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Vacaciones Recreativas in Medellín: The Complete Summer Camps Guide for Families

Sarah

17 min read

Last reviewed

Editorial note: Reviewed October 24, 2026 against official calendar information and provider pages. Dated upcoming offers are separated from historical prices and undated leads; availability and the separate camps directory remain unconfirmed.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

If you’ve just moved to Medellín with kids, or you’re planning to, one question comes up all the time: what do families do during school breaks?

In Colombia, they’re called vacaciones recreativas, and the options are way more varied than you’d expect. Science and art workshops, outdoor adventure in Parque Arví, cooking, music, sports, even some publicly funded recreation.

One heads-up before you dive in: a regular class, a family activity and a drop-off camp are three different things. Check what each listing is actually offering.

I’ve spent the last three years researching, DMing and saving programs around Medellín and the wider region: Envigado, Sabaneta, La Estrella, Itagüí and out toward Rionegro/Llanogrande. Recommendations came from Colombianos and extranjeros alike. All of it became my directory of 60+ program leads, organized by category, with the ages and contact details I collected. Think of it as a starting point for planning, not a promise that every listing runs every break.

The directory is a Notion document, so bookmark the link and come back whenever I update it. This article’s factual review is dated October 24, 2026. That doesn’t mean I’ve reconfirmed every entry in the directory, so check the dated upcoming offers below and each provider’s current announcement before you pay. A few things to cover first:

In this guide

Before You Read: A Few Important Notes

I did my best to double-check the phone numbers, addresses and websites when I put this together. But things change fast here, often without notice. If something’s broken or outdated, please let me know so I can fix it! This guide is only as good as the community that helps keep it current. <3

Ages, activities and prices in my notes sometimes come from earlier seasons, and programs change their age ranges from one season to the next. So in this article, dated offers are labeled, old prices are marked as old, and anything undated is a lead to follow up on. A published offer isn’t a live seat count either. Confirm the season, venue, age group, total cost and booking terms with the provider.

A few terms to learn:

Matrícula: a registration or enrollment fee. Not every camp charges one, so ask whether this program does, what it covers, how long it’s good for and whether it’s on top of the daily, weekly or course price. Ask upfront so it doesn’t surprise you.

A domicilio: they come to you. The teacher or instructor shows up at your home, your building or your pool. For someone like me with multiple kids, that’s incredibly convenient. No driving, no parking. My notes include music, art and swimming contacts. Before you book, ask about their service area, travel fee, building access and who’s supervising.

Caja de compensación (Comfama / Comfenalco): part of Colombia’s family-benefits system. Think of it as a cross between the YMCA, a recreation department and a benefits program, all rolled into one. For camps, what matters is whether your child is registered as an eligible beneficiary and which rate category the program puts you in. Having a formal job contract doesn’t settle that on its own.

Comfama and Comfenalco Antioquia are the two major cajas in this region, and both run recreation programs. Ask your caja how your family is registered and what rate applies to the activity you want. Some programs take non-affiliates at a different price, but that doesn’t mean every service is open to everyone. Comfama’s published rates separate affiliated income groups from category D for non-affiliates. Check the conditions and availability for the exact program.

Vacaciones recreativas: the Colombian term for school-break programs and camps. This is the phrase to search, not “summer camps.” You’ll get a lot more results. Also try vacacionales, or the activity plus your neighborhood and the year. Check the date on whatever you find, because a good-looking old poster loves to resurface.

Calendario A / Calendario B: school-year patterns, explained in the next section. Short version: A generally runs within one calendar year and B crosses two. Neither promises a particular holiday length. What matters is your school’s actual calendar, even if it calls itself bilingual or international.

How Vacation Works Here

If you’re coming from the US, Canada or Europe, this is probably the most important section of the whole guide.

Calendario A vs. Calendario B

Calendario A generally runs within the calendar year. Here’s what the official 2026 calendar says for Medellín’s official and contracted schools:

  • Midyear break: June 22–July 12 (three weeks).
  • October break: October 5–11.
  • Year-end break: starts December 7. The resolution covers December 7–27 within 2026. It doesn’t give a December 28 return date or the 2027 calendar.

