Bogotá’s altitude and cooler air are often noticeable immediately, so the arrival day is deliberately kept simple. A short walk near the hotel and an early dinner are enough. Rain showers can arrive quickly even during drier periods, so a light outer layer is useful to keep at hand.

Around Plaza de Bolívar stand some of Colombia’s most important political and religious institutions. Museo del Oro takes the story further back through a major collection from pre-Columbian cultures, placing gold objects in their contexts of ritual, power and craftsmanship.

If weather and visibility are good, the route continues towards Monserrate for views over the vast highland city. The pace is adapted to the altitude.

If the flight leaves later, there may be time for a market, a more modern district or lunch before the airport transfer. The transfer leaves with plenty of time because traffic in Bogotá can change quickly.

The transfer goes to the airport for the flight to Medellín. After landing, a transfer continues to the accommodation.

The airport lies on the high ground outside Medellín, and the view suddenly opens across the Aburrá Valley on the road towards the city. Once luggage has been left at the hotel, the evening is free.

A visit to Comuna 13 is made with a local guide and with respect for the area’s complex history. The focus is on people, social initiatives, conflict and everyday life rather than a simplified success story. The cable car also provides a tangible sense of how neighbourhoods on steep slopes have been connected with the rest of the city.

In the town, painted baseboards known as zócalos are a distinctive part of the streetscape and often depict families, occupations or local history. Travellers who wish can climb the many steps of El Peñol for views over the reservoir. This is entirely optional. Guatapé works equally well with time in town, lunch and a relaxed boat trip or walk.

The airport transfer is planned around the day’s departure time. Traffic and tunnels affect the route out of the valley, so departure is planned with plenty of time. A later flight may leave time for a museum or lunch before the transfer.

The transfer goes to the airport for the flight to The Coffee Region. After landing, a transfer continues to the accommodation.

From the airport in Pereira, Armenia or Manizales, the transfer crosses an increasingly green and hilly agricultural landscape. Coffee plants mix with bananas and other crops, and farms are scattered across the slopes.

At a carefully selected farm, the guide walks through the plantation and explains how altitude, shade, variety and weather affect the cherries. During harvest the work is especially visible, but the process can be understood year-round through sorting, washing, drying and roasting.

The tasting at the end becomes much more meaningful once the earlier stages are understood. Farms are selected for the quality of their coffee and the professionalism of the visit, not for the size of their souvenir shops.

Wax palms rise high above the green slopes and can be seen from far away. The length of the walk is chosen according to weather, trail conditions and individual fitness, from a shorter walk to a longer loop into the mountain forest. Afterwards, there is time in Salento among colourful façades, cafés and crafts. A few hours here create a clear contrast with the coffee farm and the walk in Cocora Valley.

The onward journey uses a regional airport or continues by road, depending on which route best fits the itinerary. Mountain roads mean travel times vary, so departure is planned with plenty of time.

The transfer goes to the airport for the flight to Cartagena. After landing, a transfer continues to the accommodation.

The hotel is reached by a short transfer from the airport. Heat and humidity are very noticeable after Colombia’s highlands, so the first hours have no fixed activities.

That history includes both colonial power and the people who were enslaved and brought through the port. Getsemaní then provides a more contemporary perspective with residential streets, murals and everyday local life. The guided walk includes regular pauses and ideally a longer lunch, since the heat makes an uninterrupted long walk unnecessarily demanding.

A carefully selected boat trip can head towards the Rosario Islands or another coastal setting for swimming and snorkelling, but sea conditions and boat operators and standards are vetted carefully. Travellers who prefer to stay in Cartagena can have an equally good day with museums, food, shopping and time at the hotel. An open day also makes it possible to move the boat trip if wind or sea conditions are poor.

The morning can begin slowly inside the walls and continue with lunch in Getsemaní, or with a boat trip if the sea appeals more than another city walk.

For travellers who want a proper swim, an excursion among the islands can be arranged, but a day by the hotel pool and a late dinner is just as reasonable. There is no need to fill Cartagena’s hottest hours with sightseeing.

If departure is later in the day, luggage can be stored at the hotel after check-out. The transfer then takes you to the airport or onward along the Caribbean coast. A late departure leaves plenty of time for a final lunch or shaded walk.

The journey from Cartagena de Indias to Santa Marta and Tayrona is by private transfer. On arrival, the transfer continues to the accommodation.

The journey follows the Caribbean coast towards Santa Marta and the Tayrona area. Accommodation is selected according to the preferred balance between nature and city life and may be near a park entrance or farther along the coast.

The trail passes through humid coastal forest and gradually opens towards bays, rocks and beaches. Exact distance and sector are chosen according to park rules, trail conditions and individual fitness. The naturalist guide helps locate birds and monkeys and also explains the area’s cultural significance for the Indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada. Swimming takes place only where currents are considered safe.

A visit to the lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada, river environments or a quiet day on the coast can be chosen according to interests. The open day also acts as a reserve if the Tayrona visit has to move because of a park closure, heavy rain or other local conditions. This makes it possible to shift the park day without disrupting the rest of the stay.

Traffic and roadworks along the coast can affect travel time, so departure is planned with plenty of time.

From the Tayrona area, a transfer continues to Santa Marta airport and the journey home to Scandinavia. Exact times and connections are shown in the final itinerary.

Arrival in Scandinavia after the overnight flight.