I just got back from celebrating my birthday during the most incredible Here & Now Travel Colombia trip! My husband and I booked the trip with the Houston-born travel company, Here & Now Travel, which plans adventurous group travel trips for young professionals. The trip was meticulously planned and allowed me to thrive as a passenger princess as we explored incredible Caribbean beaches, stunning mountain towns, and lush South American jungles.

The Here & Now Travel Colombia itinerary shows you the best of the country with stops in Medellin “the city of eternal spring” cradled in the mountains and the coastal gem of colorful Cartagena along the Caribbean Sea. Here’s a recap of my 7-days in Colombia with Here & Now Travel.

I love supporting local businesses (both in Houston & abroad!), you can get $180 OFF your next trip with Here & Now Travel. They have upcoming trips to Cuba, Guatemala, Iceland, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Colombia and more. Use the code “HOU180” and book before December 4, 2024 to save! If you’re reading this after the Travel Tuesday sale ends, use code “HOU100” for $100 off.

What to Do in Colombia

The 7-day Here & Now Travel Colombia itinerary was meticulously planned and included all the highlights you’d want to see in the fabulous cities of Medellin and Cartagena. I booked United code-share flights with Copa Airlines from Texas and connected through Panama. We spent 3 nights in Medellin and 3 nights in Cartagena. All tours and activities and in-country transportation were covered by the Here & Now. At night we had the option to do our own thing for dinner.

What to do in Medellin

I’m particularly obsessed with how Here & Now planned the itinerary, because it’s exactly the way I like to plan travel: avoiding touristy places, staying active, eating authentic food and getting to hang out with locals. We traveled with a local guide, Manu, who is from Medellin and she made the trip so fun! I practiced my Spanish with her and took all her recommendations for dinner. Below are some of the highlights of activities we did in Medellin.

Comuna 13

Formerly considered the most dangerous neighborhood of Medellin and territory of Pablo Escobar and cartels, Comuna 13 is a mountainside neighborhood that has undergone a massive transformation over the last 30 years and is now famous for street art, views of the city and for being a symbol of the social progress of Medellin and Colombia as a whole. The architecture is particularly unique with steep hills and homes build into the cliffs. We took escalators up to the top, enjoyed Colombian beers from a vendor, saw a dance troupe, tons of artists and took panoramic photos with the iconic hands hands on the hillside at @origencomuna13.

Cable Cars

After Comuna 13, we took a quick gondola trip around the city. Because of the unique topography of the city, Medellin has six cable car lines as part of their public transportation. We got incredible views of the city that the locals enjoy everyday on their commutes.

Coffee Tasting & Tour

One afternoon, we drove up to Capilla del Rosario for a coffee tasting and tour of the farm. We tried coffees made by two methods: pour over and french press. One of the coffees we tried was made from Laurina beans — the only naturally decaf coffee in the world. We had incredible views of the valley of Medellin and rainbow even greeted us upon arrival!

Guatapé & La Piedra

One of my favorite stops was a day trip we took from Medellin to Guatapé. We drove about 2 hours to El Peñón de Guatapé and climbed 700 steps to the top of a very unique rock for breathtaking views of the Guatapé lake region. I tried my first michelada con mango here (very different from what we made in the states) and spent the afternoon exploring the colorful streets of Guatapé. I loved the little motochiva street cars and vibrant streets decorated with umbrellas and streamers and zocalos art. As is my tradition, I bought a chic woven Christmas ornament at a shop called Zokalos “Live Your History”.

What to do in Cartagena

Here & Now Travel booked us flights from Medellin to Cartagena and we hopped on a quick little jet to the second destination on our itinerary. Manu, our local guide, continued on with us and enhanced our trip with stories, tips and recommendations.

Old Town Cartagena

Cartagena is unlike any other city I’ve traveled. We stayed in the old town, which is a partially walled city with cobblestone streets and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The town’s colorful buildings have distinctive wooden balconies with beautiful vines and flowering trees climbing the walls. Wandering through the old town was such a highlight. I felt like I was on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean. We watched sunset over the ocean from the city walls. Several people bought art from the Getsemani neighborhood. We took pictures with the iconic Palenque women in their flowing skirts and balanced bowls of fruit. We saw a sloth in the city park! And we picked up souvenir linen shirts from Portomar. The rooftop views from our hotel and restaurants we visted were breathtaking and so unique.

El Totumo Mud Volcano

The most wild thing we did on the trip was a mud bath at El Totumo, an active volcano outside of Cartagena. Known to have healing properties, the mud volcano is a rite of passage for all travelers. I’ve never done anything like it! The mud was the perfect temperature — not to hot and not too cold. It felt like what I imagine was the consistency of Nickelodeon slime. It was super dense, hard to move in, and impossible to sink in. We floated in it for about 30 minutes before being washed down by locals in a river. A super unique experience that I don’t think you can find anywhere else in the world! Here & Now nailed this experience because we went early in the day and skipped the long lines that had formed by 10am.

Island Boat Tour

We did a full-day island boat tour with Bona Vida Catamarans! The catamaran made two stops —Isla Marina and Pendales. We jumped off the side of the boat, snorkeled, and swam to little inlet beaches. Locals paddled to the boat in kayaks and sold fresh coconuts and oysters. The boat served drinks, had a DJ, and served up a delicious paella lunch with fresh salad and fruit. Absolutely delightful from start to finish. The turquoise blue of the water and beautiful Cartagena skyline were such highlights!

