A Thousand Rhythms of Colombia, the Gateway to South America

$1,999 per person, double occupancy (single supplement: $349)

You are welcome to pay by check or credit card. Please note that a 4% fee will be applied to credit card payments. 

Price includes:

• All activities as listed in the itinerary
• Accommodations as described in the itinerary
• Meals as outlined in the itinerary
• Transportation by private, air-conditioned motor coach as well as transfers for the group as appropriate
• Domestic flight from Bogotá to Cartagena
• English speaking guide/interpreter to accompany through the whole touring period
• Gratuities

Price does not include:

• Transportation to and from Colombia, including international flights to Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG) and from Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) to home destinations
• Expenses of a purely personal nature (including cab fares, laundry and other personal items, room service charges)
• Transportation of luggage in excess of weight allowance
• Travel insurance (we strongly advise that each participant arrange for their own travel insurance)
• Alcoholic beverages
• Meals not noted in itinerary
• Medical expenses
• Passport application fee
• Costs associated with trip interruption or modification due to weather, travel conditions, political/civil disputes, medical emergencies or other causes beyond our control

A $250 non-refundable deposit from each traveler will secure your position on the trip. The remaining balance is due on September 7, 2017, 90 days prior to the departure date, along with health, liability and flight forms. You are welcome to pay by check or credit card. Please note that a 4% fee will be applied to credit card payments.

This exclusive opportunity is open to NPCA members and their guests only. 

Not yet an NPCA member? Click the "Join Now to Register" button. It's free! 

Already a member? Just click the "Log in to Register" button.

Once logged in, this page will re-load and give you a dropdown menu to select your ticket quantity. Then, click "Purchase Tickets."

On the next screen, you'll submit your contact information and make the initial $250 deposit. You will receive a confirmation email with an additional registration form attached and instructions on where to submit it.

Want to avoid credit card fees? Pay by check! Notify us at nst-colombia@peacecorpsconnect.org that the check is in the mail, then send the check payable to NPCA, 1900 L Street NW, Suite 610, Washington, DC 20036 (note "NST - Colombia, December 2017" in the memo line).

Cancellation by the Traveler

The $250 trip deposit is non-refundable.

• 25% non-refundable 120 days or more prior to departure
• 50% non-refundable 119 to 90 days prior to departure
• 75% non-refundable 89 to 60 days prior to departure
• 100% non-refundable 59 days or less prior to departure

If a traveler leaves the trip for any reason after it has commenced, we are not obligated to make any refunds for unused services. If a traveler fails to join a tour, join it after departure, or leave it prior to its completion, no refund will be made. 

Each trip requires a minimum number of participants; the trip minimum for “A Thousand Rhythms of Colombia” is 10 travelers. If we sign up enough participants to run a trip, the trip is confirmed, and we'll alert travelers so they can purchase their airfare.

Cancellation by Trip Operator - Insider Expeditions (IE)

IE may cancel a trip at any time prior to departure if, due to terrorism, natural disasters, political instability or other external events, it is not viable for us to operate the planned itinerary. If IE cancels the trip, traveler can transfer amounts paid to an alternate departure date or alternatively receive a full refund. In circumstances where the cancellation is due to external events outside our reasonable control, refunds will be less any unrecoverable costs. We are not responsible for any incidental expenses that you may have incurred as a result of your booking including but not limited to visas, vaccinations, travel insurance excess or non-refundable flights.

A Thousand Rhythms of Colombia, the Gateway to South America

Day 1: Bienvenidos a Colombia

• Arrive in Colombia’s capital city at Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG), where you’ll be met by NPCA and transferred to our charming hotel.
• We’ll enjoy a festive welcome dinner tonight of Colombian arepas and fresh passionfruit juice, shared with RPCVs formerly and presently living in this colorful and dynamic country.

Included Meals: D

Accommodations: 3 star hotels, in close proximity to our activities

Day 2: Expoartesanías 

• After a traditional Colombian breakfast, or calentado, with world-famous regional coffee, head to the Expoartesanías in Bogotá. There, we’ll meet with artisans from La Guajira, the Pacific, Tuchin and other regions and see the time-honed crafts of the Wayúu, Embera-Wounaan, and Zenú people.
• We'll connect with Artesanías de Colombia, the government entity charged with the mission to support the artisan sector of Colombia. Learn the exposition’s genesis story while beholding a wealth of artisanal goods.
• For lunch, we’ll enjoy a conversation with local experts on the importance and role of craft in Colombia’s future and economy.
• Take this afternoon at leisure. Further explore each building or “hall” of the Expo, which are dedicated to a myriad of themes, including contemporary fashion, homewares, jewelry, ethnographic craft, an experimental design “laboratory,” and more. Explore the city on your own, taking in the graffiti, street art, and Bogotá urban art scene. Of course, a siesta at the hotel is always an option too!
• Tonight, enjoy dinner on the town over conversations with RPCVs and leaders of local NGOs to better understand the country’s strengths and challenges ahead.

