Magical Colombia (ISU)

According to the 2014 WIN/Gallup International Association’s End of Year Survey of 65 countries, Colombia is the second-happiest country in the world. Monograms wants to bring you happiness, which is why we’ve handled all of your Colombia travel details, so you can experience this fascinating country and remain happy throughout your vacation. On this 8-day vacation package, we’ve arranged your hotel accommodations (including porterage), daily breakfast and a couple of lunches, private airport transfers to/from your intra-vacation flights, and sightseeing. Plus, we want you to feel comfortable and know you have a friend in each city to help you. That’s why we’ve arranged the one-of-a-kind feature of a Monograms Local Host® in Bogota, Pereira, and Cartagena. This local expert will greet you with a warm welcome, present you with materials to familiarize you with each city, and help ensure your vacation runs smoothly by answering questions, arranging optional excursions, and offering suggestions for restaurants, shops, and more.

Your vacation begins the moment you arrive in Bogota, where your Local Host will greet you and help you get settled. The next day, we’ll pick you up at your hotel for private sightseeing with a local expert, someone who will share the city’s inside stories and interesting history as you walk through the colonial part of the city and visit a colorful market. You’ll visit the Gold Museum, with one of the largest collections of Pre-Hispanic gold, and the Botero Museum, with paintings from well-known artist Fernando Botero. You’ll top your day off with a funicular ride to 10,000-foot Mount Monserrate, where expansive views of Bogota await you. A full day in Bogota on your own will give you the opportunity to explore one of the roughly 50 museums, browse the markets and shops, or take an optional excursion to the Zipaquirá’s underground salt cathedral, a popular pilgrimage site.

The following day, we’ll pick you up at your hotel and take you to the airport for a flight to Pereira, where you’ll be greeted by your Local Host, who will help you get settled and ready to explore this area in the heart of the Coffee Triangle. This area is the third-largest producer of coffee in the world, and we’ll take you to a coffee farm so you can learn about the process and walk through the plantations. You’ll also enjoy an excursion to Cocora Valley, where you can take part in a ritual to plant one of Colombia’s national trees; Salento, where you’ll explore this typical village; and Filandia, a traditional Colombian village.

We’ll once again escort you via private transportation from your hotel to the airport, where you’ll board a flight for Cartagena on the Caribbean Coast. In Cartagena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded in 1533, you’ll be greeted by your Local Host, who will escort you on a tour of the must-see sights: the Monastery of La Popa, built on a hillside at the beginning of the 17th century and offering beautiful views of the city, its beaches, and the Caribbean Sea; San Felipe Fort, built to protect the city; Old Cartagena, with its colorful streets and plazas; and San Pedro Claver Convent, home to impressive pre-Colombian artifacts. You’ll also have a full day to explore Cartagena on your own. Be sure to ask your Local Host for suggestions.

As we’ve mentioned, Colombia equals happiness. Add the sightseeing and guides we’ve arranged, the hotels we’ve reserved, the daily breakfast we’ve included, and the services of a Local Host in each city, and you’ve got a vacation sure to make you happy—just like the Colombians!