Our team of eight flew direct to the Colombian capital of Bogota with Avianca, the country's national airline. We were all pleasantly surprised with the level of service provided throughout in Economy Class, for both the international and domestic flights. The international flight was onboard a Boeing 787, where they also offer "plus seats" for a small supplement of £70, located at the front of the cabin with an additional 4 inches of legroom.  

TOP TIP: Don’t forget they also offer convenient onward connections to other major destinations within South America.

We were met on arrival by Trailfinders excellent local representative who transferred us to our hotel in the centre of lively Bogota. Our next few days in Bogota were spent exploring the historical district of La Candelaria and the mountain-top monastery of Monserrate, accessed by an impressively steep monorail up into the clouds.  The historic centre of Bogota is a vibrant neighbourhood rich in culture, murals, music and gastronomy, famous for its cobblestone streets and colonial art. 

Without question, the Salt Cathedral in the charming town of Zipaquirá, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes drive from Bogota was the architectural pinnacle of our South American adventure. Built in a former rock salt mine, the cathedral is an engineering marvel, an intricate underground complex 180 metres below the surface, boasting the world’s largest salt cross. It’s got to be seen to be believed!

Our next stop, just a short internal flight from Bogota, was the world-famous ‘Coffee Triangle’ of Colombia where the fertile, volcanic soil is perfect for growing coffee. Many of our group were avid coffee enthusiasts who revelled at the opportunity to sample lots of different types of coffee at Casa San Alberto, home to one of the most historic coffee producers in Colombia.

The following day, we travelled up into the Andes to learn about the turbulent history of the colourful town of Filandia. Although you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell because of the drastic changes Colombia has undergone in recent years, the town is a sobering reminder of the impact that decades of civil war and narco-trafficking has had on this beautiful country.

Arriving in the Cocora Valley in the early afternoon, we embarked on a hike in search of the elusive condor, one of the world’s largest flying birds with a wing span of over 3m. Whilst we worked up a sweat spotting thousands of majestic ‘Wax Palms’, the condor did unfortunately evade us on this occasion. After a quick pit-stop to eat some traditional Colombian food, we made our way back to the charming 4* Casa San Carlos Lodge for a well-earned early night and a few Aperol Spritz in the hotel’s jacuzzi.

Having taken a very early morning flight to Medellin, upon arrival, we dropped our bags at our hotel in the upmarket district of El Poblado and began our walking tour of the city. Once infamous for dangerous gangs and drug activity through the times of Pablo Escobar, vibrant Medellin has been transformed into a city oozing with culture, both modern and colonial. Our tour took us to the edgy historic centre of the city and the most famous ‘Barrio’ in Medellin, ‘Comuna 13’, filled to the brim with vivid colours, bars, restaurants and street performers. We stopped here for lunch at ‘Berrecas de la 13’ – a local Venezuelan restaurant created by a small network of women with a goal of empowering women and youth in their community who have experienced violence.

TOP TIP: Probably the most surprising part of Medellin was its fantastic public transport system with a cable car and overground network that takes you from the cosmopolitan centre into the favelas and neighbourhoods on the periphery of the city.

After a long day of touring, we spent the evening immersing ourselves into the one thing Medellin is most famous for – its seemingly never-ending nightlife in the bustling ‘Zona Rosa’.

We set off early in the morning for the 2 hour drive to the beautiful lakeside town of Guatapé. The climb of 750 steps to the summit of Piedra del Peñol in the blistering afternoon heat was a little taxing but the views of the sprawling countryside were well worth the ascent. Later this afternoon, we were taken on a lake cruise vast Peñol-Guatapé Reservoir, a man-made lake that adds to the town's scenic atmosphere. From the comfort of our boat, our guide showed us the numerous mansions of many of Colombia’s famous celebrities, most notably Shakira, J Balvin and James Rodríguez who all own lakeside summer retreats in this picturesque part of the country. By far the largest property however, was the derelict summer house of Pablo Escobar, which remains unchanged since from when it was bombed by Escobar’s enemies ‘Los Pepes’ in 1993.

The next couple of days saw us venture to the jungles of Tayrona National Park, a stark contrast from the concrete jungles of Bogota and Medellin, home to the famous ‘Lost City Trek’ as well as various indigenous communities which still live in the area. After a short flight from Medellin to Santa Marta, we drove the couple of hours east to the lovely 3*+ Villa Maria Tayrona, a quaint hotel just a short walk from the beach. Here you will find Colombia’s most pristine beaches and plentiful wildlife, namely gray-bellied night monkeys, white-fronted capuchin monkey, sloths, armadillos, hundreds of species of colourful birdlife and the elusive jaguar. Our guide hadn’t seen a jaguar for years but we remained hopeful! A 14km hike in 70% humidity and 35 degree heat was by far the most physically arduous part of the trip but the wildlife and scenery was more than worth it. Although, just like the condor, the jaguars of Colombia evaded us on this day.

Our final stop on our private tour was the port city of Cartagena, a popular stop for numerous Caribbean cruises. For this reason, we found Cartagena was probably the most well adapted destination for tourism, with an abundance of bars, restaurants, street vendors and performers.  On the 5 hour drive from Tayrona to Cartagena, we stopped in the coastal city of Barranquilla to take a photo with the golden statue of Shakira in her hometown. The 20-feet-tall monument depicts the multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy winner in one of her famous belly dancing outfits.

On arrival in Cartagena we checked in to the 4★+ Ananda Hotel Boutique, a fabulous hotel set in the heart of the historic old town. One of our top selling hotels in all of Colombia, this property is a restored colonial house with large and spacious rooms set around courtyards for the restaurant and pool. A highlight was the rooftop which offered great views of the city and sea, and also had a small pool. The terrace tables also have a button to press so a waiter will come up to take your order so you don't even have to leave the loungers!

TOP TIP: The highlight of the trip for most of the group was the excursion we embarked on to the Rosario Islands, an archipelago of picturesque islands and idyllic coral reefs off the coast of Cartagena. Equipped with plentiful chilled drinks and our own private boat, we were able to visit the islands of Isla Grande and Isla Baru and even did some snorkelling at the crash site of one of Pablo Escobar’s planes! 

Our Colombian journey came to end after a final lively night in Cartagena, including a visit to the world-famous cocktail bar of Alquimico. On our day of departure, we concluded our time with a visit to San Felipe de Barajas Fort and Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa before we departed back home.

We arrived back into Heathrow thoroughly besotted with everything Colombia; all promising ourselves it wouldn’t be the last time we see the neon lights of Medellin, the old walled city of Cartagena or the dense jungles of Tayrona National Park. Stunned by the beauty, diversity, vibrancy and friendliness that this beautiful country had to offer, the complex logistics made easy by our fantastic local partner and the convenience of a direct international flight, it’s no surprise that Colombia is proving increasingly popular as a holiday destination. If it’s not yet on your holiday radar, it should be! I can’t wait to go back.

For more inspiration, visit our Colombia Holiday pages.