Colombia
Bienvenidos a Colombia: A Renaissance in South America
Program No. 20099RJ
Gain a comprehensive understanding of Colombia as you learn about paintings in Bogotá, cuisine in Manizales, coffee in Armenia and the writings of Gabriel García Márquez in Cartagena.
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Protecting the Environment
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12 days
11 nights
25 meals
11B 9L 5D
1
In Transit to Program
Bogota
5
The Cocora Valley
Salento
6
Bonsai & Orchids, Manizales
Manizales
8
Guatape Lake
Medellin
9
Medellin, Its Art & Transformation
Medellin
10
Fly to Cartegena
Cartagena
12
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
Experience the many faces of Colombia, a country transformed from a place of turmoil to a thriving modern nation. Journey to the bustling capital of Bogotá, known for its glimmering skyscrapers and world-renowned collection at the Gold Museum. Explore the verdant hills and traditional villages of the coffee region, and discover Medellín, now one of South America’s most progressive cities. Stroll the cobblestone streets of Cartagena, the home and inspiration of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two miles at a time, often on dirt paths, cobblestones or other uneven terrain. Elevations up to 9,000 feet.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Explore the world-famous Gold Museum and learn about the gold on display, its shamanic significance and how the collection was formed.
- Discover the amazing underground construction and architecture of the Salt Cathedral.
- Learn about Colombian coffee from production on the plantation to the delicious cup sold in the café.
Suggested Reading List
(19 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Bienvenidos a Colombia: A Renaissance in South America
Program Number: 20099
News of a Kidnapping
In 1990, fearing extradition to the United States, Pablo Escobar -- head of the Medellin drug cartel --kidnapped ten notable Colombians to use as bargaining chips. With the eye of a poet, Garcia Marquez describes the survivors' perilous ordeal, depicting through this story the keening ache of Colombia after nearly forty years of turmoil.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
The breathtaking, life-altering, much-celebrated tale of life and love on most everyone's list of the greatest books of all time, ours included.
Living to Tell the Tale
Garcia's celebrated memoir, as captivating, warm and spirited as any of his fictional tales, covering his youth in Aracataca, memorably recast as fictional Macondo on Colombia's Caribbean coast.
Tropical Nature
A lucid portrait of the tropics as seen by two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists. Its 17 marvelous essays introduce the habitats, ecology, plants and animals of the Central and South American rainforest.
Love in the Time of Cholera
A glorious tale of great love consummated after 50 years, nine months and four days, memorably set in a dusty 19th-century town on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
Liberators, Latin America's Struggle for Independence 1810-1830
Focused on the heroism and derring-do of seven legendary men, Harvey tells the story of Simon Bolivar, General Jose de San Martin and other greats in the fight for independence.
The Conquistadors, A Very Short Introduction
This provocative book by two leading historians explores who the conquistadors were and what made their adventures possible.
The Making of Modern Colombia, A Nation in Spite of Itself
A leading historian of the region, Bushnell traces the political history of Colombia from before the arrival of the Spaniards through independence and reform in the 19th century, then through to the 1980s in this thoroughly enjoyable, incisive portrait of a nation.
Colombia Map
A colorful travel map of Colombia, including an inset of Bogota, at a scale of 1:2,000,000.
Birds of Northern South America, Vol. 2: Field Guide
This comprehensive field guide, featuring an astounding 6400 paintings and 2308 maps, covers all the birds from Ecuador to Guiana.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses
A highly enjoyable chronicle of the prestige, power, politics and pleasures of key beverages through the ages. Standage argues that the drinks that have mattered, since the Stone Age, are, in chronological order: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Each chapter is a vivid history of politics, prestige, colonialism, commerce and society.
Lonely Planet Colombia
A practical guide to Colombia featuring maps and detailed information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With a few color photographs and excellent travel information.
The Andes
Starting out in Cuzco, heart of the Inca Empire, Wilson spreads north and south along the Andes, including excerpts from South American literary giants, travelers and his own impressions.
Miracle in the Land of Coffee
Set in the 30’s, in the picturesque Colombian countryside, in a time of violence between neighboring towns over local resources. Felipe, a young man of the Franciscan order, has to choose between his faith and calling, or surrender his heart to the woman he loves.
Looking For History, Dispatches From Latin America
A beautifully written, incisive collection of essays on contemporary Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Peru and Mexico.
My Colombian War, A Journey Through the Country I Left Behind
Now a journalist living in New York, Paternostro travels back to her homeland in a search for the roots of Colombia's bloody civil war.
Culture Smart! Colombia
A concise and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture.
Our Lady of the Assassins
A vivid, cynical portrait of Medellin, Colombia's second largest city and the stronghold of ruthless drug lord Pablo Escobar. The narrator returns to the town after a long absence to find it beset by horrific violence and a chilling indifference to death.
Latin America in Colonial Times
This scholarly primer considers the history of the continent from the arrival of the first Conquistadors in the 16th century to the dying embers of empire 300 years later, giving equal weight to the histories of the colonial rulers, the African slaves brought over to work in the New World and the indigenous groups whose lives and lands were forever changed by conquest.
