FESTIVALS OF COLOMBIA

Transcription

1 15 days

2 Countries visited Colombia Tour Highlights Wander cosmopolitan ogotá The colossal Salt Cathedral of Zipaquira Rustic beauty of Villa de Leyva Wandering cosmopolitan ogota Colonial villages in the Coffee Triangle Catch the vibe at the lancos & Negros festival in Pasto The White City of Popayan Marvel at Cartagena s beautiful architecture Places visited ogotá Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá Villa de Leyva Armenia Filandia & Salento Colombia's Coffee Triangle Valle de Cocora Pasto Popayán Cartagena ID P a g e 1

3 What's included Arrival & departure transfers Ground transport with driver Domestic flights Accommodation (refer to itinerary for meal plan) English-speaking guides Entrance fees to sites & parks What's not included not mentioned in itinerary Drinks Visa fees (where applicable) Tipping Personal items (laundry, telephone, etc.) Medical expenses Any services not mentioned in itinerary All accommodation subject to availability. Final accommodation choices will be confirmed after booking. ID P a g e 2

4 Your Itinerary Map ID P a g e 3

5 Your Itinerary Explained Date Place visited : The first part of the text in each day is the itinerary schedule and will explain what you will reakfast normally see/do during this day of your itinerary. --L: The part of the day s text in italics (and comes after the three dashes --- ) is background Lunch information on the places or sites on that day of your itinerary. It is not part of your D: itinerary and may mention places that will not be visited on your itinerary. If you have any Dinner questions please ask us. Travel times where noted are only meant as a guideline. Tour Itinerary Day 1 ogotá Arrive at airport in ogotá. Transfer to hotel. Overnight in ogotá. N/A ogotá Day 2 La Candelaria ogota Spend the day touring ogotá's highlights including the Gold museum, historic Candelaria area, the otero Museum and Monserrate. Overnight in ogotá. --Nestled high in the Andes at 2620 m. (8646 ft), ogotá, or Santafé de ogotá to give it its full title, is a city of contrasts, with high-rise buildings standing next to colonial churches, museums and artisan cafés. Its influences range from Spanish and English to Indian. It is a city of wild traffic and calm oases reflecting a bygone era. ID P a g e 4

6 La Candelaria is an historic neighbourhood in downtown ogotá. The architecture of the old houses, churches and buildings utilises Spanish colonial and baroque styles, with iron windows, sturdy wooden doors and internal patios with beautiful yet hidden gardens. This vibrant district hosts the otero Museum, which showcases not only the works of Colombia's most famous painter but also paintings by Monet and Picasso from otero's private collection. The 'barrio' is also home to the largest and most impressive gold museum in the world, showcasing an enormous assortment of pre-hispanic gold work, the church of Monserrate, with its stunning views over the city, many government buildings and an array of cafés and restaurants to suit every taste. Day 3 Villa de Leyva Day 4 Villa de Leyva Day 5 Salt Cathedral - Villa de Leyva Transfer to Villa de Leyva, stopping at the Salt Cathedral on the way. Overnight in Villa de Leyva. --The Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is an underground Roman Catholic church built within the tunnels of a salt mine 200 metres under a halite mountain. The name Zipaquirá refers to Zipa, the leader of the Muisca tribe and the chief of these rich salt mines. The name 'Salt Cathedral' is used principally to attract tourists; although it is a functioning church that receives up to 3,000 visitors on Sundays, it has no bishop and therefore no official status as a cathedral in Catholicism. The icons, ornaments and architectural details of the cathedral are hand-carved in the halite rock and impressive marble sculptures are on display within. At the entrance, there are 14 small chapels, representing the Stations of the Cross and illustrating the events of Jesus' last journey. The main altar is found in the central nave, above which is the largest cross made of salt in the world, measuring 16 metres high and 10 metres wide, made by the Colombian artist Carlos Enrique Rodriguez. The Salt Cathedral is considered one of the most notable achievements of Colombian architecture and has been designated a 'Jewel of Modern Architecture'. The cathedral represents for the Colombian people a valuable cultural, environmental and religious patrimony. The cathedral is part of a larger complex including "Parque de la Sal" (Salt Park), as well as a small museum of mining, mineralogy, geology and natural resources. Villa de Leyva Day around Villa de Leyva including half day walking tour of this beautiful village where time seems to have stood still. Afternoon free to go walking, horseriding (additional cost) or check out a 120 million-year-old dinosaur fossil. Overnight in Villa de Leyva. --Declared a national monument in 1954, the beautiful town of Villa de Leyva was founded in 1572 by Hernàn Suàrez de Villalobos, who named it after Andrès Dìas Venero de Leyva, the first president of Nueva Granada. In colonial times, Villa de Leyva played a central role in independence developments, and the Viceroy and his entourage spent much time here. To this day, the town has been preserved in its entirety; virtually no modern architecture exists. The result is a colonial town par excellence - a place where the streets are still cobbled and the walls still whitewashed. Stroll through its unhurried streets where the locals will greet you with a welcoming smile. Swelled with visitors from ogotá on weekends, it is typically much quieter and more pleasant on weekdays. ogota - Armenia ID P a g e 5

