Discover unique tours, experiences, workshops and other interesting activities offered by small local tourism and cultural providers in Colombia.
Private local tour guides are one of the hidden treasures of Colombia. At Travelhapp we want to give special visibility to female tour guides. See the “Know-How” tab to learn more about guides in Colombia and get a rough orientation regarding typical rates.
Marta is not only a very experienced local tour guide, but also an artist, art teacher and social activist. Learn about life in Colombia from this inspiring woman!
Types of tours: architecture, music & art tours, artist workshops, ecological tours, local markets & culinary experiences, picnics, therapeutic hikes, etc.
Destinations: Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Boyacá
Languages: Spanish, English, French
Johana likes to sing and is passionate about her family and, of course, about traveling! She has been a local guide in Bogotá for over 13 years and loves to show the beauty of her country. Ask her for her most creative tour suggestions!
Types of tours: gastronomy, coffee experiences, history, shopping, bike tours, etc.
Languages: English, Spanish
Juan Carlos has been a dedicated local guide for over 20 years. He's an extremely nice and friendly guy and very passionate about environmental protection. He knows all the hidden treasures around Bogotá and in the rest of Colombia.
Types of tours: nature, bird watching
Languages: Spanish
Claudia is an experienced bilingual local guide, enthusiastic about introducing travelers to the wonders of Santa Marta and its incredible Sierra Nevada.
Types of tours: city, nature
Languages: Spanish, English
Paula dedicates her life to important community work with women and children in La Guajira. She is also a knowledgeable bilingual local guide that may engage you in some thought-provoking conversations about responsible and sustainable travel.
Types of tours: eco- and community tourism, Wayuu cultural tours
Languages: Spanish, English
Joining tours and activities offered by local providers is a great way for solo travelers to make the most out of their trip to Colombia. Explore the country, learn interesting things and meet new people while supporting the local economy and communities. In general you get very good value for money when doing tours in Colombia, no matter if you go with an individual guide or with a tour company.
Colombia has an incredibly varied offer of tours and experiences, which is – we think – both due to the extreme diversity of the country and to the enthusiasm and motivation of local guides and tour operators. One day you may join a walking tour or graffiti tour through the city, the next you may go on a day trip and do a coffee tour, then you may go trekking in the mountains or the jungle, etc.
With the peace contract in 2016 Colombia was able to offer a much more safe and tranquil travel experience. It was now possible to provide access to pristine natural territories that were formerly inaccessible because of the presence of guerrilla and paramilitaries. Actually, some former guerrilla fighters have become tour guides with the help of resocialization programs after the peace contract has been established. These people know the Colombian jungle like no one else and can teach you a lot.
Due to its particular circumstances Colombia was able to learn from the errors of other countries and start off with a much more socially and environmentally conscious form of tourism. You will notice this commitment when talking to your guides.
In Colombia’s bigger cities and main travel destinations, like Bogotá, Medellín and Cartagena, it’s quite common to find free walking tours and other free tours, which may include free city tours, free graffiti tours, free bird watching expeditions, free hikes, and more. We often promote free tours in Travelhapp since it’s a great way for solo travelers to experience a place and meet other solo travelers.
Tipping a free tour: If you are happy with the tour, give your guide a tip to show your appreciation. The amount is up to you and may vary depending on tour length and quality. Something around 20.000 COP is usually a good starting point.
If the destination is rather easy to reach with public transport, hiring an individual guide may be a good and sometimes cheaper alternative to a package, especially if you manage to get a group together to split the costs. You may use the Travelhapp Activities section in order to find other people that are interested in the same experience as you.
For nature destinations, it’s usually already a good idea to go with a guide if you simply want to avoid getting lost. Colombia’s nature is a strong and wilful lady and she enjoys herself taking back human-made trails or paths. Even your guide may sometimes need to think for a moment in order to remember where the trail is hiding.
Rates of tour guides in Colombia may vary depending on the language and destination of the tour, among other things.
Below you can find a general orientation regarding typical tour guide rates in Colombia for guide service (NOT including transport, food and entry fees and other additional services.)
Bilingual guide (English or other languages): starting around 300.000 COP per day, depending on group size, destination and other factors.
Spanish-only guide: starting around 250.00 COP per day, depending on group size and destination
Tipping: If you were happy with your tour and want to give a tip to your tour guide, a value of 10-20% of the total tour cost is a good orientation.
Local tour operators in Colombia offer good value for money all-inclusive tour packages. Tour package rates may vary quite a lot, mainly depending on the following factors:
Tours often get cheaper the more people join. Additionally, the less motorized transport required, the cheaper the tour. That said, a 3 days/2 nights tour may start somewhere around 800.000 COP per person (check USD & EUR), but could also cost more than 2.000.000 COP per person due to the factors mentioned before.
A note on exchange rates:
Some tour operators in Colombia offer to pay either in COP or in USD. It’s worth checking the current exchange rate at the time of booking to find out what’s most convenient for you since the COP/USD exchange rate is fluctuating a lot. Also pay attention whether the total cost includes IVA (VAT) or not. (The IVA/VAT refunds for tourists only apply to purchases of goods, not services.)
Tour operators in Colombia often require several people for their tours to start due to transport costs (jeep, boat, etc.).
Also, it is very common that prices vary depending on the number of participants: the more participants the lower the price per person. Already with one additional participant, tours can become very affordable. In our eyes small group tours offer the best value for money, allowing for a personalized and intimate experience.
Only a few providers have started organizing special solo trip groups and solo travel tours and packages. So, often you have to get your group together by yourself or hope that other solo travelers will be interested in the same tours as you in the same moment.
For people that travel in high season and love to stay in hostels meeting like-minded fellow travelers is usually not a big issue. For travelers preferring more private settings we have created a Facebook Group for Colombia Solo Travelers.
On Travelhapp we want to promote solo traveler friendly tours and experiences offered by small local providers that have a positive social impact and are environmentally responsible and sustainable.
We have only started building up this section and would love to consider your interests and needs. Which activities, tours and experiences would you like to find on Travelhapp as a solo traveler? We would truly appreciate your input via email at hello@travelhapp or WhatsApp at +57 322 395 9274!
Here are our initial ideas on activities, experiences and tours to offer on Travelhapp: