Bogota to Salento

Day 1: Bogotá
Day 2: Ciclovía & La Candelaría 
Day 3: Bogotá - Cali - Buga (flight)
Day 4: Buga - La Unión,  60 mi. (96 km) (768 m)
Day 5: La Unión - Cerritos, 35 mi. (56 km) (658 m)
Day 6: Cerritos - Pueblo Tapao, 32 mi. (52 km) (930 m)
Day 7: Pueblo Tapao - Salento, 23 mi. (35 km) (1045 m)
Day 8:  Salento and hike Corcora Valley
Day 9: Salento to Quimbaya, 25 mi. (40 km) (585 m)
Day 10: Quimbaya to Cerritos, 26 mi. (42 km) (464 m)
Day 11: Pereira -  Bogotá (flight)

Day 1: Bogotá
Arrive in Bogotá on Saturday, transfer, and settle in at your first hotel. Bogotá is diverse and multicultural, blending the old and the new. You will find colonial architecture, next to modern, and the many parks and the Andes to the East add color and majesty. 

Accommodation: Hotel de la Opera

Day 2: Ciclovía & La Candelaría
On the schedule today is the Ciclovia. Each Sunday and public holiday from 7 am until 2 pm, certain main streets of Bogotá and other cities and municipalities are blocked from traffic for runners, skaters, and bicyclists. At the same time, stages are set up in city parks. Aerobics instructors, yoga teachers, and musicians lead people through various performances. Bogotá's weekly ciclovías are used by approximately 2 million people (about 30% of the population) on over 120 km of car-free streets.  After a historical tour through the heart of the city, you will take one of the classic bike routes to the north of the city to reach the neighborhood known as Usaquén. From the city center to Usaquén is about 14 kilometers.  During the tour you will observe how the Ciclovia is enjoyed by many citizens and is a major space for culture, recreation and sport. Once you have done the tour of Usaquén you will return to the hotel. 

After lunch at a local restaurant you will enjoy a walking tour of Candelaria.  This tour gives you an overview of Colombia's capital and provides opportunities to interact with locals, visit the most important
spots in the city, and get the max of the artistic and historical value of all the streets and alleys we walkthrough.  Candelaria district is the oldest and most important neighborhood in Bogotá.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel de la Opera

Day 3: Bogotá - Cali - Buga (flight)
After breakfast you will be transferred to from your hotel in Bogata to the airport where you will take domestic flight to Cali, which can be arranged through our partner. Upon arrival, you will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before a transfer to Buga where you will spend the night.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Guadalajara

Day 4: Buga - La Unión,  60 mi. (96 km) (768 m)
Your ride today includes a stop at a grape farm and stops at an embroidery factory, the best in Colombia. You will cycle a mostly flat surface on pavement in good condition with some speed bumps (and perhaps a few potholes), enjoying the scenery of the Cauca River Valley, a fertile área of the country with plantations of different fruits and products  The first 43 km is on a road with very little traffic, then, the route leads through the town of Cartago. From here, cycling is on a bike path for about 4 km and then on a highway with a good shoulder to get to your hotel. Lunch will be enjoyed on the road and the afternoon will be free to relax and enjoy the pool. You will have dinner at a local restaurant.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29804081

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Los Viñedos

Day 5: La Unión - Cerritos, 35 mi. (56 km) (658 m)
The day begins riding on the highway in the opposite direction from yesterday, passing through Cartago (about 17 km and mostly flat) to access a northerly route to the town of La Virginia (21 km, 8 km on gravel road mostly flat). Once you cross La Virginia you start a climb of approx 11 km to get to the hotel (medium traffic). The route will take you to a Sugar Cane plantation and you will see the processing plant for this product. Your hotel for the night is located not far from the city of Pereira, one of the main cities in the coffee región. In the afternoon, you will have time to relax, enjoy the pool and perhaps take in a massage.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/18014391

