FAQ

All of our guides are bilingual and speak English and Spanish. Our guides have a varying level of English speaking abilities and all are training to become fluent in English. Every trip will have a trip leader that is a fluent English and Spanish speaker. If you speak French, please let us know and we can also provide you with a guide fluent in French, English, and Spanish.

We offer access to many unknown destinations, often due to their remote locations, and we have our guide’s expertise to thank for being able to take people to these places. Our guides are not only professionally licensed and certified, they are experts and pioneers in their specialized sports. Our kayak and whitewater rafting guides, for example, were the first to go down the Samana or Verde River in kayak or raft. Often, Expedition Colombia guides are the the only guides with the skills and experience able to safely operate in these remote wilderness areas. This makes for truly unique cultural interactions with locals, who rarely meet visitors from around the world.

We suggest booking as soon as possible for best availability but understand traveling can be spontaneous. You will, however, need to book certain trips within enough notice so our guides can make necessary preparations. For 1 day trips, book at least 1 day in advance. For our multi-day adventures, book at least 3 days in advance. For our active holidays, book two weeks in advance. To request a reservation for a tour, please submit a booking request form and you will hear back from the team at Expedition Colombia.

1. Payment Methods

Payments to Expedition – Colombia S.A.S can be made in 3 different ways:

a) Payment platform: A payment link with credit card (VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS, MASTERCARD) is provided through pago Ágil payment platform. The user is informed about the amount to pay and product reference, and must complete the data required to do the transaction online.

b) Cash: payment can be made directly in cash.

c) Deposit: to Expedition – Colombia S.A.S. Savings account Bancolombia N° 37535170615 – swift COLOCOBM. By making the payment, the user accepts having understood, and promises to respect the conditions established for reservation and use of the trip, and the company.

2. Time established for activity or service

a) The services hired by the user and provided by Expedition – Colombia S.A.S are listed and appear in the official activity brochure and on the website www.expeditioncolombia.com. Other services that are not included in these formats will be written and specified through the company e-mail info@expeditioncolombia.com.

b) The starting time, duration and end of the activity, as well as information required for the development of the activity or tour, will be provided to users in written before the trip, and verbally during the trip.

c) Details on the activity or tour are specified for every activity on the website. Any additional expenses not mutually agreed upon will be the user’s responsibility.

d) In the event of customized trips that do not appear in the website, the trip plan officially issued by Expedition – Colombia S.A.S will be used as a reference.

The reservation contract issued at the moment of reservation payment, the name of the tour, the tour
reference stipulated by means of the reservation contract, is a legal reference to what the product includes. The same for the schedules and operating conditions.

3. Reservation and cancellation policy

For all our trips, a total payment of 100% is required regardless of the activity to be carried out. In the event of changes or cancellations by the customer, the conditions for reimbursement and changes are as follows:

3.1. Activity lasting one day or less:

a) More than 5 days before the activity: date or activity changes will be subject to a 25% withholding.  In the event of activity cancellation the withholding will be 50%.

b) From 5 days to 24 hours before starting the activity:  date or activity changes will be subject to a withholding of 50%. In the event of activity cancellation the money will not be reimbursed.

c) Less than 24 hours before starting the activity: It is not possible to make changes or refund money.

d) Special options, food and extras require at least a 3 day prior notice.

3.2. Activity lasting from less than 3 days to 1 day, with no customized options:

a) More than 10 days before the activity: date or activity changes will be subject to a 50% withholding. In the event of activity cancellation, the withholding will be 50%.

b) From 5 to 10 days before the activity:  date or activity changes will be subject to a 50% withholding. In the event of activity cancellation the money will not be reimbursed.

c) Less than 5 days before the activity: It is not possible to make changes or reimburse the money.

d) Special options, food and extras require at least a 5 day prior notice.

3.3. Personalized activity or activity lasting more than 3 days:

a) More than 15 days before the activity: date o activity changes will be subject to a 50% withholding. In the event of activity cancellation the withholding will be 85%.

b) Less than 15 days before the activity: It is not possible to make changes or reimburse the money.

c) Special options, food and extras require at least a 15 day prior notice.

