Colombia · 8 days · Easy
8-Day Colombia: Cartagena, Medellín and Bogotá
The three cities, in the order that actually works: Cartagena first at sea level, Medellín in the middle, and Bogotá last — or first, if you would rather take the altitude while you are fresh. Private guiding throughout, and three internal flights rather than three days in a vehicle.
Short answer
8-Day Colombia: Cartagena, Medellín and Bogotá is a 8-day, 7-night Colombia itinerary starting in Cartagena and finishing in Bogotá, for private. It is quoted on request, because the price moves with dates, party size and hotel category. International flights are not included. Every day of it is published below, and we rebuild it around your dates at no extra cost.
Highlights
- The walled city of Cartagena, walked at seven in the morning and again after six
- Comuna 13 with a guide from the neighbourhood, not from a bus
- A full day at Guatapé — the rock, the flooded valley and the painted town
- The Gold Museum in Bogotá, which is the reason people stop regretting the stop
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrive in Cartagena
Private transfer and nothing scheduled. The city belongs to you after six, when the heat drops and the plazas fill.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Not included
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 2
The walled city, early
On foot from seven, before the stone gives back the night heat: the walls, the plazas, the Palace of the Inquisition. The middle of the day goes indoors on purpose.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 3
The Rosario Islands
Out early by private boat to the national park, an hour offshore. Back for a late dinner in Getsemaní, which is where the city actually eats.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 4
To Medellín
An hour in the air and 1,495 m up. The afternoon is the cable cars, which are public transport rather than a ride and give you the shape of the valley in twenty minutes.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Medellín
- Day 5
Guatapé, a full day
Leaving at seven, because it is two hours each way and nobody should spend four hours in a car for ninety minutes at a lake. The staircase before the queue forms, the boat late morning, the painted town after.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Medellín
- Day 6
Comuna 13 and the city
The neighbourhood in the morning with a guide who lives there, then the Botero plaza and the Museum of Antioquia. The evening is yours: Provenza for dinner, or Laureles if you would rather be where the city eats without being watched.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Medellín
- Day 7
To Bogotá
Forty-five minutes in the air and 1,100 m higher. The Gold Museum unhurried — it deserves two hours — then the Botero Donation and La Candelaria on foot, in daylight.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Bogotá
- Day 8
Monserrate and home
Monserrate early if the sky is clear, because a viewpoint in cloud is a café. Then the airport.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- — last day, you fly home
What is included
- Seven nights in named hotels — named on the quote, not sold as a category
- All private transfers and private ground transport
- Private English-speaking guiding in all three cities
- The Guatapé day in full, and the Rosario Islands by private boat
- Comuna 13 with a guide from the neighbourhood
What is not included
- International flights
- The three internal flights — quoted separately so you can see them
- Rosario Islands national park entry fee
- Meals not listed
- Travel insurance
- Tips
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements. Full breakdown →
When to do this trip
December to February is dry in all three cities, which is why it costs more. July and August are the second window. Late January is the best single answer.
Good to know before you book
- Group size
- Private
- Starts
- Cartagena
- Ends
- Bogotá
- Pace
- Easy
- Passport
- Valid at least six months beyond your arrival date. Entry requirements →
- Insurance
- Not included and not optional in our view. Medical evacuation from the islands or the rainforest is expensive.
- What moves the price
- Hotel category, private versus shared guiding, your dates, and party size — a solo traveller pays the room, not half of it. Tell us your party and dates and we will price it properly.
- If we have to change something
- Weather, park regulations and flight schedules occasionally force a swap. We tell you before you travel, not on the day, and we replace like with like.
Who this trip is not for
We would rather lose the booking than sell you the wrong week. These are the reasons people come back from this itinerary disappointed, and all of them are predictable before you pay.
Anyone who wants one city and a beach
This moves three times in eight days. If what you want is Cartagena and the Caribbean, take the four-day version and spend the rest on a beach — it is a better trip than this one done badly.
Anyone who cannot fly internally
Bogotá to Medellín is 45 minutes in the air or nine hours through mountains. Built around roads, this becomes a driving holiday.
If any of those describe you, tell us — there is almost always a version that fits, and it is usually not more expensive.
Questions about this itinerary
How long is the 8-Day Colombia: Cartagena, Medellín and Bogotá?
8 days and 7 nights, starting in Cartagena and ending in Bogotá.
How difficult is it?
Easy. Group size: Private.
When is the best time to do this trip?
December to February is dry in all three cities, which is why it costs more. July and August are the second window. Late January is the best single answer.
What extra costs should I budget for?
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements.
If this one is not quite it
