Day 8 - Mocoa - Devils Trampoline - San Augustin

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Day 9 - San Augustin - Tatacoa

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Day 10 - Tatacoa - Ibague

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Day 11 - Ibague - Termales del Ruiz

Amid stunning landscapes just outside the boundaries of Los Nevados National Park at 3500m, this thermal-baths complex is the place to go for total relaxation. Rooms have the feel of a classic alpine lodge and while not huge they're comfortable. Outside there's a large thermal pool set among otherworldly páramo (high-mountain plain) plants.

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Up on a hillside above the complex there's a birding shelter beside a gushing stream where 17 species of hummingbird come to feed. There are also short trails to explore.

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Meals are served in an elegant fire-heated dining room, with large windows offering fine views of the mountains and – on a clear day – down to Manizales. The baths are the only ones near Manizales built right at the source – you can see the sulfur-laced waters bubbling out of the mountainside right behind the hotel.

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Day 12 - Termales del Ruiz - Salamina

Today we take a short drive  to Salamina, a beautiful town located on top of a hill with steep streets which was declared a National Heritage site in 1982.

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Day 13 - Salamina - Wax Palm Forest

While staying in Salamina, we leave one day aside for a trip over to the hamlet of San Felix and the nearby Samaria Valley. Here we will find the national tree of Colombia, the Quindío Wax Palm. 

 

The wax palm (also known as Palma de Cera or Ceroxylon Quindiuense) is the tallest palm in the world, and was officially adopted as a national symbol of Colombia in 1985. Found along the central and eastern Andes of Colombia, the Cocora valley of Quindío department is the popular place for visitors to see these magnificent trees that can grow up to a height of 60m (~200 ft).

 

The trip is filled with spectacular scenery and once you arrive you feel like you have somehow discovered a special place that hardly any other foreigner has set eyes upon.

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Day 14 - Salamina - Sonson

We head to Sonson via a beautiful winding road with spectacular views around almost every curve. Arriving in Sonson we will stay at a 200 year old hotel filled with an amazing eclectic antique collection.

 

We will grab a pizza on the balcony that overlooks the main square and the green countryside. We will also be able to visit the HALO de-mining operations and learn about their efforts to remove leftover anti-personal landmines from the area. Yep, there are still landmines out here. 

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Day 15 - Sonson - Guatape

Today we drive to the town of Guatape. Pretty much all the towns in Colombia are beautiful and this one is no exception. The only difference is that here you can visit the famous Piedra del Peñol. This high granite monolith (technically an inselberg) rises from near the edge of the Embalse Guatapé. A brick staircase of 659 steps rises up through a broad fissure in the side of the rock. From the top there are magnificent views of the region, the fingers of the lake sprawling amid a vast expanse of green mountains. We will spend the night at some beautiful cottages here and maybe even go swimming.

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Day 16 - Guatape - Medellin

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