Bolivar Tour Cycle from Bogota to Cartagena

From charming boutiques to well-deserved comfort, our accommodations are carefully selected to reflect the unique character of each region. We favour places with a true sense of place over big chain hotels, ensuring your stay is as memorable as the ride itself. Depending on the stage, you’ll experience everything from luxurious retreats to functional stays – always selected with care to suit the journey.

From street corners to fine hotels, Colombian cuisine reflects the country’s extraordinary geographic and cultural diversity. Along our Bolívar tour, we’ll ride through regions influenced by coastal Caribbean traditions, Andean staples, and Indigenous roots, tasting Colombia’s rich history with every bite.

Expect a colourful variety of tropical fruits, fresh seafood, grilled meats, and locally grown produce. Common dishes include:

• Arepas — grilled corn cakes filled with cheese, eggs, or meat
• Patacones — crispy smashed plantains served with salsa or hogao (tomato-onion sauce)
• Bandeja paisa — a hearty platter with beans, rice, avocado, plantain, egg, and meat
• Ceviche costeño — lime-cured fish or shrimp, often served with mango and coconut
• Ajiaco and sancocho — traditional soups that combine meat, tubers, and herbs in comforting broth

During the tour, you’ll enjoy meals in carefully selected hotels and boutique restaurants, where Colombian tradition meets modern culinary flair. Menus might feature:

• Seared local fish with coconut rice and tamarind reduction
• Beef tenderloin with cassava purée and grilled vegetables
• Fresh tropical desserts like maracuyá (passionfruit) mousse or guava and cheese pastries
• And of course, locally roasted coffee and fresh-squeezed fruit juices at breakfast

Food on this tour is about more than sustenance — it’s about hospitality, rhythm, and connection. Whether we’re dining beneath the stars in Cartagena’s historic centre or enjoying a laid-back lunch by the coast, you’ll find every meal is part of the adventure.

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led the countries, now known as, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia, to independence from the Spanish Empire. He is known colloquially as ‘El Libertador’, or the Liberator of South America.

Born on July 24th, 1783, in Caracas, the capital of the Captaincy General of Venezuela, Simón Bolívar was the youngest son of one of the wealthiest families in South America. His father died when Simón was only two years old and custody was passed on to his mother and her father. He was raised separately from his siblings and as was custom at the time, was cared for by Hipólita, an African house slave.

In 1792, his mother died of tuberculosis and the following year his grandfather died. Custody of Simón was passed on to his uncle Carlos, who Simón loathed, as he believed his uncle was only interested in the family inheritance.

Simón had a troubled upbringing and was described as being a difficult, unruly child. In June 1795 he ran away from his uncle, to the home of his sister and her husband. They took him in and tried in vain to have his new residency officially recognized. Simón was instead ordered to live with Simón Rodríguez, who ran the school where Bolívar was educated. Rodríguez became a mentor to the young boy and was probably the main catalyst for Bolívar’s political leanings.