A culture-rich Colombia food tour – in English
Tour Duration: 10 days (9 nights accommodations)
2025 Price: 4595 euros double occupancy
Single Occupancy Supplement: 546€
Non-participating guests: This tour is unable to accommodate non-participating guests
Payment Options: We accept payment by credit card or by bank transfer. We now offer a 0% interest payment plan. Find out more about it here
Tour locations: Cartagena and Medellín, Colombia
Inclusions & Highlights
- 9-night accommodations in boutique hotels in Cartagena and Medellín
- Local English-speaking guides and experts at every destination
- Three hands-on cooking classes, exploring Colombia’s diverse culinary traditions
- Private culinary and cultural excursions, including tours of Cartagena and Medellín
- Explore the vibrant Bazurto Market with tastings
- Private dance class and a salsa night tour in Cartagena
- Cocktail masterclass at one of Cartagena’s best bars
- Exclusive coffee farm tour and tasting experience in Medellín
- 9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 6 dinners included*
- Small group size with a maximum of 8 people
- All transfers between destinations and activities are included, plus a flight from Cartagena to Medellín
- A culinary journey created by local experts and travel professionals
*Please note that not all lunches will be full sit-down restaurant meals
Exclusions
- Flights and any other transportation not detailed in the itinerary
- Visas and entry fees (if applicable)
- Travel Insurance
- Any food and drinks outside those specified in the itinerary
- Optional tours, events, and activities outside those noted in the itinerary
- Personal items and expenses
- Gratuities for guides and drivers
2025 Tour dates:
- 5-14 March, 2025 (Wednesday – Friday)
- 3-12 December, 2025 (Wednesday – Friday)
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We require a minimum of 6 people to guarantee this program. Generally, we will review your request and confirm your booking once 6 participants have booked. No payment is required until the dates are confirmed. Once we have 6 participants, subsequent participants can book directly. We will inform you if we can confirm with fewer than 6 pre-registered participants. You can only book this tour for a maximum of 2 people at a time. Please email us if you need to book more participants (alternatively, you can submit a second request).
Privatize a Let’s Eat Colombia food tour!
Want to privatize the Let’s Eat Colombia for your family or group? You can email us about privatizing this program.
Let’s Eat Colombia!
A Colombia Food Tour! Experience the rhythm, flavor, and culture of Cartagena & Medellín
Discover the Heart of Colombia!
A Colombia food tour like no other! Forget what you think you know about Colombia—this tour will open your eyes, heart, and tastebuds. Bienvenido a Let’s Eat Colombia, our 10-day culture-rich Colombia food tour. Colombia is more than coffee; it’s a country of vibrant flavors, rich traditions, and a history that goes far beyond the clichés. As one of the hottest new destinations for travelers seeking authenticity, Colombia offers a culinary and cultural experience like no other. From the colorful streets of Cartagena to the artistic rebirth of Medellín, this journey will redefine your perception of Colombia.
Let’s Eat Colombia – Cartagena & Medellín
Join Let’s Eat The World in collaboration with Impulse Travel, a locally based agency known for curating transformative cultural experiences in Colombia. This 10-day Colombia food tour takes you beyond the plate, introducing you to the stories, rhythms, and people of Cartagena and Medellín. Walk through the bustling Bazurto Market, cook traditional dishes like arepas and sancocho, and discover Medellín’s incredible transformation through vibrant street art. With three Colombian cooking classes and small group sizes (no more than 8 participants), this journey is designed for those who want an immersive, intimate experience of Colombia.
Why We Created This Tour with Impulse Travel
At Let’s Eat The World, we believe that the best travel experiences connect you with a place’s heart and soul, which is why we partnered with Impulse Travel to create this tour. Who doesn’t love a story of a comeback kid? Colombia is rewriting its story by remembering its past. Who better to team up with than Juliana & the Impulse Travel team who bring local expertise and a passion for responsible, community-based tourism? Combined with our passion for all things tasty, this was a match made in food travel heaven. Together, we crafted a tour that not only explores Colombia’s incredible food but also delves into its cultural history and vibrant transformation, offering a deeper, more meaningful travel experience.
