- Tour code
COLADV02
- Start
Cartagena
- End
Medellín
- Min. age
16 years old
- Group size
Max 6-16 travellers
- Trip style
Explorer
- Trip pace
Active
- Language
English
Colombia has spent the last two decades reinventing itself, and this eight-day trip shows two of its most rewarding sides: the colorful, music-filled Caribbean port of Cartagena and the green Andean city of Medellín.
You start with four nights in Cartagena. Walk the walled city and San Felipe Fortress with a guide, drum with students at a community music school, eat seafood by the sea in La Boquilla and sink into a volcanic mud bath. A private boat carries you out to the Rosario Islands for reef snorkeling and a beach club, and your last Cartagena night brings a salsa class, dinner and a rum tasting.
Then it's up into the Andes to Medellín. Dinner on the first night is at a restaurant known for modern Colombian cooking. The next day, a local guide walks you through a hillside neighborhood reshaped by art and community projects, and your last full day starts on a family coffee farm in the hills above the city.
Free afternoons leave room for markets, museums, long lunches and naps. Four group dinners are included, your Soca Islands Host is with you throughout, and groups are kept small, from 6 to 16 travelers.
Why This Journey
Cartagena and Medellín could hardly be more different, and seeing them back to back is the point: sea air, colonial walls and Afro-Caribbean rhythms on the coast, then cool mountain evenings, street art and coffee in the Andes. Together they give a real sense of how varied and how welcoming Colombia is.
The activities put you alongside the people who make each place what it is: students at a music school, salsa teachers, a guide from a neighborhood that changed its own story, and a family that grows coffee. It suits travelers who want energy and culture with enough free time to wander on their own.
Where You'll Stay
Cartagena (4 nights): Movich Hotel Cartagena de Indias, inside the walled old city, with a rooftop terrace. Medellín (3 nights): The Charlee Hotel, in El Poblado by Parque Lleras. Proposed accommodation (or similar), subject to confirmation. Rooms are based on two people sharing a double room with two beds.
Getting There
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. The trip starts in Cartagena and ends in Medellín, flying out of José María Córdova International Airport (MDE); arrival and departure airport transfers are included. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
What you will see and do
Walk Cartagena's walled city and colonial fortress
Get to know Medellín through its murals, food and nightlife
Coffee farms, Caribbean islands and Colombian culture
What's included
All activities mentioned on the itinerary
Accommodations in double rooms
Experienced Soca Islands Host with you throughout the trip
One farewell group activity when possible
Max 16 travellers per group
Arrival and departure airport transfers
Group transportation
What's excluded
- International flights (travelers arrange their own)
- Travel insurance (required)
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Optional activities and personal expenses
- Single room supplement (single rooms on request, subject to availability)
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
Group itinerary
Arrive in Cartagena, where your arrival transfer brings you to the hotel, and see for yourself why the city draws visitors from all over the world: balconies spilling with bougainvillea, horse-drawn carriages and warm Caribbean evenings.
Your hotel is in one of the city's most fashionable neighborhoods. Once you're settled, meet your Soca Islands Host and the group for drinks on a rooftop above the streets, then head out for your first dinner together.
A guide leads you through the old walled city, with its colonial facades and shaded plazas, and on to the San Felipe Fortress, built to defend the port from pirates and rival empires.
Next, grab a drum at a community music school and learn the rhythms that power Cartagena. Then it's out to La Boquilla, a seaside neighborhood, for a seafood lunch before you slide into a volcanic mud bath. Messy, silly and oddly relaxing. Your evening is free.
After breakfast, a private boat takes you across the Caribbean to the Rosario Islands.
Snorkel over the reef, spot traces of the area's history and kick back at a beach club with food, drinks and sunshine. Back in Cartagena by afternoon, you're free to explore the old town after dark.
The morning is yours to browse Cartagena's busy markets for crafts and souvenirs.
In the evening, local instructors lead a salsa class, the best way to understand how much dancing matters here. Then share dinner and a Colombian rum tasting to toast your last night on the coast.
Travel to Medellín, set in a green valley in the Andes and known for its creativity, mild climate and reinvention.
Once you've checked in and rested, the group heads to dinner at a stylish restaurant serving modern Colombian food. After that, go out or turn in, your call.
Explore one of Medellín's hillside neighborhoods with a local guide, discovering how art, innovation and community spirit have changed it.
The afternoon is free for a long lunch, café hopping or more of the city.
Head into the hills outside Medellín to a family-run coffee farm, see how coffee goes from bean to cup, and taste a fresh brew at the source.
