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Fly Copa Airlines Your Colombian Adventure Starts Here Latin American destinations are popping up on a lot of "must-see" lists for 2017, with adventure travel, ecotourism, and nature tours growing in popularity. Colombia offers a wealth of adventure and nature travel options. Explore Medellin, Cali and Cartagena, Colombia – three very distinct, exciting cities where you can participate in a wide variety of outdoor adventures and activities, revel in the country's biodiversity and relax in lush surroundings – and soak up history and culture all in the same trip. Visit http:// www.colombia.travel/en/what-to-do/adventure for my information. Medellin, Colombia The City of Eternal Spring IN THE CITY Make Medellin, Colombia, one of of South America's most exciting, up-and-coming cities, your base location for your next adventure. http://www.colombia.travel/en/where-to-go/andean/ medellin "A pleasant city with spring-like weather year-round (daytime highs of 75-85°F / 24-29°C) and a decent number of tourist and cultural sites, Medellín also makes a great base from which to explore the surrounding countryside and El Eje Cafetero." http://www.frommers.com/destinations/medellin "This northwestern city of 2 million people is the capital of Antioquia. The industrious paisas, as natives of the province are called, built the successful coffee and textile industries that have enabled Medellín to prosper; today it's the second-largest city in Colombia. Modern and affluent, Medellín has the country's only elevated train system. The city also has several interesting museums, three respected universities, and wide, tree-lined boulevards." http://www.fodors.com/world/south-america/ colombia/medellin "Medellin's Botanical Garden contains almost 40 acres of parkland dedicated to orchids, plants, and botany right in the center of the city. The stunning Orquideorama, a contemporar y honeycomb-like structure added in 2007, houses a collection of tropical flora including orchids, anthuriums, bromeliads, and ferns. You'll also find a palm tree garden, tropical jungle, a desert garden, and small lake." http://destinationsguide. copaair.com/en/MDE/place/jardín_ botánico/ ; http://www.botanicomedellin.org "If possible, try to visit Medellín in August, during the unique Festival de Flores, when the campesinos from Antioquia come to the city to display their flower designs. The weeklong celebrations feature… events including an antique car parade, horse parade, and the grand finale, the Flower Float Parade, where young and old alike display their flower designs in a 3- or 4-hour parade that also features dancers, singers, and performers. Be sure to book your plane ticket far in advance if you plan to visit Medellín during this time. Mid-range and budget hotels sometimes don't take advance reservations, so you might need to arrive early in the morning or book a higher-end hotel." http://destinationsguide.copaair. com/en/MDE/place/la_festival_de_flores/ Santa Fee Zoo has "922 animals of 238 species. Otters, zebras, anteaters, lions, needle alligators, the Andean condor, the eagle owl and the anaconda. … Opened in 1960, there's a butterfly garden and a farm that operates as a museum." http://www.colombia.travel/en/where-to-go/ andean/medellin/activities/santa-fe-zoo Visit downtown's impressive Romanesque- style church Catedral Metropolitana; the city's architectural highlight, Parque Biblioteca España, a modern, mountainside library reachable via an overhead railway line. Discover Colombian art and architecture at the Museo de Antioquia, and see the unparalleled collection of work by native son Fernando Botero. Enjoy one of the many trendy clubs and restaurants in the Zona Rosa neighborhood. http://destinationsguide.copaair.com/en/MDE/ OUT AND ABOUT You'll find numerous outdoor tours and activities near Medellin, including parasailing and paragliding; boat tours and water sports; ATV and off-road tours; hiking and camping tours, zipline jungle adventures; and nature preserves. El Eje Cafetero http://www.colombia.com/ turismo/sitios-turisticos/eje-cafetero/: "In a country of spectacular landscapes, El Eje Cafetero offers perhaps the most stunning scenery in Colombia. This verdant paradise, where orchids grow wild and coffee plants cover nearly every mountain slope, is quickly becoming one of Colombia's best spots. Here you can learn all about the coffee-making process in El Parque Nacional del Café, stay in a traditional farmhouse (blue pillars for Conservatives, red for Liberals), or simply lie back in a hammock listening to the sounds of birds chirping and not much else…. This region was once a guerilla stronghold, but military action over the last few years has made the coffee-growing region safe again, and tourists are coming back in droves. The best and cheapest way to see the region is to book a tour through Aviatur (1/286-5555 or 234-7333 in Bogotá; www.aviatur.com; in Medellín on Plaza de Bolívar) or another tourist agency. These tours can be booked in any major city, but because you'll be driving, you probably want to take off from Medellín, Cali, or Bogotá." http://www.frommers.com/destinations/medellin/ attractions/overview El Salado Ecotourism Park: "Natural pools, sports areas… huts made of wood and pine with stone hearths are some of the attractions… offered in El Salado Ecotourism Park in Envigado. This site, which has a gazebo and an orchid nursery… is an ecological reserve of 170,000 square meters (with) native trees." http://www.colombia.travel/ en/where-to-go/andean/medellin/activities/el- salado-ecotourism-park Piedras Blancas Entomological Museum and Butterfly Sanctuary: "In the village of Santa Elena, 45 minutes east of Medellin, travelers find the Piedras Blancas Entomological Museum and Butterfly Sanctuary, where organisms live