Salsaville Dance Studios

Salsaville's epic two-week plus Tour of Colombia - Medellín, Jardín, Guatapé, and Cali

The plan is to first spend 7 nights taking in the jewel city of Colombia - Medellín. We will explore some of its numerous sights, and check out the salsa scene. (Dance schools, parties, local dance clubs, and more.)

Then, we will visit the small, isolated town of Jardín deep in the mountains, an architectural gem, full of local culture, and eye-popping surrounding scenery.

Next, we will visit Guatapé, the most visited small town in the region. We will climb up one of the most iconic landmarks in Colombia, "Piedra Del Peñol", explore this small, extremely attractive town, and enjoy a 2-3 hour tour on our own hired pontoon boat through the amazing giant resevoir which forms hundreds of small islands and inlets.

Finally, we will fly to Cali, well-known as the "salsa capital of Colombia" to some, and as the "world salsa capital" to others. Along with checking out a couple of sights in this city, we will focus on exploring the salsa scene in depth (big shows, salsa schools, a salsa museum, and more), and you can decide for yourself just how important Cali is as "the city of salsa."

Video of views from Comuna 13 in Medellín.

Here are the details of our travel plans:

• Fly Denver to Medellín: Friday, February 9th.
  • 7 nights in Medellín.
• Bus to Jardín: Friday, February 16th.
  • 3 nights in Jardín.
• Bus to Guatapé: Monday, February 19th
  • 2 nights in Guatapé.
• Bus direct to Medellín airport and flight to Cali: Wednesday, February 21st.
  • 5 nights in Cali.
• Fly home from Cali: Sunday, February 25th or Monday, February 26th (your choice)

Here are the testimonials from the members of Salsaville's first trip to Colombia. Their heartfelt words explain much better than I can why these trips were such memorable experiences:

Testimonials from Salsaville's 1st Music & Dance trip to Colombia - August 2022

City view above Medellín with its lush surrounding hills.

The Application Form for the upcoming Colombia trip is at bottom of this page.

The group size will be limited to 11 travelers for this second group trip to Colombia.
Please note that this will be run as a "boutique" tour, meaning that the group size will kept small, each member of the trip will receive individual attention, and the tour can be somewhat customized to your desires & interests. In addition, we are staying in highly-upscale accommodations in Medellín (ha, you will see!), upscale accommodations in Cali, and very nice places in Jardín and Guatapé. The group will be able to move around more efficiently and do more than a larger group could. This way we can all achieve my goal of making sure that each person has an amazing experience.

Included in the package price is:

Basic Travel:

• One-way domestic flight from Medellín to Cali.
• All airport transfers in Colombia, including your arrival and departure from Colombia.
• One night in a hotel in the connecting city (likely Miami) if an overnight stay is necessary.
• All nights at upscale hotels in Medellín, Jardín, Guatapé, and Cali.
• Private small bus or van transport from Medellín to Jardín and back. If time allows, the same to Guatapé and back as well.
• Private transport for everywhere we do not walk to. (Taxis, hired vans/buses.)
• Full internet access: These services (unlimited calls, text, and over 10GB of data, with much more mobile data for a very small price if you need it) is included in the price of the trip. Very good WiFi is also available from within your room in all the places we are going to stay. Salsaville will supply every member of the trip with a local Colombian SIM card to put into your phone, so you will have your own local number, along with very good mobile data access virtually anywhere you bring your phone. So communicating with people back home (via Facebook, WhatsApp messages & calls, Zoom, etc.) will not cost you anything at all. (Checking your home voicemail might not be free depending on how your US carrier handles things.) We will use these phones as well to be able to communicate with one another while on the trip.

Music & Dance Activities:

• Dance parties at our Colombian dance schools - one in Medellín, and one in Cali.
• Group dance lessons 2-3 hours per day for 3 days in Medellín, and 3 days in Cali. In addition, each student will have his/her own Colombian pro or semi-pro dance assistant/partner during each class.
• Private dance lessons available at nominal cost if time and scheduling allow.
• About seven or eight nights out dancing in authentic Colombian dance venues.
• For some of our nights out dancing, we will have along with us a group of our instructors and Colombian dance partners to dance and hang out with us.