Private schools and other municipalities may use different dates. Sources: Medellín’s official resolutions index and Resolution 202550084818, article 5 (school-hosted copy of the official gazette).

Calendario B generally runs from the second half of one year into the first half of the next, often roughly August to June. Exact dates vary by school. “Bilingual” or “international” doesn’t automatically mean Calendar B, so ask for your school’s actual calendar.

Camp schedules don’t line up neatly with either school calendar. Providers might offer a single workshop, a week, a few weeks or only regular classes. If your kid has a longer break, you may need to stitch together a few programs and other activities.

And here’s where it gets tricky. You don’t pick one calendar and have everything line up. Your kid might be on Calendar B, but their swim school, gymnastics class or music academy follows Calendar A. So when your kid is out for a longer break, those programs might not offer extra daily sessions. They just keep running their regular once-a-week schedule. That gap is exactly why you need a plan.

Booking Seasonal Camps in Medellín: What to Confirm

There’s no single registration calendar for camps. For June/July, I’d start checking well before May. For the year-end break, start before November and keep checking as announcements come in. Some providers post earlier than others. An old program page is good background, but it doesn’t mean registration is open again.

Finding and contacting programs

  • Use the provider’s official channel. WhatsApp can be the fastest route, but some organizations use email, websites or formal registration portals. Keep written confirmation of what you book.
  • Instagram is great for ideas. Check the highlights for ubicación, horarios and tarifas, then confirm the post’s year and venue. Scrolling back through earlier seasons shows you what a program offered. Last season’s photos and prices aren’t a current offer, though, and a provider doesn’t need an Instagram account to exist.
  • Lean on your mom network. School WhatsApp groups and community recommendations are often how the smaller programs turn up. Confirm the details with the organizer.

Before you pay

  • Confirm the fit. Ask about ages, language support, whether adults stay, staffing, pickup authorization, transport, food, allergy arrangements, accessibility and cancellation or refund terms. For swimming or overnight activities, ask specifically about supervision and emergency arrangements.
  • Ask for the full price in COP. Check the unit: per day, week, session or whole program. Ask whether matrícula, materials, meals, transport and insurance are included. Don’t assume a foreign phone prefix sets the price.

Documents

  • Ask which documents they accept. Providers may want the child’s and guardian’s identification, emergency contacts, health information or consent forms.
  • No Colombian ID? Ask about accepted alternatives and how registration works. I haven’t found one rule that says a passport works for every camp.

Use the directory to build a shortlist, then ask each provider for the current details. Next, match the actual dates and daily hours to the coverage your family needs. For the gaps between programs, my things to do in Medellín with kids guide has family outing ideas, but those aren’t the same as drop-off childcare.

A note on language immersion camps

What I was hoping to find for you

I was looking for full Spanish immersion camp, the kind where kids show up speaking mostly English and come home dreaming in Spanish after two weeks. When I researched the original guide, I hadn’t found one built for that: designed around English-dominant kids, with deliberate language teaching and real support for beginners. That’s what my search turned up at the time. It doesn’t prove no such program exists now.

Kind of ironic, right? You move to a Spanish-speaking country and you still have to ask a bunch of detailed questions about language support.

Here’s the thing, though. A camp run in Spanish gives your kid plenty of chances to hear and use Spanish. It’s just not automatically a structured language course. Ask what language the staff actually use, how they support beginners and whether your kid can ask for help without feeling awkward.

If language learning is the goal, ask about the teaching approach, the staff’s language skills and how kids at different levels get grouped. And if you find a program that fits this well, please send it my way so I can consider it for the directory.

What the options actually look like

There are really three things to compare:

  • Spanish-language recreation: a regular camp run in Spanish.
  • A program with explicit bilingual support: staff who can bridge the gap for beginners.
  • Separate language lessons: a tutor or class alongside the camp.

The school calendar alone won’t tell you which one you’re getting.