7 Drive to ogota for flight to Armenia in the coffee triangle. Transfer to accommodation. Rest of the day free to relax and enjoy the property. Overnight in Armenia. Armenia Day 6 The Coffee Triangle Spend the day touring the Coffee Triangle including Salento, Filandia and Cocora Valley. Overnight in Armenia. --In a country full of beautiful landscapes, the Valle de Cocora stands out as one of the most picturesque. The valley stretches east of Salento into the lower reaches of Parque Nacional Natural de los Nevados. Everywhere, you ll see the famous Quindian wax palm, Colombia s Valle de Cocora national tree and the largest palm in the world (up to 60 metres tall). Valle de Cocora is also home to a trout farm and the trout dishes are particularly good. Local fauna includes mountain tapirs, spectacled bears, pumas, sloths, yellow-eared parrots, black-billed mountain-toucans, Andean condors and hummingbirds. Filandia and Salento are two small pretty colonial style villages in the coffee region of Colombia, both set in stunning surroundings. Salento is the oldest village in the Quindio region with cobblestone streets and a wealth of restaurants, cafés and bars. Filandia is home to the beautiful María Inmaculada church and its streets are lined with colourful buildings with wooden balconies. Day 7 The Coffee Triangle Spend half the day learning about the coffee making process on a coffee farm. Rest of the day free to relax or explore by yourself. Overnight in Armenia. --- Colombia's Coffee Triangle Day 8 ogota - Pasto Transfer to airport for flight to ogota and connection on to Pasto. Transfer to hotel. Rest of the day free to relax or explore by yourself. Overnight in Pasto. --- ID P a g e 6

8 Pasto Day 9 Carnaval de Negros y lancos Carnival Full day at the carnival. Overnight in Pasto. --The Carnaval de Negros y lancos (or lacks and Whites' Carnival in English) is the largest and most important celebration in southern Colombia celebrated in the city of Pasto. It's celebrated from 2 to 7 January of each year and in 2009 was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The Origins of the modern festival date back to 1912 but its roots go back much longer and have their traditions in indigenous cultures. The processions begin on January 4th with the Arrival of the Castañeda Family, a colourful family who were believed to be pilgrims heading to Las Lajas. The parade includes various characters including a flamboyant grandmother, a daughter dressed in white, ready for marriage but clearly pregnant, mischievous children and a drunk priest! Day 10 Pasto Day 11 Carnival Full day at the carnival. Overnight in Pasto. --January 5th is lacks' Day. This day marks the date when African slaves were free to indulge their playful outbursts. People polish their faces black and go out to celebrate in the streets. y tradition, the Queen of Carnival travels through the city in a convoy, distributing black cosmetics. The cosmetics serves like a mask in order to homogenize all social classes and ethnic groups as one great family settled on the slopes of Taita Urcunina, but it also gives people the freedom to be more playful than they normally would. Throughout the day, orchestras play in various city parks. Carnival Full day at the carnival. Overnight in Pasto. --- Pasto ID P a g e 7

9 January 6th is Whites' Day, also known as the "Great Parade". In contrast to the previous day, people are painted white generally with talcum powder, flour, cream or cosmetics. The main attraction is the Grand Parade, snaking along for nearly 7 km on a path of about 15 km, running through the streets of the downtown, the Plaza del Carnaval (Carnival Plaza) and various avenues along the so-called Senda del Carnaval (Carnival Path). The majority of the city's citizens and a handful of tourists and visitors crowd the streets to witness this parade, cheering and throwing confetti or streamers, and dancing to traditional songs and rhythms. Day 12 Popayán Popayan Transfer to Popayan. Spend the afternoon on a guided tour of the town. Overnight in Popayan. --Popayán was founded in the year 1537 by Sebastián de elalcázar. ecause of its beautiful white colonial houses, it is known as the White City. Popayán has played a major role in Colombia's history dating back to the early days of the Spanish conquest and into the twentieth century. A number of Colombian presidents were born in Popayán including, most recently, Guillermo Leon Valencia who was in power from 1962 to In 2005, Popayán became the first city to be designated a City of Gastronomy as part of the UNESCO Creative Cities initiative. The typical dishes of the city are a legacy of Spanish and indigenous cultural interaction, integrating special ingredients and cooking styles from the region with fruits brought from Spain. Popayán is also widely known for the solemnity of its Easter processions, during which it commemorates the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Since the 16th century processions have passed through Popayán's historical downtown. During Easter week, Popayán is also home to the Festival de Música Religiosa (Festival of Religious Music), which began in the 1960s. Partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1983, Popayán s administration had the foresight to take their time with its reconstruction. Two decades later there is almost no evidence of the damage on the stunningly uniform white streets. Rich with impressive churches and colonial architecture, it s easy to spend hours wandering around this quiet and relaxed town where every street leads to another just as beautiful. ID P a g e 8

10 Day 13 Cartagena Day 14 Cartagena Transfer to airport for flight to Cartagena via ogota. In the afternoon, take a tour of the city. Overnight in Cartagena. --Meander through Cartagena s picture-perfect streets, and admire the city that is famous for both its beauty and its history. Founded in 1533, Cartagena became the main port on the Caribbean coast during Spanish rule. Treasure was stored in the city until it could be taken to Spain and for this reason, in the 16th century, Cartagena suffered five sieges including one led by Francis Drake in This is why the Spaniards then built the forts (Fuertes) and walls (Las Murallas) that still encompass the old town. The Puerta Del Reloj (Clock Gate) signifies the entrance to the inner part of the walled city, also called Calamari. Just behind this is the Plaza de los Coches which used to serve as a slave market. The Plaza de la Aduana and Plaza de olivar also have fascinating historical context as well as the numerous churches, museums, convents and monuments. Cartagena Free day in Cartagena to wander the city's beautiful streets and plazas at your leisure. Overnight in Cartagena. Cartagena Day 15 ogota Transfer to the airport to depart on a flight to ogota. ogotá ID P a g e 9 Powered by TCPDF (