Colombia 2026 Travel Photos
2026 Trip to Colombia
March 18 to 29th, 2026
Our trip to Colombia went from high country (Bogota) to Valley (Cocora) and finally to shore (Cartagena)
Bogota
Before the Adventure Life tour began, Jaime, our Bogota native companion, suggested a visit to the National Museum. This building was once a prison, structured as a Panopticon, but now has a great collection of both historical and modern art exhibits.
On the tour, we took a funicular railway up Monserrate, then worked our way up to the church on top, on a path marked with statues depicting the Stations of the Cross:
We walked through the historic La Candeleria district, followed by visits to an exhibition of Botero's paintings, and the small but impactful "Fragmentos" exhbition:
The visit to the Gold Museum was brief, but there were beautiful native gold works on display:
On the way to the Salt Cathedral, we stopped at the small towns of Tenjo (known for its UFO sighting!) and Tabio:
The Salt Cathedral was beautiful, strange and surreal. Once again, the Stations of the Cross were depicted, this time by very abstract sculptures cut in the salt mines. (After the Salt Cathedral, a few of us made to a performance of "Las Brujas de Salem", a Spanish language play based on "The Crucible")
Cocora Valley
We flew from Bogota to Armenia, and made our first stop the Quindio Botanical Garden, learning about the birds, butterflies and plants (especially Guadua bamboo!)
Staying in Sazagua, we got in jeeps for a hike at "Parque Natural Bosque de Palmas" after a visit to rainy but pretty town of Salento
Another trip in the valley took us to Finca Jasmin, where we collectively cooked our lunch, and were also treated to a demonstration of small batch coffee roasting and prepartion:
Some of us went on a chocolate tasting, but after a wait for the rain to clear, I went with the group picking coffee and going through the process on a larger finca. Finally, our Adventure Life hosts treated us to a feast of local fruits in Barbas Bremen.
Medellin
Flying from Pereira to Medellin, we took the Metrocable gondola to get an overview of the city, stopping at the vibrant Comuna 13 district. Returning to the city center, we walked through a small botanical garden then took in the Botero sculptures in the plaza:
A day trip from Medellin took us to Guatape, where hundreds of steps lead up a mountain to wonderful views of the surrounding area:
Cartagena
From Medellin, we flew to Cartagena, on the Carribean. The National Aviary there had an enormous variety of birds:
After the aviary, the Fort which historically defended Cartagena, was a great way to see the whole city.
Nearer our hotel, we toured the historic area, which was frequently filled with music and processions. The trip ended with a Catamaran cruise out to the Rosario Islands area in the Carribean: