This event has ended!
View current events hosted by Dynamic Outdoors
Colombia: Adventure, Jungle, & Beach - 2010Sunday, December 26, 2010 at 8:00 AM - Sunday, January 2, 2011 at 11:00 PM (ET) |
|
Event Details
Colombia - Adventure, Jungle, & Beach
Bogota, San Gil, Barichara, Santa Marta, and Cartagena
Holiday Extravaganza - A Dynamic Custom Itinerary
Colombia is Passion, the only risk is wanting to stay. Discover the colors, flavors, and beauty of this amazing and new found Adventure Destination.
Booking Details / Pricing: (Full Package, incl. International Flight!)
$1,995 - Early Bird Special - make deposit by Thursday, October 21
$2,095 make deposit by Thursday, November 4
$2,195 make deposit by Thursday, November 18
$2,295 regular price - if spots still available
(This trip has only 18 available spots)
Deposit / down payment: only $300 to hold your spot
2nd payment due via check of $750 by November 10
(Credit card payments possible with added fee of 5%)
Final payment due via check by December 1
Trip Includes:
Airline tickets: ALL international air and local ground connections
Domestic group transfers - Full service 25 seater bus, AC and bathroom on board
Guided hiking tours
WWR on the Rio Suarez
8 Days / 7 Night accommodations
Optional Activities:
Diving, Snorkeling, Horseback Riding, Canopy Tour, Hiking, Sailing, Caving, Volcano/ Mud bath, or just relaxing on the beach….
Does Not Include:
Lunches/Dinners
Tips for guides and drivers (estimated $45 for the week)
Airport Departure Tax - if any
Any and all optional activities
Questions/ RSVP: IgorBass@DynamicOutdoors.com
Full Itinerary:
Sunday, December 26 - Bogota
Depart New York / JFK early morning and arrive in Bogota, Colombia at 1.00 pm
Check in at our hotel, afternoon open to explore all the local attractions and/ or shopping; at night, suggested group dinner in town, maybe hit a bar or two.
Bogota, located in the majestic Andes Mountains at 8,661 feet of altitude, or in words of a typical person from Bogota, “2,600 meters closer to the stars”.
We will be accommodating in the heart of an exclusive neighborhood just a few blocks from Parque de la 93, a trendy park that offers many excellent restaurants of diverse cuisines and dance clubs. From this area it is easy to access the center of Bogota were we will enjoy many interesting sites like Museo del Oro (Gold Museum), Cerro de Monserrate (mountain peak with spectacular views of the city), La Candelaria, etc.
Monday, December 27 - Bogota to Villa de Leyva
After breakfast, transfer to Villa de Leyva (110 miles from Bogota), one of the most important and beautiful colonial towns of the region. It is rich for its intact architecture of stone street and white colonial houses from the XVIII century. In addition, Villa de Leyva is also remarkable for its hiking excursions to different archeological and nature sites and for the handcraft shops all over the main plaza and nearby streets.
In the afternoon; explore Villa de Leyva.
Optional: Local ecological excursions such as Cañón del Encanto, Cuevas de la Fábrica, Hoyo de la Romera or Desierto de la Candelaria lakes.
Overnight Hotel, suggested group dinner in town.
After breakfast, early morning transfer to San Gil & Barichara (100 miles from Villa de Leyva)
They are also gorgeous because of their preserved colonial architecture with beautiful parks and plazas.
We will arrive to Barichara around noon and have time for a quick bite, explore town, shop, and/ or quick siesta.
Optional: In the afternoon, we will hike on the Camino Real a Guane (Lenguake trail) to the town of Guane. (1.5 - 2 hours). The bus will pick us up in Guane and take us to San Gil for check in & accommodate in our hotel.
After breakfast, venture on a Jungle Tour or White Water Raft the Rio Suarez or Rio Fonce.
You start the journey 1 hour from San Gil and finish where the Rios Fonce and Saurez meet 30 minutes from San Gil. The 20km trip takes around 3 hours of none stop rapids and you will enjoy a chance to stop and take refreshments at the halfway point.
Traveling down the river you will have the opportunity to see unique typical flora and fauna of the Santander region. Class III to V rapids an exceptional whitewater rafting experience.
Rafting between giant boulders - warm waters / no wetsuits! - through the jungle on an immense riverbed is adrenaline inducing!! The rapids are great and the scenery is overwhelming.
In the afternoon we will drive back to Barichara for a late lunch and relax. Rest of day open.
After dinner, we will depart to Parque Tayrona in the Caribbean Coast of Colombia:
With an overnight transfer, we won't lose any day light and we'll get to the park in the morning and can enjoy the beach the full day.
Parque Tayrona is located at the base of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta with 52 miles of wild untouched beaches. This exotic habitat holds thousands of species of flora and fauna including a wide variety of marine wildlife and a preserve of the almost extinct dry tropical forest ecosystem.
It is also one of Colombia’s most pleasurable spots to visit, here you will get to meet different people from all over the world and at the same time relax, eat the freshest meals and hike to different beaches, natural pools, pre-Columbian archeological sites, and if you dare, the nudist beach (optional !!!)
