Medellín Flower Festival with Denver Botanic Gardens
Collaboration trip with Denver Botanic Gardens
Hosted by Yvonne Garcia Bardwell, Associate Director of Community Relations.
About the hostess. Born and raised in South Texas, with a bilingual-bicultural background, Yvonne Garcia Bardwell brings a great mixture of experiences and knowledge to the tour.
As the Associate Director of Community Relations at Denver Botanic Gardens, she is responsible for diversifying the Gardens’ constituency by establishing and strengthening relationships with community organizations across the Denver metro area. Since 2011, she has orchestrated Denver Botanic Gardens’ observance of Día de los Muertos – a celebration that has grown into a vibrant annual event celebrating one of Mexico’s greatest cultural legacies.
Her multicultural orientation has developed through not only extensive world travel but also significant work and volunteer experiences, as well as an academic focus on international and Spanish-language marketing. This tour offers an opportunity to educate and inspire, to create a connection to our past, and to learn about the cultural traditions of Mexico.
A destination where flowers are the protagonists.
Live one of the most important festivals in Colombia and discover the charm of a region full of color, tradition and a lot of folklore.
7 days of exploration
Health insurance
Private transportation
Availability
Food
Exclusions
Prices
Choose an option and reserve your spot today.
Shared
Hosting
Room for two people with two beds
$4,250
Private
Accomodation
Room for one person King-Queen bed
$4,750
TRAVEL GUIDE
Rocío Durán
Colombian by birth but based in Colorado. Rocío is a bilingual businesswoman, with 25 years of experience helping other businesswomen and companies to advance in the achievement of their goals. Rocío has been a hostess in her country for the last two years, taking various groups to different regions of Colombia. Who better than her to take us to the city of eternal spring.
Traveling with the Rocio Life Coach team means being able to open your mind and heart to live reality consciously. Every day we will have a group exercise and a personal reflection on what really matters in life. This is a trip that will change the way you see life and its possibilities.
DAILY ACTIVITIES
ITINERARY
DAY 1 - August 6th
Arrival /Medellín.
We will initially arrive at the Jose María Córdova International Airport located in the Municipality of Rionegro, 30 minutes from the city of Medellín. Private transport will take us to the Art Hotel Boutique located in Antioquia, a neighborhood known for its gastronomy, cultural and commercial activity.
Accommodation: Art Hotel Boutique
Meals: Welcome Dinner (Location TBD)
DAY 2 - August 7th
Parade of Silleteros
After breakfast, we will take private transportation from the hotel to the Ciudad del Rio St, where the main event will be happening. In the morning, we will witness different and colorful exhibitions of music and children’s silleteros. But the main event will start at 2 pm. Entire families from the Municipality of Santa Helena prepare all year round to participate in this traditional event. On a 1.5 km route, the parade of silleteros is the main attraction of the Flower Festival, summoning around 5,000 national and international spectators to witness hundreds of local flower growers from the region. From children to senior citizens, the silleteros (saddle makers) parade with enormous flower displays strapped to chairs on their backs, exhibiting works created with their hands and a wide variety of flowers. The most creative are awarded in different categories.
PARADE Nº 66 OF SILLETEROS SCHEDULE
Route: Avenida del Río – San Juan Avenida Ferrocarril Pabellón Blanco Plaza Mayor
Time: 9:00 a. m. a 6:00 p. m.
Star parade: 2:00 p. m.
Place: Ciudad del Río Medellín
Meals: Breakfast – Light Lunch & snacks – Dinner
Transportation: Hotel – Ciudad del Río – Hotel
DAY 3 - August 8th
Santa Elena Farm
Today we will take private transportation from the hotel to visit the town of Santa Elena, a favorite destination for tourists, also known as the birthplace of the silleteros. The Silleteros Farms open their doors to share the history and customs of the saddle makers, and will allow the expectators to create and carry a silleta to have the full experience.
Natural environment and ecotourism.
Spectacular panoramic views of the city of Medellín and native forest landscapes.
Meals: Breakfast – Light Lunch & snacks – Dinner
Transportation: Hotel – Santa Elena – Hotel
Estimated Drive Time Today: Santa Elena Farm is about 60 minutes from the hotel.
DAY 4 - August 9th
Peñol and Guatape tour
Surrounded by beautiful lakes, and lush mountains and small islands, we visit Guatapé, a picturesque town known for its brightly painted bas-relief houses and charming cobblestone streets. We will begin our day with a stroll through the colorful alleyways and plazas, followed by an optional boat ride on Guatape-Penol lake, (a man-made reservoir very trendy for water sports), or a climb up 740 steps to the 65-million-year-old La Pierda de Penol, where you will enjoy a panoramic view of the area.Visit Peñol and Guatapé town.
