Why Colombia? 

We were both excited by the idea of pedalling in Colombia, but felt uncertain about safety.

For many outsiders, Colombia is synonymous with drug-related crime. There were reports of violent robberies and ATM kidnappings. The UK government website advised against all non-essential travel to certain regions.

But other areas of the country looked stunning for road riding. The costs of travelling in Colombia were definitely going to be cheaper. The pull of good coffee, fresh fruit and Medellin's Pablo Escobar Museum clinched it.

So from sleepy, relaxing Uruguay we booked a flight to big, bad BOGOTÁ! 

Colombia, here we come! 

We had no idea what to expect from Colombia .....

Our Route 

We biked 1600 miles around north Colombia (highlighted in green on the map): 

starting in Bogotá, over the Andes mountains to Medellín; then up to the Caribbean coast and remote La Guajira desert; finally looping back cross-country to end in Cartagena.

The Journey

Bogotá was big, bustling, and colourful. The roads were a chaotic mix of trucks, cars, mopeds and cycles.

Seeing armed guards at every ATM and supermarket took some getting used to, and reminded us to be careful. 

No photos to post, as it was early days and we were feeling uptight about phone snatchers !!

Leaving Bogotá: we pedalled northwest, towards Medellín. This would involve crossing the Andes mountains !

During the first couple of days, we encountered extremely busy and sometimes dangerous roads.

Self-doubt about our chosen route crept in.

We dug deep and continued, hoping as usual that things would work out!

You know how it goes "you gotta take the rough, to earn the smooth"! Or something like that 🤔

Above: Climbing out of Bogotá, cycling space was tight beside the trucks.

En route to La Dorada, we came across people literally 'mango fishing' with a net!! Charlie couldn't resist giving it a go (see below!). Much harder than you think! 

Above: Not a pole vault, but a mango catcher !

Christmas time above - and people in the towns made a huge effort to celebrate - this is one of the streets in La Dorada

Then we spotted an alternative route to Medellín on the map: Highway 56. This would keep us off the main highways. But was not a fully paved or tarmacked road!

Doubtful, we stopped at a bike shop to seek advice about tackling this route with loaded gravel bikes. The shop was closed but as if by magic, a lady appeared who knew HW56 and confirmed it was doable.

Below: Highway 56. It got much rougher than this in places.

HW56 turned out to be a great choice: EXTREMELY rough and tough in parts, but taking us through remote villages and stunning scenery.

Nothing we have done since touches it.

Above & below: Just another day on Highway 56 !

We had to stop for a few nights in the mountain village of Florencia (below), as Molly was unwell.

The friendly locals shared their memories of the cartel-related violence that turned their streets into a war zone. Thankfully, recent years had been more peaceful for them.

We enjoyed watching village life from Florencia's main square. One day, the local church held an open-air service in the street and all sang along to the Beatles' "Hey Jude" - SPINE-TINGLING MAGIC 😊

Above: the misty, untouristed village of Florencia.

Even in these remote areas, we came across colourful "chiva" buses that somehow navigate these rough roads to transport villagers (below) and small dwellings playing VERY loud, happy music.

Although our legs and minds were burning, as the road pushed our bike handling to the limit, the music and surroundings made it all worthwhile.

Medellín is surrounded by towering mountains, so it was a brake-scorching descent into the city. As the road steepened towards vertical, we had to accept a lift in a pickup-truck down one descent for safety.

We had a great stopover in this vibrant city. The former slum area of Comuna 13 was a highlight, while Pablo Escobar's Museum was intriguing BUT horribly overpriced, and definitely not for everyone.

Above: A viewpoint over Comuna 13 from a local café, with Medellin's ring of mountains in the background.

The drug cartels ran Comuna 13 in the 1990s, when the area was so dangerous that even the police and army stayed away.

Now reinvented as a bustling tourist attraction with an array of souvenir shops, bars, street dancers and bright murals (below).

Colombia was terrorised by Pablo Escobar's drug cartel in the 1990s, but he kept some of Medellín on side by funding social housing and sports facilities.

