From the Colombian Caribbean to Galápagos

Who it is for

For anyone with three weeks who wants Colombia, Ecuador and one of the most protected archipelagos in the world.

Not for anyone on a tight budget, since Galápagos charges an entry fee and boat trips are expensive.

The strategy

The trip goes down from the Colombian coast to Ecuador, and Galapagos comes last because it takes five days and departs from Quito or Guayaquil. Cartagena comes first, with the wall at dawn.

What you will see

• Walls and bastions, Cartagena. The walls total about 11 km, built between 1586 and the end of the 18th century, with sections up to 15 m thick at the base.
• Plaza Botero, Medellín. A square with 23 bronze sculptures donated by Fernando Botero (Medellín, 1932–2023), voluminous and made to be touched.
• Museo del Oro, Bogotá. The Museo del Oro brings together archaeological objects in metal, ceramics, stone and wood.
• Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús, Quito. Jesuit baroque built over 160 years, from 1605 to 1765, with a carved volcanic-stone façade and an interior entirely covered in gold leaf.
• Bartolomé, Puerto Ayora (Galápagos). An ash islet with 372 wooden steps up to a viewpoint about 114 m above Pinnacle Rock, a spire once used as a target by American aviators in the 1940s.

Day by day

Cartagena

1. 1
   Day 1: The city walls at 6:30am, before the heat

   1. 9Las BóvedasUp to half an hourIf there is time
   2. 6Palacio de la InquisiciónWorth a visit
2. 2
   Day 2: Forts, the hill and the neighborhoods outside the wall

   1. 2Castillo San Felipe de BarajasEssential
3. 3
   Day 3: Water: the bay and the archipelago · if you have more time

Medellín

1. 4
   Day 4: Downtown, art, and memory

   1. 1Plaza Botero and Museo de AntioquiaEssential
   2. 5Plaza Cisneros (Parque de las Luces)Worth a visit
   3. 2Museo Casa de la MemoriaEssential
2. 5
   Day 5: Hillsides, cable car, and Comuna 13

   1. 4Metrocable K and Santo Domingo SavioEssential
   2. 6Parque ArvíWorth a visit
   3. 3Comuna 13 – Las IndependenciasEssential
3. 6
   Day 6: Botanical Garden, modern art and the view of the valley

   1. Parque Explora and PlanetarioHalf a day or moreIf there is time
   2. 8Cerro Nutibara and Pueblito PaisaWorth a visit
4. 7
   Day 7: Guatapé and El Peñón (day trip) · if you have more time

   

Bogotá

1. 8
   Day 8: Central museums, with lunch and rest

   1. 1Museo del OroEssential
   2. 5Museo BoteroWorth a visit
2. 9
   Day 9: Monserrate or museums, with a break

   1. 2MonserrateEssential
   2. 9Quinta de BolívarIf there is time
   3. 6Museo Nacional de ColombiaWorth a visit
3. 10
   Day 10: One market, Ciclovía or rest · if you have more time

   

Quito

1. 11
   Day 11: Historic center, slowly

   1. 2Conjunto de San FranciscoEssential
   2. 3Basílica del Voto NacionalUp to half an hourEssential
2. 12
   Day 12: Height, art and the north

   1. 6TelefériQoWorth a visit
   2. 8Capilla del Hombre and Museo GuayasamínWorth a visit
3. 13
   Day 13: The equator line and the lookout · if you have more time

   1. 9Mitad del MundoIf there is time

Puerto Ayora (Galápagos)

1. 14
   Day 14: Puerto Ayora on foot

   1. 4Charles Darwin Research Station and Fausto Llerena Breeding CenterOne to two hoursWorth a visit
   2. 1Tortuga BayOne to two hoursEssential
2. 15
   Day 15: The highlands and wild tortoises

   1. 6Muelle de los PescadoresUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. 5Los GemelosWorth a visit
   3. 9Las GrietasUp to half an hourIf there is time
3. 16
   Day 16: Uninhabited island: North Seymour or Bartolomé

   1. 3BartoloméHalf a day or moreEssential
4. 17
   Day 17: Isabela (Puerto Villamil) (day trip)

   
5. 18
   Day 18: Free day