Who This Tour is For
This Colombia food tour is perfect for curious travelers who are passionate about food, culture, and authenticity. Whether you’re a seasoned foodie or just looking to experience Colombia beyond the typical tourist paths, this tour is designed for you. With moderate activity, it’s ideal for travelers who enjoy walking tours, cultural immersion, and hands-on cooking experiences. If you love exploring local markets, tasting new flavors, and engaging with local communities, this tour will provide a rich, rewarding journey through Colombia’s diverse landscapes.
What to Expect from Us
A Colombia food tour like no other! As with all our Let’s Eat the World tours, on this Colombia food tour, you’ll enjoy hands-on cooking workshops, immersive market tours, and cultural excursions, this time in Cartagena and Medellín. You’ll visit the vibrant Bazurto Market in Cartagena, explore Medellín’s transformed Comuna 13, and savor the flavors of a Colombian coffee farm. Throughout the tour, you’ll have plenty of free time to explore on your own or relax, with some evenings reserved for carefully hand-picked dining experiences, including a memorable final meal at one of Medellín’s top culinary spots. Meals include 9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 6 dinners, ensuring you get a true taste of Colombia’s diverse culinary landscape.
Juliana
Collaborator
Juliana Medina, CEO and Partner at Impulse Travel, collaborates with us on the Let's Eat Colombia tour. Passionate about socially impactful travel, she connects travelers with local changemakers, promoting cultural exchange and sustainable tourism throughout Colombia.
Felipe
Collaborator
Felipe Cadena, Commercial Leader at Impulse Travel, is passionate about sustainable tourism and social impact. Working with local communities, he creates meaningful travel experiences supporting positive change. He plays a key role in designing Let's Eat Colombia tour.
Throughout your journey in Cartagena and Medellín, you’ll savor a diverse range of dishes, whether through curated meals or your own exploration. Colombia’s food reflects its rich cultural heritage, from the coast to the mountains.
Cartagena:
- Arepas de Huevo – Fried arepas stuffed with eggs.
- Arroz con Coco – Sweet coconut rice, typically served with fish.
- Frito Cartagenero – A selection of fried snacks like empanadas and carimañolas (stuffed yuca).
- Ceviche Cartagenero – Fresh seafood ceviche with lime and coconut milk.
- Posta Cartagenera – Braised beef in a sweet, spiced sauce.
- Cazuela de Mariscos – A rich, creamy seafood stew made with a variety of shellfish like shrimp, crab, and clams, often in a coconut milk base, popular on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
- Limonada de Coco – A refreshing and tropical drink made with a blend of coconut milk and lime juice, a perfect beverage for Cartagena’s warm climate.
- Mote de Queso – A traditional soup from the Caribbean coast made with yam and chunks of coastal cheese, offering a rich and creamy texture.
Medellín:
- Bandeja Paisa – A hearty dish with beans, rice, pork, sausage, plantain, and avocado.
- Arepas – Cornmeal cakes served with a variety of toppings.
- Empanadas Antioqueñas – Crispy empanadas filled with meat and potatoes.
- Mazamorra – A corn-based dessert with panela (sugar cane) and milk.
- Tamales – Traditional Colombian dish made of seasoned corn dough filled with chicken, pork, or vegetables, all wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed.
- Sancocho – A hearty soup made with meat (chicken, beef, or fish), plantain, corn, yuca, and potatoes, often served with rice and avocado.
- Pan de Bono – A delightful baked cheese bread made from yuca flour and cheese, often enjoyed as a snack or breakfast item.
- Arepas – Versatile cornmeal cakes served in various ways, either plain or stuffed with cheese, meats, or eggs, depending on the region.
- Jugos de Frutas – Refreshing tropical fruit juices made from local Colombian fruits such as lulo, guanabana, maracuyá, and more.
- Limonada de Yerbabuena – A cooling lime juice drink mixed with mint (yerbabuena), perfect for Medellín’s climate.
From the coastal influences of Cartagena to the mountain flavors of Medellín, you’ll taste Colombia’s culinary diversity at every turn.