4. Trip modification

Expedition – Colombia S.A.S reserves the right to make changes in itinerary, hotels, restaurants, transportation and others that are deemed necessary for the successful development of the activity or tour.

5. Cancellation of activity of 3 days duration or less by Expedition –Colombia S.A.S

5.1. Due to conditions not suitable for the activity: (earthquake, river level, landslide)

5.1.1. Before the activity:

Expedition – Colombia S.A.S offers to change the date of the trip without any cost. The user may also choose between 3 replacement options at adjusted prices. Out of these 3 proposals, you can choose one and do the activity day.

a) If the price of the second option is lower than the original price of the trip, Expedition – Colombia S.A.S would reimburse the remaining cash amount in COP within 15 business days or through your credit card in 30 business days (under the legal payment gateway). It is important to make it clear that Expedition – Colombia S.A.S is not responsible for the time and process of international transactions, which are directly managed with the user’s banking identity. If the price is higher, the user agrees to pay the difference.

b) If none of the options appeals to you, Expedition- Colombia SAS reserves the right to keep 30% of the reservation money, to be used to pay for part of the logistics preparation expenses corresponding to the trip initially offered. After having offered several alternatives, and if none is satisfying for you, we assume the user is not interested in participating in the activities available.

c) If the activities are part of an active holiday package, please note that clients have to accommodate to replacement options offered by the company, or choose a day of rest. No reimbursement is possible for this case.

5.1.2. During the activity: If force majeure or a fortuitous event out of the control of Expedition- Colombia S.A.S occurs during the trip, and the anticipated initial activity cannot be performed, Expedition

• Colombia S.A.S reserves the right to change the program for an activity of similar cost. If such conditions cause partial or total cancellation of the activity, Expedition- Colombia S.A.S would only charge users the expenses corresponding to departure, without any benefit for the company, but without losing money.

5.2. Due to material reasons: (transport failures, raft failures)

If an event, due to normal travel operation risks, occurs during the trip and we cannot carry out the activity initially planned, Expedition – Colombia S.A.S reserves the right to change the program for an activity of similar cost. If that means the total cancelation of the activity, or a part of it, Expedition- Colombia S.A.S would only charge users the expenses corresponding to departure, without any benefit for the company, but without losing money.

5.3. Due to an accident: (The trip must stop due to an accident involving body injure)

If an accident involving body injure occurs during the trip and we cannot carry out the activity initially planned, Expedition- Colombia S.A.S reserves the right to change the program for an activity of similar cost. If that means the total cancellation of the activity, or a part of it, Expedition- Colombia S.A.S would only charge users the expenses corresponding to departure, without any benefit for the company, but without losing money.

5.4. Due to behavior not suitable for the activity (alcohol or drug abuse).

The activity is cancelled and the user is responsible for all costs and costs corresponding to such behavior. In no case will Expedition- Colombia S.A.S refund of the cost under these circumstances. Neither is the company liable for any damage or eventuality.

5.5. Due to altered public order: (traffic, road incident, strike, marches, presence of armed groups …)

If an event of this type occurs during the trip and we cannot carry out the activity initially planned, Expedition- Colombia S.A.S reserves the right to change the program for an activity of similar cost. If that means the total cancellation of the activity, or a part of it, Expedition- Colombia S.A.S would only charge users the expenses corresponding to departure, without any benefit for the company, but without losing money.

5.6. Due to Legal matters: (legal issues or other inconveniences in which the user may be involved) Expedition – Colombia S.A.S is not responsible for user’s legal matters. The company does not assume personal expenses created by the user. Once the activity is cancelled, Expedition – Colombia S.A.S will not refund of the amount paid

6. Taxes: VAT (Value Added Tax)

• All our prices do NOT include VAT.

6.1. VAT exemption: (non-resident foreigners with passport) at the moment of the payment, as support, they must make available to us their passport with the stamp and the date of admission to the country in order to
validate this information.  Companies or legal entities of foreign origin, must provide incorporation certificate and required identification.

