15 1-Day Tours in Colombia to Build a Day Around

1.Day Trip To Guatapé with ,Breakfast, Lunch and Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,996 reviews · 10 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $36Our pick

Review of Medellín’s Guatapé day trip with breakfast, lunch, boat ride, El Peñol Rock, transport, tips, costs, and honest advice.

“Be on time for the pick up. This was a great experience, Yulie, our tour guide was super, and yes they speak English too. Because it’s a group tour, you do get to meet people from all over the world. The food was great and they have option for everyone. As a Jamaica, this Peñol rock was a bucket list and it was great. Very crowdy as it was holiday time.”

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2.Guatapé & Coffee farm, all in one day

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 489 reviews · 10 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $140

Review of Medellín’s Guatapé and coffee farm day tour, with El Peñol views, fruit tasting, local culture, transport, costs, and practical tips.

“We booked the Guatapé rock climb, city tour, and coffee farm option. Our tour guide Julio was so down to earth and felt like a friend showing us his home. The views from the top of the rock were amazing! The town of Guatapé is beautiful and there are so many stunning photo opportunities! Julio shared neat history tidbits about the everywhere we went. The coffee plantation was surreal- a real life organic coffee farm that is family owned and operated- a truly authentic, eye opening experience. We finished the day with enough time to try crazy cool fruit at a local market. Don’t hesitate and book this tour! You…”

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3.Guatapé Day Trip & Boat to Pablo Escobar’s Estate

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 365 reviews · 10h 30m · from $64

Review the Guatapé day trip from Medellín, with a boat ride to La Manuela, Peñol Rock, colorful Guatapé, food stops, and adventure extras.

“I enjoyed every minute. It included surprisingly much more than the description said! Nice lunch in a lovely place, a guided walking tour around La Manuela, a stop at El Alto del Chocho village ranch etc.”

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4.Private Boat Tour Full day trip to Rosario Islands, Cholon, Baru

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 112 reviews · 8 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $799

Review of Cartagena’s private boat tour to Rosario, Cholon, and Baru, with honest advice on costs, snorkeling, rough seas, lunch, and value.

“Great attrntive staff, seeking to go elsewhere extra mile and meet your needs. Extremely professional and pleasant.”

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5.The Jaguar´s Footprint: Hike and Music Day Trip from Cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 112 reviews · 11 hours (approx.) · from $169

Hike through the Montes de María from Cartagena, see petroglyphs and wildlife, then enjoy a San Jacinto gaita workshop.

“What an incredible experience! If you love hiking, nature, animals, plant life - this is for you! Olinto our guide is so knowledgeable and passionate and we learned so much about not only the plant and animal life, but about Colombia in general and their culture, food, music, etc. He was very punctual, professional, and fun! We were able to see many different types of birds and also monkeys! The views were INCREDIBLE and seeing the petroglyphs was a once in a lifetime experience! Getting to have lunch at a local hotel and have the local music played for us was so special and cool. We cannot recommend Olinto and…”

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6.Minca Coffee, Cocoa, & Waterfall Full-Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 102 reviews · from $78

Review of Santa Marta’s Minca day trip, with jungle walks, coffee, chocolate, waterfall pools, lunch, practical tips, and value advice.

“great experience. next time I'd try and spend longer in minca. our guide was lovely and informative. highly recommend”

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7.Rosario Islands Day Trip: Snorkel & Sunbathe at Isla del Sol

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 98 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $180

Is Isla del Sol worth $180? See what to expect from Cartagena’s Rosario Islands day trip, including beaches, lunch, snorkeling, boats, and costs.

“over price for what you get. Did not meet our expectations, the beach did Mach the picture on the brochure, food was mediocre. It took over an hour to organized the group in to the speed boat, we left the port at 9:15 am . We got there about 10:20 am The place is very nice a little hotel with a small beach, for about 100 people to be there. They offer lobster for a extra price about Us40 a piece. By 3pm we were in the boats back to Cartagena by 5:30.pm People was very friendly and helpful,”

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8.Neiva: Guided Day Trip to the Tatacoa Desert with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 76 reviews · 1 day · from $129

Explore Colombia’s Tatacoa Desert from Neiva with hikes, a Magdalena River boat ride, local lunch, sunset, swimming, and stargazing.

