Updated on January 29, 2018

Are you heading to Colombia and looking for adventure? You’ve come to the right place. The extreme geographical diversity of this country provides some unique opportunities to explore the outdoors. From the high peaks of The Andes, the lush green rainforest and beautiful beaches, there’s something for everyone. If you are looking for the best Colombia adventure tours, keep reading.

Here are some of our top adventures in this country along with some recommendations from our friends. Have you done an adventure that you don’t see on this list? Let us know by leaving a comment and we will consider it next time we update this post. 

 

 

HIKING

TREK TO THE LOST CITY

Hiking Lost City Trek Ciudad Perdida in Colombia

Three days of trekking through the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta will bring you to the ancient Lost City of the Tayrona people. The trek itself is very beautiful and offers some great views. The trail follows a river so there is always an opportunity to cool of after a long day of hiking.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Tour Information: Ciudad Perdida – Lost City Trek

Recommended Accommodation: Hostal Casa Horizonte, Taganga.

Located up the hill, 5 min from the town center, Hostal Casa Horizonte offers great views over the city of Taganga. There is free Wi-Fi, common kitchen, a ping-pong table and darts. It’s a great place to relax without the noise of being in the city center. 

 

 

LOS NEVADOS NATIONAL PARK

An Adventurer's Guide to Colombia

Photo by ManuB., licensed under CC BY

Los Nevados is a range of volcanic peaks in the center of the country. The 5,300 m (17,400 ft) high volcano, Nevado del Ruiz dominates the landscape. The park isn’t only about volcanoes, you can also get a great view of the deep green lagunas. 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Tour Information: Mountain Madness

Recommended Accommodation: Hotel Salento Real Eje Cafetero, Salento.

The Hotel Salento Real Eje Cafetero is probably one of the best values in town. It’s centrally located, has free Wi-Fi, private bathrooms and helpful staff. You can also book activities through them. A complete breakfast is served every morning. 

 

 

VALLE DE COCORA

SURREAL LANDSCAPES & TOWERING PALM TREES: HIKING IN THE COCORA VALLEY, COLOMBIA

This day hike in the Central Andes takes you to a valley full of wax palms. These trees are the tallest palms in the world, reaching up to 60 meters. The Valle de Cocora loop takes about 3 hours and is fairly easy. 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Tour Information: Valle de Cocora Hike.

Recommended Accommodation: Hotel Salento Real Eje Cafetero, Salento.

The Hotel Salento Real Eje Cafetero is probably one of the best values in town. It’s centrally located, has free Wi-Fi, private bathrooms and helpful staff. You can also book activities to do through them. A complete breakfast is served every morning. 

 

 

SIERRA NEVADA DEL COCUY 

An Adventurer's Guide to Colombia

Photo by Schangli, licensed under CC BY

El Cocuy is a range of high snow capped peaks about an 8 hour drive from Bogotá. National Geographic calls El Cocuy “a heaven for mountaineers and rock climbers, with glaciated peaks over 17,000 feet and tons of rarely explored alpine terrain”.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Tour Information: Cocuy Tours

Recommended Accommodation: AZ Hotel, Bogotá.

Located in the Teusaquillo area, the AZ Hotel is a clean and quiet place for your stay in Bogotá. The staff is very helpful and welcoming. Every room is equipped with flat screen TV, private bathroom and free toiletries are provided. A good choice if you want to stay close to the center.

 

 

SCUBA DIVING

MALPELO ISLAND

Shark Party

Photo by istockphoto.com/portfolio/montgomerygilchrist

Malpelo Island is known as the Mount Everest of Sharks for a good reason, there are hundreds of them. Year around on this island off the Pacific Coast of Colombia you can scuba dive with huge schools of hammerheads. You can also spot Galapagos and Silky sharks, giant manta rays, and whale sharks during some times of the year.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Tour Information: Malpelo Liveaboard Trip

Recommended Accommodation: On board the Inula Liveaboard

 

 

PARAGLIDING

BUCARAMANGA

Learn Paragliding In Colombia

We received a warm invite into the world of Paragliding in Mesa de Riutoque at Colombia Paragliding. Here we took our first tandem flights and experienced the sensation of flight. Mesa de Riutoque is located just outside of the city of Bucaramanga and is a great place to learn to fly for its great weather conditions year around.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Tour Information: Paragliding Course

Recommended Accommodation: Fly-site Hostel. Bucaramanga

The accommodation is included in the price if you take the 10-day paragliding pilot course.

 

 

BICYCLE TOURING

EL TRAMPOLÍN DE LA MUERTE

COLOMBIA’S DEATH ROAD: CYCLING EL TRAMPOLIN DE LA MUERTE

If you are planning a bicycle tour through Colombia and plan on crossing into Ecuador, check out El Trampolín de la Muerte. This dirt road crosses the Southern Andes range. It offers a real challenge and stunning views.

 

 

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6 Responses

  1. Jessica @ Green Global Travel

    Great post! I have never been to Columbia, but if I am ever able to visit, I’ll definitely have to explore some of the places on this list. I love the photo of Valle de Cocora– I had no idea the palm trees in this valley were the tallest in the world!

    • Amanda Zeisset

      Glad you enjoyed it Jessica! It really is an adventure junkies paradise, lots of unspoiled nature and very diverse. In just a few hours you can be transported to another world, from desert, pacific, caribbean, the Amazon to the Andes. The Valle de Cocora is even more impressive in person, the landscape is a rich green and the palms are surreal. I hope you get the chance to visit one day.

    • Amanda Zeisset

      It’s definitely worth a visit…in fact, it’s been one of our favorite countries in South America so far. Paragliding there was a lot of fun. Have you done it before?

  2. Joseph

    Hey Adventure Junkies!

    We are Colombian Bike Junkies, a team of travelers and experts in the area, ( Antioquia & Medellín) and we want to share with all bike junkies in the world, our most famous Santa Fe de Antioquia DOWNHILL Run!… 1,700 mtrs vertical descent surrounding by the most beautiful landscape, nature & pure air, 35kms with lots of points to take a breath and some great pictures. A FULL day of adrenaline, excitement and even an authentic Colombain lunch a we stop off halfway down the mountain for a homemade meal! Bring a towel, be cause after decending down into the Cuaca Valley, we finish off in a pool!