Extreme Adventure: Summit to Sea

• Travel throughout Colombia on multi-day expeditions that combine hiking, whitewater rafting, and sailing at top adventure destinations
• Extreme Adventure – For adventurous people only
• Journey from Manizales for a multi-day hike through the Paramo ecosystem in Los Nevado de Santa Isabel National Park
• Thrilling two-day whitewater rafting journey of the Samana River Canyon
• Hike to the mirador at Cerro Kennedy
• Sail along the Caribbean coast from the port of Cartagena
• Enjoy a relaxing day in Cartagena to celebrate your adventure

Your guide will greet you at Medellin’s José María Córdova International Airport before driving through the city of Medellin to Valparaiso (3 hours). Stay in a Colombian family-run hotel, Mirador del Pipintá. Enjoy the beautiful swimming pool and terrace with views overlooking the Caldera River Valley. Dine on traditional cuisine in hotel restaurants and enjoy a restful night of sleep.

After breakfast at your hotel, begin a 2 hour drive to Manizales, the most adventurous of the three cities that make up Colombia’s “coffee triangle”. Throughout your scenic drive, pass Colombia’s most famous coffee “fincas” and estates, and enjoy the mountain scenery with a stop for lunch in Manizales. Enjoy an afternoon excursion to the Río Blanco Nature Reserve, located just two miles from the city. The walking trails on the 12,187 hectares of reserve lead you to endemic species of the cloud forests of the central Andes.

After your afternoon of guided exploration, begin to drive again for 1 hour as you climb switchbacks on 4×4 roads that take you to a traditional Colombian ranch located in the mountains. Warm up with a walk in the mountainous countryside, feast on traditional food, and rest overnight in comfortable beds while you acclimatize to the high altitude.

What to Bring Today:

• Appropriate clothing: lightweight pants and breathable shirt
• Sturdy walking shoes
• Repellent
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Notebook and camera
• Refillable water bottle

After breakfast, drive three hours in comfortable 4×4 trucks to the entrance of “Parque de los Nevados” National Park. Begin your two-day hike with your bilingual mountain guide through the sub-tropical tundra to the panoramic view of the alpine Lake Otun. On the way, let our local guides show you the rare “Pàramo” ecosystem, a fascinating spectrum of endemic species such as the iconic “Frailejones” and “Cojines”.

The strange plants create a unique landscape between 3,000 and 4,500 meters of elevation as they ascend to steep, glacial summits. After a 3-hour trek, establish base camp at a breathtaking alpine lake, jagged peaks and waterfalls. Enjoy delicious food, and meet a local park ranger who is always happy to share knowledge of the area.

What to Bring Today:

• Appropriate clothing: lightweight pants and shirt for hiking, light sweater rain jacket
• Hiking boots
• Sun hat, wool hat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Headlamp
• Refillable water bottle
• Camera

Rise early to begin your trek to the summit of El Nevado de Santa Isabel (4960 m.). Enter a world of rock and ice with the chance to witness one of the last remaining glaciers in Colombia. Keep your eyes open for high-altitude flyers such as the endemic bearded Helmetcrest hummingbird and Colombia’s National Bird: the Andean condor.

The condor is known to represent the country’s glory. The largest flying bird in the world, the Andean condor can fly up to 300 kilometers in a single day. Look out for other avian marvels like the Blue-crowned motmot, Yellow-eared parrot, Fuertes’s parrot and Rufous-fronted parakeet along with many others.

The trail changes from a soft walk and steady incline to a rocky trail and steeper path towards the summit. Once you are on the summit trail a stupendous 360° panorama reveals the entire Magdalena valley and its coffee farms on a clear day. Hike back via an alternative loop to return to the park entrance.

What to Bring for Today:

• Appropriate clothing: lightweight pants, long shirt and rain jacket
• Hiking boots
• Sun hat, wool hat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Headlamp
• Refillable water bottle
• Camera

Wake up in your mountainous campsite. Today you will complete a new route along Otun Lake to return to the park entrance. Visit with the “guardians” of the park, a local Colombian family, for hot tea and a hearty lunch.

Drive six hours back to Medellin to arrive at your hotel by 8 p.m., or opt to take a flight from Airport La Nubia in Manizales (1.5 hours in travel time). After your wilderness retreat in the mountains, enjoy a stay in a boutique hotel ideally located in the heart of the hip Poblado neighborhood.

What to Bring Today:

• Appropriate clothing: lightweight pants and long shirt for hike
• Hiking boots
• Sun hat, wool hat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (End of the activity)
• Headlamp
• Refillable water bottle
• Camera

Meet your guides at 6am for your next grand adventure. Begin the two-hour drive in a comfortable private van. Stop for a traditional breakfast of your choosing at Mirador de Cocorna. Enjoy breakfast with incredible mountain views overlooking the watershed where you will enter.