Let’s Eat Colombia! Sample Program
The following is a sample program for our Let’s Eat Colombia food & culture holiday – our culinary holiday in Cartagena and Medellin, Colombia. The program is subject to change due to weather or the availability of our partners. A more definitive program will be given to you on the day of your arrival. Barring any unforeseen changes, this final program will be what you can expect for the 10-day tour. We ask that you try to be understanding about any slight modifications that will not affect your overall enjoyment of the program.
Activity Level: Moderate
This 10-day Colombia food tour involves a mix of walking tours, market visits, and hands-on activities. You’ll be exploring the vibrant streets of Cartagena and Medellín, including neighborhoods like Comuna 13, which may involve walking uphill or on uneven surfaces. Expect guided tours of historic sites and markets but with plenty of breaks for tastings and cultural experiences. The pace is relaxed, but you should be comfortable with several hours of light walking on most days, often in warm weather.
Day 1 – Wednesday: Welcome to Let’s Eat Colombia!
Pick up from Cartagena airport and drop off at the hotel. Check in at the hotel and relax.
6 pm Welcome to Let’s Eat Colombia! Private transfer to rum and chocolate tasting in Getsemaní followed by welcome dinner—a chance to meet your fellow travel lovers and your guide.
Day 2 – Thursday: Market Day & City Tour
Morning: After breakfast at the hotel, you’ll be transferred to the vibrant Bazurto Market for a private market tour. The Bazurto market truly has EVERYTHING, from colorful tropical fruits and vegetables to art and music. Be prepared to be in awe! This tour will have it all. You’ll enjoy several tastings along the way guided by a local restauranteur and personality.
Our market visit is followed by lunch.
Afternoon: At about 3 pm, you will be guided through historic Cartagena for a city tour beginning at the magnificent San Felipe Castle. We’ll be transported from the Castle to the center for our walking tour and a glimpse into Cartagena’s colonial past. The tour ends in the heart of the historic center where we will easily be able to return to the hotel on foot.
Free evening!
Day 3 – Friday: San Basilio de Palenque – Music, Food, and Freedom
San Basilio de Palenque – “Comu cus ata?” (how are you?)
The morning will start with breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we will head on our visit to San Basilio de Palenque, the first free town of the Americas. Their story is one of resilience and determination and we will be their humble guests in the heart of Africa in Colombia. This is a day of rhythm, resistance, and culinary legacy.
We will prepare our lunch of sancocho and arroz con coco, enjoy a drum show, learn about the liberation of Palenque with a hairstyle workshop, and even partake in a short boxing class. This is a full-day experience. We will return to your Cartagena hotel to relax and enjoy your free evening around 5 pm.
Day 4 – Saturday: Free Morning & Evening Cooking Workshop
Free Morning – You have the day to explore Cartagena on your own until our evening activity or we will be happy to propose some optional activities to fill your day from sand and sun to fishing in the mangroves. These extra activities will need to be pre-booked.
Evening cooking workshop in Cartagena – At 7 pm we will enjoy a hands-on cooking workshop in vibrant Getsamaní preparing authentic Colombian dishes to enjoy together over dinner.
Day 5 – Sunday: Salsa & Cocktails
Bailamos! Salsa & Champeta Day
Morning: Breakfast and free time.
Afternoon: Today is the day to put on your dancing shoes, we’ll give you some time to relax after breakfast but be ready at 3 PM for our private salsa class at one of Cartagena’s renowned dance schools. Beginners welcome so don’t be shy, it is all in good fun. Tonight we put what we learned into practice!
6 pm: Nothing better to loosen those hips than to take part in a cocktail masterclass at one of the 50 best bars in the world. We’ll shake things up with professional mixologists and, of course, sample our creations. Don’t worry, our cocktails will be followed by dinner.
And now we dance! We are heading out on a Cartagena salsa night tour. You’ll have about 4 hours to move your body to the rhythm of the salsa beats. There are over 100 venues in the city but have no fear we won’t see them all. . . A cocktail and beers are included.