“Seraffin and Camilo as our tour guide where amazing! very knowledgeable a lot of information that really added to the experience they really wanted we enjoyed it at our own pace. Ivery worthwhile! you can buy cold water along the way:)”

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9.Rosario Island and Mangroves Private Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 73 reviews · 9 hours · from $244

Review of Cartagena’s private Rosario Islands and Barú day trip, with mangroves, snorkeling, local meals, village visits, and practical advice.

“Absolute 100% must do! The only thing better than visiting one of the most beautiful places in the world is the experience of learning the culture first hand. This tour offers it all. Valentina was amazing, as was the entire on and offshore crew. The BEST! Trip hack, visit the Baru Yellow House before departing to the islands. Honest, pure, love…”

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10.Baru Island & Playa Tranquila Day Trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 67 reviews · 8 hours · from $26Best value

Review of Cartagena’s Barú and Playa Tranquila day trip, covering beaches, lunch, transport, extra costs, pickup details, and honest value advice.

“Tudo aconteceu como descrito no anúncio. Porém não tem muita comunicação, não falam qual bar/barraca vc vai poderá ficar, ficamos na primeira que não tinha uma vista bonita e estava cheia de motos aquáticas e barco em frente, perguntamos se podíamos mudar mais lá pro final e mudamos. A comida estava muito boa, tinham 3 opções, escolhermos peixe e frango e estava bom. A aqua da praia onde nos deixam não é tão azul como nas fotos, o lado esquerdo perto dos hotéis tem águas mais claras e pode ir tirar fotos, de resto foi tudo dentro do previsto e pelo preço valeu a pena”

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11.Bogotá´s Best Private Day Trip: Salt Cathedral & Guatavita Lagoon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $264

Review of Bogotá’s private day trip to Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral and Guatavita Lagoon, with practical advice on price, timing, walking, and value.

“A beautiful and peaceful place just outside Bogotá. The emerald-green lagoon is stunning, and the walk up is not too difficult but definitely worth it for the views. The history and legend of El Dorado make the visit even more special. Great spot to enjoy nature and learn a bit about Colombia’s culture.”

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12.Playa Blanca Full-Day Trip from Cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 48 reviews · from $63

Spend seven hours at Playa Blanca from Cartagena with beach time, local lunch, bilingual guidance, transport, fruit, and water.

“Our tour guide was amazing! He went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. He even helped us confirm and locate our pick up point for a different excursion that we planned for the following day with another company! Definitely recommend going!”

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13.Dream Hammocks, Zipline, & Waterfall Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews · 9 hours · from $205

Ride Colombia’s longest zipline, hike to El Salto del Buey, and swing above the mountains on a private day trip from Medellín.

“This was a once in a lifetime experience! While we found it was worth every penny, we thought lunch could have been provided. The hammocks and standing in front of the majestic powerful El Salto de Buey waterfall was perfection. Our guide, Fabian, was a darling through and through, from the drive to and back to our hotel. Do yourself a favour and book this experience.”

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14.Guatape and El Penol Rock Day Trip with Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 42 reviews · 11 hours · from $43

See Guatapé, climb El Peñol Rock, cruise the reservoir, and enjoy meals on an affordable 11-hour trip from Medellín.

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15.La Candelaria, Mount Monserrate and Museo del Oro in One Day in Bogota

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 41 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $160

See Monserrate, La Candelaria, Plaza Bolívar, and Bogotá’s Gold Museum with private transport and a local guide in one busy day.

“Monserrate was nice, fantastic views of the city, lots of beautiful flowers up top. La Candelaria was a bit underwhelming, this historic area has been allowed to fall into terrible condition, but fortunately it looks like it's being restored now. I did like when we stopped for a minute in a small local bar popular among students to try some chicha, which was tasty. The neighborhood itself lacks the requisite richness in history and detail to be interesting on its own. I'd recommend trying to find specific historical figures and stories to tell while walking through to make it more interesting similar to the tale of Bolivar being led out…”

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