Included Meals: BLD

Day 3: Flight to Cartagena

• Whether you know Bogotá like a second home (because it was) or it’s your first time visiting, enjoy a walking tour to see the city’s highlights, including the Botero Art Museum, holding one of Latin America’s most important collections of international art.  Or if you prefer, return to the Expoartesanías to continue perusing for that perfect memento and meeting with Colombian ceramicists, woodworkers, painters, and other artists.
• After lunch, we’ll depart together for an early afternoon flight to the major Colombian port city of Cartagena, which Colombian singer Carlos Vives dubs “La Fantastica.”  
• Once alighted, we’ll check into our hotel to freshen up before heading out to meet with some of Cartagena's up-and-coming entrepreneurs, who will teach us about the coastal economy of this tourism hub.
• Tonight, revel in the salsa beats and fresh (often spicy) foods of the Caribbean coast, dining surfside on pargo rojo frito and minty mojitos. We’ll be joined for dinner and dancing by local NGOs working with Peace Corps-aligned missions. ¡Salud!

Included Meals: BLD

Accommodations:  3 star hotel in close proximity to our activities

Day 4: The Art in Cartagena

• After desayuno at our hotel, we’ll continue to explore the role of art in Colombia’s economy, taking a curated art-centric tour of Cartagena and meeting with local artisans involved with the city’s growing Afro-Caribbean art movement.
• For lunch, we’ll indulge in a special “ceviche crawl” to taste the seafood of the region and learn about the fishing economy in Colombia.
• This afternoon, enjoy leisure time on your own to explore the city—or soak in the sun at one of Cartagena's gorgeous white sand beaches.
• Feel the sea breezes over a sunset dinner on a rooftop overlooking the aquamarine ocean, where pirates and corsairs once plotted their incursions.

Included Meals: BLD

Day 5: San Basilio Palenque

• Today, once our bellies are full from a hearty breakfast, we’ll take a daytrip to a historically-significant place in Afro-American history. San Basilio Palenque was founded in the 17th Century by the first Cimarrons, or “runaway slaves,” of the Americas, following the lead of Benkos Bioho. For its historic and cultural significance, San Basilio Palenque was named a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage Site in 2007. We’ll meet with community members, leaders and musicians who maintain their strong cultural roots and proud African heritage.
• Tonight, we’ll return to Cartagena for a final farewell dinner in this magical city, joined by some of the cast of characters we’ve met this week.

Included Meals: BLD

Day 6: ¡Hasta luego!

• After breakfast, we’ll depart to the airport and, after final goodbyes, on to final destinations from Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport.
• If you’d like to extend your stay at the beach, we’ll be providing hotel accommodations and recommendations about 90 days in advance of our departure. Some might be interested in exploring further up the Caribbean Coast: Barranquilla (home of the Museo del Caribe), Santa Marta, or La Guajira (origin of the Wayuu women and their famed. Others may want to explore Medellín, a city that has set a global standard for urban renewal, changing from the drug capital of the world to the education capital.

Included Meals: B         

A Note on Flights:

Our busy schedule begins with a welcome reception the first night of our itinerary. We encourage you to arrive no later than midday the first day. If you’d like assistance booking flights, click here to get connected to our flight partner. Also, please note that our journey begins in Bogotá and ends in Cartagena.  The trip includes a one-way airfare from Bogotá to Cartagena, but does not include a return fair to Bogotá. So, for flight options, we advise that you either purchase tickets arriving to Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG) and departing from Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG), or purchase one-way ticket from CTG to BOG as well as a roundtrip ticket to Bogotá from your home airport.

Itineraries and pricing are subject to change. This particular tour has been designed with specific events and lectures in mind, and schedules and availability may change in coming months. If any activity or person that is advertised is missed or not available, it will be replaced with an activity or person of equal interest and value.

Please contact nst-colombia@peacecorpsconnect.org with any questions about the itinerary, logistics, and payment.