Optional:
1. Entrance and tour of the Guatape-Penol dam by boat, or pontoon depending on the number of people (approximately 50 min).
2. Visit La Piedra de Peñol (Entry to climb is not included it is paid upon arrival: $ 3 USD) – optional climb
Walking tour through the streets of Guatapé, observation of the bas-reliefs on building facades.
Visit to craft shops (Plazoleta de los Zócalos).
Meals: Breakfast – Light Lunch – Dinner
Transportation: Hotel – Guatapé – Hotel
Estimated Drive Time: Guatapé is about a two-hour drive from the hotel.
DAY 5 - August 10th
Peñol and Guatape tour
Surrounded by beautiful lakes, and lush mountains and small islands, we visit Guatapé, a picturesque town known for its brightly painted bas-relief houses and charming cobblestone streets. We will begin our day with a stroll through the colorful alleyways and plazas, followed by an optional boat ride on Guatape-Penol lake, (a man-made reservoir very trendy for water sports), or a climb up 740 steps to the 65-million-year-old La Pierda de Penol, where you will enjoy a panoramic view of the area.Visit Peñol and Guatapé town.
Optional:
1. Entrance and tour of the Guatape-Penol dam by boat, or pontoon depending on the number of people (approximately 50 min).
2. Visit La Piedra de Peñol (Entry to climb is not included it is paid upon arrival: $ 3 USD) – optional climb
Walking tour through the streets of Guatapé, observation of the bas-reliefs on building facades.
Visit to craft shops (Plazoleta de los Zócalos).
Meals: Breakfast – Light Lunch – Dinner
Transportation: Hotel – Guatapé – Hotel
Estimated Drive Time: Guatapé is about a two-hour drive from the hotel.
DAY 6 - August 11th
Santa Fe de Antioquia Tour
Santa Fe de Antioquia is a destination full of history, culture and nature. It is one of the oldest towns in Colombia and was the first capital of the department of Antioquia. We will visit its colonial streets, the western bridge and the Juan del Corral Museum in Santa Fe de Antioquia. Walking tour of historical sites in Santa Fe de Antioquia. Visit the Juan del Corral Museum in Santa Fe de Antioquia.
Meals: Breakfast – Light Lunch – Dinner
Transportation: Hotel – Santa Fe de Antioquia – Hotel
Estimated Drive Time: Santa Fe de Antioquia is about one hour and a half from the hotel.
DAY 7 - August 12th
Medellín Tour
For the last day, we left for a small tour of the host city. We will take a tour of Comuna 13, one of the neighborhoods with the most incredible transformation history in Medellín. We will visit several sculptures in Botero Square by the artist Fernando Botero. And finally, we will be on the Nutibara hill, where we will appreciate the panoramic view of the city and a replica of the typical architecture of Antioquia in Pueblito Paisa.
Meals: Breakfast – Light Lunch – Dinner
Transportation: Hotel – Medellín – Hotel
Estimated Drive Time: 30 minutes.
Comuna 13 time: 2 hours
Pueblito Paisa: 30 minutes
Plaza Botero: 30 minutes
DAY 8 - August 13th
Departure
Transfers back to Jose María Córdova International Airport for our flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
Transportation: Hotel – Airport
Estimated Drive: 45 minutes
Important Information
Every effort will be made to carry out all activities as planned and advertised. However, Rocio Life Coach LLC leaders reserve the right to make any alterations, deletions, or modifications to the itinerary and/or accommodations deemed necessary due to circumstances beyond their control.
**This tour is very active, requiring participants to be physically fit to fully enjoy all the experiences. This itinerary has more strenuous activities, which may include things such as: extensive walking tours, transfers over uneven and dusty terrain, high altitudes, early morning departures, late night activities, or extreme conditions. All conditions do not apply to all days, so please read the itinerary carefully and speak to one of our representatives to find out if this tour is right for you.
*** Be prepared to walk and hike by bringing comfortable shoes, socks, a hat, and fresh clothes. Bring a light jacket just in case of rain or any weather changes.
Cancelation policy:
In case the user decides to cancel the trip, they need to notify Rocío Durán by June 30th 2023. They will apply a retention of 10% of the value of the plan.
The user may notify his/her intention to cancel the trip through any sales channel (phone number +1 617-955-5093, email rocio@rociolifecoach or directly).
The reimbursement will be made effective within thirty (30) days from the date of notification, in the same form in which the payment was made.