Tailor-made Colombia trip: a private 17-day route from Bogotá to Tayrona

Beach and jungle in Tayrona national park seen from a viewpoint — Tayrona national park

This tailor-made Colombia trip takes you from the Andes to the Caribbean jungle in 17 days: Bogotá by bike, a coffee hacienda from 1894, Medellín, colonial Cartagena and, as the finale, Tayrona National Park, the Kogi and a jungle finca in the Sierra Nevada.

It is a private trip: you travel with your own party on the dates you choose, with no group and no tour escort. Airport pickup, hotels, private drivers and three domestic flights are arranged in advance. This is my recommended route; you change whatever you like.

At a glance

Recommended duration: 17 days, 15 nights (12 to 21 days possible)
Format: private, fully arranged, tailor-made; start any day
Transport: private drivers and transfers plus three domestic flights
Comfort level: Budget, Comfort or Premium
Price from (indicative price): €2,210 pp excluding flight (based on 2 travellers); flight approx. €690–980 pp, not included, depending on the month
Travelling as four: about 14% less per person · travelling solo: about 60% more
Best months: December to March, July and August

Comfort level	Price pp with private driver and transfers
Budget	€2,210
Comfort	€2,550
Premium	€3,480

Prices are per person, based on 2 travellers, excluding the international flight, and are indicative estimates.

Best time to travel

December to March is the driest window for the whole route; July and August bring a second dry spell in the Andes. April–May and October–November are rainy. Tayrona National Park closes three times a year for about two weeks (2026: 1–15 February, 1–15 June, 19 October–2 November). We plan your trip around those dates.

Colourful mural in Comuna 13 in Medellín — Street art in Comuna 13

The route and why it runs this way

You do the cities and the culture first and finish with rest in nature. In Bogotá (2 nights) you take a four-hour bike tour through La Candelaria, visit the Gold Museum and ride the cable car up Monserrate. Then two nights at Cafetal de la Trinidad, a family coffee hacienda from 1894, 2.5 hours from the capital. A one-hour flight brings you to Medellín (3 nights): Comuna 13 and Plaza Botero, a day trip to Guatapé and El Peñol, and a free day.

The church on Monserrate hill above Bogotá — Monserrate above Bogotá

In Cartagena (3 nights) you walk the walled city and spend a day snorkelling in the Rosario Islands. A private driver then takes you 4.5 to 5 hours along the coast to Los Naranjos (2 nights), two kilometres from the entrance of Tayrona, where you hike to the bays of Arrecifes, La Piscina and Cabo San Juan. From Calabazo you walk for an hour and a half with a Kogi guide to his village, Teykú, which receives visitors on its own terms (the permit and the contribution to the village are included), and after lunch you float for an hour down the Don Diego river on a tube to the sea, before three nights at Finca Carpe Diem, an ecolodge in the hills above Bonda near Minca: jungle walks, waterfalls, a cacao farm and a sunset walk above Santa Marta. On day 16 you fly from Santa Marta to Bogotá and connect to Europe.

See the full day-by-day itinerary

Travel advice: Santa Marta and Tayrona

In the week of 21 September 2026 there were road blockades and vehicle arson in and around Santa Marta and along the Troncal del Caribe coastal road, exactly the area of the last days of this route, and the Belgian FPS Foreign Affairs advised against travel there. In its update of 30 September 2026 the FPS reports that the situation has calmed down and that travel via the Troncal del Caribe is possible again, with caution and possible delays at checkpoints.

The Guatapé reservoir with its islands seen from the rock of El Peñol — The Guatapé reservoir

We follow the advice right up to your departure. If the FPS advises against the area again, or if you simply prefer it, we replace those five days with a programme around Cartagena: the mangroves of La Boquilla by canoe, a day in San Basilio de Palenque and two nights on Isla Grande in the Rosario Islands, with the return flight from Cartagena.

The FPS also warns about pickpocketing, express robberies and the drugging of tourists; we go through the safety tips in your intake meeting. Read the latest advice on diplomatie.belgium.be.

Private driver instead of self-drive

We do not offer self-drive as a standard option: the route is linked by three domestic flights, and the FPS advises against renting a car yourself and against driving at night. You get a trusted, licensed driver per region.

The one section where a rental car works is the coast, from Cartagena to Tayrona and the finca. On request I arrange it for about €60–90 per person more; fuel, tolls and parking are then paid by you.

Practical tips

Visa (Belgian passport): no visa for tourist stays up to 90 days. The free online Check-MIG form is strongly recommended; use the official website only.
Health: yellow fever vaccination is required to enter all national parks; on this route that means Tayrona and the Rosario Islands. Get it at least 10 days before arrival. See a travel clinic or wanda.be 6 to 8 weeks before departure.
Money: Colombian pesos. Cards work in cities; bring cash for Tayrona and the finca.
Flights: no direct flight; 13 to 16 hours via Madrid, Paris or Amsterdam.
Guides: no fixed guide; only the Kogi visit always comes with a guide from the village. Prefer a guide? I can add a local guide to any activity.
Meals: Breakfast is included every day, as are the meals at the coffee hacienda and lunch on the Rosario Islands and on the Kogi day, where there is no alternative. For the other meals you get my restaurant recommendations, but you are completely free to choose where and when you eat: I never steer you to expensive restaurants in return for a commission.

Frequently asked questions

Can I visit Pueblito?

No. The Pueblito site in Tayrona has been closed since 2019 at the request of the indigenous communities. Instead you walk with a Kogi guide to Teykú, a village above Calabazo that receives visitors on its own terms.

Can I travel solo or change the route?

Yes to both. Solo travellers pay about 60% more because the room and driver are not shared. You can change the number of days, the order, the hotels and the activities.

How active is the trip?

Moderate. The Tayrona hike takes 4 to 5 hours return in the heat. Climbing El Peñol is optional.

Plan your trip

It starts with a personal intake meeting, at your home or by video, followed by a tailor-made proposal. Plan a call via the interest list or email info@steennot-travels.be. Before we start selling trips, we take out the legally required insurance against financial insolvency. Prices remain estimates until then.

Sources

Last updated: 9 October 2026 (travel advice checked on 30 September 2026). Prices and dates are indicative estimates and may change.