Colombia & Panama Exclusive

You will be picked up from your hotel by private vehicle to begin your tour. La Candelaria is Bogota’s heart and soul, from its humble beginnings this is the oldest part of the city and the Plaza Bolivar (Main Square) are high on any visitor’s agenda. As you wander the streets of La Candelaria away from the main square, your guide will not only explain the history of Bogota but also the intricacies of current Colombian culture and daily life. There will be time for a refreshment stop in one of the cities coffee houses. After this short break you will head on to the Botero Museum. This is a permanent exhibition of works or art by Fernando Botero, Colombia’s most famous artist who’s "oversized” art is instantly recognisable. The museum not only houses work by Botero but also other world famous artists such as Dali, Monet and Van Gogh. You will stop in one of the local restaurant close to the square for a chance to sample some local Colombia cuisine. The next stop after lunch will be the Gold Museum. The Museum has one of the finest collections of Pre Hispanic gold in the world, with more than 35,000 pieces of pre-Colombian gold work in the collection.  Next you will visit the finest view point of Bogota, the hill top look out and monastery of Monserrate. The summit can be reached by either funicular railway or cable car. From the highest point the view across the city will enable you to see the different sectors of Bogota. The new convent is a pilgrimage site for many Colombians whom, during Easter week, make their way past the fourteen Stations of the Cross until reaching the convent at the summit.

Enjoy a private airport transfer with professional driver and guide.

Domestic flight between Bogota and Armenia with Avianca Airlines. The flight duration is approximately 1 hour.

Airport transfer with private vehicle, and driver to the Quindio Coffee Region.

Spend time at leisure to enjoy one of the many optional activities offered in the coffee region. Optional activities include: Rafting, Kayaking, Repelling, Zipling, Nevados National Park hiking, Coffee plantations, Golf, Horseback Riding, Botanical Gardens & Butterflies, San Vicente Hot Springs and more! Please speak with your Kensington Tours trip designer to book one of these tours! All optional activities are subject to additional fees.

This tour will take you from the far north of Quindío to the beautiful Valle Cocora where the magnificent wax palm grows, in one of its few natural habitats. Then onto the first settlement in Quindío of the modern era. As you enter into Filandia you know you are in the Coffee region of Colombia. The main square has not changed in appearance or in character in decades. Filandia does not have an attraction to visit; Filandia is the attraction. A coffee break in one of the many small coffee shops will allow you to take in the quaintness of uninterrupted lines of brightly painted houses in the traditional Pueblo of the region. From Filandia you will drive to the Valley Cocora. Part of the wider Parque Nacional Los Nevados, the valley is located on the eastern limits of Quindío along the central Andean range. It has been regarded by Colombia as a sanctuary for its national symbol; the Wax Palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense). The Palm fringes the Mountain range, and is now protected and declared a national tree and symbol to prevent exploitation due to the celebrations during Palm Sunday, and therefore a threat against the endemic species dependant on the palm. Salento is a municipality in the northeastern part of the department of Quindío. It was the first settlement in Quindío of the modern era, and the first municipality founded in the department. Salento is located 24 km northeast of the departmental capital Armenia. The picturesque town is located on the Northeastern corner of the department and borders other departments, Risaralda and Tolima all sharing Parque Nacional Los Nevados. From Salento you will continue on to your hotel.

