2 Weeks in Colombia - 4 Unique Itinerary Ideas

Colombia in 2 Weeks

With 14 days you can really get off the beaten path in Colombia, as this is enough time to make treks or jeep tours in remote areas. Below we have listed two such itineraries, one that focuses on the Caribbean Coast and another on southwest Colombia. Alternatively, you could visit several regions, making your way between Colombia's major urban and cultural centers. If you are up for an adventure, options include bike touring or a multi-day trek. 

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#1 Urban experiences, coffee farms and Cartagena

This two-week itinerary is a great choice if it’s your first time to Colombia and you want to cover the urban highlights, some great beaches and historical sites. Start out in the capital Bogotá to experience surprising excellent museums and offbeat tours, such as the graffiti tour. 

Move on to the Coffee Country by air or bus for a few days of plantation tours, hiking, and hot springs. There is good hiking in bike riding near the town of Salento. From Pereira or Manizales, travel to Medellín to enjoy excellent food and nightlife, and some outlying pueblos for about three days. A great day trip takes you to Guatapé, where you can hike up the spectacular Piedra del Peñol. 

Next, travel north to Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, where you can experience some of the best beaches in the country plus go on hikes into the jungle. A visit to an indigenous community is also possbiel here. From Tayrona, make your way to Cartagena and tour this magnificent Spanish colonial city. During your visit, you’ll day trip to the Rosario Islands, explore the city and sample some excellent seafood. 

#2 Best of the Caribbean Coast

This two-week itinerary allows you to see the best sights along the Caribbean coast. This includes the magnificent Walled City of Cartegena, a hike to the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida), beaches of Tayrona and the eerie deserts of the Guajira peninsula.

Begin with a flight to Cartagena and explore the city and nearby attractions for three days. You’ll visit the colonial-era architectural treasures in the Walled City and its surrounding forts and monasteries.

Next, continue west along the Caribbean coast to Santa Marta, the jumping off point for your trek to Ciudad Perdida. The round-trip trek to the Lost City takes 4-5 days. After your trek, spend a night in Parque Nacional Tayrona, a combination of rainforest and tropical coastline. 

Continue west to the remote La Guajira Peninsula, the northernmost point on the continent. In this stark but stunning landscape, you can visit rocky deserts that meet the shore, mangrove swamps, and small fishing villages inhabited by the Wayuu people. Along the way, you’ll spot pink flamingos and experience star-filled night skies.

The gateway into the Peninsula is Riohacha, where you can spend a night and organize a two-day driving tour of the area. The 4x4 trip begins with a drive to Cabo de la Vela, on the way you’ll explore old salt mines at Manaure. Cabo de la Vela has a number of pleasant, locally-owned guesthouses that mainly consists of beachside huts and hammocks.

The following day you can enjoy lunch on a farm and then visit the majestic dunes of Taroa, where the golden sands spread away from the sea. Spend the rest of the day swimming in the sea and then make a sunset visit to the Punta Gallinas lighthouse. You can camp overnight or stay in a guesthouse in Punta Gallinas.

Return to Santa Marta for a day trip of sailing on the Caribbean before departure.

#3 Medellín, Coffee Country & Archaeological Sites

This 14-Day itinerary gives you a taste of the Colombian urban experience in Medellín, rural life in the Coffee Country and important archaeological sites constructed by indigenous people more than 2000 years ago. It finishes with a trip to the unique badlands at Desierto de la Tatacoa.

Begin your trip with a three-day tour of Medellín, exploring its parks, museums, public artwork and terrific nightlife. Take advantage of the city's Metrocable (gondola) to visit some of the remote barrios on the outskirts of town. Spend one day around the delightful holiday town of Guatapé, where you can climb to the top of Piedra del Peñol, a towering dome of granite. 

Next, travel to Coffee Country, where you can make visits to fincas (farms) to learn about the coffee production process and stay in some lovely haciendas. There are several small towns in this area, such as Salento and Filandia, where you can relax, enjoy Colombian rural life and go horse riding or mountain biking. Don’t miss the hot springs at Termales San Vicente or a chance to hike in the Cocora  Valley. 

From the Coffee region, continue south to Cali, which is worth a day for city exploration and sizzling nightlife. From Cali it’s on to the departments of Cauca and Huila. Begin your visit with a stop in Popayan, the White City, which is second only to Cartagena for its colonial-era buildings and beauty.

From Popayan, continue five hours to the archaeological park near San Agustín, which contains more than 130 sculptures carved from the volcanic rock, some dating back nearly 2500 years. Next, make a visit to Tierradentro, another important archaeological site of intricately decorated tombs and statues. There is excellent hiking around Tierradentro for walkers.

Return to Bogotá via Neiva, where you can spend a night at Desierto de la Tatacoa, an incredible landscape of eroded cliffs that look like the Badlands of South Dakota. This is a great area for stargazing. Accommodation is available in nearby Villavieja. It's 310 km from Neiva to Bogotá, and you can opt for a short flight or a 5-hour bus ride. 

#4 Outdoor Adventuring in Colombia

Hikers, climbers, bikers and other adventurists wanting to adventure their way across Colombia will be spoilt for choice. 

There are many great areas for high altitude hikes, but one of the best is the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, a mountain range that boasts stunning snowcapped mountains, glaciers, huge waterfalls and alpine lakes. There are 15 peaks here over 5000m in height. Getting here, however, involves an 11-hour bus ride from Bogotá, so you'll need to get an early start.

Begin this 14-Day itinerary with a day in the capital Bogotá, plus a day trip to Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira. Then travel through Raquira, also known as “the pottery capital of Colombia”,  before arriving in Villa de Leyva for an overnight in this quaint colonial town. 

This trip continues with a journey to the village of El Cocuy (population 5400), the jumping off point for Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy. There are lots of day and multi-day hikes in the national park and you could easily spend three or four nights here, provided you are well-equipped with camping and hiking gear. Tour operators lead treks in the area and can supply equipment. 

From El Cocuy, travel to Medellín via Bucaramanga. In Medellín, you'll find a number of activities to enjoy around the city, including paragliding, horse riding and mountain biking close to the city. Next, continue to Río Claro Nature Reserve for a day of caving and hiking in river canyons. Then head back to Medellín for more adventures – if you like rock climbing, this is possible at Piedra del Peñol, a 200m tall granite monolith near Guatapé.

For more ideas, check out all of our 14-day tours and itineraries.