6.2. No VAT exemption:

a) Natural Person: As a Colombian company we want to facilitate the participation of national tourists in our activities. That is why Expedition – Colombia S.A.S assumes 50% of the VAT value.

b) Legal Person: Must assume the full VAT value.

7. Request, claim or complaint

If you are not satisfied with the quality of the services and / or activities provided, you can contact us by writing directly to our email: info@expeditioncolombia.com, and in the subject specify: “Request, claim or complaint / your name and surname / date of activity carried out “. The company will reply within fifteen (15) business days of filing your request.

8. Operating Conditions

Expedition- Colombia S.A.S is a direct provider of certain services / field activities; any other activities or services hired by the user, are provided directly by other operating travel agencies with which Expedition- Colombia S.A.S has entered into agreements. Expedition- Colombia S.A.S is not responsible for any eventualities that may occur before, during or after the activity provided by another company with which it has entered such agreement.

In the event of total cancellation of the hired activity and / or services, for reasons other than those constituting force majeure or a fortuitous event, illness or death, or reasons are stated without evidence, price and refund condition will be applied by the following the guideline established in 3. Reservation and cancellation policy.

Paragraph 1. To guarantee reservation, a deposit of 50% of the total value of the activity, which will be
credited to the activity, is required. Paragraph 2. Once the tour has started, the non-use of a service or abandonment of the service, which is not due to force majeure, illness, or death, will not be reimbursed.

All users must have their documents in due order, and on person at all times, as established by the Colombian law.

The user, its representative or intermediary certify that they know and accept these conditions and waive any claim against the agency, the processing company or its workers, in addition to what is herein accepted.

Our staff is trained to deal with medical emergencies in remote wilderness and to stabilize and monitor a patient before they receive proper care. We have developed emergency response plans for each of our wilderness locations, but you should know there is no rescue helicopter response available in Colombia. These emergency response plans include an internal communication plan of action, as well as how we will communicate with local emergency response services. For injuries that do not require emergency response evacuation services, your guides will most likely get you safely to hospitals in major Colombian cities. You need to bring your passport on your person. Hospitals will ONLY accept you as a patient if you have your passport I.D. (NOT copy) with you.

TRAVELER’S INSURANCE THAT INCLUDES MEDICAL COVERAGE:

We highly suggest you buy additional traveler’s insurance to protect yourself in the event of an airline cancellation and trip cancellation. Buying a travel insurance policy to cover medical problems is also recommended. Check with your current medical plan about international travel policies and check with the insurance company to verify which regions of Colombia this medical coverage will be covered.

Expedition Colombia ensures staff and participants via Colasistencia insurance. Please read about this policy here: http://www.colasistencia.net/colasistencia-extremo/

You need to bring your passport on your person. In case of any accident, medical hospitals will ONLY accept you as a patient if you have your passport I.D. (NOT copy) with you.

VACCINATIONS:

Being up-to-date on routine vaccinations is always important when traveling outside of your home country. Check specific guidelines with your government and/or your physician for recommendations. Helpful links: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/colombia

There are also certain regions of Colombia that require travelers to take preventative measures for mosquito- borne illnesses, such as malaria and typhoid fever.

Before you submit your 100% non-refundable deposit, please notify Expedition Colombia of any medical condition or special diet needs. We have many ways to adapt the trip to meet your needs. 6. What kind of food is included on your tours? Can I make special requests?

Please let us know of any dietary needs or allergies at the time you book our trip. We have wonderful vegetarian and gluten-free options on our tours. Adventure tours and active holidays offer different food options:

ADVENTURE TOUR FOOD OPTIONS:

On wilderness expeditions, enjoy French cuisine prepared by Expedition Colombia’s French chef and en-route visits to local restaurants. Alcoholic beverages are not included our tours except for the champagne on board our sailing ship in Cartagena.

In small, Colombian towns we have connected to the town’s best home-cooks for you to visit with a local family and savor distinct, local specialties in addition to the tasty cuisine offered in restaurants.

On tours to coffee fincas, or farm estates, enjoy delicious Colombian meals prepared by the estate’s private state and chef.