Ask what “bilingual” actually means for that program. A few examples from my research:

  • Centro Colombo Americano: Mini Makers describes bilingual activities for practicing English. That’s not the same as teaching Spanish to English-dominant beginners.
  • Columbus School: its school-based programs need a dated announcement and a clear answer on language support.
  • UPB’s “Explore-a-lot!”: that page is for Bucaramanga, so skip it for Medellín.
  • Sabaneta’s bilingual Festival Lúdico: the announcement is from 2021, so it’s not a current offer.

An a domicilio Spanish tutor is another option alongside vacation activities. Ask about their experience with your kid’s age and language level, the lesson plan, availability and current fee. Parent groups are a good place to start for recommendations.

My take

Honestly, I think just living here does a lot for your kid’s Spanish. But I’d still pick the program where your kid can take part, say what they need and feel supported. Being the only English speaker in the room isn’t a guarantee they’ll learn faster or have a good time.

Program Categories and Dated Examples

Here’s a preview of the types of programs in my directory. Some examples have a dated provider announcement and others are older leads to ask about. The “60+” describes the whole collection, not a count of camps confirmed for the next break.

🎓 University-Run Programs

Universities are worth checking for science, arts and cooking programs.

  • EAFIT: Zoom Ciencia has offered activities for kids. Ages, dates and fees depend on the edition, so check the one you’re looking at.
  • UPB: has a dated Medellín cooking workshop for November/December 2026. It’s in the upcoming offers section above.
  • Universidad de Medellín (historical prices): its May 29, 2023 announcement listed COP 134,000 for the June 13–17 recreation program (ages 4–12). The separate June 20–23 garden-and-cooking program (ages 5–10) cost COP 170,000. So the 134,000 figure wasn’t the garden-to-table price, and neither is a current quote.

🏕️ Outdoor & Adventure

  • R2 Camp: a one-day outdoor experience at different locations, including Parque Arví. Don’t assume a three-day-per-week schedule or an overnight stay.
  • Kajuyalí: advertises residential camps, including a summer 2027 season, with locations beyond Medellín.
  • Leader Kids: overnight leadership and entrepreneurship experiences for ages 7–15.

Confirm each session’s dates, duration, location, transport and overnight supervision. These aren’t interchangeable with local day camps.

🐴 Horseback Riding

So many options here, but read the details carefully.

  • Equus: lists vacation programs for ages 3–17. Ask about the current season, the four-hour schedule and the extra transport cost.
  • La Bonanza: lists early stimulation for ages 8 months–4 years separately from equinoterapia, riding and vacation programs. That doesn’t mean there’s an infant therapy camp.
  • Asdesilla: has an Envigado office and a Rionegro program location, so confirm where the activity actually happens.
  • Imperio Equino and Club Sierra Dorada: leads from my notes. Their current camp details need confirming.

🔬 STEM & Robotics

Beyond the obvious (Parque Explora and the Planetario), my leads include Snapology Medellín (LEGO-brick STEAM activities), Nova Robot (including astrobiology and rocketry courses), BOTS Robótica in Rionegro and Young Engineers El Poblado. Ask which ones have an actual vacation session for your dates. A space theme doesn’t mean NASA affiliation, and a profile in an education directory isn’t Harvard accreditation, so I’m not treating those labels as endorsements.

🎭 Arts, Music & Performance

Check current ages, schedules and holiday availability.

⚽ Sports & Movement

  • Active Bodytech: its 2026 camp page covered a past June–August season and sports at Villagrande in Envigado. It doesn’t establish a new year-end session.
  • Flik Flak: lists gymnastics and vacation programs.
  • Brazada: swimming lessons.
  • Peskids: swimming, including home-pool service.

A regular lesson isn’t automatically a multi-hour camp. Confirm ages, pool access and who’s supervising.

🌍 Bilingual & Language

For bilingual or language-focused camps, ask which language staff use all day, what support beginners get, and whether the group fits your kid’s age and language level.

🏛️ Cajas de Compensación

  • Comfama Supervacaciones: publishes prices by category and location.
  • My old note: I had about US$38 for non-affiliates, but I didn’t save the season or the price unit. It’s not useful for budgeting today.
  • Comfenalco: has also offered park-based vacation programs, including in Itagüí. Its 2024 brochure is a past example, not a current session.
  • Ask each caja for: the dated offer, your beneficiary category, the full COP price and what’s included.

