Brightly-painted Salento is one of the oldest coffee-producing towns in Colombia and maintains a captivating mix of tradition and new world bustle.
Trekking-clad tourists brush shoulders with local farmers who stroll around in their ‘Aguandeñan’ hats (predecessor to the Panama hat), wellington boots, machetes, moustaches and customary poncho folded over their shoulders.
Then travel by ‘Willy’ jeep to Cocora and the Las Nevadas mountain range.
From Cocora, you can enjoy hikes through cloud forest, visit a traditional coffee plantation and gaze up at the Gigantic Wax Palm trees that grow here, thrusting up to 60m/197ft from earth to skyline.
Big and bustling, Medellín is becoming the city to visit in Colombia as it shakes off its Pablo Escobar past and emerges as a centre for art, culture and nightlife.
A visit to Plazoleta de las Esculturas to see 20 of Botero’s famous large bronze sculptures is essential, as is a look around the Museo d’Antioquia, showcasing his paintings and also fantastic Colombian modern art.
A good quality metro system makes Medellín very easy to move around, and telefericos can take you quickly up into the mountains for gorgeous views.
Ecuador’s cloud forest covers its rolling hillsides as they descend from the high Andean plateaus into the rain forest or down to the Pacific coast.
Most of this tropical forest lies between 1,200-2,700m/3,937-8,858ft above sea level, an evergreen, lush and moist forest, teeming with bird and insect life.
Much of the cloud forest is readily accessible from Quito making it perfect a 2 or 3-day stay.
There are many lodges with virgin forest, home to a dazzling variety of hummingbirds, refreshing waterfalls for swimming, zip lining and wildlife walks.
The humming birds, Cock of the Rock and the chance of spotting larger mammals such as the spectacled bears are just some of the attractions of spending some time in this amazing ecosystem.
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We had a great time. All arrangements were smooth and the guides all great - Jorge in Quito, Gabriel in Mindo and Sebastian for our hiking week. We had walks on the Cotopaxi paramo, and great lunches! And we had another great walk around Quilotoa crater. Our week cruising on Tip Top II in the Galapagos was everything we could have asked for, a fantastic time. Thanks again for organising this trip.
We had a fabulous time in Peru, we really loved the hotel in Cusco and Cusco itself, plus of course Machu Picchu. The guides and hotel staff were great too! We also had a lovely time in Ecuador! We enjoyed Quito more than we thought we would, thanks to our guide and we have absolutely loved the Cloud Forest - not least of all because we saw three bears. All the staff here at Maquipucuna have been amazing! We had an amazing time in the Galápagos. We were so lucky to see so much wildlife all roaming freely. It’s such a special place & not one we will forget. Thank you so much for all the planning you did for us to ensure that all our time away has gone smoothly.