On city tours, you have the chance to dine at a Colombian restaurant to experience Colombia’s authentic flavors.

ACTIVE HOLIDAYS FOOD OPTIONS:

Active holidays, our multi-day all-included travel itineraries, include all accommodations, breakfasts, and lunches. We share dinner recommendations depending on your taste and budget while allowing you the freedom to discover on your own and at your own expense. Alcoholic beverages are not included our tours except for the champagne on board our sailing ship in Cartagena. If you prefer to have all dinners included, send us a special request and we will be more than happy to make these arrangements.

Active Holidays include special dining attractions. In Medellin, for example, you have the option to dine with a Colombian family and meet their private ceviche chef. In Cartagena, enjoy a private chef on board your sailing boat. At the coffee finca, delight in home-cooked Colombian meals prepared by the estate’s chef and staff. On wilderness expeditions, enjoy French cuisine prepared by Expedition Colombia’s French chef and en-route visits to local restaurants.

As a solo traveler, you have the option of joining a group on any of our day or multi-day adventure tours. Rafting trips require a minimum of 4 people to a raft, so we connect solo-travelers to like-minded adventurer in order to make a once in a lifetime trip possible. As a solo traveler, you also have the option of joining guides for a private tour on any of our non-rafting adventure tours and active holidays. Private tours are exclusive, so they cost more than the prices listed on Expedition Colombia’s site.

It is obligatory to bring your passport with you on your tour. A copy of your passport will be scanned upon check-in/arrival the morning of your tour. If you need medical assistance, for any reason, you will not be treated at a Colommbian hospital if you do not have your passport with you. You will only be admitted into the hospital for treatment if you show your passport. Moreover, according to Colombian law, all foreigners need to carry an I.D. with them. Police will often check foreigners for I.D. Once on our trip, we will provide you with a safe way to store your passport, but you will always be 100% responsible for your passport. You will not be allowed to leave your valuables or passport with our staff driver or in the driver’s car.

We highly reccomend that you leave all other valuables at your hotel or home. For certain outdoor activities, like rafting, you will not be able to wear jewelry or peircings as they can cause complications or get lost.

If you want to be physically active during your travels, you want to learn along the way, you want to be taken to some of Colombia’s most spectacular natural and cultural wonders, and you want the freedom of being able to customize your travel, our tours are designed with you in mind. Please read the detailed itinerary of each tour on the website to gain a thorough understanding of travel itinerary we have curated for the adventurous and curious spirit. If you feel like adding something to the plan or taking something out based on your own research or interest, please speak with us directly by email (info@expeditioncolombia.com) or phone (310 559 8229) and we will give you the local tools needed to make your trip smooth sailing.

We offer access to many unknown destinations, often due to their remote locations, and we have our team’s expertise to thank for being able to take people to these places. Often, this makes us the only guides able to operate in these areas, which makes for truly unique cultural interactions with locals who rarely have the chance to meet with visitors from around the world.

Each of our tours includes active travel and a cultural perspective, however, certain tours highlight certain aspects more than others. For example, certain tours feature more culture than active travel. Others center around a multi-day expedition or day adventure. These aspects are indicated under each tour title along with a fitness level, ranking from 1 to 5. This fitness level is to help guests prepare for each trip’s physical activities. A fitness level of 1 indicates that you are on a relaxing break. You don’t have to worry about doing anything physically demanding unless you want to. A fitness level of 5 indicates the highest physical fitness rating. Gear up for an adrenaline-pumping expedition with plenty of adventure, challenges, and some extreme conditions. You’ll be required to be seriously fit and prepared to commit to working in a team to overcome obstacles in a wilderness setting.

Our expedition tours are physically and mentally challenging as many require you to undergo physical tasks and work as a team in a remote wilderness location. On any tour, the guides top priority is that you are safe and cared for. For this reason, we do not accept children under the age of 16 for our Samana River Trip, or children under the age of 18 for our Verde River Trip. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to speak directly with Expedition Colombia prior to booking your tour. We are always happy to make sure your expectations are met.

