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Tracy Reller and her family hiking among wax palm trees in the Cocora Valley.
Boris’ office planned a two-week trip to Colombia in July for my 19-year-old son, husband and I. They did a great job explaining the options, possible experiences and timing needed for the locations. We chose to visit 5 areas—Bogota (2 nights), the coffee region, Medellin, Tayrona and Cartagena, spending 3 nights in most of them. While we felt that was a good amount of time in each area, we probably scheduled too many activities as we definitely did not have much down time. If I had to do over, I would not schedule activities in Tayrona along the northern coast. It was a great place to relax and activities not as interesting as others we did around the country. Colombia is a beautiful country with incredibly varied landscapes, amazing agricultural bounty (mostly done by hand—saw only 1 tractor the entire time), wonderfully creative, fresh and delicious food everywhere and warm locals willing to share their stories.
Boris’ team arranged activities that we either wouldn’t have been able to do on our own or wouldn’t have been the same. They turned out to be some of our favorite experiences. For example, we toured two different poor neighborhoods in Medellin (comuna 13 and Santa Domingo) with Spanish-speaking neighborhood leaders involved in the graffiti art transforming the neighborhood (with our Medellin guide acting as translator). It was fascinating to see these communities up close and to hear their stories of the violence and hopes for the future. Another favorite experience was visiting very different markets used by locals. First Paloquemao in Bogota—very clean, well organized, items from produce to meats/fish to home goods and flowers beautifully presented. That was in contrast to the Barzuto market in Cartagena, where we seemed to be the only tourists navigating the dirt floors, tight winding walkways though makeshift stalls, fish and meat sitting in open hot temperatures with a French chef shopping for our cooking lesson (we only bought produce there). It was a sight to see! Finally, we would not have known about some amazing restaurants we visited for lunch that were not even in our itinerary. One of those restaurants, in Bogota, didn’t even have a sign out front but our guide knocked and was welcomed in. Our hotels were all wonderful and a welcome respite at the end of every day—most outstanding were Four Seasons Casa Medina in Bogota, Hacienda Buenavista in coffee region, Villa Play Tayrona and Casa San Agustin Cartagena.
Our guides were wonderful and really added to our experience—particularly Byron in Bogota, Froilan in Medellin and Juliano in Tayrona. They were intelligent, interesting and informative. It’s a gift to get to spend time with a local, get to know them and share details about our lives. We gain a better understanding of a country and its people with a guide rather than just crossing tourist sites off a list.
We we thrilled with our trip to Cartagena from Boris and his team. (1) Everything went flawlessly, and it really was great to have the same guide and driver every day. (2) The hotel (Casa San Agustin) was the most wonderful hotel we have ever stayed in with the combination of its history, the service, and the design. (3) The restaurants suggested were the perfect combination of unique and delicious. And (4) everyone we interacted with was kind, welcoming, and eager to answer our questions. I think Colombia is a very special place that has these characteristics itself, but having Boris and his team made the trip just even more special and easy.
We just spent 10 days in Colombia visiting Bogota, Medellin and Cartegena. Boris and his team put together a wonderful trip for us taking into consideration everything we were interested in.
Our guides in all the cities were interesting, knowledgeable, flexible and seemed to be enjoying themselves with us.
We asked for the trip to provide a contemporary art experience and it did. We visited galleries, museums and an artist’s studio.
The hotels we stayed in were beautiful and exceptionally accommodating. The restaurant recommendations were excellent. Who knew that Colombia had such sophisticated and delicious food?
We spent most of our time in cities and hope to return to see the countryside.
Plan a trip to Colombia with Boris. You won’t be disappointed.
Boris and his team put together a fantastic trip to Colombia for my wife and me, a country we had not yet visited. Contrary to what people may think based on past history, Colombia was very safe, but very busy, and we were well looked after by excellent guides. Our trip started in Bogota with an easy direct day flight from New York. Three nights there allowed us to explore the city, its food and the amazing gold museum. Boris’ office arranged a private art tour which included access to a private opening of the works of the famous Colombian artist Jim Almaral, where we met him and his more famous wife Olga de Amaral. For a change in pace we then spent a night in Villa de Leyva, a national heritage site with a stop in Zipaquira to see the spectacular underground salt cathedral. Next stop was Medellin with visits to Communa 13, with an understanding of conflict and cacao, and a visit to a large orchid collection. Four nights in the coffee country, staying in a wonderful hacienda, allowed us to explore that area, including a rafting trip, a visit to a coffee plantation and a day out with an excellent birding guide. The final stop was Cartagena, where we stayed in the Casa San Augustin in the middle of the old city; great for walking around the old areas with activities such as a rum and chocolate tasting, a private cooking class in one of the best restaurants and a salsa dancing lesson. An easy 5 hr direct day flight took us back to New York. Colombia is a country well worth a visit, even though it does not seem to be on the radar screens of many of our acquaintances, and Boris and his team are a great asset for organizing a diverse and interesting trip.