After arrival and check-in with the Park’s staff, we will take a 1 hour walk towards the isolated beach Arrecifes. Here we will accommodate in comfortable cabins by the beach and enjoy the rest of the day in this magnificent paradise.
Early afternoon, transfer to another world famous destination: Cartagena Ciudad Vieja - Old Town
After check in, explore the city, Plaza Santo Domingo, and later, get ready to PARTY !!
Churches, convents, castles and plazas built in the XVI century during the Spanish Colony, are only a few examples of what makes Cartagena so charming and magical. Narrow stone streets, balconies with multicolored flowers and beautiful people decorate this gorgeous atmosphere.
Celebrate New Year’s Eve - Ocean Front Party or hit one of the Hot Night Spots
Enjoy our first evening in Cartagena with a (suggested) festive New Year’s dinner feast.
Afterward, party the night away a and welcome the beginning of 2010 !!
Cure a potential hang over with optional visits to the beaches of Playa Blanca, Islas del Rosario, and/ or some beach front water activities...
Overnight Hotel, suggested group dinner in town.
Sunday, January 2 - Cartagena - Final Day
After breakfast, explore and enjoy Cartagena; shopping, relaxing, etc...
Optional Activity: a Visit to Volcan del Totumo for a mud bath:
A healthy natural mud bath at Volcan del Totumo might be just the right way to start the new year, located just a few miles outside of Cartagena.
Later afternoon, we will casually transfer to the airport for our 7.40 pm flight - Connecting via Bogota
Arrive back to NYC early morning - Monday, January 3
Supplemental Info:
FLIGHTS DATES - ROUTE SCHEDULE
Avianca Airlines flight departs 7.00 am - JFK Terminal 4 - Check in 3 hours prior - Meet at Gate:
NEW YORK – BOGOTA – (CARTAGENA) – NEW YORK
>> 1 AV 021 W 26DEC 6 JFKBOG HK24 7.00am 1.00pm 330 E 0
>> 2 AV8549 S 02JAN 6 CTGBOG HK24 8.50pm 10.15pm 100 E 0 (1 hour layover)
>> 3 AV 020 S 02JAN 6 BOGJFK HK24 11.25pm 5.00am +1 330 E 0
Local Costs & Expenses - a rough idea of what things cost US equivalent - Elie
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Colombia
Some important Q & A:
How much do things cost?
In general, a meal may run $10 American or $20,000 Colombian Pesos.
Meals and others in Bogota and Cartagena will be much more expensive; meal may cost 10 - 15 US dollars. In other towns prices go down a little.
Colombia Pesos – there will be ATMs and we suggest to take out local currency at bank
(it may be hard to exchange cash at times)
How to dress ? Well, there will be clubs and new year events in Cartagena to dress up for.
Electricity - international converter required? No, plugs are like in US.
General packing list?
One towel, light raingear. Dress following the itinerary/ dress according to activity!
Temps will vary a bit. Bogota is around 60 - 70 and then the beach 90s. Be prepared to wear layers.
Travel/ transfer suggestions?
Always travel in groups of at least 2, keep your money on you and not in a purse that can be easily accessed. Front pockets of pants are the safest. Blackberries and iPhones should be kept in safe place also.
Any medical concerns / Do we need any shots?
It's good to have yellow fever shot for any tropical country like Colombia; however, the group last year didn’t really encounter any health issue.
Make sure you wash your hands and eat only cooked food, etc…
Additional medical info: we recommend to follow www.CDC.gov guidelines!
*Our very own Travel Health Center / Dr. Bradley A. Connor*
Contact Nurse Judy: 212 988 2800 or 212 734 3000 - 50 East 69th, NYC 10021
(Mention Dynamic Outdoors or Igor Bass, maybe she will waive the visitation fee)
Stay Connected - US State Department - Smart Traveler Program:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/registration/registration_4789.html
By connecting with us on the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, we will be able to assist you better in the case of an emergency, such as if you lose your passport or it is stolen while you are abroad.
The travel and contact information you enter into our Smart Traveler Enrollment Program will make it easier for consular officers in U.S. embassies and consulates around the world to contact you and your loved ones during an emergency -including situations where your family or friends in the U.S. are having problems trying to contact you with important news.
(Info provided by Honeyrock)
Cancellation Policy:
If you cancel more than 60 days before the date of travel, you would receive a refund minus $200
If you cancel less than 60 days before the date of travel, you would receive 75% refund of price
If you cancel less than 45 days before the date of travel, you would receive 50% refund of price
If you cancel less than 30 days before the date of travel, you would receive 25% refund of price
If you cancel less than 15 days before the date of travel, there won't be a refund possible unless we find replacement for you !
(We always highly recommend to take out travel insurance: www.travelex.com)
When
Hosted By
Dynamic Outdoors
We are an energetic and friendly club dedicated to offering the best outdoor adventures to NYC'ers. All of our events are designed to make sure that everyone is involved and has a great time. We focus on a very personalized approach so that you get the most out of each trip, whether it is hiking in a lush forest, canoeing down a crystal clear river or galloping on horseback along the sandy beaches. Our goal is to provide a simple, convenient way to escape the concrete jungle of NYC for a day of fresh air, fantastic views and great interaction with other people who enjoy the outdoors.