The fitness level rating gives you an idea of how much physical exertion is required on a particular trip. The majority of our itineraries are designed for people with an average level of fitness, but there are a few specialist tours (like trekking the Himalayas or cycling through Vietnam) that require a bit of training beforehand.

• 1 out of 5 = This trip is a relaxing break. You don’t have to worry about doing anything physically demanding unless you want to.
• 2 out of 5 = No physical fitness preparation is necessary to make the most of the journey, but enjoy some easy physical activities throughout the trip.
• 3 out of 5 = Several moderate physical activities raise your heartbeat on this trip. A good level of physical fitness is required.
• 4 out of 5 = Get ready for serious, heart-raising physical activity! The more physically fit you are, the more you’ll enjoy these challenging, committing activities.
• 5 out of 5 = The highest physical fitness rating. Gear up for an adrenaline-pumping expedition with plenty of adventure, challenges, and some extreme conditions. You’ll be required to be seriously fit and prepared to commit to working as part of a team to overcome obstacles in wilderness settings.

You can visit Colombia any time of the year as it’s equatorial tropical climate generally remains consistent. The rainy season (March to May & October to November) doesn’t drastically alter the country’s temperature, but it does raise river levels for whitewater kayaking and rafting & can limit paragliding opportunities. We operate rafting year-round, but if you prefer to visit when it’s drier, come from December to March or June to September.

Fast facts

• December to March marks the warm, dry season
• March to May & October to November are rainier
• Music, cultural festivals, events are year-round & Medellin hosts a lot of them
• To see whales migrating along Colombia’s Pacific coast, visit in July
• High tourist season includes December to February & June to August, so book in advance
• Low tourist season offers discounts for flights and accommodations

You’ll be ready to be outside all day long with Colombia’s average temperature at 45-66°F (7-19°C) inland and 75°F (24°C) along the coast. For a refreshing, consistent spring-like climate, visit Medellin any time of the year or visit the rest of Colombia from April to June or from October and November. In reality, travelers rarely notice a change in climate unless they are traveling in the wetter Amazon rainforest region, or in the Andean highlands around Bogota, where nights become chillier.

It really depends on the trip you are doing with Expedition Colombia. If it is an active holiday (over 1 week long), see a detailed packing list when you click on each day within your detailed itinerary. For example, visit https://expeditioncolombia.com//active-holiday/colombia-trekking/ and open Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, etc. of the detail itinerary.

Within the description of Day 1, you will see the following packing list:

What to Bring for Today:

• Appropriate clothing: walking shoes and rain jacket
• Sunscreen
• Camera and notebook
• Refillable water bottle

If you are going on an adventure tour (1-5 days long), see a detailed packing list when you scroll down your tour description to the CHECKLIST & click on the “What To Bring” tab. For example, visit https://expeditioncolombia.com//tours/rafting/rio-samana-rafting/ and open the tab:

WHAT TO BRING:

• good closed-toe shoes for river
• board shorts or lightweight long pants
• lightweight long sleeve shirt or t-shirt
• hat
• sunscreen
• insect repellent
• sunglasses
• headlamp
• refillable waterbottle
• 1 dry set of shoes (to change into after river trip)
• 1 dry set of clothes (to change into after river trip

In general, as you pack for Colombia consider the following general list:

• Electronics are imported & expensive, so pack your camera, charger, phone, etc. (North American outlets)
• Outdoor gear is difficult to find so bring your hiking boots, sneakers, backpack or camelback, mosquito net (to fit over the hammock provided on jungle camping)
• Refillable water bottle & water purification tablets (Medellin is the only city where tap water is potable in Colombia)
• Personal toiletries, medications, strong insect repellent (to see a doctor for a prescription it is about $65 USD & over the counter drugs are generic, inexpensive, & easy to find in local pharmacies)
• Sunscreen, sunhat, sunglasses, bathing suit (we highly recommend polarized for water sports)
• Lightweight, light colored, breathable, long-sleeve shirt & light-weight pant for tropical sun protection
• Bathing suit and layers for mountainous regions & warm hat, gloves for high-altitude treks
• Relaxed, urban wear for cultural visits in cities & some long skirts or pants for village visits.