Where We Stayed

Here & Now Travel uses boutique hotels in both Cartagena and Medellin, which are perfectly located for walking to all of the best restaurants, shops and bars. I felt super safe in each hotel and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Hotel Du Parc

In Medellin, we stayed 3 nights at Hotel Du Parc. Our room had two king size beds and a full kitchen. Each morning, we started our day with a beautiful breakfast spread of traditional Colombian fruits, breads, tortillas, empanadas, and fresh omelets. They also served up mimosas made with fresh Colombian fruits.

Casa La Fe

In Colombia, we stayed at Casa La Fe. The hotel lobby opened up to a stunning open air courtyard where we had breakfast each morning. The fourth floor was a rooftop with a plunge pool, lounge chairs and a bar. The views were incredible and I spent a lot of our downtime reading and relaxing with views of the city.

What to Eat in Colombia

Everything we ate in Colombia was so beautiful and fresh. Every place we visited was super vegetarian and vegan friendly as well. My vegan dishes were always filled with incredible color and intention (in some ways, way better than options I find in the states). Always one to indulge in the local delights and immerse myself in the culture, here are some Colombian foodie bites I recommend you try when you visit:

• Aguardiente – anises liquor 
• Arepas — authentic ones are con huevo or with egg
• Club Colombia Rojo or Durado (Colombian beer)
• Granadilla – best when cracked open on your head
• Jugo fresa – fresh juice with mint and pineapple 
• Michelada with fresh mango 
• Coco Loco — sold beach side in the ocean

Where we ate in Medellin

• Pueblito Paisa — replica of a typical turn of the century Antioquia town
• Mamasita Medallo– typical Colombian dishes with live music and chic decor
• Envy Rooftop — breathaking rooftop bar
• Bárbaro – for the meat lovers
• El Portal — typical Colombian lunch in Guatape

Where we ate in Cartagena

• Casa Cruxada — courtyard lunch
• Crepes y Waffles San Pedro — local loved spot
• Townhouse — sunset, rooftop drinks
• La Cevicheria — blessed by Anthony Bourdain
• Alquimico— live music and cocktails
• Cafe Havana — salsa dancing
• Mistura Cartagena — Colombian Asian fusion

Why Book the Here & Now Travel Colombia Trip

Here & Now Travel is a Houston-born company run by Texas A&M grads! I first traveled with the owners Alex & Elise in 2020 to Costa Rica when they ran 8 trips pre-pandemic. Despite pausing all travel during covid, I love that they grew and expand their trip offerings over the last 4 years. They ran 45 trips in 2024 with 500+ travelers!

Each time I’ve traveled with Here & Now Travel I was the ultimate passenger princess. Their motto is “Join a Trip, Meet New People, Plan Nothing.” And they live up to it! I literally just booked flights, looked at the packing list provided and showed up.

Below are some more perks of traveling with Here & Now Travel:

• 95% of travelers fall within the age range of 25 – 39 years old
• 60% of the travelers join solo
• Travelers tend to be more of a drinks after dinner crowd vs. rage all night long
• Trips are filled with young professional types – engineers, sales, marketing, finance, etc.
• All the trips are designed to take advantage of weekends and holidays to maximize people’s PTO
• The itineraries are incredible well crafted and each day has an ideal mix of active adventures, driving in the van, and downtime.
• You can reschedule a trip and transfer deposits to another trip 30 days prior if you need to!
• Local guides that run the trips are incredible, knowledgeable and super fun with great recs!
• Trips are kept small — under 14 people — so you get into some super fun, local places

Our Colombia trip had lots of repeat travelers, which is a testament to how fabulously curated they are. It’s super easy to make friends as well. We are already planning a Colombia-trip reunion at one of the other traveler’s wedding in Brazil next year!

You can get $180 OFF your next trip with Here & Now Travel. They have upcoming trips to Cuba, Guatemala, Iceland, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Colombia and more. Use the code “HOU180” and book before December 4, 2024 to save!

Here & Now Travel Colombia Tips

Because we booked with Here & Now Travel, Colombia was incredibly easy to navigate. Here are some general tips to keep in mind when planning your Here & Now Colombia trip.

• Altitude – coming from Texas, I’m always thrown off when I land in a city at altitude. Medellin is at about 5000 feet (similar to Denver) and you can definitely feel it. Be sure to drink lots of water and not go to hard on the alcohol for the first night until you adjust.
• Rain – As the city of “eternal spring”, Medellin had brisk weather in the mornings and at night. I was glad I packed a demin jacket. Cartagena had several flash rainstorms while we were there, and we were luckily borrowed umbrellas from the hotel. I survived with out a rain jacket, but people on the trip definitely used them.
• Drone– I brought my drone on several day trips, and had to go through some extra unlocking steps to use it. You can expedite this process if you apply for verification ahead of time.
• Going out – Medellin and Cartagena both had vibrant night scenes. Colombia is a big destination for weddings and bachelorette parties. Don’t be afraid to pack heels and dress up! (Note: there is cobblestone to navigate).
• Cash – I didn’t end up needing as much cash as I expected. Colombia is pretty cheap destination. Every restaurant we went to took credit card. I only used cash for a handful of street vendors and souvenir shops. I only needed the equivalent of 50 USD in cash for 5 days.

Comment with any questions you have about group travel trips or my Here & Now Travel Colombia trip!

You can get $180 OFF your next trip with Here & Now Travel. They have upcoming trips to Cuba, Guatemala, Iceland, Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Colombia and more. Use the code “HOU180” and book before December 4, 2024 to save! If you’re reading this after the Travel Tuesday sale ends, use code “HOU100” for $100 off.

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