Some of the more notable additional activities:

In Medellín:

• Guided tour through Comuna 13, Medellin's most visited neighborhood because of its history as a center of violent drug trafficking organizations, who used the poor, sprawling hillside barrio as a transit route in and out of the city. It also served as a stronghold for guerrillas, gangs, and paramilitaries. Today, Comuna 13 has been completely reformed, and is a totally fascinating and popular place to visit. (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/comuna-13)
• Evening visit to the neighborhoods of El Poblado and Provenza to check out the intensely vibrant nightlife there.
• Visit to Parque Arví and getting there & back by taking the MetroCable (gondola) with its stunning views as you pass high over the cityscape.
• Walk to the top of the lushy green Cerro El Volador Park with its 360 degree views of the city at the top. If you're up for more, we can also do the somewhat more challenging hike on another day (time permitting) to the top of Cerro Pan de Azúcar with stunning views of the city and surrounding countryside. Both parks have incredible views of the city from the top, but each are very different.

• At least one multi-hour guided walk through the countryside above town of Jardín with its numerous stunning views.
• Exploring the charming & quaint town of Jardín with its amazingly decorated cafes, restaurants, etc.

• Visit to eye-popping La Piedra del Peñol. (https://www.journeyera.com/la-piedra-del-penol-guatape-rock)
• Our own hired boat tour of Embalse del Peñol. (See photo just below.)

• Visit to Cristo Rey with great views high above Cali.
• Visit to Cali's museum of salsa.
• Attending a famous salsa cabaret show.

• Group dinners every night, including at some of Medellín's and Cali's best restaurants. (Cost of meals to be paid on your own. but restaurants prices in Colombia do not cost a lot at all.)

Embalse del Peñol, Guatapé

Trip cost, which does not include roundtrip airfare from your home airport:

• The cost of the full trip is $2,750 (double occupancy), $2,950 (single occupancy) per person.

The only expenses that are not included in the package price and for which you will spend additional money are:

• Airfare: Will vary depending on from where, and when you buy your ticket. Cheaper options are to be had for overnight flights, longer connections etc. Generally speaking, for the more desirable flights (during the day, good connections, etc.) roundtrip airfare should be under $1,000. Please consult with me at any time if you need more up-to-date info.
• Room upgrades: Salsaville will provide, as part of the standard package price, a fairly high standard of room. The hotel in Medellin is especially impressive so get ready to be spoiled there. In addition, depending on where we are staying, we may have access to some upgrades. (Better views, very large rooms, etc.) If that is the case, we will offer you the option to spend a little extra money in order to stay in such a room.
• Meals:
  • Breakfasts: included in our boutique hotel in Cali, in Jardín, but not in Medellín or Guatapé. Price on your own would be between $3 to $5.
  • Lunches: $3 to $8.
  • Dinners: $8 to $16.
• Drinks at clubs: alcohol, etc.
• Medical care, if ever needed.
• Gifts and souvenirs.
• Excess baggage fees for airplane flights: One free checked bag is included on all flights, plus a carry-on.
• Laundry services (For $5 you can have a entire load of laundry done.)
• Any tips for hotel staff, tour guides, dance assistants, etc. (Unlikely to be much at all.)

The payment schedule is as follows:

• $1,500 up front to reserve your spot on the trip.
• Another $1,000 due on January 1st.
• Final trip payment is due February 1st.
• Late fees are $50 per day for any late payment.

If you need to cancel for whatever reason, I'm afraid none of the payments are refundable, except for a partial refund if we can find a replacement traveler and transfer the plane tickets into their name. Otherwise, at least you will have full credit with the airline to use on any flight for up to a year after ticket purchase. If this of concern, you could look into purchasing travel insurance.

Why travel with Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman?
Eric has extensive experience traveling in Colombia & Cuba. He has been traveling to Cuba since 1995. He has traveled there 29 times, and spent a total of over 32 months on the island of Cuba. He has studied dance there extensively and has developed numerous connections over the years. He has now succesfully led 15 group trips there.

