Christian Dean brings more than 18 years of experience as a Travel Consultant in Victoria to the Tier One Travel team. With nearly 40 countries stamped in his passport so far, he’s built a genuine passion for exploring the world and helping others do the same. That enthusiasm drives everything he does, whether he’s planning an all-inclusive escape, a small-group tour, an African safari, a detailed multi-stop itinerary, or simply helping someone get home to visit family.
Creating meaningful, seamless travel experiences from start to finish has always been at the heart of Christian’s work. He loves connecting with travelers at every stage of life and learning from the people he meets along the way, one of the many reasons he finds the travel industry so rewarding.
When he’s not exploring somewhere new, Christian is usually outdoors with his wife and two young daughters, mountain biking, or chasing fresh snow. A lifelong skier who has carved turns on three continents so far, he’s always looking forward to the next adventure, on the slopes or around the globe.
This passion for discovery recently took him to Colombia with G Adventures, and he’s excited to share the highlights of that journey.
Christian’s Colombia Adventure
The number of destinations that entice me to visit consistently grows. Clients and friends often ask what my next desired destination is, and it changes far too often. Colombia has been on that list for years due to its abundance of physical beauty, culture, history and the volume of change that has occurred in the country over the past four decades. No longer the land of the cartel, this country is growing its diverse economy annually. With one of my absolute favourite tour companies, G Adventures, I was able to finally see so much of this beautiful country in June of this year.
G Adventures is a Canadian-owned and operated tour company, founded in 1990. Their ethos is providing travelers with an authentic representation of the destinations that they offer and giving back to each of the communities that they visit. They work only with local guides and drivers that are exclusive to G Adventures, ensuring that every experience offers the same high standard of service. Their Colombia Express tour is a perfect portrait of what Colombia has to offer and enticed me to return and explore further. I usually consider 9 days too short to truly experience an entire country, but G Adventures perfectly packed in an impeccable balance of sites, relaxation and culture to this trip.
We started with a single night in Bogota, Colombia’s capital and largest city. With accommodation in the city centre within easy reach of numerous shops and restaurants, we only spent one night here, during which we enjoyed a great meet and greet in the hotel with delicious food and a sampling of delicious Colombian beverages, of which my favourite was Masato, a creamy drink made with rice, water, cloves and cinnamon. Some of my fellow travelers arrived a day before the tour, extending their stay through G Adventures, and spoke highly of the gold museum, a cable car up Monserrate with stunning views over the city and their visit to the neighbourhood of La Candelaria. Based on their stories and photos, I need to get back to Bogota for a few nights on my next trip. The travelers who extended their stay all enjoyed Bogota, but each also had another destination as their favourite on the trip.
On day 2, we headed back to the airport for a very short flight out of Bogota to Armenia, the largest coffee-producing region in a country that is incredibly famous for its coffee. Here, we had the opportunity to stay in a beautiful hotel outside of the city. It felt more like a mini-resort, with its pool and hot tub overlooking a beautiful jungle view. We headed to a local market and had the opportunity to sample numerous indigenous fruits and fruit juices.
On day 3, we headed to a local coffee plantation. Although I am a daily coffee drinker, I do not often take time to consider where it comes from and why I like the blends that I do. The guided tour of the scenic plantation was both enthrallingly informative and deliciously flavorful, with an educational coffee-tasting session that offered a variety of bean blends and qualities, with our captivating guide explaining more than I ever thought there was to know about coffee. After heading back to the hotel, we had time to relax and enjoy the hotel facilities.
Day 4 brought us on a short, but stunning, drive through the mountains to the mind-blowingly beautiful Corcora Valley, home of the world’s tallest palm trees. We hiked up the trail (a meandering route up a gradual slope) to a lookout over the verdant and fertile valley covered with Wax Palm trees, with some even standing over 200 feet tall! Following the hike, we headed down to the valley floor and towards the town of Salento, stopping on the way for a scrumptious group lunch where we were finally able to enjoy coconut lemonade, a non-alcoholic drink that everyone I know who has visited Colombia raves about. Once I tried a small amount, I ordered a pitcher to share with my table. And that was repeated at every opportunity through the rest of the trip. The town of Salento is the inspiration for the town of Encanto for the excellent Disney movie of the same name. It offered an authentic mountain town with great shops, cafes and scenery.