He even paid Maradona and Renee "Scorpion Save" Higuita to play against his team in a charity football match (below). This took place at the 5-star "prison" he built for himself (!!), as part of a peace deal with the government.

Below - exhausted but exhilarated after a punishing climb out of Medellín - we earned our 'tinto' that day 👍

We took a much-needed stopover in pretty Guatapé, famous for the views from its giant granite rock. There are hundreds of steps to the top.

So the challenge had to be taken on! Some rest day that was! But more than worth it

By chance, we caught a tiny touring circus in Guatapé that evening. Their acrobatic performances were breathtaking.

Below - Guatapé and its BIG ROCK, a must visit 👍👍

Moving north: on our descent out of the Andes in stunning Caucasia, we encountered a road closure: there had been a fatal accident and oil spillage (below). For safety, we had to jump onto a coach once the road re-opened. After that, it was steady pedalling all the way to the coast.

On our steady pedal! 🤦🤦🚴🚴

We encountered a BOA CONSTRICTOR on the hard shoulder! Errmm yep that's right a very BIG snake! (below)

We stopped a short distance away and then walked slowly towards it (well, Charlie did!).

Locals also stopped to look and warned us to keep our distance - a debate as to whether ALIVE or DEAD ensued.

Charlie wanted to poke it with a stick, but wisely decided against this just in case it was hungry: a large boa can take down livestock !!

We were a LOT more wary with our wild toilet stops going forwards.

We reached the Caribbean coast unscathed at Barranquilla, just before their massive annual carnival - second only to Rio de Janeiro's. 

Heading out of Barranquilla towards the busy seaside town of Santa Marta, we contended with heavy traffic and slums (below). It was shocking to see children scavenging in the rubbish.

Santa Marta was a nice enough place, with quieter areas of jungle (home to howler monkeys) and mountains just inland.

The lush coastline further east became more peaceful, but then eerily quiet. Later, we learned that violent criminal gangs were extorting "protection" money from locals, and killing more than just the tourism in this area.

Above & below - Colombia's Caribbean coast❤️ a mix of the beautiful and the harsh realities for people living in very difficult conditions (as seen throughout the world) 

Curiosity drew us even further east, into the barren desert area of La Guajira (below).

This very poor indigenous region had a completely different feel. Its fierce headwinds soon forced us to retreat south.....

... BUT not before we had been overtaken and then flagged down, on a very quiet stretch, by 4 burly guys in a truck.

"This is it," we both thought, "Get ready with the fake purse!!". (Early in the trip we had discussed what to do if we got mugged, so had a purse ready to hand over with a small amount of cash and an expired credit card.)

No photo of this moment due to being totally blown away when "El Jefe" (The Boss) instructed his men to give us chilled Coca Cola to drink, asked if we were OK and then drove off!!! Phew 🫡

Talk about 'misreading the situation' ! 🤦🤦

Above: A typical rural grocery store, open for business! You are not allowed inside. Just point or explain what you want to buy.

The "prison bars" are permanent, to protect the goods and the takings.

We turned inland, pedalling parallel to the Venuezuelan border (considered so dangerous, it was the only Latin American country our insurance wouldn't cover).

Charlie's overloaded back wheel finally started to crack in Valledupar, but this was no problem for Super Serafín (below) and his mechanic: they had it rebuilt within the hour. Total charge: £21, including allowances for the "protection" he had to pay to local criminal gangs.

Above - Serafín's tiny bike shop wasn't exempt from the local protection racket.

On Serafín's recommendation, we turned west towards Mompox.

Passing through Bosconia, we chanced upon a massive "caballeros" (horsemen, and women) festival. We were the only foreigners in town.

The party atmosphere was electric. Everyone was parading their skills, some even standing on top of the saddle and taking a drink (below)!

Above: the incredible "caballeros" (horsemen) of Bosconia. 

After some unexpectedly rough trails (below), we crossed the Magdalena river into Mompox on a tiny gondola ferry.

Mompox's old colonial riverside (below) was a little touristy, but still charming, and was home to some hefty iguanas.

