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Our team here at BnB Colombia Tours is super excited to share with you our 15-Day Colombian History Tour for the over 50s.High End. A journey to Colombia is one you will never forget.
15-Day Colombian History Over 50s High End
On the evening of the day of your arrival, you will experience a fabulous Welcome Dinner in a fine Bogotá restaurant. This will allow you to meet your fellow travelers and feel the spirit and excitement that is about to come into existence!
With a rich history, Bogotá is a fascinating city to explore. The sprawling city is far larger than most imagine. The perfect city to start the adventure.
You will experience the pulsating center of Bogotá including La Candelaria, the neighborhood where the Colombian capital was founded. Brimming with art, history, and good food, take a colorful stroll along the cobbled streets to discover it among museums, restaurants, and shops that connect the past, present and avant-garde. The streets are full of amazing colonial buildings along with the opulent Presidential Palace and seat of Government.
Continue on with a visit to the famous Museo D´Oro (Gold Museum) which is stunning. On display is an extraordinary selection of pre-Hispanic gold work. It is the largest collection in the world with more than thirty thousand pieces of gold artifacts and twenty thousand pieces of ceramics, textiles, and so on from pre-Columbian cultures that are now Colombia.
Even if you are not familiar with Fernando Botero, you probably will recognize his highly distinctive paintings of oversized characters. Colombia’s most famous living artist is also a prolific sculptor and his curvaceous bronze statues display an equally generous girth. Many works by Fernando Botero and other famous artists are on display at the Botero Museum.
One of the most recognizable attractions in Bogota is Cerro de Monserrate, a hill towering above the city with a church perched on its top.
In 1620 the construction of a hermitage in honor of the Virgin of Monserrat was commenced and affords spectacular views. To reach the monastery of Monserrate, you ascend the heights either by climbing, cable car or funicular.
The colonial architecture mixes with urban art in the historic center of Bogotá, the bohemian neighborhood of La Candelaria.
Street art (graffiti) in downtown Bogotá is famous throughout the world and is both beautiful and political. You will see examples that illustrate artistic interpretations of the country’s history and current events.
Once out of Bogotá itself there are some outstanding places of natural beauty, which we will visit.
Zipaquíra is one of them, home to a Catedral de Sal (Salt Cathedral) which is composed of salt deposits that are millions of years old. Venture underground to see chapels and altars carved directly into the solid rock. This spacious cathedral is sculpted into a warren of salt mines 600´/183m) below the ground.
Not far away is the picturesque artisanal pueblo of Ráquira, the so-called city of pots. Handcrafts are everywhere to be seen. A river of orange clay in the form of cups, plates, pots, decorative figures, and so on. Even the main square is adorned with large figures made from clay.
Each sidewalk looks like a rainbow, adorned with personal touches that the owners of the houses and tiendas (shops) have given them. Every corner is the perfect setting for magical moments.
Time seems to have stopped in Villa de Leyva, a Boyacá town that through its architecture provides the most authentic examples of the colonial past.
This town, surely one of the most beautiful in Colombia, is famous for its historical importance and its magnificent plaza. The largest in Colombia and one of the most impressive in South America, with its 14,000sm/151,000sf of cobblestone.
Ever heard about the most beautiful town in Colombia? And you don’t want to miss it on your trip to Colombia? Check out our 13-Day Heart and Soul Tour where the visit to Barichara is available!
Changing gear we move on to San José del Guaviare, in southeastern Colombia which lies along the right bank of the river Guaviare. It is a transitional area between the Llanos (grassland plains) to the north and the tropical rainforests to the south.
The Orion Gate (Portal de Orion) a peculiar rock formation, made up of cavities and cornices, makes it one of the most enigmatic settings for lovers of adventure and nature.
The Portal is not just a collection of rocks, it is also an extreme adventure, traversing jungle and savannah landscapes to discover caves caused by erosion of the rock formations over the years.
There is an abundance of flora, in particular the flor del Guaviare.
Not far away from the Portal de Orion, you will see one of Colombia’s red rivers, Caño Sabanas. Maybe not as well known as Caño Cristales, but it is the same river. The algae bloom from June to November when the river appears a stunning red.
The Black Lagoon is a beautiful body of water that is characterized by the dark tone of its crystalline waters. This color is due to the many decomposing plant species that are found at the bottom.
You can swim, snorkel and spot different species of birds such as kingfishers and others.
With the evening light, the lagoon becomes a golden mirror that reflects the sun and the landscape of the Guaviare jungle.
If you would like to take a look into the past, then Cerro Azul is the place. Here are rock formations that have been painted with ancient pictographs. No one is certain exactly as to the meaning behind these pictures as some are showing animals, while others depict geometrical forms. Knowing that these paintings originated thousands of years ago really is hugely impressive.
The hike towards Cerro Azul is well worth the effort as you pass through tunnels and underpasses while from the highest points you scan across the landscape for an amazing view.
Damas del Nare Lagoon in the heart of the Amazon foothills is the permanent home to pink dolphins. Here you will be able to see and hear howler monkeys and watch ospreys hunt while swimming with the dolphins that inhabit the lagoon.
Few people have made it to Raudal del Guayabero Canyon along the Guayabero river. The dense forest protects one of the country’s most significant but least-known archaeological sites.
On the smooth walls of a rocky outcrop within the mountain region known as Serranía de la Lindosa, there is a wall with some of the most important rock paintings in Colombia. Archaeologists still have not been able to date it, but generally agree that the paintings are more than five thousand years old.
The paintings themselves are remarkable to see in person. The walls of the caves are covered with blood-red images of people, animals, and birds with large geometric patterns. There are some amazing clues as to the age of the images and their progression through time.
Anthropologists have visited these sites and found evidence of basic camps and fish bones, but no signs of more permanent settlements. This suggests the people who painted the images were nomadic groups. The oldest images have been dated to 10,500 years, and most are at least 5,000 years old according to estimates.
However, part of the magic of visiting these places is that no one truly knows who painted this art or when!
Looking for more historic places to enjoy the best of Colombia? Check out our 15-Day History Group Tour
The Tatacoa desert is a unique and off-the-beaten-path destination with sand formations in a variety of shades of red and grey. Here we will hike along stunning trails through labyrinths with many varieties of cactus and birds that thrive on the arid landscape.
Thanks to its remote location and being largely undiscovered, there is barely any light pollution in the Tatacoa Desert. This makes it one of the best places in South America to go stargazing.
The San Agustín Archaeological Park is where you can appreciate the traces of a civilization that flourished long ago in this area of Colombia. This life is recorded in carved volcanic stone sculptures.
You will see the largest group of megalithic sculptures and religious monuments in South America.
The Alto de las Piedras is a sacred site and was a ceremonial center.
This is truly a sensational tour in every way. You will experience Colombia in many different ways and see and experience things few others have.
We work with selected local experts to craft the world´s greatest adventures.
All the logistics are arranged so you only have to show up and have a blast!