👶 Early Childhood & Jardines

For little ones, a jardín or regular early-childhood class may be worth asking about. It might require an adult to stay and might not cover a full workday.

  • El Arca: describes June/December vacation programs for enrolled children and certain friends, relatives and alumni under 10. Ask whether your child can join.
  • Gymboree Laureles: regular classes for ages 0–5, not a confirmed holiday-care schedule.
  • La Casa de Warmi: an unconfirmed lead. I couldn’t confirm the old “from 6 months” claim.
  • Cascanueces: has Medellín/Llanogrande preschool programs. Confirm vacation places and daily bus service directly.

🏠 A Domicilio (They Come to You)

Music, art and swimming at home can work nicely alongside vacation activities. Vive Arte is a lead from my notes, so confirm the current provider, service area and holiday availability. Peskids’ published terms say swimming services depend on availability and conditions like weather and health. Before booking, confirm that your pool works, your building allows it, the fees, and who supervises before and after the lesson.

Public Recreation and Free-Activity Listings

Check the city’s El Parche / ¿Qué hay pa’ hacer? agenda for dated activities and any age, registration or cost conditions. What I found:

These are places to watch for new announcements, not confirmed free year-end camps.

🏫 Private School Camps

A school-based camp can be a good way to get a feel for the school. Joining isn’t admission, though, and not every child is eligible.

Get the Full Guide

The separate Notion directory pulls together my program leads by category, with the ages, locations, contacts, Instagram profiles and price notes I’ve collected along the way. Check the date and completeness of each entry, then ask the provider about the season you need.

Bookmark the Notion link so you can come back to the same document when I update it. When I send a major seasonal update by email, still confirm with the provider before booking. This article’s review doesn’t cover every entry in the external directory, and I can’t promise you’ll hear from me before a program fills.

FAQ

When do vacaciones recreativas start in Medellín?

There’s no single start date. Providers offer activities around midyear, October, year-end and other breaks. Match the camp dates to your school’s calendar, and tell a dated past announcement apart from an upcoming offer. The current-season examples are above.

Are there bilingual or English summer camps in Medellín?

Some providers describe bilingual activities, but ask which language they teach and what support beginners get. Colombo Americano’s Mini Makers focuses on practicing English. UPB’s “Explore-a-lot!” is in Bucaramanga, not Medellín, and the Sabaneta festival source is from 2021. I haven’t confirmed a current PlayMusicKids camp. If your goal is Spanish, ask for a dated program description instead of trusting a “bilingual” label.

What is Calendario A vs. Calendario B in Colombia?

Calendar A generally runs within one calendar year. Calendar B crosses two, often roughly August to June. Exact breaks vary by school and education authority. Don’t assume every bilingual school follows B, or that a camp follows your school’s dates.

How early should I register for vacation programs?

Start researching before the break and follow the providers you’re considering. I haven’t verified a universal opening month, or that the big programs sell out within days. Confirm current dates, space, full price and cancellation terms, then book when you’re comfortable with the fit. WhatsApp can be a fast way to ask.

What about kids under 3?

There are regular early-childhood activities to explore, but confirm adult accompaniment and care arrangements. Cantoalegre lists music stimulation from 3 months, La Bonanza lists early stimulation from 8 months separately from equinoterapia and camps, and Gymboree lists infant and toddler classes. I couldn’t confirm La Casa de Warmi’s old starting age. None of that confirms a current drop-off vacation program for an under-3, so jardines are still the best place to start asking.

If you’ve tried any of these programs or have one to add, DM me @mamainmedellin! I love hearing what’s working for your family.

Sources and Review Scope

I reviewed this article on October 24, 2026 using official education and municipal information and providers’ own published pages. The provider links above show where the dates, ages and prices came from. For school calendars, see the Ministry of Education’s A/B calendar explanation and the Medellín resolution linked above. For rate categories, see Comfama’s category explanation.

Undated pages and old announcements stay labeled as leads or historical examples. I haven’t confirmed places with providers, audited every entry in the Notion directory, or endorsed a program just because it’s here.

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