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel San Antonio del Cerro

Day 6: Cerritos - Pueblo Tapao (via Cartago - Alcalá - Quimbaya), 32 mi. (52 km) (930 m)
1 km away from the hotel you start riding on a highway, downhill with a good shoulder for about 10 km to go back to Cartago. Before entering this town, you will take the road to Alcalá (approx 20 km – with 2 uphill sections) where you will enter coffee country!! You will see the first coffee plantations on this trip. Then you will ride to Quimbaya and just before entering the town you will have a chance to take a picture of pre-Colombian objects carved on the side of the road, replicas of original pieces from the Quimbaya Culture that are now in the Gold Museum in Bogotá. Your final ride will lead to Montenegro (medium traffic) and then to Pueblo Tapao to the hotel (low traffic). Once settled at the hotel you will have a chance to walk a trail in the premises to learn about the local plants/flowers and birds (Colombia is #1 for bird species in the world).  
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17922628

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Finca Hotel La Tata

Day 7: Pueblo Tapao - Salento (via Montenegro - Circasia), 23 mi. (35 km) (1045 m)
You will continue to gain altitude and go to Salento, the oldest and one of the most beautiful towns in the coffee región. On the road to this amazing town, you will enjoy an authentic coffee experience tour at Finca El Ocaso, where you will learn everything about Colombian coffee and will have a chance to enjoy the best coffee in the world.  In the morning you begin riding 4 km on a quiet road to Montenegro and then to Circassia (climb of approx 15 km) followed by 2 km of gravel road downhill and then 12 km to Salento on gravel road including 5 km of climbing to enter the town. Dinner at a local restaurant.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29617581  

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Terrazas de Salento

Day 8:  Salento and hike Corcora Valley
Today is very special because you will have the privilege of visiting a unique place, the Cocora Valley (Valle de Cocora), which is a natural cloud forest, where the wax palm trees are the tallest in the world, unique to Colombia, and are the national tree as well. You will have a chance to hike in the valley and beyond with lots of photo ops.  You will ride a Jeep Willys from Salento to the Valley and back, just as the locals do and then you will have a chance to visit Salento and play Tejo, Colombia's crazy national sport. You will also enjoy a coffee experience tour at Café Jesus Martin in Salento. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Terrazas de Salento

Day 9: Salento to Quimbaya (via Filandia), 25 mi. (40 km) (585 m)
Cycling out of Salento, you will stop at Filandia. You will be able to appreciate a 360-degree view of the coffee landscape from the 27-meter-high Illuminated Hill Viewpoint, located on the outskirts of the municipality of Filandia on the road that leads to Quimbaya. You will also learn about one of the most important traditions of Filandia, the handicraft of basket making. A small industry made up of local families has dedicated themselves to transforming natural fibers such as vines and derivates from plants based on the development of decorative items such as baskets, containers or vases, among others. You will visit a traditional basket shop to learn about the process and buy some souvenirs. Tonight you will have dinner at a local restaurant.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29673515

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel Casa Nogales

Day 10: Quimbaya to Cerritos (via Cartago - La Virginia), 26 mi. (42 km) (464 m)
During the last day of your cycling trip, you will travel the departments of Quindío, northern Valle del Cauca and end up in Risaralda through the hills and western slopes of the central mountain range (Andes), descending up to 1.144 meters above sea level where the “La Vieja” river separates these three states. You will enjoy the rich volcanic lands where the Quimbaya culture had its highest expression, the most important goldsmiths of Colombia. The Quimbaya civilization was a Pre-Columbian culture of Colombia, noted for their gold work characterized by technical accuracy and detailed designs. The majority of the goldwork is made in tumbaga alloy, with 30% copper, which imparts meaningful color tonalities to the pieces.

Finally, you will arrive in “Cerritos”, the most desirable lands in Colombia due to its excellent climate where cold air currents that descend from the Páramo in the National Park of Los Nevados and the hot currents of the Valle del Cauca meet. Dinner at a local restaurant.
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29673537

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Hotel San Antonio del Cerro

Day 11: Pereira -  Bogotá (flight)
Today marks the end of your tour. After breakfast, you will take a private transfer from your hotel to Pereira Airport for your onward arrangements or flight back to Bogotá (scheduled at 13h42, arriving at 14:38).

Meals: Breakfast 

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Accommodation provided during this tour is in good three-star hotels. Please see each day’s detailed itinerary for the preferred accommodation that is used. Of course in the event of lack of availability, a comparable alternative will be offered.