After seven years of working to bring river cruising to Colombia, AmaWaterways launched the first overnight river cruises on the Magdalena River in more than 50 years.
The 60-passenger AmaMagdalena began sailing two seven-day itineraries on the river on April 12, calling at many communities along the Magdalena that are not typically visited by international travelers. AmaWaterways plans to introduce a second ship there in September.
Launching river cruising was not without challenges and was delayed several times over the past few years, first by the pandemic and then as local elections forced AmaWaterways to "start from scratch," said co-founder Rudi Schreiner.
But AmaWaterways co-founder Kristin Karst said efforts by the Colombian government to bolster the country's tourism and reputation -- and support from stakeholders including ProColombia, the country's tourism agency -- "gave us the confidence it's the right time" to embark on the endeavor.
Rudi Schreiner
Schreiner and Karst began looking into Colombia in 2018 with the Magdalena, which had been on a list of rivers where they considered expansion, such as the Congo in Africa.
"There are lots of rivers," he said, "but there are very few rivers where you really have life on the river," like the Magdalena.
It's that experience of daily and vibrant life in small villages and lesser-known destinations that Schreiner and Karst hope to showcase on AmaWaterways' two Magdalena itineraries.
They are so bullish on the region's appeal that Schreiner thinks Ama won't be the sole river cruise operator in Colombia for very long: By paving the way for river cruising to resume here, he anticipates other lines will follow suit, and within 10 to 15 years, some 50 ships might be cruising the Magdalena.
Exploring the 'river of life'
The AmaMagdalena's inaugural seven-day sailing navigated a part of the Magdalena, a waterway that Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez called the "river of life."
ProColombia president Carmen Caballero said in a statement about the AmaMagdalena's launch that the effort "marks a new chapter for our tourism."
That is also the mindset of Margoth Rico, a native Colombian who co-founded the travel agency Aracanto and has already booked clients on upcoming AmaMagdalena cruises this year.
"I think it's a very important moment for Colombia when it's kind of getting a brand or a stamp saying that Colombia is the destination where you can find luxury travel," she said.
A milestone in luxury travel
Jessica Riediger, a travel advisor with Vincent Vacations in Edmond, Okla., who sells a lot of river cruises, said she has noticed an uptick in client requests for river cruises outside of Europe, such as in Egypt. She occasionally gets requests from clients who want to visit Colombia, but said it can be hard to sell luxury there.
"Now we have the answer for that," said Riediger, indicating the AmaMagdalena.
Rico said the introduction of luxury river cruising to Colombia's tourism scene represents an important milestone for the country, which has worked to improve a reputation once marred by drug cartel violence.
Rico, who lives in Bogotá, said Colombians outside of the travel industry are also thrilled by AmaWaterways' expansion, which they expect to not only entice international travelers but encourage more luxury brands to invest in the country, which has focused on strengthening its tourism over the past two decades.
Still, despite a renewed focus on tourism, the infrastructure, including roadways and lodging, can be lacking in parts of the country, Rico said, adding that she hopes the introduction of river cruising will change that.
"It does kind of say, Colombia is a prime destination now for travel, and not just backpacking travel, it's actually luxury travel, which is kind of the last category you get once a destination starts to get attention," she said.
Small villages are now destinations
Karst said she's been met with support while visiting the country in preparation for the launch and said that having the AmaMagdalena built in Colombia has been a source of local pride.
Kristin Karst
"Everyone wants to be part of it," she said. "The pride -- even the broker in the shipyard that puts the nail into the ship. We are making history there, and being part of this moment is something that you can never take away from them."
And while Rico said Colombia's tourism overall will benefit, it will be the small villages and lesser-visited destinations where AmaWaterways calls that will see the biggest economic impact.
"There's these fishing villages that you go to that are places that you would never go to unless you have AmaWaterways," she said. "They can start opening restaurants. Local guides will start to arise and train."
These are off-the-beaten-path destinations not frequented by tourists, said Boris Seckovic, co-founder of Amakuna Travel in Medellin.
Two places that Seckovic was excited to see on the AmaWaterways itineraries are Mompox and Palenque. He described Mompox, known for its architecture and history, as a "mini-Cartagena on the river that has been stuck in time." Palenque, a Unesco World Heritage site, was the first free African town in the Americas.
"Mompox was forgotten, and so it's very well preserved," he said. "It's charming, has a very rich history, and this river cruise will certainly resuscitate it."