More Fun than I Have Space to Write About It: 4 Colombian cities and surroundings - I put together my own 4 week trip to Colombia and Peru using Viator to knit together local tours: Villavicencio, Bogota, Cartagena, and Medellin in Colombia. Cusco and Machu Picchu in Peru. Although I was solo, I was always with a group or in a guided solo tour. The selections offered by Viator were terrific. I booked my own air travel and hotels. Often the tours picked me up at the hotel or I took an Uber or taxi to the meetup point. Here are the key tour destinations, all of which I highly recommend: Villavicencio - Los Ocarios Bioparque. Rescue sancuary of area wildlife. I only went to Villavicencio because I was visiting friends. It would not otherwise be on my itinerary. Bogota - Montserrat above the city via gondola, Guatavita, Salt Cathedral, the Gold Museum. These were excellent tours. The Gold Museum was through the museum tour guide staff who spoke English. Wonderful museum. I was truly impressed. Cartagena - 5 island all day (14 hours) boat tour, Walled City & San Felipe Castle (the fortress), walking tour of Getsemani and old town. Cartagena is extremely hot and humid. I had a wonderful time, but if I return to Colombia, I would not include Cartagena on my next trip due to heat and humidity. Medellin - private tour of the Pablo Escobar history, group tour to Piedra de Peñol and Guatape village and lake boat tour, lots of little places along the way. Medellin is by far my favorite city so far. The climate at 4,000 ft elevation is very comfortable. My choice to go to Piedra de Penal and Guatape was because of a friend's recommendation. I highly recommend it. Lima overnight. Then to Cusco. Cusco: private tour of 4 local ruins (half day tour) and the llama rescue, small group tour excursion by van to Ollataytambo to tour ruins and to board the vista dome train to Aguas Calientes, launching place for tour of Machu Picchu. This two day tour from Cusco to Ollataytambo and Machu Picchu was more spectacular than expected.

Total connection to nature - The tour was tough, but the views were 100% worth it. John very good guide. And also a hearty breakfast and delicious snacks 👌🏻

A special opportunity to see a beautiful, unique ecosystem - A really special opportunity to see a beautiful, unique ecosystem. Jacky was an excellent guide and I learned a lot!

Not from this world!! - Although we were caught in multiple weather micro systems 😅 Sebastian and Eduardo were very knowledgeable , guiding us through this amazing adventure Truly grateful to be able to share that experience

Other-worldly experience! - Spectacular hike with views of the surrounding mountains and unique flora! Prepare for wet weather, regardless of the season. Not strenuous for those who are accustomed to the outdoors - a 6.5/10. My guide Juan was good company and shared his extensive knowledge along the way. About 6 to 7 hours including transport.

Super experience in beautiful surroundings - Excellent tour with a great guide. The hike was not too difficult, and led to stunning views. Great breakfast, snacks and insights on the area.

Exclusive - Small and only group with access to this area Weather just held out on a day forecast to be wet. Five more characters.

Beautiful hike - This was a really great experience. The communication was clear and timely, and it was a very convenient pick up/meeting place. We were well fed, with breakfast, lunch and snacks. The hike was really nice, but definitely a challenge with the altitude. I would consider myself a pretty avid hiker and I found myself stopping at multiple points for a breather. In total it’s about a 5-6km hike with about 600m of elevation. It got a bit stormy towards the end, and could have gotten pretty cold and wet if we had been caught in it. It was pretty muddy on the trail, but it had just rained the day before too. Great guides and views.

Let nature treat you kindly. - The hike was a tad challenging at certain part where you just have to becareful with loose rocks and slippery mud, especially descending. Otherwise, it just requires you to move at your own comfort pace as you also have to battle the high altitude. Breathless at times as I thought I could run uphill. The duration for the whole event is about 4 hours. Wear proper hiking boots and pants in order to prevent any friction scratching by the rocks or prickly plants. There are plenty of indigenous greens to appreciate on this vast land. Breathe in the cool air and just take in the expanse landscape.

Bello Sumapaz with opportunities for improvement - It was a wonderful experience as the scenery and attention was very beautiful. Guide Sebastian knew the territory and kept an eye on the whole group, and having additional company from a local Guide was positive. However, I believe there are areas for improvement: I think we were able to benefit from more information about the wasteland, more learning about the place, but we only had the walking experience; I would have loved to know about the plants around us, about particularities of the wasteland. They were very careful with a tourist who had altitude sickness, but I suggest they go more prepared (coke tea, candy, for example). Faced with the food, although typical and rich, as a person who does not eat meat I had to settle into the place and eat little since it was not considered that I referred in the purchase of the tour wanting a vegetarian diet. The driver back to Bogota did not drive in the best way.