Colombia by Road: From the Andes to the Caribbean
Medellín - Jericó - Salento - Cartagena - Sierra Nevada
14 days
From 3,000 to 3,700 USD per person
Colombia changes character as you travel through it. The shift is not always gradual; sometimes it happens over a single morning’s drive. Within an hour, the temperature can drop, the forest thickens as the road climbs into the clouds, and then the coast appears, bringing a different quality of air.
This is Colombia discovered on the road. From the hill towns of Antioquia to the coffee-growing highlands, from Cartagena’s walled city to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, this 14-day journey combines two self-drive legs with a domestic flight, revealing the country’s changing landscapes along the way.
YOU’LL LOVE :
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The freedom of the open road — Travel at your own pace, stop in the towns that catch your eye, and let each day unfold naturally. The route combines mountain roads with main highways, with time to stop along the way and explore at your own pace.
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From the Andes to the Caribbean — Mountain roads, coffee-growing landscapes, brightly painted towns and tropical scenery, all the way to the sea.
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Walking and hiking at your own pace — Explore independently or with local guides, from the hills around Jericó to the Cocora Valley and Tayrona National Park, with routes that take you beyond the busiest trails.
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A soundtrack for the road — we have put together a playlist inspired by Colombia’s Caribbean coast to accompany you along the way.
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A dedicated concierge throughout — From itinerary adjustments and boarding passes to local recommendations and last-minute reservations, our team is on hand throughout your journey.
DAY 1
Medellín, first impressions
Arrive in Medellín and transfer to Quinta Ladera, in the El Poblado neighbourhood.
Tucked behind unassuming walls, the hotel’s terraced garden descends towards the valley. From the upper terrace, the city unfolds below. Come evening, El Poblado offers plenty of options for a first dinner, just a few blocks from the hotel.
DAY 2
Beyond the usual Comuna 13
Enjoy a free morning to explore El Poblado on foot.
Comuna 13 is well known for its outdoor escalators, vivid murals and story of urban transformation. But there is more to the neighbourhood than the images that have made it famous. This afternoon, look beyond the familiar sights to the artists’ studios, social enterprises and community leaders whose work has helped shape its transformation. Rather than a conventional sightseeing tour, this experience offers a chance to meet some of the people behind the neighbourhood’s transformation and gain a more grounded perspective on life there today.
DAY 3
Jericó, into the hills of Antioquia
Collect your rental car in El Poblado and set off southwest. The road winds through the hills of Antioquia, climbing and descending through a landscape that seems to fold in on itself, until Jericó comes into view.
Whitewashed façades, wooden balconies overflowing with flowers and steep streets that invite you to slow down: Jericó is one of Antioquia’s most appealing towns and remains relatively little known to international visitors. Spend the night at El Despertar, a hotel rooted in regional architecture, with considered proportions, local materials and a quiet sense of place.
DAY 4
Jericó, seen from above
Spend the day hiking in the mountains surrounding Jericó. Follow trails through the hills, pass scattered farms and take in far-reaching views that reveal themselves one step at a time.
Return to town in the late afternoon, with time for a coffee in the main square before the day winds down.
DAY 5
Into coffee country
Continue south, descending into the Cauca River valley before climbing back into the department of Quindío and on to Salento.
Gran Azul — Cabaña 5 Elementos — sits in the hills above Salento, where mornings are cool and clear. Below, coffee plants trace the contours of the hills across a landscape recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The town is just a short walk downhill, but the cabin offers something different: quiet, cool mountain air and the feeling of being immersed in the landscape rather than simply looking out over it.
DAY 6
Cocora Valley, at your own pace
A short drive takes you to the Cocora Valley, where you can set off on the trail at your own pace. The path winds through cloud forest and climbs towards Acaime, a hummingbird sanctuary where several species dart between feeders in a blur of colour and movement.
On the way back down, the wax palms begin to appear: impossibly tall and slender, rising into the clouds. Only then does the sheer scale of the valley fully come into view.
DAY 7
High-altitude coffee and Filandia
Spend the morning at a working high-altitude coffee farm, following the process from coffee cherry to cup before sitting down for a tasting.
In the afternoon, make your way to Filandia whenever you feel like it. Smaller and quieter than Salento, the town is known for its colourful architecture and a hilltop lookout with sweeping views across the surrounding countryside.
DAY 8
From the Andes to the Caribbean
Drive to Pereira Airport and return your rental car before boarding your flight to Cartagena. On arrival, transfer to the historic centre.
The mountains give way to the sea. Inside the old city walls, the afternoon sun warms the stone façades, narrow streets offer welcome pockets of shade, and the air carries the scent of salt. Casa Cytia is set in a restored colonial house in the heart of the historic centre.
DAY 9
Cartagena, with nowhere in particular to be
Leave the day open and let Cartagena set the pace. Wander between plazas, admire the balconies, browse independent boutiques or settle into a terrace once the heat of the day begins to ease.
Later in the afternoon, make your way to the city walls. Beyond the ramparts, the Caribbean stretches towards the horizon as the sun sets over the bay.
DAY 10
The story of salsa
Santiago comes from a family deeply rooted in Cartagena’s artistic scene. Today, he welcomes guests into his home, a place steeped in that history, for an intimate evening accompanied by a live singer.
The story begins in 1920s Cuba and unfolds across two hours of musical history, tracing the sounds that travelled through Havana, New York, Cali and Cartagena, each leaving its mark on the rhythm we know today. By the time you step back out into the street, the music drifting from nearby bars and doorways seems to carry a little more meaning.
DAY 11
On the way to the Sierra Nevada
Collect your second rental car at Cartagena Airport and follow the coast towards Santa Marta. Along the way, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta rises unexpectedly above the Caribbean, its peaks forming the world’s highest coastal mountain range.
Arrive at Casa Origen, in Barlovento, where the mountains and the sea meet on the horizon.
DAY 12
Tayrona National Park
Spend the day exploring Tayrona National Park independently. Arrive early, before the heat sets in, and follow the trail through the jungle, where howler monkeys move through the canopy and shafts of sunlight filter through the trees. Eventually, the forest opens onto the first stretch of beach.
By mid-morning, you can reach Cabo San Juan, where the Caribbean coast feels close and untamed. The water is an almost improbable shade of blue, best understood when you're standing at its edge.
Good to know: Tayrona National Park closes for several weeks each year, including periods in February, June and October, to allow Indigenous communities of the Sierra Nevada to carry out spiritual and cultural practices. We plan travel dates around these closures.
DAY 13
Meeting the Arhuaco
Spend your final full day further into the mountains. Take a swim in natural river pools, then meet members of an Arhuaco community.
The visit offers an opportunity for conversation and to learn about a worldview in which rivers sustain life, mountains hold ancestral memory, and the wellbeing of the Sierra Nevada is inseparable from the balance of the wider world. The encounter takes place at the community’s pace and with respect for its customs and way of life.
PRICE INCLUDES
Accommodation:
13 nights — Quinta Ladera (2), El Despertar (2), Gran Azul — Cabaña 5 Elementos (3), Casa Cytia (3) and Casa Origen (3).
Domestic flight:
Pereira to Cartagena.
Transfers:
Medellín Airport to hotel; Cartagena Airport to hotel.
Experiences:
Experiences: An alternative perspective on Comuna 13; a visit to a high-altitude coffee farm with tasting; The Story of Salsa evening; a visit with an Arhuaco community; and time to swim in natural river pools.
Car rental:
Medellín to Pereira Airport (6 days) and Cartagena Airport to Santa Marta Airport (4 days).