This tour will give you a true impression of the life and culture encompassed by the Coffee region. Coffee is the heart and soul of this area and today you will see how this simple bean affects every part of the region. From quaint towns and stunning views, this is a full day insight into the “Triangulo Del Café”. You will also visit the National Bamboo Centre, the settlements of Cordoba, Pijao, and Buena Vista, enjoy a typical lunch and learn about the coffee process. In 1986 the regional autonomy of Quindío initiated the National Centre for the study of the Guadua Bamboo. The Centre is providing study resources and new technologies in propagation, forestry management and innovations in the use of the Bamboo in Industry. This first stop allows you to understand how this simple bamboo forms the back bone of so much that goes on in the region, from house construction to furniture and agriculture. Next you will make your way through the coffee covered hills and valleys, to your second port of call. Córdoba is one of the twelve municipalities’ that form the department of Quindío. With a sense of time standing still, the buildings are aching under their own weight and the atmosphere is one of calm. During the day many of the local inhabitants work the steep slopes amongst the coffee plantations upon which the town is dependant. It’s a great place to sit and drink a coffee whilst watching the senior gentleman of the town play billiards at the club on the corner. Pijao, the next stop is known as "The place where the Herons come" for every night herons come to roost on the highest branches or so the story goes. Many of the inhabitants will be picking the coffee whilst the rest are centre stage in the plaza sipping coffee and chatting.

After the tour of the surrounding countryside and discovering life of the people in the Triangulo Del Café, the next stop will be lunch and a very interesting visit to a Coffee finca. Here you will learn about the cultivation, classification, and preparation of Colombian coffee. You will walk through the coffee plantations and nursery and there will be an explanation as to how the plant grows and is cultivated before the final bean reaches the coffee cup. You will also have the opportunity to learn about coffee tasting, the different aromas and textures of Colombia’s most famous export.

Airport transfer with private vehicle, and driver to the Quindio Coffee Region.

Fly from Armenia to Cartagena with a connecting flight in Bogota. Flight duration is approximately 3 hours.

Includes airport transfer with private vehicle, professional driver and local guide from Airport to Hotel or within city and vice versa

You will be met at your hotel by your Bilingual guide to commence your walking tour through the streets of Cartagena. Your tour will take through the old town under the Puerta Del Reloj (Clock tower entrance), a symbol of Cartagena, into the Plaza de los Coches. Your guide will divulge the myths and legends, histories and stories of Cartagena from ancient times right up to the present. From the Plaza San Pedro Claver with its stunning Church, on through to the Plaza Bolivar; with its shady areas, where a fresh Lemon juice can be enjoyed whilst watching the world go by. Cartagena is steeped in history and a delight to stroll the streets with your own personal encyclopaedia of knowledge guiding you from one interest to the other.

You will be met by your guide and walked to your vehicle to commence your tour of the Volcan de Lodo Totumo (mud volcano). You will begin by heading an hour and a half along the costal highway to reach the site. Legend has it that the volcano was once the home of the devil and spewed hot lava; a local holy man doused the volcano in holy water vanquishing the devil and turning the hot lava in to rich mud. It’s not cold, it’s warm! It does not seem to have a bottom, and it’s impossible to sink. This is truly one of the strangest experiences you will have along the Caribbean coastline. The Volcano is 20 metres high with basic wooden steps up to its crater at the top. Slipping in to the mud may be one of the strangest things that you have done but none the less an experience to be cherished. In fits and giggles you will wallow in the grey goo and maybe even take the opportunity for a massage from one of the local masseurs. The mud is said to have exfoliation properties cleansing the skin as you have fun! From one experience to another you slither out of the mud and gingerly make your way down the other side of the Volcano. From this point there will be someone on hand to take you to the water’s edge of the Ceínega (spring) where you will be washed down in this natural lagoon. The facilities here are basic but the experience makes it well worth while.

Enjoy time at leisure to explore at your own pace, or relax at your hotel.

Includes airport transfer with private vehicle, professional driver and local guide from Airport to Hotel or within city and vice versa

Fly from Panama City to David.

Travel to Boquete by private vehicle and driver.

The International National Park La Amistad extends into Costa Rica. It covers approximately 2000 square kilometers of mountainous terrain in the Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range. The park is famous for its cloud forests, where the trees form a canopy that creates a cool, misty atmosphere on the forest floor. On your tour through this park you will enjoy more than 80 different bird species such as Reinita, the Zorzal, Ruiseñor, Jilguero, Tapaculo among others. Spend the whole day with an experienced guide from the area looking for the many species of birds and other animals.

