaco, a dish that's part of this region's cultural heritage and history. This rich soup of potatoes, chicken, and maize is complimented with rice and avocado. It's a nourishing, hearty dish perfect for the cold-weather Andean region. Once you've mastered the basics and prepared the ajiaco, you'll sit down and dig into your authentic Colombian creation.
Day 2: Guatavita Lake & Cerro Monserrate
Embark this morning on a grand adventure to two impressive natural wonders. Meet your driver at the hotel for the 1.5-hour drive north of the city to the sacred lake of Guatavita. This almost perfectly circular crater lake was sacred to the ancient Muisca people who inhabited the region in pre-Hispanic times. The lake was a ceremonial center where they would anoint a new zipa (ruler), throwing gold items into the water as offerings to the gods. It was rituals like this, and the Muisca's mastery at goldwork, that convinced the Spanish that Colombia was El Dorado, the legendary Lost City of Gold.
After hiking around Guatavita, you'll return to Bogotá. There, you'll take a trip up Cerro Monserrate, the most famous lookout point in Bogotá. There are various options to ascend this 2,690-foot (820 m) Andean hill, the quickest being a four-minute cable car ride to the top. (There's also a slower funicular rail car). Once at the top, you'll visit Monserrate Sanctuary, a whitewashed Catholic church that was completed in 1657, but the real star is the panoramic view of the city below.
Day 3: Transfer to Villa de Leyva, Local Tour
Say goodbye to Cudinamarca, as this morning, you'll hop in a car for the four-hour private transfer north into the Boycá department and Villa de Leyva. Founded in 1572, this well-preserved colonial town in the Colombian highlands has been declared a national monument. For this reason, Villa de Leyva has gone from primarily a weekend retreat for Bogotanos (residents of Bogotá) to attracting visitors worldwide. The town's biggest attraction (literally) is its main square, which covers a whopping 3.4 acres (1.4 ha).
After enjoying lunch at a restaurant overlooking the expansive plaza, you'll transfer to your hotel, Casa Alcestre. You won't have to travel far, as this former colonial home turned luxury boutique hotel is right off the main square. It features an attractive courtyard, an intimate gourmet restaurant serving elevated takes on Colombian dishes, and an elegant bar specializing in handcrafted cocktails using local spirits and ingredients. If you're feeling tight after the long drive, you can unwind with a massage or respite in the Turkish bath at the hotel spa.
Once you've settled in and had a short rest, you'll meet a local guide for a private tour in and around Villa de Leyva. One highlight you'll visit is the famous Casa Terracota, an adobe-style home built from a massive boulder. You'll also take a trip to the archaeological park, El Infiernito. Dating back to the Musica civilization, this site earned its name "Little Hell" due to its collection of carved, upright stones that resemble a particular part of the male anatomy.
Day 4: Artisanal Cheese Workshop & Tasting
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
The food theme continues this morning as you head out on a half-day cheese workshop. Rural Colombia is famous for all sorts of farm-fresh produce, and queso campesino (peasant cheese) is one such delectable highlight. To this end, you'll visit a local farm and tour their cheesemaking operation, which includes a stroll around the grounds to see animals like goats and cows.
Next up is a leisurely tasting of the various cheeses produced on the farm, accompanied by a glass of wine. When lunchtime rolls around, you'll sit down with your hosts for a county barbecue, Colombian-style. After eating, return to the animals and learn how to milk cows and goats, then participate in a mini workshop to see the process of transforming the milk into curds—followed by another delicious cheese tasting. At the end of the day, you'll return to your hotel.
Day 5: Fly to Cali, Evening Salsa Show
Transfer to the airport this morning for the brisk one-hour flight to Cali. Located in the Cauca Valley, an area known for its tropical dry forests and rivers, this is also the self-styled "salsa capital of the world." All evidence supports this assertion, as there are more salsotecas (salsa clubs) here than in any other major Colombian metropolis. Cali is also the popular host city for international salsa competitions.
A driver will pick you up at the terminal for the ride to Alko Hotel Casa Níspero. Located in the bohemian San Antonio neighborhood, this 5-star luxury hotel occupies a colonial heritage building. Though many fixtures date back generations, the building itself has been redesigned to offer modern touches, particularly in the ample suites, which include luxurious amenities like private Jacuzzis. There's also an inviting blue-tiled pool in the main courtyard adjacent to the garden, which is part of the dining area for the hotel's gourmet fusion restaurant.
After settling in, you'll head over to El Mulato Cabaret. Not merely a bar—this is a grand salsa spectacle where dancers in bright costumes and sequins move in perfect choreographed harmony to salsa's pulsing syncopations. A show as lavish as this reveals precisely why this music/dance styling has captured hearts and defined cultures across Latin America. At the end of the evening, you'll return to the hotel.
Day 6: Helicopter Valley Tour, Private Chef's Dinner
You'll never experience the full breadth and scope of the Cauca Valley until you see it from the air. That's exactly what you'll do this morning when you transfer to the airport and board a helicopter for a private, 45-minute flight over the city and valley. Highlights you'll fly over include the Lago Calima reservoir and small cities and towns like Palmira and Yumbo. Of course, you'll also fly over tropical dry forests, savannas, and Andean hills and peaks.
After you land, you'll have the afternoon free. In the evening, you'll enjoy a new and exciting dining concept becoming ever-more popular: a chef-organized "hidden dinner." The experience begins with your arrival at a local home (not a restaurant), where one of the best chefs in Colombia has occupied the kitchen for one night only. While enjoying a bespoke menu with your partner or travel companions, you'll be accompanied by live music celebrating the Afro-Colombian culture that is part of the fabric of the Cauca Valley.
Day 7: Cali City Tour, Depart
Linger a little while longer in Colombia to discover even more of Cali's traditions and treasures. Meet a local guide this morning for a half-day private tour that takes you to the city's highlight locales and more emblematic landmarks. These include the scenic parks along the Río Cali, the Gato de Tejada sculpture, and the historic Plaza de Caycedo square. Of course, you won't miss Iglesia La Ermita, a marvel of Gothic architecture featuring 18th-century marble imported from Italy.
The icing on this Caleño cake is a hike up through the San Antonio neighborhood to the eponymous church. Dating to 1747, this iconic chapel occupies a privileged location on a hill offering wide panoramas of the city below. After snapping plenty of photos and admiring the street art in the neighborhood, you'll meet your driver for the ride to the airport. There, you'll catch your flight home or onward to the next adventure. Adiós!
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