Bogota Kickstart Tour • Candelaria + Cacao & Coffee Workshop • 4h

Posted By : 1lornie
Juanita, our guide, was waiting at the entrance by the elevator for us. She even sent her photo, so we'd recognize her. She explained more of the history of Columbia and Bogota as we drove to our destination in Candelária. Her English is impeccable. She took us to the coffee and cacao shop where we were to have our informative session. The trained baristas spoke only in Spanish, but she carefully explained all so well in English. We began with the cacao plant. It was broken and the seeds exposed. We learned about sucking on the membrane covering the actual seed. We tried the different stages of development to the final product. We were included in the process which made it more fun. We went on to the coffee production. The regions of production and types of coffee were carefully explained. We helped with the pressing of the coffee and could sample the two distinct types. The variances in prices were also carefully explained. I loved that Juanita, as a woman, is the owner. There are few women that own businesses in Bogota, or for that matter in many places of the world. She loves her country and praises its advances. She is ecologically sound. IF one is to take this tour, I recommend going with her.
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Posted On : 2024-03-30 16:13:43

Posted By : Mikayla_B77
Juanita was my guide for this tour in La Candelaria and I couldn't be happier with the experience! It was one of my favorite tours I've done, Juanita did a great job of breaking down Colombian history which had previously been very confusing to me. The coffee and cacao shop was really great too! I tried one of the cacao drinks which was great, a very cool concept.
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Posted On : 2023-09-29 15:11:43

Posted By : Sarah D
Juanita was amazing and her English is fluent. We are a family of 6, with 4 teenagers (19, 18, 16 and 14yr) and she engaged us all for 4 hours. She was full of stories about Columbia’s history and she knows a huge amount, is passionate about her country and wants to share that with others. We really enjoyed the coffee/cacao experience where we were educated about the cacao and coffee process by a woman who has set up a great coffee/cacao shop. Juanita was really generous with her recommendations and helped us navigate the city with ideas for the next few days. I would thoroughly recommend Juanita and her tour.
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Posted On : 2023-08-25 16:17:48

Posted By : I7012UKelizabethm
A wonderful and knowledgeable tour guide! Juanita made herself available at the very last minute and gave us a very interesting insight into Colombia's history and La Candelaria. And also ate LOTS of yummy street food! Highly recommend 👌
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Posted On : 2023-08-24 21:01:16

Posted By : TikiG
Juanita and Alejandra of Zebra Fisgona were amazing tour guides! My husband and I visited Bogota for the first time, and we did the Candelaria walking tour with Coffee & Cacao workshop. Juanita and Ale were incredibly fun, friendly, knowledgable, engaging and helpful at every step of the way. We learned so much about Colombian history and current day issues, including a moving visit to Fragmentos - an art exhibit that honors the victims of the war and violence in Colombia, and proves how art can transform the pain of the past. On a lighter note, don't miss out on the Coffee & Cacao workshop - wonderful owner Catalina and her barista Carlitos and team treated us to a delicious sensory experience with three ancestral rituals. I loved this part and learned so much about the best methods of brewing coffee, and the health benefits to cacao. Superb! Again, I highly recommend Zebra Fisgona and supporting these young and dynamic women entrepreneurs as they pursue their dream to share their beautiful country with others. They were also very responsive by email as I was booking the tour, and took time to answer my questions and provide recommendations on other activities in and around Bogota and Colombia. Thank you Juanita and Ale!
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Posted On : 2019-10-06 12:09:45

Posted By : domdalida
I was expecting a do-it-myself tour around La Candelaria since I'm mostly interested in street photography. But I got more what I expected with Zebra Fisgona. Not only that I was able to capture various moments and scenes in the area during the walking tour (learned more also about the historical significance of the place) but went to accept one of their recommendations to do the coffee and cacao workshop. It was totally worth it! I mean we are talking about Colombian coffee and cacao which are two of best beans in the world. I saw first hand how to handle coffee and cacao to yield distinctive tastes based on different preparation techniques. It was really cool to actually do it myself after the demonstration. Of course we end up drinking all the finished product. Yummy! We continued walking around and visiting most of the churches that are close in proximity. I think there are more than ten of them. La Candelaria boasts of many old Spanish colonial churches with gold adornment and spectacular wood ceiling. The Bogota graffiti tour highlighted amazing mural of a Wayuu by Carlos Trileras street art. Visiting this place is a must for those traveling to Bogota and want to experience the diverse aspects of life and culture there. And even better when you do it with Zebra Fisgona. Enjoy Colombia!
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Posted On : 2019-02-28 22:57:55

Posted By : Nicole L
Juani and Ale are amazing, and so inviting. I typically don't like walking tours, but this was so personalized and interesting, and we had a lot of say in what we wanted to do. The stops along the way were great (who doesnt like taste testing while they walk around?!) and the actual workshop was a wonderful experience. Couldn't recommend more.
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Posted On : 2018-11-30 10:39:31