Colombia’s range of guided experiences runs from a two-hour walk through Cartagena’s 400-year-old walled city to a four-day jungle trek to a pre-Columbian city older than Machu Picchu. These five tours cover the best of the country: colonial history, urban transformation, natural wonder, and serious adventure.
All are bookable through GetYourGuide with verified reviews and, in most cases, free cancellation.
1. Cartagena: Old City Walking Tour
Cartagena: Old City Guided Walking Tour (from $15 per person)
The walled city of Cartagena — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is the obvious starting point for any Colombia trip, and a guided walk beats wandering unaccompanied by a considerable margin. A local guide explains the Spanish colonial grid, the siege fortifications, the slave trade history of the San Pedro Claver church, and the contrast between the polished tourist streets and the edgier Getsemaní neighbourhood just outside the walls.
Duration: 2.5–3 hours | Difficulty: Easy — flat cobblestone streets throughout
Best time: Before 10 am or after 4 pm; midday heat is significant in Cartagena
Includes: Licensed English-speaking guide, walking route through Centro and San Diego
This is the highest-rated Colombia experience on GetYourGuide by volume of reviews. The price point — from $15 — makes it an easy add for any Cartagena itinerary.
2. Medellín: Comuna 13 District Tour with Cable Car
Medellín: Comuna 13 District Tour with Cable Car Ride (from $39 per person)
This is the tour that explains modern Medellín better than any museum could. It combines the outdoor escalators and street murals of Comuna 13 — a barrio that transformed from one of the city’s most dangerous to one of its most celebrated in under two decades — with a ride on the Metrocable, Medellín’s gondola system that connects steep hillside comunas to the Metro network.
A community guide walks you through the mural-lined staircases, explains the stories behind the artworks, and introduces the history of Operación Orión and the neighbourhood’s self-driven renewal. The cable car section gives an unmatched aerial view over the Aburrá Valley.
Duration: 3–4 hours | Difficulty: Easy — escalators handle the main climb
Includes: Community guide, cable car ride, route through the main mural circuit
Community-based guides who live in the neighbourhood add context that no outsider can replicate. This is one of the most booked experiences in the whole country.
3. Bogotá: Salt Cathedral and Lake Guatavita Day Tour
Bogotá: Salt Cathedral & Lake Guatavita Tour with Lunch (from $40 per person)
The two most distinctive day trips from Bogotá, combined. The Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral is an underground cathedral carved into a former salt mine — the nave is 75 metres long, lit dramatically in blue and white, and genuinely impressive rather than gimmicky. The adjacent Lake Guatavita is the sacred Muisca lagoon at the heart of the El Dorado legend: chiefs were ritually coated in gold dust and paddled into the lake to make offerings. Both are roughly an hour north of Bogotá.
Duration: 8–9 hours | Difficulty: Easy
Includes: Round-trip transport from Bogotá, guided visits to both sites, lunch, cathedral entry
This is the most popular full-day excursion from Bogotá. The Salt Cathedral alone is worth the trip — it reads as an engineering feat as much as a religious site.
4. Medellín: Full-Day City Tour and Comuna 13 Experience
Medellín City Tour and Comuna 13 Experience (from $73 per person)
For a full picture of Medellín rather than a single neighbourhood, this nine-hour tour takes in Plaza Botero and the 23 bronze Botero sculptures in El Centro, the Parque de las Luces civic plaza, Cable Cars K and L over the northern comunas, and a deep dive through Comuna 13. Most operators include transport from El Poblado or the city centre.
Duration: 9 hours | Difficulty: Easy to moderate — a full day on foot
Includes: English-speaking guide, cable car rides, transport throughout the city
This is the right tour if you have a single full day in Medellín and want to move beyond El Poblado. The Botero sculptures and El Centro section alone show a completely different side of the city from what most visitors see.
5. Santa Marta: 4-Day Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) Trek
Santa Marta: 4-Day Lost City Discovery Tour (from $285 per person)
The Lost City — Ciudad Perdida — is a pre-Columbian settlement built around 800 CE, some 650 years before Machu Picchu. It sits at 1,300 metres in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and is accessible only by a four-day jungle trek through dense rainforest, crossing rivers ten or more times per day.
By Colombian law, only four licensed Indigenous-owned operators may run this trek: Expotur, Wiwa Tour, Magic Tour, and Baquiana. The GYG booking links to one of these licensed operators, so you are booking legally and your fees go to the Indigenous communities who manage the site.
Duration: 4 days / 3 nights | Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
Includes: All meals, jungle camp accommodation, licensed Indigenous guide, park entry, return transport from Santa Marta
This is Colombia’s most celebrated multi-day adventure. Book 2–3 weeks in advance minimum; December and January departures fill months ahead.
How to Choose
| Tour | Duration | Best for | From Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartagena Old City Walk | 2.5–3 hrs | First-time Colombia visitors | $15 |
| Medellín: Comuna 13 + Cable Car | 3–4 hrs | Urban transformation story | $39 |
| Bogotá: Salt Cathedral + Guatavita | 8–9 hrs | Best Bogotá day trip | $40 |
| Medellín Full-Day City Tour | 9 hrs | Complete Medellín overview | $73 |
| Lost City 4-Day Trek | 4 days | Adventure and archaeology | $285 |
Prices are per person, in USD, as of 2026. All tours offer free cancellation; check individual listings for specific cancellation windows. Browse all Colombia tours on GetYourGuide.