Impulse Travel - Colombia Impulse travel, and specifically Felipe Cadena, organized a three-week trip for me and my 82-year-old mother through Colombia. What a great job! - he answered dozens of questions very promptly and patiently. - gave suggestions on the itinerary based on our specific needs and abilities (greatly appreciated!). - arranged all the details in this long and complicated itinerary. - stayed in touch throughout the whole trip allowing and taking care of a couple of small adjustments. What we found particularly IMPRESSIVE and UNIQUE was: - Felipe's "use" of LOCAL people and his effort to have us interact and learn about local/indigenous people, history and culture of each area we visited. - we actually got a cost listing for our trip!!! Now, that makes you feel full transparency and honesty on the part of the company and that endears them to you, for sure. We were well taken care of, felt safe, treated individually, and all our guides/drivers/translators were very considerate, punctual and cordial. Five stars for Felipe and his team. Thank you from Joanna and Marta

Started in Bogota, Toured the city & museums, went to the Salt Cathedral, and the scared lagoon. Flew to Medellin, Tour of city, Commune 13, Guatape and El penol. Flew to Santa Marta, hike into Tayrona Park and Cabo San Juan. Next off to Barraquilla and two days at Carnival. Final stop was Cartagena with a city, fortress and convent tour. Amazing sequence of events with too many positive memories to list here. All in all a great tour and highly recommended to anyone.

It was an extraordinary experience. Our guide Gildardo (Gigio) was very knowledgeable and his English was excellent. We were deeply impressed by the people who shared their life stories with us.

The 6 of us had a 11 hour layover in Bogota so scheduled layover tour with Impulse. It was excellent. Impulse was very organized during the entire process and quickly responded to answering all of my questions. We were picked up from the airport, the tour was excellent, they were flexible to center it around our desires, and we were returned to the airport with plenty of time to catch our next flight. I highly recommend our tour guide (though I forget his name, was it Raul?) and also recommend Impulse.

I recently had the opportunity to complete this hike through Bogota's East Hills and it was a wonderful experience. My guide Samuel was warm, friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about the regeneration and biodiversity projects in this area. He also spoke excellent English. The hike itself is not that challenging if you are fit, are acclimatised to the altitude and have appropriate footwear, which means you can focus on enjoying the beautiful views, meeting the friendly trail dog and taking in all the flora and fauna. It was also nice to meet some of the young locals who help maintain the trail as part of their community, some of whom have positively transformed their lives as part of this social project. This was one of the highlights of my trip to Bogota and I highly recommend it for those who love getting outdoors and seeing a view of Bogota that not many tourists see.

We are older experienced travelers who prefer to travel as a couple rather than in a group. With the help of a peerless trip arranger, Felipe Cardona, we designed a 17 day "tasting menu" trip of many places in Columbia. Among the places we visited were, Bogota, the Andes near Bogota, Leticia and the Peruvian Amazon, Medellin, Jardin, Santa Marta are and ruins and Cartagena. To sum up our experience: superb and very wothwhile. Every place we went we were greeted by knowledgeable and personable guides, on-time and excellent drivers, very nice accommodations and food, and consistently involving activities. In particular the many guides we met, Dianna, Johnny, Will, Gabo, Doriel, Monica, Catherine, Victoria and others enhanced our experience and provided very professional and personable interactions. To get to these diverse places and return home we took 10 flights, mostly with Avianca without incident or delay. We would strongly recommend a trip like this, perhaps with a day longer stay in certain locations to anyone who requires personalized service and excellent responsiveness to a travelers needs.

Jhovanny was our super guide! From the moment we stepped in the van, he began explaining the history and geography of the mines, the cathedral, and the surroundings. He tailored the tour to our interests and made sure we were always comfortable and safe. Five star day!!!

This is an amazing opportunity experience first hand the living conditions and to learn about the violent history and the path many of the residents have chosen to achieve a more peaceful environment. It is a work in progress, but the results, to date, are impressive. One learns about conflicts and resolutions from different perspectives. The tour guides are sincere and willing to answer even difficult questions. The symbolism associated with the graffiti in the area is explained and touches one's heart. This is truly an opportunity to see a part of Bogata missed by most tourists, where your emotions will be challenged!

I was so impressed by how this community is trying to forge a brighter future for itself and especially its children. After being neglected by the rest of Bogota, the citizens of Egipto are working to make peace in their neighborhood, beautify their streets, stay out of jail, and learn a viable trade. Please come and support this inspiring community!

Raul is knowledgeable and naturally friendly. The food stops were excellent regional examples and fun to taste and experience. The afternoon was well paced. We are very glad we signed up.

Very collaborative providers, both the agency and the hosting hotel & guides. We did the 5-day experience which includes a day of activation and a rest day at the end where you can visit local hot springs/pools. This was a very special experience. I had wanted to come to this area for a long time and feel like we received the red carpet treatment all around. I especially want to recognize the Caminante hotel/hostel, where we stayed and where our guides were sourced from. This is a family run business and the family are truly a special group. Doña Marta, and her sons Carlos, Ivan, and Jovani, were very personable, competent, and accommodating, holding our hands every step of the way. We were able to complete the three hikes, and were fortunate to have good weather during our stay here. Several things to keep in mind are that you’ll definitely want to acclimatize before going up into the park to explore the glaciers and lakes. This tour includes a first day of acclimatizing to a local peak near the town which has a mellow 4 mile hike. The 3 longer hikes are generally 8-10 miles round trip and take you up to around 15 to 16,000 feet above sea level. Also, in hiring the guides it meant that they took care of all the paperwork and permitting with the park. The guides are required by the park. With several of the other guests at the hotel our hosts were helpful in coordinating some TLC in terms of some of the ailments that came up for other guests, including typical travel bugs and exhaustion on the mountain. This is definitely a more strenuous experience and something that will interest people who love trekking and exploring off the beaten path places. On the trail you’ll definitely find others because they’re really only three trails open in the park and each day they allow between 80 and 140 people on the trail depending on which trail you pick. 95% of the travelers out there on the trail or Colombians who are incredibly friendly and upbeat. Also, you may want check out the AllTrails app about hikes in the Cocuy National Park where I’ve posted some more detailed information about each of the 3 trails/hikes featured on this tour.

I would not recommend this operator. I was told upon arrival I would be greeted by the driver with a sign of my name. There was no driver on arrival. I had to call the operator and they had to call someone to pick us up. We had to wait over 30 minutes. The driver did not arrive with a sign. They clearly forgot about us.

What an amazing tour! Let’s start by talking about the beautiful drive up the mountainside of Bogotá, simply amazing! The authentic breakfast snack (arepa) and drink we had before the hike, were really tasty. The hike exposes you to timeless and breathtaking moments and views. Further, the hike requires a certain level of fitness, so please be aware when booking. There is a physically demanding aspect to this tour. However, it is worth the trek! Most importantly, our tour guide, Gigio, was the best!! Gigio was very knowledgeable and provided valuable information about the region, the country, and its history. Also, Gigio did a great job of making sure we took breaks and pointing out picturesque moments, and he provided recommendations to delicious restaurants and must-see attractions around the city. In all, if you are a nature loving, thrill seeker, this is a must do tour in Bogotá!

This was an incredibly authentic tour. What made it even more special is you have former gang members talking about the the rivalry and the neighborhood and the transformation and how they got shot with guns and spent time in prison and I mean it was really, really unbelievably authentic. It was, I highly recommend it for everybody.

My guide was Raul, he was incredible. You always know if you had a good tour that when the tour is over, you are friends with the guide. I can confirm, he's a good friend now. The restaurants you visit are very authentic and the stories along the way are wonderful.