Our first full day in Colombia! After a breakfast of bunuelos, coffee and other delicious local treats we hop the modern metro and head into the center of Medellin. We'll take a short walking tour of the historical city center before checking out the Museo de Antioquia where many of Fernando Botero's paintings, sculptures and other works are housed. After a couple of hours in the museum we'll enjoy lunch of traditional bandeja paisas, a favorite in this particular department. In the afternoon we'll check out an awesome tour of graffiti street art through Comuna 13, formerly one of Medellin's most dangerous barrios. These days Comuna 13 is an internationally renowned example of how innovative urban regeneration projects can be used to transform and revitalize communities. Our guide will be a member of the Casa Kolacho community center, responsible for 90% of the graffiti art in Comuna 13. As you climb the outdoor electric escalators they'll explain the controversial history of the transformation of Comuna 13 and the importance that graffiti & hip hop play in the community.

After breakfast we're back on the metro, this time headed to the extreme west of the city. Our destination is Parque Arvi, a lushly forested public park high above the city center. To get there we'll board an impressive gondola that not only serves to ferry tourists up the mountain and into the park but also provides people in the impoverished hillside communities an efficient mode of transportation down into the city. The group will spend the day hiking along the different trails, shopping in the market place run by local vendors that has sprung up at the park's center and enjoying a delicious barbecue lunch. Around mid-afternoon we'll head back down the mountain en route to our hostel in Poblado.

Today we go visit The Guatapé city about 1.5 hours away from Medellin. Visit the town of Guatape and the Piedra del Peñol. See the colorful zocalos, historic town center and bustling boardwalk of this lake resort. Optional take a relaxing boat ride (+ $20).
Alternative 2: We visit Sante Fé de Antioquia. Explore Santa Fe de Antioquia as you learn more about Colombia's first colonial city before visiting the Occidente Bridge on this full-day tour from Medellín.

Today we will enjoy our Spanish lessons so that we can start warming up for our spanish at the homstays! We will have some time to spend across other great spots of the city.

Today we will travel south of Medellin to a beautiful town tucked into rolling green mountains. Upon arrival we'll meeting our host families, tour the community and settle into the speed of life in the campo.

The small town of Jardin de Antioquia is one of the most beautiful pueblos in all of Colombia and has remained virtually unchanged for more than a century. Located approximately 4 hours to the south of Medellin if traveling by car, it sits in the southernmost stretches of the department of Antioquia. The pueblo is famous in Colombia for its preserved and colonial appearance as well as its striking mountain views and lush green, garden filled landscapes. We will arrive in Jardin this afternoon and begin our homestays after a short community orientation. The days spent in our homestay community represent the heart and soul of the program as students will be volunteering on a selection of meaningful service projects during the day while also enjoying sufficient free time to hang out with their host families and fellow travelers, practice their language skills, play soccer, make friends with local youth, attend community gatherings and explore the surrounding area. At the end of our time in the host community we'll help organize a fiesta de despedida, or going away party, to celebrate the time with our new friends and family and say goodbye to the community that has become our home.

These days will be dedicated to continuing work on our service projects, exploring the local area, attending community activities, participating in group reflections and spending quality time with our host families.

Rafting adventure in Samaná river!

Board your flight home in the morning.