Day 6 – Monday: Fly to Medellín
Time to fly 🛫
After breakfast, we’ll head to the airport for our flight to Medellin. The short flight will give you a chance to catch some zzz’s.
Check-in & Moravia Tour
Private Transfer from the airport to our hotel so you can settle in before our first tour.
This city is all about urban revival, renewal, and rebirth. What better way to start understanding the changes than to head to what was once the city’s biggest landfill and which is now its biggest flower garden – Moravia. The tour commences at about 3 pm. We will be taken by private transfer to Moravia.
Learn about the spirit of the community and discover its vibrant cultural tapestry.
We’ll enjoy an Arepa cooking class during our visit.
Free evening after the tour
Day 7 – Tuesday: We Don’t Talk About Pablo
After breakfast, we take our walking tour of Medellin to learn about its colorful past and the mark that some of its notorious community members left on Colombia and the world. But this is not the usual gangster glorification tour, this is the B side of the narcos story. During the tour we will also ride on the amazingly clean and future-forward public transport system. Be ready to be fascinated and moved. The tour will last approximately 4 hours. Snacks will be provided during the tour and we will end at a market for a few well-earned local treats.
Free evening
Day 8 – Wednesday: Comuna 13 – Art & Resilience
Bienvenido a mi barrio
After breakfast, we will be taken to Comuna 13 for an alternative tour focusing on the neighborhood’s cultural and social transformation. We’ll be guided by a local resident guide who will introduce us to the artists, the innovative community projects, and the music that held them together and propelled them forward. You can’t come to Medellin and not visit Comuna 13! Hear the stories, enjoy a percussion and dance session, and shop for souvenirs.
We will be enjoying lunch together during this 5-hour tour.
Free evening
Day 9 – Thursday: Coffee Culture & Farewell Feast
Café de Colombia – “Enjoy a good coffee”
You’ve probably heard it said that Colombia makes the best coffee and we are about to find out how and why. After an early breakfast, we’ll head outside the city to visit an organic coffee farm. During our 3-hour tour, you’ll learn about every aspect of coffee production, from cultivation to roasting. This is a great opportunity to get some delicious fresh roast to take home. We’ll conclude our tour with a light lunch.
Culinary exploration at a trendy Colombian restaurant.
We conclude our tour with a special gastronomic feast at one of Medellin’s hottest restaurants selected by our team. A perfect way to end a perfect tour.
Day 10 – Friday: Departure
Hasta pronto
Breakfast
12:00 pm Check out after breakfast and return transfer with our private vehicle to the Medellín airport.
Have questions? Contact us using the form below:
Click to schedule your 10-minute call
REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
This brand-new tour has not yet been reviewed, however, to hear what people have to say about Let’s Eat The World, please visit our reviews page.
You can also read our interview on Forbes.com.
FAQs
Our frequently asked questions about our Culinary holiday in Colombia – Let’s Eat Colombia
This tour is rated as moderate in activity. You’ll engage in walking tours through local markets, historic sites, and neighborhoods like Comuna 13 in Medellín. Expect several hours of light activity on most days, with occasional uneven surfaces and stairs. Free time is also built in, allowing for relaxation between activities.
No prior cooking experience is necessary to enjoy this tour! While this tour is not as cooking intensive as some of our other culinary holidays, food remains a central part of the journey. You’ll participate in three hands-on cooking workshops, where you’ll learn to prepare traditional Colombian dishes, but the focus is equally on exploring Colombia’s rich culture through its flavors, history, and local experiences.
Absolutely! Our tours attract both solo travelers and groups. They are a great way to meet new people who share your passion for food and travel. Our tours are deliberately kept small for an intimate experience but you also have plenty of me time as you desire. We won’t leave anyone behind! 😉
Yes, while we can not guarantee a shared room to our solo travelers if you choose a shared room option, we will match you with another interested solo traveler of the same gender. As stated, it is not something we can guarantee but we will do our best to accommodate your request.
The tour price includes 9-night accommodations, 9 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 6 dinners, including a memorable final dining experience. Also included are private transfers, three hands-on cooking classes, guided tours, and a domestic flight between Cartagena and Medellín.
