NEW! Colombia's Colonial Jewels & Caribbean Coast (2012)

Bogotá • Santa Marta • Cartagena
  • 10 days
  • from only:
  • $2495
  • $250 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 11 days
  • from only:
  • $2945
  • $268 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
Video: Travelers' experiences of Colombia's Colonial Jewels & Caribbean Coast
NEW-Private Departures
Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
Bolivia: La Paz & Lake Titicaca
Panama: Passageway to the World
Optional Tours
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Dallas, New York (JFK), Washington, DC (Dulles)

9hrs

Boston, Newark

14hrs

Baltimore

10hrs

Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix

11hrs

Miami

4hrs

Minneapolis, Philadelphia

15hrs

Chicago

13hrs

San Francisco

12hrs

Portland, Seattle, Tucson

overnight required

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Bogotá, Colombia. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Post-Trip: Panama: Passageway to the World

5 nights from only $1095

Though many know this tiny Central American country to be the home of the Panama Canal—the world’s largest engineering endeavor—there’s much more to this up-and-coming destination than meets the eye. After you immerse yourself in Colombia, discover the flourishing ecosystems, diverse cultures, colonial cities, and unspoiled charms of Panama.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: This extension is only available on select departures. Ask your Adventure Specialist for details.

It's Included

  • Airfare from Cartagena to Panama City
  • Accommodations for 5 nights in Panama City
  • 9 meals—5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners
  • 4 small group activities
  • Services of a resident OAT Trip Leader who speaks English and the native language
Day 1
Depart Cartagena, Colombia/Arrive Panama City, Panama

We arrive in Panama City in the late afternoon, where an OAT representative will meet us and assist with the transfer to our hotel. We enjoy dinner at our hotel this evening.
Day 2
Panama City/Partial transit of Panama Canal

A boat traveling from New York to San Francisco saves nearly 8,000 miles by using the Panama Canal instead of going around Cape Horn, and today we take part in this travel milestone, as we make a partial transit of the canal ourselves.

We begin by transferring to the dock (in either Gamboa or Flamenco Bay, depending on the direction of your canal transit) where we’ll board our ship for a short journey to the canal. We’ll then get a firsthand look at this extraordinary engineering marvel as we complete a partial transit of the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, heading towards beautiful Flamenco Bay and enjoying lunch onboard. Please note: Passengers on select departures will enjoy today’s partial transit on Day 3, 4, or 5 instead.

Tonight, dinner is on your own—relax at the hotel, or do some more exploring of Panama City.
Day 3
Explore Panama City

This morning, we’ll explore Panama City—Panama’s capital and largest city—on a panoramic tour. We’ll see evidence of the Panama City’s prospering economy as we drive through the skyscraper-lined main streets of Zona Bancaria and Punta Paitilla. Then, we’ll discover the colonial-era avenues of the city’s Old Quarter—a UNESCO World Heritage site—on a walking tour.

Lunch is on your own today, and the afternoon is free to make your own discoveries. Your Trip Leader will be happy to recommend local restaurants to you this evening, as you venture out to enjoy dinner on your own.
Day 4
Panama City/Dugout canoe ride/Visit Embera Indian village

Following breakfast this morning, we depart our hotel for Lago (Lake) Alajuela, a manmade lake that acts as a water reserve for the mighty Panama Canal. From here, we board a motorized dugout canoe for our journey through the jungle to the village of the indigenous Embera people.

Our visit to the village is a rare opportunity to experience an inside look at a lifestyle that’s changed little over time. Our friendly hosts will introduce us to their unique symbiotic way of life in the rain forest, and treat us to an authentic meal with folk music and dance in one of their traditional thatched huts. Afterward, we travel back along the river aboard our canoe, and transfer overland to our hotel. Dinner tonight is on your own.
Day 5
Panama City/Visit Miraflores Locks and La Calzada de Amador

After breakfast, we’ll get another chance to witness the Panama Canal in action from one of the best viewing spots, the visitor center at the Miraflores Locks, where we’ll learn more about the details of this magnificent engineering endeavor that took the United States ten years to build, at a cost of millions of dollars and thousands of lives.

Then, we depart for La Calzada de Amador, a scenic causeway that stretches from the canal’s entrance several miles out into the Pacific Ocean, linking the tiny islands of the bay. In the early days, the islands served as deep-water moorings for ships; after the causeway’s construction they together formed Fort Grant, which was used for canal defense. On arrival, you’ll have time to explore and enjoy lunch on your own.

We return to our hotel after lunch, we you can enjoy some time at leisure before we regroup for a Farewell Dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 6
Panama City/Return to U.S.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.