Eric has become more and more up to speed with Colombia as well. He has been traveling to Colombia since 2003, and has spent a total of about 7 months over 6 different trips there.

Eric recently completed his first led group tour of Colombia. It was a resounding success, and is looking forward to making it even better for this second tour.

Café in hills above Jardín which we will be stopping at on the way down from our guided hike.

APPLICATION FORM:

Please copy & paste the below text into an email, fill in, and send to eric@salsaville.com.
(Please avoid printing out this form and writing in answers by hand.)

1. Would you like single or double occupancy?
If double occupancy, tell me the number of beds needed and the name of the person you are sharing a room with.
(Or, although tricky, let me know if you would like me to attempt to match you with another traveler to share a room with.)

Note: All rooms have AC and en-suite bathrooms (i.e. the bathroom is directly connected to your bedroom.)

2. Please indicate your preferred origin and return airports:
If you want to return to a different airport, or perhaps stay in Miami or elsewhere on your own for a few extra days on the way back, please indicate this.

Do you generally prefer window or aisle seats? (This could always be changed later on.)

Do you do overnight flights?
     a. Not at all.
     b. Yes, if it makes the connections work a bit better.
     c. Makes no difference to me either way.
     d. I actually prefer overnight flights.

Do you do very early flights (i.e. flights leaving between 5:30am and 7:00am)?
     a. Not at all.
     b. Yes, if it makes the connections work a bit better.
     c. Makes no difference to me either way.
     d. I actually prefer very early flights so I can get to my destination at an earlier hour.

3. Your email address:

4. Your cell phone number with the ability to receive text messages:

5. Fill in the info below as it appears on your passport.
First name:
Middle name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Gender:
Passport #.:
Passport date of expiration:

6. Contact info for any emergency:
Name of person:
Relationship:
Phone number:

7. Your mailing address:

8. Attach a good quality scan of your passport. Taking a photo with a smartphone camera works fine.

9. Do you have any physical and/or psychological issues that could impede your ability to successfully participate in this trip?

10. This tour will involve walking a total of 1-3 miles per day, and optionally more at times. Are you able to do this while maintaining an average moderate pace? (If not, it does not mean you cannot come on the trip. I would just need to know this ahead of time in order to possibly make some adjustments.)

In addition, on about 6 days, we will be doing 2 to 3 hours a day of dance lessons in well-ventilated, but non-airconditioned rooms. Some evenings we will be going out dancing for 2-3 hours. All activities are optional. If you are tired at any point, you can always opt-out and go back to your room to relax, rest, etc.

11. You will need to sign a fairly standard liability waiver which will be delivered to you after acceptance of your application.

12. From time to time you will be asked for your input on some aspect of planning the trip. You will sometimes be asked to respond in as little as 24 hours. (Examples include RSVP'ing to a proposed group orientation meeting time, and getting your go ahead in purchasing specific airline flights.) I will need your timely response in order to help effectively plan the trip. Do you agree to do your best to respond in a timely manner?

13. We will be using WhatsApp as the primary means of communciation (both before and during the trip) to plan/accounce various details about each days' events when we are not all together as a group. Do you agree to making sure you are comfortable using WhatsApp, and agree to bring or rent a carrier-unlocked phone in order to have appropriate access to WhatsApp?

(Unlocking your phone should be easy, but needs to done ahead of time.) Also, you can use your U.S.-carrier based service while in Colombia if you like in place of using the free Salsaville-provided locally-based Colombian cell phone service.

14. What are your expectations for participating in this trip? (Two sentence minimum here please.)

15. Please list any dietary restrictions that could be relevant to this trip - like if you don't eat red meat, poultry, fish, dairy, etc. (There are several, easy to find vegan/vegetarian restaurants pretty much everywhere we are going.)



Eric "El Cubanito" Freeman
Owner, Salsaville Dance Studios
www.Salsaville.com
Facebook
YouTube