Flights to and from Colombia, travel insurance, visas (if required), and any meals or activities not listed in the itinerary. Personal expenses and gratuities for guides and drivers are also not included.
A deposit is typically required to secure your spot, with full payment due prior to the tour start date. Cancellations received up to a certain period may be eligible for a refund or credit, as detailed in our terms and conditions. Due to numerous upfront costs, the initial deposit is non-refundable but can be transferred to a future date if you need to postpone (based on price and availability). We also offer a payment plan to help you better budget for your trip. For the full book terms, please click here. For our cancelation policy click here.
As you are booking with a registered Spanish travel agency, your booking is insured in the event that anything should happen to the company. However, this does not cover your personal travel or expenses related to your trip. We highly advise that you also look into comprehensive travel insurance. US and Canadian travelers can use this Insurance comparison website to find what works for their trip. For Australians, click here. For the UK, click here. Please note that we are not personally affiliated with any one insurance comparator or company. We just want you to be safe and to have peace of mind.
Yes, there is free time built into the itinerary, particularly in the afternoons and evenings. This allows you to explore at your own pace or relax between the planned activities.
Colombia has a tropical climate, and this tour runs in March and early December, which are excellent times to visit. March is in the dry season, while early December sees pleasant weather before the holiday rush.
In Cartagena, expect warm, tropical weather year-round, so lightweight, breathable clothing is ideal. Medellín, known as the “City of Eternal Spring,” has more temperate weather, with cooler mornings and evenings. We recommend packing light, comfortable layers and bringing sun protection, especially for the hotter coastal regions. A light jacket or sweater may be useful for Medellín’s cooler nights.
Colombia has become an increasingly popular and safe destination for international travelers. While it’s important to stay aware of your surroundings as you would in any country, the areas we visit—Cartagena and Medellín—are well-traveled and have vibrant, welcoming communities. Additionally, we partner with Impulse Travel, a local agency experienced in providing safe, responsible tours, and our guides are knowledgeable in ensuring the safety and comfort of all our guests.
It’s recommended to carry a mix of cash (Colombian pesos) and cards, as many restaurants, hotels, and larger businesses in Cartagena and Medellín accept credit or debit cards. However, for smaller purchases, markets, and tips, you’ll want to have cash on hand. ATMs are readily available in major cities, but fees can apply, so it’s best to withdraw a reasonable amount at once.
As for tipping, it’s appreciated but not mandatory. In restaurants, a 10% service charge is often included, but you can add more for excellent service. For local guides and drivers, tipping is customary but discretionary—generally around $5-10 USD (or the equivalent in pesos) per person, per day. Always tip in local currency if possible.
Visa requirements depend on your nationality. Many countries, including the US and most of Europe, do not require a visa for short stays. We recommend checking with your local consulate or embassy to confirm if you need a visa for your trip.
For this tour, you’ll be flying into Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) in Cartagena. This is the primary airport serving Cartagena, with frequent international flights from major cities.
For Medellín, you’ll fly out of José María Córdova International Airport (MDE). It’s located about 45 minutes outside the city of Medellín and serves as the main international airport for the region.
We’ll handle the internal flight between Cartagena and Medellín during the tour, so you only need to arrange your flights into Cartagena and out of Medellín.
To help you plan your trip and to check the best options for travel, try using sites like Skyscanner.net and/or Rome2Rio.com.
Yes, we are open to collaborating with travel agents and agencies to resell our unique culinary experiences to your clients. If you are a travel agent interested in offering our tours and experiences, we would be delighted to discuss potential partnerships and how we can work together to provide exceptional travel experiences.
Please contact us via email to explore the opportunities for collaboration. We can discuss commission structures, customized packages, and any specific needs your clients might have. Our goal is to create seamless and memorable culinary journeys that will delight your clients and enhance your travel offerings.
By working with us, you’ll be able to offer your clients exclusive access to our carefully curated tours, workshops, and cooking classes, all designed to immerse travelers in the rich culinary traditions and cultures of our destinations. We look forward to building a successful partnership with you.
