Self-Launched Cartagena to Quito on a Shoestring

Fly into Rafael Núñez airport and take a regulated yellow taxi into the old town (about COP 18,000 / £4). Check into a hostel in Getsemaní, the colourful neighbourhood just outside the walls. Spend the evening wandering to Plaza Trinidad, where locals and travellers drink beer on the steps, and eat at a street-food stall or a cheap menú del día. Pick up a SIM card (Claro/Movistar, ~£6) for data through the trip.

🚌Airport taxi ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Getsemaní (~£12)

• →Getsemaní orientation walk
• →Plaza Trinidad evening

Self-guided walk inside the walled city: the clock tower, Plaza Bolívar, the Cathedral and the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (entry ~£6). Alternatively join a small-group city tour booked via GetYourGuide (~£20), or take a boat to the Rosario Islands for snorkelling and beach time (~£25-35 for a shared day boat; note park entry is extra). Drink lots of water — it's hot and humid. In the evening, eat fried fish and patacones in Getsemaní.

🚌Walking; taxis ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in Getsemaní (~£12)

• →Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas
• →Walled city walk
• →Optional Islas del Rosario boat trip

Take a public bus (or a shared van) from Cartagena to Santa Marta — around 5 hours, COP 50,000-60,000 (~£11). Check into a hostel near the centre or in the Taganga direction. Spend the afternoon at the Gold Museum (free), the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino if you're keen on history, or on the beach. Stock up on snacks, a headtorch, dry bags and insect repellent for the trek tomorrow.

🚌Public bus Cartagena–Santa Marta ~£11

🛏Hostel dorm in Santa Marta (~£10)

• →Free Gold Museum
• →Beach time
• →Trek gear shopping

Book the 4-5 day Ciudad Perdida trek in advance with an authorised local operator (e.g. Magic Tour, Expotur, Wiwa Tours — roughly £290-350 per person, which bundles guide, all meals, camps/hammocks and park entry; this is the single biggest line item). Get picked up in a 4x4 for the bumpy ride to Machete Pelao, meet your guide and the Wiwa/Kogi local crew, then hike ~4-5 hours through farmland and jungle along the Buritaca River to Ricardito Camp. Carry your own day pack (30-40L); mules can carry extra gear for ~USD 40-50/day.

🚌4x4 transfer to trailhead + hiking

🛏Ricardito Camp (hammock or bunk, mosquito net)

• →Lost City trek day 1
• →Kogi/Wiwa village pass-through

The toughest day: steep climbs and descents in heat of 35-45°C. Walk 6-7 hours past jungle viewpoints and river crossings (waist-deep in rainy season — keep electronics in a dry bag). Arrive at Wiwa Camp in the afternoon and cool off in the Buritaca River. Your guide cooks or serves dinner; sleeping is in hammocks with nets.

🚌Hiking

🛏Wiwa Camp (hammock, mosquito net)

• →Lost City trek day 2
• →River swim

A shorter morning hike to Paso Lorenzo Camp, arriving around midday. Lunch, then swim if the weather allows. In the afternoon your local Wiwa guide explains their customs, coca-leaf traditions and the history of the Sierra Nevada. Relax in a hammock — tomorrow is the big day.

🚌Hiking

🛏Paso Lorenzo Camp (hammock, mosquito net)

• →Lost City trek day 3
• →Wiwa cultural talk

Climb the 1,200 ancient stone steps at dawn to reach Teyuna, the Lost City, at 1,200 m. Explore the terraces and sacred sites with your guide — the highlight of the whole trip. Then trek back down through jungle, banana and cacao plantations to Wiwa Camp.

🚌Hiking

🛏Wiwa Camp (hammock, mosquito net)

• →Climb 1,200 steps to Ciudad Perdida
• →Guided tour of Teyuna terraces

Hike out over grassy hills and streams, stopping at the Gotsezhy Wiwa community for a lunch cooked by local women (arrange with your trek operator if not included). Return by 4x4 to Santa Marta, then a short taxi or local bus to the fishing village of Taganga. Shower, laundry, and a well-earned cold beer by the water.

🚌4x4 + taxi/local bus to Taganga ~£5

🛏Guesthouse or hostel in Taganga (~£12)

• →Wiwa community lunch
• →Taganga beach evening

Take a local bus or shared van to the park entrance at El Zaino (~£4), pay entry (~£12-15 for foreigners) and hike the trail to Cabo San Juan or La Piscina — around 2-3 hours each way through jungle and along wild beaches. Alternatively hire a local guide for the day (~£25). Bring water, cash (no ATMs inside), reef-safe sunscreen and proof of yellow fever vaccination. Many travellers sleep in hammocks in the park; the budget option is to return to Taganga.

🚌Local bus/shared van ~£4 each way

🛏Guesthouse in Taganga (~£12)

• →Tayrona NP entry & hike
• →Cabo San Juan beach

Bus back to Santa Marta, then fly to Medellín (Viva Air/Avianca, book ahead for ~£45-65). Take the airport bus or metro into El Poblado or Laureles and check into a hostel. Do a self-guided walk of the Comuna 13 escalators and street art (free; a local guide is ~£10 and worth it), then join a free walking tour if timing allows. Optional group night out in Provenza.

