Kim Haas Has a New Group Tour This Summer That Explores Afro-latino Culture in Colombia

Next year, she's taking on Brazil, Guatemala, and Uruguay.

By Taryn White Taryn White

Taryn White is a D.C.-based travel writer who covers a wide range of topics, including family travel, hotels, food, aviation, beaches, historical and cultural topics, and wellness travel. She can often be spotted around the world with her husband and two travel-loving kids. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on April 4, 2025

Close The Costa Rica travel group taking a cooking class together. Photo:

Courtesy of Ocean Morisset

Kim Haas discovered her lifelong passion for travel at just six years old. During her first trip outside the U.S. to Acapulco, Mexico, a stranger approached her and her grandmother in the hotel lobby and asked Haas if she'd like to learn to count to 20 in Spanish. Enthusiastically accepting, Haas told Travel + Leisure, “From that moment on, I was hooked on Spanish, travel, language, and culture."

Her passion for the history and culture of Latin American communities led her to create and star in her own PBS television show, Afro-Latino Travels With Kim Haas. Now, she’s curating group travel experiences through her namesake company.

A group photo of the Kim Haas Costa Rica Trip.

Courtesy of Kim Haas

For Haas, tours are a natural progression from her television series. "I wanted to give people firsthand opportunities to experience Afro-descendant culture—to connect with communities, hear their stories, and witness their resilience and creativity in ways that go beyond the television series," she said.

Her inaugural group trip took place in July 2022 in Costa Rica, the idea stemming from a television viewer who emailed her about doing an Afro-Costa Rica tour after the Costa Rica shows aired. Haas customized a tour for this group, combining opportunities to meet with Afro-Costa Ricans featured in the series, including writer Quince Duncan and cacao farmer Daniel South, and to participate in activities like cooking classes, ziplining, and white water rafting.

People are seen in their daily life in San Basilio de Palenque, Bolivar, Colombia.

 Juancho Torres/Getty Images

In July 2025, Haas will offer travelers an extraordinary journey through Colombia, providing insights into the resilience, history, and contributions of Afro-descendant communities. The tour begins in Cali, the salsa capital of the world, where travelers will visit several historical and cultural sights, including the Salsa Museum and the Afro-Colombian community in San Cipriano, a small eco-friendly village in the Colombian rainforest. The tour concludes in Cartagena, a vivacious and historically rich city that was once a major port during the transatlantic slave trade. In Cartagena, travelers will explore the “walled city” and the UNESCO-recognized San Basilio de Palenque, the first free Black town in the Americas.

According to Haas, the accomplishments and stories of Afro-Latinos are rarely shared and discussed in mainstream media and society, particularly women. “There are so many remarkable Afro-Colombian women deserving of recognition,” she said.

Haas cited Edna Valencia, the first Afro-Colombian journalist to wear an afro hairstyle on Colombian television, as a noteworthy example. Valencia served as a diversity consultant for Disney’s Academy Award-winning film Encanto, ensuring the accurate portrayal of Afro-Colombian characters in the movie, including details like their skin color, hair, and clothing. Valencia will be among the featured guests in Haas's Colombia tour, which runs from July 16-24.

Kim Haas

I wanted to give people firsthand opportunities to experience Afro-descendant culture—to connect with communities, hear their stories, and witness their resilience and creativity in ways that go beyond the television series.

— Kim Haas

Haas said travelers don’t need to be of African descent to join the tours. The only requirement is an open mind and a genuine interest in breaking down barriers and stereotypes. Next year, the company will offer tours in three additional countries: Brazil, Guatemala, and Uruguay.

To learn more about the Colombia tour, visit the travelswithkimhaas.com.