Best Of

My departure was a group of 19 guests. Our TD was organized, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and attentive. This tour highlights the people of Colombia working to unite, revitalize, and transform their country with a focus on music, arts and resources.

Guides and Transportation: We had 2 local guides for each city. With specialty guides at the Botero Museum, Capilla del Rosario (coffee), Normandia Equestrian Center, and Comuna 13.
We were transported in 2 vans (very comfortable seating), except the days we had a flight then a bus was used. Traffic in every city was congested with narrow streets and motorcycles veering between vehicles. There was no WiFi in the vans or buses. There was no assigned seating on the vans or bus, nor did you have to use the same van everyday.

Flights: Avianca Airline on A320 planes. Coach seating. No delays. Both flights departed about 7pm. An hour flight wheels up to down to Medillin and a little longer to Cartagena.
Luggage pull was 7am. Our luggage was already at the airports when we arrived with baggage claim tickets and boarding passes ready. Usual security procedures to get to the departure gate.

Food: Breakfast buffets at the hotels were nice. Opened at 6am.
Lunches and dinners were all excellent. The food was always fresh, creative, well presented and delicious. Each location was a lovely dining experience. In Medellin our dinner view was rooftop overlooking the city and its twinkling lights. Live music at some restaurants.

Safety: You are always in the Tauck bubble. There isn't much free time. The days start at 8am with the exception of a 7:45am and another at 9:30am.
I never felt unsafe. Our local guides always reminded us to be aware of pickpockets when we were in congested walking areas.
Cartagena was very crowded due to cruise ships in port during the day.

Weather: Bogota 65 and mostly cloudy. Medellin 70 and partly cloudy. Cartagena 90+ sunny and humid. No rain (but it was forecasted everyday).

Currency and shopping: There really isn't any designated "shopping" time available besides some free time in Guatape and at one rest area. There are street stalls and vendors in every city. I was able to purchase a print I saw in an art store in Coumna 13 while on our walking tour. I was able to buy it and wrapped before I was out of range of my Vox. There are also gift shops at the coffee plantation, equestrian center, both music venues, and the museums. Credit cards are accepted. The USD is not accepted in Bogota or Medellin, but I did see USD pricing in Cartagena. The TD let guests know where ATM's are. I did see a money exchange office at the Santa Clara hotel.
I brought Peso with me. If you make any small transactions you will need their currency.

Comparing this tour to the other 13 I have taken with Tauck (Egypt forever #1) Colombia is in the top half of my list.
The tour was active, fun and informative. The cities are vibrant, beautiful and growing with new construction.
Each day was an adventure through Colombia. All the activities and sights were well planned and enjoyable.
I hope this sums up the logistics of the tour since it is new this year. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer if I can.