Back in town, the afternoon is yours for museums, neighborhoods or a rest. Tonight, the group gets together one more time for a farewell dinner.
Your trip wraps up today. Say goodbye to the group, and your departure transfer takes you to José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) for your flight home or on to your next stop.
You'll leave with the salt of Cartagena, the energy of Medellín and new friends to show for it.
Accommodations
Here's a glimpse of the hotels we selected for this adventure.
Movich Hotel Cartagena de Indias
A 32-room hotel on Calle Vélez Danies in the heart of Cartagena's old city, within walking distance of the cathedral, the plazas and the colorful streets of Getsemaní.
Its rooftop has a pool, jacuzzi and bar looking over the old city's domes and bell towers, a fine place to watch the sunset. Rooms are 20 m² (215 ft²), with two queen-size beds.
Hotel websiteThe Charlee Hotel
A design hotel overlooking Parque Lleras in El Poblado, Medellín's liveliest neighborhood for restaurants, cafés and nightlife.
Its rooftop pool and bar look out over the valley, and it has a restaurant and gym on site.
Rooms
You'll stay at Trip Hotel.
- Included
Shared double
Shared with the person you book with, or a fellow traveller of the same sex.
- +$1,254 per person
Single room
A room to yourself, subject to availability.
Room prices are per person for the Nov 13, 2027 departure and can differ on other dates. You choose your room when you book.
Tour FAQS
Fly into Rafael Núñez International Airport, Cartagena (CTG), and out of José María Córdova International Airport, Medellín (MDE).
Proposed accommodation is Movich Hotel Cartagena de Indias in Cartagena (4 nights) and The Charlee Hotel in Medellín (3 nights), or similar, subject to confirmation.
International Flights Not Included. International airfare to and from the destination is not included in the package price. Travelers are responsible for arranging their own flights and ensuring their arrival and departure align with the trip itinerary. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
Yes. An arrival transfer to your hotel in Cartagena and a departure transfer to José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) in Medellín are included. Please share your confirmed flight details with Soca Islands so we can coordinate applicable arrival and departure arrangements.
7 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 4 dinners: dinner on Days 1, 4, 5 and 7, lunch on Days 2 and 3, and breakfast on Days 2 to 8. Other meals are at your own cost.
Extra nights can be requested, subject to hotel availability; contact our Customer Experience team for a quote.
There are no scheduled activities on the final day, so feel free to book your departure at your own convenience.
We recommend arriving before 3 pm on Day 1 to make it in time for the welcome event. But don’t worry no matter when you land, we’ll have an airport transfer ready for you.
Please Refer to your government’s travel advice or consult your local consulate. Remember, passport and visa requirements can change, so make sure to stay updated.
Excluding alcohol, we suggest budgeting around USD $40.00 per day for extras.
While we’re not medical professionals, we want to help you prepare for a safe and healthy adventure. Here are some tips:
- Consult with a healthcare professional: Schedule an appointment with your travel nurse or doctor at least eight weeks before your adventure to get any necessary vaccines or medications.
- Up-to-date medical advice:
- US residents: Check the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
- UK residents: Visit the NHS Fit For Travel website.
- Australian residents: Refer to the Smart Traveler Health website.
3. Government travel advice:
- US residents: Consult the US Department of State Travel Advice.
- UK residents: Check the FCDO Travel Advice.
- Australian residents: Visit the Smart Traveler website.
4. Medication tips: If you take prescription medication, bring enough to last the entire trip, plus a few extra days in case of delays. Carry a copy of your prescription in case you need to visit a clinic abroad.
We hope this helps you prepare for a safe and enjoyable adventure.
Please keep in mind that our itinerary, activities, and hotels might change. These adjustments could happen with little notice due to factors like availability, weather conditions, seasonal shifts, or other circumstances beyond our control. Rest assured, we always aim to minimise any impact on your experience. Occasionally, we may tweak the itinerary to try out fresh ideas and keep the adventure exciting.
We believe solo travelers shouldn’t have to pay extra to explore the world. That’s why our group trips are designed around shared accommodation and do not include a single supplement. Solo travelers joining our group trips are paired in twin or multi-share rooms with another traveler of the same sex for the duration of the trip.
Some of our Independent trips are structured differently. For these itineraries, solo travelers will need to book at the single occupancy rate.
Tips are not included in the cost of this tour. Remember, tipping is entirely at your discretion and based on what you feel comfortable with.
Would you like to learn more or customise our The Colombia Trip trip?
Have questions about accommodations, accessibility, group preferences, or dietary needs? Complete the form below and our team will get back to you shortly.
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