Colombia – The origins of coffee
A journey for baristas, roasters, coffee tasters and passionate coffee drinkersColombia – a country with great diversity – not only gives us one of the best coffees in the world, but is also blessed with a climatic diversity that is reflected in the countless flavors of its variety of coffees.
This unique journey to the origins of coffee will remain unforgettable. In addition to insider city tours in Medellín, you will spend three days with coffee producers and traders and get to know the journey of coffee from the coffee farmer to the cup from a completely different perspective. You will immerse yourself in the theory and practice of planting, harvesting, preparation, green coffee quality, roasting process and tasting. What you can learn and experience ranges from the plant and the preparation, the sieving and grading, the transport and storage of the green coffee, through different roasting processes to the professional “cupping”, i.e. the enjoyment (or not) in the cup.
Sacrificing comfort and a spirit of adventure are helpful, if not indispensable, companions to experience and enjoy this unique journey with all your senses. You move in and with the community of coffee farmers, in the rhythm of nature and the new challenges every day. It is not always possible to stick to the program – but there are new and unforgettable experiences. However, you will always feel well looked after, protected, and lovingly cared for by your hosts in the middle of Colombian life.
Travel itinerary
- Flight Frankfurt-Madrid (10:55 a.m. – 1:40 p.m., Air Europa)
- Connecting flight Madrid-Medellín (3:10 p.m. – 6:25 p.m., Air Europa)
- transfer to the hotel
- Meeting with the Tierra de Cafe team
- Overnight stay at Hotel Inntu***(*) in Medellin
- Walk through the modern El Poblado district
- Visit to the “Pergamino” café
- Drive to Ciudad Bolivar
- Walk through the coffee village of Ciudad Bolivar (home of the family business Tierra de Cafe SAS)
- Discussion of the program for the next few days
- Overnight stay at Hostal Los Vitrales** in Ciudad Bolivar
- Trip to the “Trilladora”
- Quality testing/taste analysis, sorting, preparation for export of the green coffee
- Quality inspection/identification of errors during harvesting and processing
- Overnight stay at Hostal Los Vitrales**
- Visit to Finca Yuri
- Conversation with Juan Saldarriaga about planning and switching to organic cultivation of coffee plants.
- To the Hacienda ‘La Claudina’: strenuous (steep) climb on foot and with mules, horses and donkeys.
- Visit to the Hacienda La Claudina (own processing plant) at 1300-1780m above sea level.
- In the afternoon visit to the roastery
- Overnight stay at Hostal Los Vitrales**
- Coffee trade in Colombia, purchasing coffee from cooperatives and private traders
- Visit to the Sunday coffee market and the FNC cooperative
- Topics: Delivery, special features/market/prices, wage distribution on the marketplace, fair trade
- Overnight stay at Hostal Los Vitrales**
- Day trip to Jardin
- Walk through the colorful and original old town
- Visit to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
- Opportunity to immerse yourself in the local cuisine by visiting various cafés with local specialties
- Overnight stay at Hostal Los Vitrales**
- Drive to Santa Fe (approx. 2.5 hours)
- Walk through the colonial old town and to the suspension bridge ‘Puente de Occidente’
- Overnight stay at the Hotel Villa Maria*** in Santa Fé
- Drive to Medellin
- Sightseeing in Medellin, e.g. Communa 13
- Overnight stay at Hotel Inntu***(*) in Medellin
- Café tour in Medellin or free time
- Visit to a creperie
- Opportunity to further explore Medellin
- Overnight stay at the Hotel Inntu***(*) in Medellín
- Transfer to the airport
- Flight Medellín-Madrid (departure 8:25 p.m., Air Europa)
- Arrival in Madrid (12.55 p.m.)
- Connecting flight Madrid-Frankfurt (3:10 p.m. – 5:50 p.m., Air Europa)
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Lunchbox / Picnic
- Tasting
- Night
Prices (per person)
Minimum number of participants is 9, maximum number of participants is 10.
Included services:
Seat reservations, flights, tips, meals not mentioned in the itinerary, drinks, insurance, additional activities and excursions, personal expenses are not included.
Authentic and sustainable
- Intensive insights into the daily life of Colombian coffee farmers
- Visit to the coffee producers
- Getting to know fair trade
- Meaningful interactions with the local producers and community.
- Overnight stays in a typical hotel in the center of Ciudad de Bolivar (in the middle of Colombian village life)
- Small group (9-10 travellers)
- CO2 compensation for flights and land-based services (3.86 t per passenger) via Atmosfair
Important information
Entry for EU citizens with a valid passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the period of stay. The passport must be in good condition and have at least two blank pages. No compulsory vaccinations are required when entering directly from Luxembourg/Germany. (A yellow fever vaccination is only necessary when entering from yellow fever infection areas and corresponding proof must be carried.) All Covid-19-related restrictions have currently been lifted. We would like to point out that this can change depending on the pandemic situation (as of February 2024).
This special trip (partly with an expedition character) is mainly in non-tourist areas; many program contents are designed together with the local population and can therefore not be 100% scheduled and planned. Therefore, a certain degree of flexibility with regard to daily routines is essential. However, we assure you that you will experience an unforgettable trip with authentic encounters and intensive insights into daily life.
Almost all accommodations offer WiFi, although network coverage is not always perfect. Please note that the hotels and lodges only offer non-smoking rooms. If some of the accommodations we have booked are unforeseen to be unavailable, we will book a (preferably) equivalent alternative.
For air travel, our sales prices are generally based on special and tour operator tariffs of the airline(s) selected for the relevant trip. Therefore, space is limited and additional charges are possible. After your booking request, we will inform you in the event of an additional charge before sending the travel confirmation with the new price.
With the travel documents you will receive further information about the trip and the destination country.
No insurance is included in the travel price. We strongly recommend taking out travel cancellation insurance that includes Covid-19 as well as appropriate travel health insurance that includes treatment (including quarantine) for Covid-19.
This trip is not suitable for guests with mobility issues. If necessary, please tell us the type of mobility restriction you have before booking and clarify with us whether we can meet your individual needs.
Planet B is a brand of Bollig Tours s.à r.l.. Bollig Tours is therefore named as the organizer in our general travel conditions.
For a detailed itinerary, a short description of the accommodations and further information about the trip, see ‘Detailed travel description’ (PDF for download).
Related document(s)
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