A private journey through Colombia's literature, music & memory.
Ten days tracing a literary and cultural thread through Colombia: from Medellín’s literary rebellion to the river towns of the Magdalena, where stories and memories are still shared aloud. From the gaita courtyards of San Jacinto to the Palenquera language, preserved by generations who refused to let it disappear. And finally, to Cartagena, where a young journalist found his voice and learned to write the Caribbean as it really sounds.
García Márquez is the thread that connects the journey, but he isn’t the focus. Instead, you’ll meet the people who continue Colombia’s creative traditions today. Step into the room where Fernando González helped inspire the Nadaístas, meet a composer whose work features in Netflix’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and hear a decimero improvise verse, just as it has been done here for centuries.
Trip Highlights
No standard tour guides.
All guides are specially selected scholars, journalists, musicians and editors.
Private access behind the stories.
From García Márquez’s Cartagena home to OtraParte after hours, step inside places rarely open to travellers.
Living traditions, not museum pieces.
Experience gaita, décimas and Lengua Palenquera with the people keeping these traditions alive today.
Hear the stories directly from those creating them.
From a composer working on One Hundred Years of Solitude to Palenquero writers and local poets.
When to go
This tour can be privately booked for select dates in 2027, subject to the availability of your specialist guide, Gregorio.
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Your Guide - Gregorio Uribe
Born in Bogotá and now based in New York, Gregorio Uribe is a Latin Grammy-nominated musician and published novelist whose work sits at the intersection of Colombian music and literature.
He is best known for bringing Colombian rhythms including cumbia, porro and chandé to international audiences. His sixteen-piece big band, built around the Colombian accordion, has featured collaborations with artists including Rubén Blades, who sings the title track of Cumbia Universal. He was also named by the Colombian government as one of the 100 most successful Colombians living abroad.
In 2024, Gregorio published his first novel, El llamado with Abisinia Editorial, after seven years of writing. Set in New York, the novel follows an experienced musician haunted by a presence he calls a duende. The book was launched at the Bogotá Book Fair and the Gimnasio Moderno library.
Gregorio is particularly well suited to this journey because he brings together the two worlds at its heart: literature and music. He is not simply someone who has studied Colombia's cultural traditions, but a writer and musician himself. As you travel, he will introduce you to decimeros, gaiteros, composers and writers as fellow practitioners, offering a more personal perspective on the people and traditions you encounter.
Day by Day Itinerary
Arrive in Medellín and settle into your luxury hotel. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner, setting the tone for the literary and cultural journey ahead.
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Visit OtraParte, the former home of philosopher Fernando González, and explore the intellectual movement that helped inspire Colombia's Nadaístas. Later, meet privately with a composer who worked on Netflix's One Hundred Years of Solitude, discovering how García Márquez's world was brought to life through music.
Fly to the atmospheric river town of Mompox, travelling onwards by tuk-tuk to your colonial guesthouse. This evening, experience tejo, Colombia's wonderfully eccentric national sport, over cold beers.
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Discover Mompox through the work of Candelario Obeso, one of Colombia's pioneering Afro-Colombian poets. Explore the town's connections to García Márquez and the filming locations of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, before heading into the Pijiño wetlands for private birdwatching.
Travel to San Jacinto, a town renowned for its gaita music, traditional hammocks and oral poetry. Meet a local decimero to discover the art of improvised verse, before an intimate evening of music and dinner at Casa de los Maestros.
- SUGGESTED ACCOMMODATION
Discover San Basilio de Palenque, the first free town in the Americas, with a private introduction to Lengua Palenquera and its importance to the community's identity and history. Meet a local writer whose work has created its own fictional world inspired by Palenque, before continuing to Cartagena.
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Explore the Cartagena that shaped García Márquez, from his early years as a journalist to the streets and stories behind Love in the Time of Cholera and Of Love and Other Demons. Discover the work of Manuel Zapata Olivella and the history of Chambacú, connecting the city back to Palenque.
Enjoy a private visit to García Márquez's Cartagena home with a member of his foundation's team, learning more about his legacy and influence. The afternoon is free to enjoy Cartagena at your own pace, before a private sunset performance of vallenato music overlooking the Caribbean.
Pricing
This trip is priced at £13,450 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room.
For a larger group or single occupancy, contact us for a price.
Prices include:
- Accommodation in Medellín, Mompox, San Jacinto and Cartagena on a bed and breakfast basis,
- Private tours and transfers with an expert guide,
- Internal flights within Colombia in economy class,
International flights are not included but we can arrange these for you.
Where to stay
Interested in Exclusive Use properties?
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