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SOUTH AMERICAColombia boasts some of the most majestic landscapes in South America, and you don’t have to venture that far out of town to be immersed in spectacular natural surroundings. The Zona Cafetera, the country’s Unesco-listed coffee-growing region, is particularly idyllic – think rolling hills covered in coffee plantations, banana trees and bamboo forests, interspersed with colorful villages. If hiking is your thing, head to the Cocora Valley, where you’ll come across the gigantic, endemic Quindío wax palms. It’s just one of many fantastic destinations featured on this eight-day adventure, which starts in Bogotá and ends in Medellín, traversing the Andes mountains en route.
While the Andes are arguably Colombia’s main draw for travelers, it would be a mistake to overlook the country’s dazzling northern coastline. There aren’t many places in the world where you can trek through the jungle and relax on palm-fringed beaches against the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, but the Tayrona National Park is one of them. You’ll enjoy a guided hike there as part of this eight-day adventure, as well as river tubing on the Río Don Diego, exploring Cartagena’s beautiful Walled City, and snorkeling around the tropical haven of the Rosario Islands. A visit to San Basilio de Palenque – the first African town in the Americas to be freed from slavery – offers a fascinating insight into the region’s complex history.