Day 5 was a highlight for me. Our local driver took us from Salento to the nearby city of Pereira, where we jumped on the most comfortable double-decker bus imaginable on a long, but wonderfully scenic, drive through the Andes to Medellin. It was a long day, but the massive volume of leg room and the beautifully comfortable seating made it perfect to enjoy the dramatic views waiting for us around each turn. I was wary of what this day could bring, but my worry was quickly alleviated. Arriving in Medellin, we checked into our excellent hotel and headed for dinner in the El Poblado district, filled with the largest array of phenomenal restaurants and bars that I have seen in all of my travels. Most of the group decided to explore the district after dinner, and it felt like we walked for hours without seeing the same bar or restaurant twice, and every single one of them was filled with happy locals and tourists. This area is very modern and feels incredibly safe.
Day 6 saw us explore and learn about the transformation of the city in the past decade. I don’t want to spoil it, but the rejuvenation of the city from an environmental, economic and social standpoint is the most impressive turnaround that I have ever heard of on the planet. It is a model that many other densely populated cities around the world can and should use. In the afternoon, the entire group decided to stick together, and we used a convenient local transportation network to head to a very famous area of town, Comuna 13. The city is divided into 16 sections, called Comuna, and Comuna 13 was once the roughest part of town. It was known for gang violence, but there was an artistic undertone and incredible views from its hillside streets that were found by some rather brave tourists about 12 years ago. They spread the word, and the local residents started to claim back their neighbourhood and work with the tourists to create an exciting pathway up the street, lined with artisan shops, bars, restaurants and man-made tourist viewpoints. Here, we all jumped on board a round-trip journey on the “Line J” cable car, a public cable car with stunning views used for local residents to access the highest points of the Comuna, and then took to the street and walked up the hill to our lunch restaurant, a G Adventures-supported restaurant that provided employment to women in the community who have faced extreme hardship. The meal here was thoroughly delicious and complemented by sweeping views of the Comuna.
Day 7 was a free day in Medellin, and left the group with options. Along with a few friends that I made on the trip, I headed on a day trip via bus to Guatape, a colourful town on a man-made lake made famous by El Penol de Guatape, a 220-meter-tall rock that towers over the lake and town. Although we had the bad luck of a very rainy day, we all loved the town, the climb of the 649 steps up the rock, and the awe-inspiring views from the top. The rest of the group explored the city, visiting museums, galleries and a few even went and got tattoos to commemorate their trip to Colombia.
Day 8 saw us take a short flight up to Cartagena, a spectacular city on the Caribbean coast surrounded by picture-perfect azure water. We stayed in the centre of the old city, and our guide started our visit with a walk around the old town, providing us with excellent insight into the city’s Spanish colonial heritage. The group decided to head to the incredible Celele restaurant, rated by many as the top 50 restaurants on the planet. I love food, from street eats to haute cuisine, and the meal that we ate here ranked amongst the greatest I have had. It was fabulous from the service, ambience, presentation and, without question, the flavours of the food. We took the opportunity to enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure, with the group diverging to enjoy various parts of the city before joining up late in the afternoon to watch the sunset over the city at a rooftop restaurant in Old Town.
Day 9 was departure day, but a group of us had decided to leave the following day to try and take in a bit of beach time. I often recommend the option of some relaxing time at the end of a trip to my clients. It’s nice to take my own advice sometimes! We booked a tour on a local bus that headed out to the nearby Baru Peninsula, where we boarded a boat that took us to a private beach “lodge” for the day. The multiple-mile-long white sand beach is lined with these lodges. There’s no power, no wi-fi and no stress. They each have bars, serving very reasonably priced soft drinks, juices, water, beer and mixed beverages. Ours included a great grill-cooked lunch of locally caught fish. The water was clear blue perfection. I could not have pictured a better way to end the trip. We capped it off back in Old Town at La Cevicheria, a fantastic Ceviche restaurant made famous, and deservedly so, by a visit from Anthony Bourdain on one of his travel TV shows.
Before heading to Colombia, I had concerns based on its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous countries. After leaving, I can tell you that those are antiquated ideas, and this country is worth every second you spend here and every dollar you spend to get here. The people, culture, history, scenery, food and value that this country offers should place it high on every discerning travelers wish list.
Christian’s journey through Colombia with G Adventures highlights exactly why this destination, and this style of travel, leaves such a lasting impression.
If Christian’s trip has sparked ideas for your own adventure, he would be happy to help you start planning. With nearly two decades of experience and a genuine passion for creating meaningful travel moments, Christian can guide you toward the itinerary that’s right for you!
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