🚌Bus to airport ~£3; flight ~£55; metro ~£1

🛏Hostel dorm in El Poblado/Laureles (~£12)

• →Comuna 13 street art
• →City orientation walk

Pick your own adventure: day trip to Guatapé and climb the 740 steps of La Piedra del Peñol with its zócalo-painted streets (shared bus ~£8 return plus ~£5 rock entry), or stay in the city and ride the Metrocable and Metrocable Line L up to Parque Arví (~£1.50) for mountain views. Other options: Plaza Botero, Museo de Antioquia (~£4), paragliding (~£40).

🚌Public bus or metro/cable car ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm (~£12)

• →Guatapé & La Piedra
• →Metrocable & Parque Arví

Long travel day: bus Medellín to Pereira or Armenia (~6-7 hours, £12-15), then a local bus or colectivo up to Salento (~£2). The scenery through the coffee hills is gorgeous. Arrive by late afternoon, check into a family guesthouse, and eat trucha (trout) or bandeja paisa on the main square.

🚌Intercity bus + local bus ~£16

🛏Guesthouse in Salento (~£12)

• →Coffee-country scenery
• →Salento main square evening

Take a Willys jeep from the square to Cocora Valley (~£1.50), pay entry (~£2) and hike the 5-6 hour loop past towering wax palms and across hanging bridges. In the afternoon, visit a working coffee farm for a tour and tasting (Finca El Ocaso or similar, ~£6-8 self-booked). Early night — tomorrow is another long journey.

🚌Willys jeep ~£3 return

🛏Guesthouse in Salento (~£12)

• →Cocora Valley loop hike
• →Coffee farm tour & tasting

Travel day: bus from Armenia/Pereira towards Neiva or Ibagué (8-9 hours total, ~£18), then a local bus or shared taxi to Villavieja (~£2). Book a night in a desert campsite or a small hospedaje in Villavieja with a stargazing tour (~£12-18 including dinner). The desert's red and grey canyons are best at sunset and the night sky is exceptional — one of the darkest in Colombia.

🚌Intercity bus + local transport ~£20

🛏Desert camp or Villavieja hospedaje (~£14)

• →Tatacoa Desert sunset
• →Stargazing

Get up for sunrise in the Cuzco and Los Hoyos sectors — a self-guided walk or a short guided loop (~£8). Then head back to Neiva and take an overnight or afternoon bus to Bogotá (5-6 hours, ~£12-15). Overnight buses save a night's accommodation; if you prefer, arrive in the evening and check into a hostel in La Candelaria.

🚌Local transport + bus Neiva–Bogotá ~£15

🛏Overnight bus or La Candelaria hostel (~£10)

• →Sunrise in Tatacoa
• →Desert sector walk

Explore the capital on foot: the Gold Museum (COP 4,000 / ~£1 — staggeringly good), Plaza de Bolívar, the Botero Museum (free) and the street art of La Candelaria. Ride the Monserrate cable car (~£5) for city views — or walk up for free on a Sunday. Do a free walking tour for context on Colombia's recent history, then eat ajiaco soup for dinner.

🚌Walking + TransMilenio ~£2

🛏Hostel dorm in La Candelaria (~£10)

• →Gold Museum
• →Monserrate cable car
• →Free walking tour
• →Botero Museum

Fly Bogotá to Quito (Avianca/LATAM, book a few weeks ahead for ~£90-120; some routes connect, so keep the day flexible). Take the airport bus or a taxi into the Mariscal or Centro Histórico (~£4). Note the altitude — Quito is at 2,850 m, so take it easy. Evening orientation walk around Plaza Grande and Calle La Ronda for empanadas and canelazo.

🚌Flight ~£105; airport transfer ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in Quito (~£10)

• →Quito old town orientation walk

Choose your day trip. Option A: Mindo cloud forest for hummingbirds, waterfalls and cable car (~£25 transport + £15 activities). Option B: Cotopaxi National Park day tour with a shared operator (~£35-45, including transport, guide and a walk up to the refuge at 4,800 m). Either can be booked the day before in Quito or via GetYourGuide. Rest in the evening to acclimatise.

🚌Shared tour transport ~£25

🛏Hostel dorm in Quito (~£10)

• →Mindo cloud forest or Cotopaxi National Park

Ride the Teleférico cable car (~£7) up Pichincha for sweeping views, then visit the Museo Nacional or Casa de la Cultura (free-cheap). In the afternoon take a public bus (~£1.50) to Mitad del Mundo and the Intiñán Equator Museum (~£5) to balance an egg on the equator line. Dinner in La Mariscal.

🚌Public bus ~£3

🛏Hostel dorm in Quito (~£10)

• →Teleférico
• →Intiñán Equator Museum
• →Old town churches

Bus north to Otavalo (~2.5 hours, ~£3) for South America's biggest Indigenous handicrafts market — arrive early for the Saturday animal market if your timing lines up, and haggle for textiles and tapestries. Arrange a community homestay in San Clemente (via a responsible-tourism agency such as Runa Tupari, ~£30 including dinner and breakfast) for the night; you'll eat with a local Quichua family and learn about their farms and weaving.

🚌Public bus Quito–Otavalo ~£3; local transport ~£3

🛏Indigenous community homestay in San Clemente (~£30 incl. meals)

• →Otavalo handicrafts market
• →San Clemente community homestay

Breakfast with your host family, then bus back to Quito (~£3). If you have time before your flight, visit the Basílica or the Panecillo viewpoint. Take the airport bus (~£2.50) for your onward flight. If you can, add a few buffer days — Ecuador's Amazon, Baños and the Quilotoa Loop are all easily reachable from here.

🚌Bus to Quito ~£3; airport bus ~£2.50

🛏None (departure day)

• →Final old town wander
• →Souvenir shopping