Art & Adventure in South Central America

We depart by jet from Miami to Cartagena, Colombia and on to the historical town of  Cartagena de Indias and the Plaza de La Proclamación.   Situated close to the cathedral and the Governor’s Palace we stay at a majestic colonial mansion, originally built in the 16th century, and being renovated by the famous master Alvaro Barrera and its French owner.  Here we explore the walled city and all that it offers.

No trip to Columbia would be complete without learning about the multi-billion dollar Cocaine trade and this can be done by private motor boat to islands off shore to the private residence of the Ochoa family who founded the Medallin cartel.  Here, we can also swim in the pools or on one of the many private beaches before returning to the mainland and a private dinner at one of the many world class restaurants nearby.

 

Before departing for Bogota we will have the opportunity of a private tour to take in Cartagena’s thriving street art scenes and meet with the very best of Columbia’s new age artists many of whom are being recognized as some of the best in the world.

 

One of the many things to enjoy is a tour of the Gold Museum or Museo de Oro with its 30 000 + examples of Columbian artifacts in gold and emeralds, many of these artifacts are from the Muisca Culture circa 1200 – 1500CE.

The Muiscan Confederation, one of the biggest and best-organized confederation of tribes on the South American continent is run by a largely socialist society.  With a combined territory roughly the size of Switzerland in the center Columbia with Bogotá as the capital of one of its three main tribes.

North of Bogotá we have the opportunity to visit the Salt Cathedral at Zipaquira. Situated 200m under a halite mountain this Cathedral is widely regarded as the most notable achievements of Columbian architecture.

Downtown we tour the  Museo de Botero and Casa de La Moneda which houses more than 200 works by Colombia’s most famous living artist, Fernando Botero, sculptures and paintings by Renoir, Dali, Chagall, Picaso, Giacometti and many others.

Flying from Bogata to Panama City’s Albrook airport, while your luggage departs for our hotel in Casco Viego (Old City), we board helicopters and fly to the San Blas islands on the Caribbean side flying over the Panama Canal and Getun Lake for lunch with the Kuna Indians. This fiercely independent tribe protect their culture and their 365 island archipelago paradise. Here we can  relax in the azure waters before returning to the helicopters for the return flight to Panama City stopping briefly to ride the cable car through some of Panama’s oldest and most preserved primary rainforest to view the  Three Toed Sloth, Agauti and a host of exotic birds, butterflies and wild flowers.

Isla Simca, is the largest private residence in Central America. This 284 acre private island and it’s 4000 acres of pristine mainland rainforest will dazzle all your senses and fill your adventure cup to the brim. In homage to Africa’s connection to the Americas through the slave trade, the owner Jean Pigozzi has amassed one of the world’s largest collections of contemporary African art, filling every space with pieces that demand discussion.

We will explore Isla Simca’s 50 miles of private trails, along with the mainland and nearby Coiba National Marine Park. Sea kayaking or jet skiing, through red mangroves, quad biking, snorkling alongside whale sharks, white tipped reef sharks or five of the six species of sea turtle found in the ocean. Lunches will be served on private sandy beaches, beneath pristine waterfalls or among the rare tea mangroves of Manglarito Bay perfectly prepared by the island’s private chef. In the evenings, we sip fine wines to the chorus of the Howler Monkeys or choose classic movies from the owner’s 2000 strong collection to view in the custom built cinema. This is just a taste of this paradise.

Our adventure concludes as we travel by boat to the village of Pixvae, past breaching Humpback Whales to meet a squadron of light aircraft at the island’s private landing strip for the 1 hour flight to David where we will board the jet and return to Miami.

This is an adventure that can be as short or as long as you wish.

By | 2018-01-23T10:08:02+00:00 November 21st, 2017|Private Trip Itineraries, South America|0 Comments