We are a Franco-Colombian couple: Alejandra, born in Medellin (Antioquia, Colombia), went to France in August 2007, thanks to a scholarship, to complete her studies at the National School of Engineering of Metz (ENIM). That is where she met me, Arnaud, born in Besancon (Doubs, France). We both worked for 9 years in France and Switzerland as engineers in our respective fields, but travelling to Colombia at least once a year (often for Christmas), and organizing trips for our families and friends. Noticing the evolution of tourism in Colombia since 2014, we made the decision in 2017 to move permanently to Colombia beginning of 2018, and start a business based on eco-tourism (general planning of trips, bed & breakfast and tree-houses accommodations, transport, tour guide…). We love to travel, to host, to organize, to cook, and share with other cultures. We both speak Spanish, English and French. We appreciate Colombia and know it quite well: its landscapes, nature, people… So we took the plunge… In France, we sometimes say “the train comes only once, if you miss it, there won’t be another one…!!”.

We chose Girardota, a small village 30min away from Medellin, in Antioquia region, because Aleja’s family lives in this area. The international airport is close. The weather is like a delightful eternal Spring. And most of all, the region has an abundant variety of landscapes, climates, colonial villages, cultures and crops (coffee, sugarcane, fruits, cacao, flowers…), rivers and activities at hand. Medellin, “city of the eternal Spring” or “capitale of the mountain” attracts more and more visitors every day thanks to its ideal climate, its greenness around, its industrial fabrics, its bars and restaurants, its festive atmosphere, its modern transports, its sulphurous history and it’s the kindness of its inhabitants. Moreover, Medellin is centrally located: 200kms South (5hrs) is the ‘coffee region” and its glaciers at 5300m of altitude; and 300kms North (6hrs) is the Caribbean Sea, its beaches, coral reefs, and the well-known Darien jungle still separating North and South America. We also note that the 3 regions listed offer all there is to see in Colombia in term of landscapes, while spending as little time as possible on the road (less time and money consuming). In term of accommodation, we decided to buy a traditional country house ‘paisa’ with Aleja’s parents in Girardota so we can live with them and also host travellers. It will be the head office for our business as well as arriving/ departing/ stopping point for groups of customers. A great opportunity was offered to us the previous year: we bought a cabin in Trigana, in the Darien jungle, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, to have an accommodation in this preserved paradise that we can only access by boat. It is now a hotel with natural pools and tree houses. The idea is to build more tree houses and a canopy in the future.

So we decided to offer only “custom-made trips” for groups of people (from 2, up to 7), with no more than 3 hours drive in between stops, and solely in those 3 regions (Caldas / Risaralda / Quindio, Antioquia et Choco), adapting to the customers wishes. Nevertheless, if some customers need help or advice to visit other parts of Colombia (Santa Marta, Santander, Caño Cristales, Amazonie…), we will happily help them (but will not accompany them). Our goal is to provide our customers with a quality trip at an accessible price.

In order to offer quality excursions, we firstly need to get to know our future customers. Even if it is a bit tedious, we ask our customers to answer a questionnaire to identify their needs and expectations, and offer them a plan fitting for all participants in term of accommodation, food, activities, climate, places to visit, budget….etc. A tourist generally chooses 2 to 3 weeks of holiday, which is too short to show the richness of this beautiful country, mainly mountainous, where we drive at the average speed of 40km/hr. Generally, you read a travel guide telling you that in 2 weeks you have to go the 4 corners of the country because those are the must-see. Internal flights with luggage are not cheap despite the presence of low-cost companies. Buses are comfortable, but time consuming…and you still have to take taxis or other buses to finally get to the required destination. Our philosophy is to avoid long distances and travel logically and efficiently, which means stops are in a logical and practical order, to avoid going back and forth, to replace this waste of time and money by activities on the spot (walks, water sports, horse-riding, cultural visits…). This will make your trip more pleasurable, and stabilize or minimize the price (depending on the cost of the chosen activities). It implies to travel light as we will be on the go all the time, with 1 or 2 stops back at the house in Girardota, so we do not have to carry a full piece of luggage with us all the time.

Our target is wide: from an international group with little time and money, to a well-off family who wants to treat themselves, or even the middle-class Colombian couple wanting to explore its country, we will happily take care of all your needs.