A guided tour of Bogotá in english to understand the history of Colombia, the armed conflict and the peace process: that’s what’s missing from any good travel itinerary in Colombia!
An absolute must at the start of your trip!
The historical guided tour of Bogotá’s Candelaria attracts visitors with its promise of a tour far removed from clichés, designed to give them a better understanding of the country you’re about to spend a few weeks in!
If you haven’t already packed your travel schedule, it’s essential to add this activity to your program and discover this guided tour!
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! (all based on our own experience)
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Understanding the history of the Colombian conflict
The best Bogota City tour
Meeting point at Parque Santander, opposite the Gold Museum, in the heart of Bogotá’s historic center. Camila or Maria Paula, your guide for the day, will be waiting with a smile to get you started!
The tour gets off to a flying start and gets to the heart of the matter, Colombia’s recent history in the 20th century, in other words, “When did the conflict start and why?”
The tour continues to the monument to Gaitán, a Colombian politician assassinated in 1948, who was close to the underprivileged and “one of the first in Colombia to speak of social policy, wishing in particular to democratize culture, nationalize education and improve workers’ working conditions.”
It’s easy to see how a series of tragic events would lead to an uprising in rural and urban Colombia.
The history of Colombia while discovering Candelaria in a different way
Following the Carrera Septima, you arrive at the famous Plaza Bolivar, and get to the heart of the conflict’s history: who the protagonists are, how guerrilla warfare began, why paramilitary groups were created, what role the Colombian army played… and who the real victims of the conflict were.
It’s with a much clearer vision of the history of Colombia that Camila or Maria Paula take you to different points of the Candelaria (Museo Botero, Coca Ambassy, Concordia Market, etc.), You’ll also learn how drug trafficking is exacerbating the problem and becoming the fuel of war. The visit ends with some pictures of the “El Testigo” exhibition. Here you can put faces to the 9 million people affected by the Colombian conflict.
Rising Peace Tour
The best City tour with a local guide in Bogota
This visit generates a space for reflection: how has the country changed so much in 20 years, where does peace come from, where is Colombia going?
This is what it’s all about: humanizing the conflict while making us understand its complexity, far from the very binary visions of this kind of event! This tour gives us an understanding of the complexity of Colombian history, and we dive right in thanks to Camila and Maria Paula, our passionate and fascinating guides!
Good to know
A must-do at the start of your trip!
All in all, this is a tour we really recommend you take at the very beginning of your stay in Colombia! It’s the perfect introduction to a trip, allowing you to soak up the history, break the myths and tell the real story of Colombia today. It’s an experience that will enable you to see Colombia in a different light later on in your trip.
“Building Peace”, a guided tour in english that keeps its promises
Camila, has a degree in social sciences, speaks excellent english and conveys her passion for Colombia and its history every step of the way. The tour gives rise to fascinating exchanges on the country’s history and current issues.
The amount of information given along the way is impressive. It’s a very well-documented tour, based on facts and figures. Colombia’s history is very complex, and even if you can’t cover everything in 3 hours, the tour makes it easy to understand this complexity and to gain an insight into the history of the conflict.
You’ll learn who the protagonists were, the key moments in contemporary history, and a great deal about the events that left their mark on the hearts of Colombians. You’re bound to have a different view of Colombia for the rest of your trip!
Favorite things to do
Visit Bogota and learn the history of Colombia
Practical information to visit Bogota
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