Colombia 13 Days Itinerary Feedback

Hello all!

I'm going to Colombia around Christmas/New Years time and wanted to get feedback on my itinerary. I've done quite a few hours of research and ~think~ what I have planned so far is reasonable, but wanted to check in with my favorite travel sub before booking things (aside from airfare into Medellin and out of Bogota, those are already nailed down). My main concern is whether I'm trying to do too much in my 13 days, and whether it would be best to get rid of Pasto (or somehow cut days elsewhere, or just stay longer in the other regions). Also, whether closures on Christmas or New Years day will throw a wrench in my travel plans.

For some context, I'm 23/M/American, and will be traveling solo and in Latin America for the first time. No hablo español, but I've been putting in a good 20 minutes a day into Duolingo, so we'll see where that gets me haha. My main travel activities are food, art museums, botanical gardens, light-to-moderate hiking (love waterfalls, beaches and caves especially) and a decent bit of partying. Beyond those, I would love to hear your recommendations for hostels, restaurants and activities!

Medellin Area -- fly in on the afternoon of the December 24th (24th - 27th; plan is to stay at the Happy Buddha hostel)

• City days (25th and 26th): Walking tour, Poblado, 20 Mission Cerveza, Parque Lleras, Museo de Antioquia, etc
• Guatape day trip (27th)

Santa Marta Area -- fly from Medellin in late afternoon on the 28th (28th - 31st)

• Go straight to Casa Elemento OR Casa Loma hostel (28th - 29th) — any recommendations between the two?
• Chocolate / Coffee Farm tour from Minca (probably La Candelaria; 29th)
• Go to La Brisa Tranquila hostel (30th - 31st): possibly some daytime activities, or just chilling
• Tayrona day (31st)

Pasto Area -- fly from Santa Marta in the morning of the 1st (1st - 3rd | Hostel recommendations would be great!)

• Get settled in Pasto (1st)
• Santuario de las Lajas day trip + Carnival at night (2nd)
• City during the daytime (3rd)

Bogota -- fly from Pasto in the afternoon on the 3rd (3rd - 5th | AirBnB or neighborhood recommendations would be great!)

• City day or day trip (4th) : Tejo, Gold Museum, Botero Museum, etc
• City day (5th), fly back to America at 11:50 PM that night

Thanks in advance!!

@ mods: I've done a bunch of research and checked previous Colombia threads, but apologies if I've broken any sub rules!

Submitted November 04, 2019 at 06:17AM by Glixie https://ift.tt/2WKAlOP