STAY

Land in Bogotá and transfer to the Four Seasons Hotel Casa Medina, a stately 62-room property in a stone-and-brick building that incorporates elements salvaged from two demolished colonial convents. Comfortable guest accommodations have vaulted wood-beamed ceilings, separate living spaces and woodburning fireplaces.

DINE

Make plans for dinner at Afluente, a sensational restaurant that celebrates Colombia’s remarkable ecosystems (see our restaurant recommendations for Bogotá). Named after the tributaries that feed the country’s rivers, this fine-dining establishment offers a thoughtful tasting menu built around native fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Back at Casa Medina, lively Castanyoles serves contemporary tapas-style Spanish cuisine in an elegant greenhouse atrium or on a small outdoor terrace.

EXPLORE

With a guide, wander the cobbled streets of La Candelaria, the historic center, popping into museums, churches and galleries.

In the afternoon, make a visit to Monserrate, a 1,500-foot-tall mountain with a century-old chapel at the summit. While the site draws religious pilgrims from across the country, the extraordinary view is the main draw for tourists. Take a cable car from the base of the mountain to the top. From there, leafy pathways lead to the church. Below, Bogotá stretches to the horizon, a vast metropolis framed by the surrounding Andes. (Read more about guided tours in Colombia, including Monserrate.)

STAY

After a one-hour flight from Bogotá, arrive in Medellín and transfer to Elcielo, an intimate 28-suite luxury retreat tucked away on a quiet residential street in the city’s fashionable El Poblado district. Well-designed wood-paneled guest rooms, some with freestanding tubs and living areas, are small but display a midcentury elegance. The rooftop wellness area comprises a spa, hot tub, steam room, sauna and glass-bottomed pool above the hotel’s dramatic central atrium.

DINE

Hidden in the hills of El Poblado, Ocio offers delicious fusion cooking in an industrial-chic setting. The restaurant attracts a fashionable local crowd and serves inventive small plates that highlight fresh Colombian ingredients. Notable menu items include a melt-in-your-mouth hearts of palm with beurre blanc and a sweet-sour green-mango salad with tamarind, peanuts and cilantro. The atmosphere is as compelling as the food.

Elcielo hotel is home to one of the city’s most famous restaurants, helmed by acclaimed Colombian chef Juan Manuel Barrientos. The lobby dining room accented by a soaring garden wall serves up a theatrical tasting menu.

EXPLORE

Few places have transformed their reputation as dramatically as Medellín. Spend your first day learning about the city’s past, beginning with a guided visit to the Museo Casa de la Memoria, devoted to the victims of violence during the Colombian armed conflict of 1964 to 2016. Sobering exhibits memorialize the thousands of teachers, politicians and journalists who lost their lives. Your tour also includes a visit to Comuna 13, once considered one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the world. Today, its steep lanes are alive with murals, music, cafés, bars and families strolling between colorful stairways.

It’s also great fun (and perfectly safe) to explore the city on your own. Ride the ingenious cable car metro to spot rare orchids in Parque Arví, walk among the bulbous bronze statues in Plaza Botero, go shopping at the stylish upscale boutiques of EL Poblado and experience the city’s famous nightlife at rooftop bars and salsa clubs.

Medellín is a great base for exploring the countryside. A few days here will allow you enough time to leave the city, tour coffee and flower farms, visit picturesque Guatapé or go for a hike or mountain-bike ride.

Fly from Medellín to Barranquilla to board AmaMelodia, a 64-passenger ship that sails the storied Magdalena River. Spend seven nights on board, cruising south to the colonial city of Mompox and back up to Cartagena on the Caribbean coast. Along the way, you’ll explore quaint fishing villages and colorful towns along the riverbanks, embark on bird-watching tours, visit artisan workshops and experience the culture and history of Colombia through myriad music and dance performances. On board, you’ll enjoy Colombian and international fare at the restaurant, dip in the roof-deck plunge pool and sip cocktails as you watch the countryside unfold from your stateroom balcony. (Read our full review of the cruise here.)

STAY

Once you disembark in Cartagena, check into one of the romantic boutique hotels within the walled city. The 31-room Casa San Agustin encompasses three whitewashed colonial-style buildings trimmed with wood balconies. Guest rooms and suites are distributed around a veritable labyrinth of halls and indoor-outdoor lounges, including a tranquil library elegantly appointed with partially exposed antique frescoes. The property also has a number of roof terraces as well as a bar, solarium, spa, library and shady L-shaped pool.

Alternatively, splurge for a suite in the Colonial wing of the Four Seasons, in the Getsemaní neighborhood, just outside the walls.

DINE

Chef Jaime Rodríguez has two acclaimed dining establishments in Getsemaní. Glitzy Celele, ranked as one of the top restaurants in Latin America, offers a tasting menu that highlights the biodiversity of Colombia. Next door is Ahíto Bistro (read our review here), a casual and homey neighborhood eatery that delivers traditional coastal comfort food in an inviting and unpretentious setting. Make plans to visit both.

EXPLORE

It’s easy to fill a few days within the walled city, exploring quaint museums and historic churches. Walk the city walls at dusk, stopping for a drink at the bar atop the Baluarte de Santo Domingo as you watch the sun dip into the sea.

The Travel Office can arrange a guided tour of the immense Bazurto Market: a messy, sprawling maze of stalls. Wind your way through the chaotic and noisy maze of shops selling everything from live chickens to traditional medicines to soccer jerseys, experiencing a taste of everyday life beyond the touristy walled city.

Don’t forget to make plenty of time for fun and leisure: pop into glamorous boutiques such as Malva and St. Dom, go salsa dancing at Café Havana or simply relax by the pool with a tropical cocktail.

Fly home from Cartagena, or continue your tropical adventures through Panama or Costa Rica, both within a two-hour flight.