After being very angry at Air Canada and vowing not to fly with them anymore, we had one silver lining after our flights were messed up and rearranged…we had a day-time layover in Bogotá, Colombia for about 10 hours.  After a very stressful reorganization of how our overall vacation was supposed to work out, we were happy by this opportunity.

Normally I hate super long layovers, but this was going to be during the day in a new country!  As soon as we knew our travels would take us through Colombia, we started googling tour companies that picked tourists up from the airport, gave them a tour for a certain # of hours and then returned to the airport, making the best use of the day.

After looking through a few companies and a few set tour schedules, we decided to go with Bogotravel Tours and we settled on a roughly 6-hour tour.  Our entire layover was around 10 hours, so we figured going through customs and immigration would take about an hour or so, and we wanted to try to exchange some money as well, but that would still allow for a 6-hour tour with about 2+ hours on the back-end afterward.

Well…customs/immigration and exchanging money took close to two hours…so we were happy that our driver was still waiting for us once we were finally able to leave the airport!  WhatsApp wasn’t working for us at the airport, so luckily we still had a tour waiting for us.

This day could not have turned out any better!  As we exited the airport we saw our driver, with a sign that had our names printed on it.  The driver was Michael and he said hello and whisked us towards the car where we met our guide, Edgar.  After confirming that we were looking for a “highlights” tour with a stop at a craft shop somewhere in between, we were off and running.

These gentlemen did an amazing job making us feel comfortable and making this personalized tour flow smoothly.

Our first stop was to a local coffee shop.  Since it was Sunday, the shop wasn’t doing any roasting, but we were still allowed to go into the back room and see the machinery before enjoying some home-roasted coffee for ourselves.  (No sugar necessary in my cappuccino!) Edgar was happy to indulge with us too 🙂

As we walked a few blocks down, we stopped every few feet to see the 400+-year-old streets nearby.  These streets are used for foot traffic now, but it’s amazing that they are in relatively good shape.

As we got into a more densely populated part of the city, Edgar took us to the bullfighting arena (Plaza de Toros de Santamaria).  No events were scheduled for that day, but for a small tip, we were able to go in for a picture or two.  The arena was beautiful and after a quick look, we went underneath the arena to look at the operating rooms that an unlucky matador may need to visit.

Next, it was a short walk down to the park with the tall, thin palm trees.  We saw this decorated for Christmas but were not able to see what it looked like all lit up at night.

Since we were near the iconic “Bogotá” sign, we had to take a photo before moving on.

Then it was on to “la Candelaria” which is a beautiful historical area of the city.  We were able to see a small piece of the famous Botero Museum before relaxing at a cafe to take a break from walking.

Throughout the city beautiful murals could be seen at every turn.  Some represent social issues, others seem to just be an expression of the time.  Either way, a large number of our photos were of these large-scale beauties.

After a late lunch/early dinner at a nice restaurant, we made a trip to an awesome souvenir shop, one of my requirements.  Everything was so pretty.  Colombia is known for its Emeralds, so naturally, I was walked past the jewelry counter with all kinds of pieces, priced for every budget.  Although I opted not to purchase any bodily adornment, I did score some chocolate covered coffee beans and a decorative wooden plate with a rural scene imprinted using dyed natural fibers.

Just before sunset, we made our way over to Plaza Bolivar, which is where all the government buildings are.  The architecture was beautiful, especially at that time of day.

With full bellies, loads of pictures and a few trinkets, Michael and Edgar dropped us back at the airport right on time.  I truly mean it when I say these guys were great.  everything worked like clockwork and they shared so much knowledge, history, and pride for their city and country.  If you are ever in the neighborhood, contact the company and request them…you won’t be disappointed!