Arrive at the only bridge that crosses the remote Rio Samana. Here, your professional bilingual guides will provide a safety orientation for the river. Begin an exciting rafting descent through the steep mountainous jungle. Rapids are class IV/IV+ and provide a thrill that satisfies the most adventurous traveler.

Scientists confirm that this area is the 2nd most bio-diverse to the Amazon in the world. Exotic birds such as toucans and parrots flock to the river and butterflies swarm the colorful rafts.

Arrive to your campsite beside a cascading waterfall. Swim in the natural pool at the base of the waterfall while dinner is prepared fireside by your guides. Sleep overnight in sheltered hammocks and fall asleep to the night orchestra of the jungle.

What to Bring:

• Good closed-toe shoes for river (no sandals or flip-flops)
• Boardshorts or lightweight pants
• Lightweight shirt
• Rain Jacket
• Refillable Water Bottle
• Headlamp
• Change of dry clothes and shoes for camp
• Passports

After a relaxing morning, enjoy a fresh breakfast with tropical fruits beside a waterfall. Today you will continue rafting through the Rio Samana canyon with the most exciting rapids towards the end. Raft through the expansive silver-blue canyon before arriving at a high waterfall that drops into the Samana.

Here, meet our driver and enjoy a lunch of fresh fish in a local restaurant before departing. Overnight stay at a boutique hotel in Rio Negro in preparation for the next day’s flight to Santa Marta.

What to Bring Today:

• Appropriate clothing: shorts or bathing suit, lightweight pants and breathable shirt
• Sturdy walking shoes
• Repellent
• Sunscreen
• Extra clothes (end of the activity)
• Notebook and camera

In the morning, fly the short trip from Medellin to Santa Marta. You will be greeted in Santa Marta airport by your guide for the Caribbean region. Drive to the lush mountain village of Minca, nestled in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta range, the world’s tallest coastal mountain range.

Begin a 4×4 journey from Minca to La Victoria coffee plantation. Explore the grounds of the plantation and witness the impressive equipment which they brought from New York in the 1890s and continue to use today. The estate features stunning views of the mountain and Caribbean sea. Depart La Victoria to begin your 2 hour hike from La Tagua to a rural Finca. Enjoy a freshly prepared dinner and the famous Colombian hospitality at the farmhouse.

What to Bring:

• Hiking shoes
• Lightweight clothing
• Camera
• Sun protection
• Passports
• Refillable Water Bottle

Wake up early for a fresh breakfast before beginning your hike in the mountains. Trek for 3 hours up to the Mirador at Cerro Kennedy. Cross streams and witness the diverse birdlife that is most active early in the morning. Watch the sunrise over the Caribbean sea from your panoramic mountain viewpoint at 3,100 meters.

After relaxing at the Mirador, hike down to the Finca for a hot traditional lunch. Return to Santa Marta in the evening and stay at Casa Verde, a boutique hotel in the historic old town.

What to Bring:

• Hiking Shoes
• Warm layer to begin the hike
• Lightweight clothing
• Camera
• Refillable water bottle
• Sun protection

Drive from Santa Marta to the marina in Cartagena (4.5 hours). Here you will meet your boat captain and begin your sailing voyage into the Caribbean. Explore the Caribbean coast by sea kayaking, snorkeling, or scuba diving from the sailboat.

Explore coves and islands as you wish with recommendations from the captain. Continue to explore the various bays and secluded beaches along the untouched, protected coastline. Enjoy delicious onboard meals prepared by a chef. Sleep overnight on the sailboat in a sheltered cove.

What to Bring:

• Swimsuit
• Windbreaker
• Sun protection
• Camera
• Refillable water bottle

Wake up on a sailboat in the Caribbean! Enjoy a bountiful breakfast featuring tropical fruits in the sunshine. Continue island hopping and explore hidden coves as you make your way back towards Cartagena. Eat a gourmet lunch of your choosing onboard the sailboat. In the late afternoon return to Cartagena. Settle into your colonial hotel which is ideally located in the historic old town of Cartagena.

Enjoy an evening in the cobblestone streets. At night, the city comes to life as cumbia musicians and dancers perform in the city squares. Dine on Spanish Afro-Caribbean fusion. Practice your dance moves in one of the many salsa bars in the town before returning to the hotel.

What to Bring:

• Swimsuit
• Windbreaker
• Sun protection
• Sandals
• Change of clothes for the end of the activity

Explore South America’s most extensive fortifications including The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress located on the Hill of San Lázaro. The fortress defended Colombia’s gold from European superpowers and Caribbean pirates.

Wander the vibrant and colorful streets to search for souvenirs before your shuttle departs to Cartagena International Airport