Authentic local life was just a short stroll away from Mompox's main drag.

One lovely lady invited us into her riverside home (below), where she made a living selling tinto and repairing clothes.

At the local market in Mompox (below): this meat was being preserved old-style in salt, without the need for refrigeration.

We continued north towards Cartagena, passing through some lovely seaside areas where we enjoyed fresh ceviche and dolphin-spotting.

Below: shaved ice (raspao) van on the beachfront in Santiago de Tolú

Our Colombian journey ended, reluctantly, in Cartagena (as we had a total solar eclipse to catch!).

Crossing overland into Panama was essentially impossible, and there was no easy sea transport, so we boxed the bikes and flew north.

Above - you think you can ride a bike, and then these guys fly past!! 

Food & Accommodation

We soon grew to love the national brew, "tinto": shots of punchy black coffee, usually served from a roadside thermos (above) with a shedload of sugar. (Surely the best invention ever 🤔 Sugar that is!!) Cost: around 20p.

Delicious tropical fruit was cheap and plentiful. Fresh juices (jugos) were sold at the roadside, blended with milk and even more sugar !

The standard fare was bland, but worked well for hungry cyclists: chicken or fish, rice & beans, and salad (below).

Breakfasts were blander still: cornbread "arepas", tasteless white "cheese" and scrambled eggs.

No sauces or seasoning involved.

Below - If in doubt, we follow the truckers: truck stops always provide cheap and cheerful grub !

Budget accommodation was decent, ubiquitous, and very cheap (never more than £30, and often much less).

Our finest bargain was the clean double room with private bathroom in Florencia for 25,000 pesos (£5) per night. Even at that price, a 'helpful neighbour' told us we could have negotiated a better deal!!! 

Google Maps and Air BnB worked well for us. Showers were usually unheated, but this wasn't an issue in the tropical temperatures. We never had to camp.

Colombia - Our thoughts

We absolutely LOVED cycle touring in Colombia !

It was the most colourful, diverse and affordable country we have visited to date.

People were kind and friendly, seeming to smile through life's hardships.

Upbeat music was everywhere. For sunshine lovers, the weather was great.

Cycling in Colombia just about hit every note for us.

Ooh La La was it fantastic!

Mountains, coastline, desert, cities, villages, bustling, noisy, serene, peaceful, scenic, rustic, raw. 

Above - beautiful Colombia 

Maybe we just got lucky, but over 2 months of pedalling through different urban and rural areas we didn't have a single bad experience.

Having said that: we avoided going out after dark in most places, and our scruffy appearance probably helped us to stay safe too!

We also heeded official advice regarding known high risk regions and any warnings from locals.

We carried separate 'purses' one with a small amount of money and a fake credit card (good practice wherever you visit). Rucksacks on our front when walking. 

The roads felt generally safe, even in busy urban areas (once we learned to "flow" with the traffic) - cyclist/moped awareness was good, and there was no aggression.

Below: Mesmerising "pelican pelotons" patrolling the coast 

In the interests of balance, we have tried very hard to think of some negative aspects to the trip. This bit is short !

- For Molly: it was one particularly vicious mosquito attack at a coastal truck stop, but this was the exception rather than the rule.

- For Charlie: it was the inevitable tension around personal safety, especially as he felt responsible for keeping Molly safe.

Below - Colombia the land of colour and music

Normally, by the end of a good tour we feel ready to move on. But not from Colombia.

There was so much of it that we didn't get to see. Over a year later, remembering it makes us feel wistful. 

If we had to name our favourite tour, this grand adventure in Colombia would be it.

We would recommend it to anyone.

THANK YOU COLOMBIA 🚴👍🚴👌

Practical pointers

- Bogotá airport pedal-out rating: ⭐.

Arrivals was bustling, with little space to build the bikes (but at least the airport security guards were friendly, hence one star!).

Pedalling out of the airport by road felt suicidal, due to crazy-busy merging lanes. We were "stranded" for quite a while trying to make the crossing on foot ! (Shortly afterwards we reached a cycle lane, and things improved a lot.)