Duration: 8 hours
Includes: Transportation from and to Boquete, English speaking driver/guide, entrance fees, picnic lunch
Bring: Hiking shoes, long pants, rainjacket, sunscreen, sunglasses, binoculars, camera, water

You will be picked up from your hotel in Boquete and transfered by private vehicle with professional English speaking driver to Almirante, and then transfered by boat to Bocas del Toro (Isla Colon)

Today's adventure begins with a short boat ride from Bocas center to Bird Island to observe a wide variety of marine life and birds that migrate to the region each year. The mainland coast and the mountain regions of Panama serve as an exquisite background for photo opportunities. You will then venture to Boca del Drago for swimming, snorkeling and lunch at a popular restaurant on the tip of Isla Colon (lunch not included). Enjoy the white sand beach and culture that this location has to offer. The full afternoon will be spent at Starfish Beach and a chance to see starfish in the sea. You will go to a beautiful area called the Playa Estrella ""pool"" for swimming, snorkeling and nature watching. In the late afternoon your adventure returns to Bocas Town.

Airstrip transfer to/from hotel.

Fly from Bocas del Toro to Panama City

Airport transfer with private vehicle, and English speaking professional driver.

Your English speaking guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you on a private tour to Panama City and the Miraflores Locks. You will start the tour with a 30 minutes drive to Miraflores to see the huge vessels passing the Panama Canal. The busiest hours are from 9am to 10am and from 2pm to 5pm, so you will be able to see many ships getting lifted or lowered 16 meters in two distinct steps. You will enjoy the view on the Locks from a sheltered terrace and listen to the explanations of your guide. To complete the visit of the Canal you will visit the Museum and Visitor Center at Miraflores which gives you a good idea on the construction of the Canal – a masterpiece of engineering. You will also learn about the history of the canal and its significance for Panama and the entire world trade as well as on the current expansion project. After the visit to the Canal you continue with your guide to the Amador Causeway, a road that connects three Islands in the Pacific Ocean and offers magnificent views on the Canal on one side and on the skyline of Panama City on the other side. The tour continues to the Casco Viejo, Panama City’s colonial quarter. At the Casco Viejo you feel set back in time as you admire the lovely colonial houses, the narrow roads and the impressive churches. You will get a good idea about Panama’s history by driving or walking through the main attractions of this quarter.

Pick up at your hotel private transfer for 45 minute to the town of Gamboa where the Panama Canal Dredging Division is located. Once in Gamboa, you will aboard the cruise ship to start the water portion of the tour (shared boat). You will enter the canal at the north end of the Gaillard Cut, where the Chagres River flows into the canal. The Gaillard Cut (also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake) is one of the main points of interest for visitors because it was carved through the Continental Divide and this section of the Canal is full of history and geological value. Your boat will travel the Cut's 13.7 kilometers on the way to Pedro Miguel Locks. As you transit the Cut you will be able to appreciate the continuous maintenance that this area requires, because it is very susceptible to landslides. In this area you will also be able to observe the work in process for the Panama Canal expansion project. Before reaching the Pedro Miguel Locks at the southern end of the Cut, you will be able to view the new Centennial Bridge which crosses over the Canal. Next, your ship will enter Pedro Miguel Locks, which is one of the two sets of locks on the Pacific side, and here the vessel is lowered 9 meters in one step. You will then enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Pedro Miguel from Miraflores Locks, the latter being the final set of locks before reaching the Pacific Ocean. At Miraflores Locks the vessel is lowered 16 meters in two distinct steps. Once in the Pacific Ocean the vessel will sail to the beautiful Flamenco Marina where passengers disembark. On the way to Flamenco, you will pass under the Bridge of the Americas, and later, you will be able to admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City's splendorous skyline. Upon arrival at Flamenco you will be transferred back to your city hotel.

Duration: 6 hours Includes: Transportation from and to Panama City Hotel, English speaking guide, lunch, soft drinks and water
Bring: Comfortable clothes and shoes, camera, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses

NOTE: depending on dates transit could be northbound or southbound

Airport transfer with private vehicle, and English speaking professional driver.