How low can we go.
- Thread starter gspod
- Start date
In Panama City the bikes were shipped (flown) over the Darien gap by Overland Embassy and what a dynamic young man the founder, Alejandro, is. The process was brilliant - we turned up at his office on Monday and rode the bikes to the airport, caught a flight to Bogotá (Columbia) on Tuesday and the bikes arrived Wednesday morning 
.
Getting the bikes out of customs on Wednesday took all day but it was Xmas time and Alejandro’s team were brilliant We had the company of 2 other overland bikers: Simon from Germany and Darcy from Canada.
We found an excellent bike shop in Bogotá and dropped the bikes off on Thursday morning for a full service and some tyres so had 2 days to explore the city. It’s a modern vibrant city with friendly people - we had a bit of fun trying to work out the extensive bus system and, at one stage, took the wrong bus and ended up walking through the ‘downtown’ area with half naked ‘street ladies’ in every door way, even so, at no time did we feel unsafe. The only negative is the traffic - I think it’s the worst traffic I’ve ever ridden in and that includes Fez and Tirana (Albanian capital). But as always you go with the flow and let the taxis do what they want
.
So Saturday morning we picked up our shiny steeds and headed for the mountains (after two and a half hours getting out of the city
) Bogotá is about 2.5K metres above sea level and we rose into the mountains and the clouds. It was a lovely ride but would have been better if we could have seen the view.
. Getting the bikes out of customs on Wednesday took all day but it was Xmas time and Alejandro’s team were brilliant We had the company of 2 other overland bikers: Simon from Germany and Darcy from Canada.
We found an excellent bike shop in Bogotá and dropped the bikes off on Thursday morning for a full service and some tyres so had 2 days to explore the city. It’s a modern vibrant city with friendly people - we had a bit of fun trying to work out the extensive bus system and, at one stage, took the wrong bus and ended up walking through the ‘downtown’ area with half naked ‘street ladies’ in every door way, even so, at no time did we feel unsafe. The only negative is the traffic - I think it’s the worst traffic I’ve ever ridden in and that includes Fez and Tirana (Albanian capital). But as always you go with the flow and let the taxis do what they want
.So Saturday morning we picked up our shiny steeds and headed for the mountains (after two and a half hours getting out of the city
) Bogotá is about 2.5K metres above sea level and we rose into the mountains and the clouds. It was a lovely ride but would have been better if we could have seen the view.
This is Eduardo and his bike shop is better than any Motorrad workshop I’ve seen in Europe. He’s a mechanical engineer with a passion for motorcycle travel and worked for BMW in Germany for many years.
There is a strange thing with the 410 Himmies, they often stall when cold and A’s was no different. I did a lot of research on the subject but found no definitive answer. After a service here, it never stalled again.
There is a strange thing with the 410 Himmies, they often stall when cold and A’s was no different. I did a lot of research on the subject but found no definitive answer. After a service here, it never stalled again.
From Bogota we headed south, there are 2 routes - one west and the other east of the Andes. We chose the east route as there were a couple of places we wanted to visit.
First evening we found a nice hill top hotel with a pool and after a swim we sat and watched a thunderstorm roll by. Next morning we we given the traditional Columbian breakfast which is a 3 course affair:
A large plate of fresh fruit followed by a bowl of beef stew and finished off with 2 fried eggs, all washed down with a hot chocolate. It was only 8.30 but I was ready for a lie down
First evening we found a nice hill top hotel with a pool and after a swim we sat and watched a thunderstorm roll by. Next morning we we given the traditional Columbian breakfast which is a 3 course affair:
A large plate of fresh fruit followed by a bowl of beef stew and finished off with 2 fried eggs, all washed down with a hot chocolate. It was only 8.30 but I was ready for a lie down
Great photographs, great report .... thank you 
Thanks MickyGreat photographs, great report .... thank you
I’ve got some better photos on another device, I will try and transfer them but my computer skills are limited
The first, main, stop was the Tatacoa desert - not a true desert but a lunar landscape divided into red and grey areas
In addition to its geography, its atmospheric conditions are ideal for astronomy - Tatacoa has low light or other pollution and very little noise.
We went on a small boat across a river and found a nice, rustic hotel. There were only a few places to stay, which were well scattered and we saw no shops so it was a very tranquil place and great for star gazing.
The next touristy thing we wanted to see was San Augustin but in the meantime we had to find somewhere to stay for Christmas.
We booked a nice looking hotel in the small town of Jagua, the family were really nice and it had a small pool to cool off in. Just by pure chance the town held a Christmas festival every year with people coming in buses from all over. We had the traditional Christmas, Friday evening dinner with the family and walked around the festival in the evenings - as far as we could see, we were the only non-Colombians there and got a bit of attention with many people asking to have their photos taken with us.
In addition to its geography, its atmospheric conditions are ideal for astronomy - Tatacoa has low light or other pollution and very little noise.
We went on a small boat across a river and found a nice, rustic hotel. There were only a few places to stay, which were well scattered and we saw no shops so it was a very tranquil place and great for star gazing.
The next touristy thing we wanted to see was San Augustin but in the meantime we had to find somewhere to stay for Christmas.
We booked a nice looking hotel in the small town of Jagua, the family were really nice and it had a small pool to cool off in. Just by pure chance the town held a Christmas festival every year with people coming in buses from all over. We had the traditional Christmas, Friday evening dinner with the family and walked around the festival in the evenings - as far as we could see, we were the only non-Colombians there and got a bit of attention with many people asking to have their photos taken with us.
What an excellent trip - and amazing report. Thank you for sharing. 
I was in Colombia late last year, heading down to Tierra del Fuego. Already you’ve been to places I haven’t. So easy to forget that even when you ride the full length of a country, you only see a tiny fraction of it…
I was in Colombia late last year, heading down to Tierra del Fuego. Already you’ve been to places I haven’t. So easy to forget that even when you ride the full length of a country, you only see a tiny fraction of it…
Thanks RichardWhat an excellent trip - and amazing report. Thank you for sharing.
I was in Colombia late last year, heading down to Tierra del Fuego. Already you’ve been to places I haven’t. So easy to forget that even when you ride the full length of a country, you only see a tiny fraction of it…
Your spot on, loads we didn’t see - I reckon 2 years minimum to see SA
We left La Jagua and went a shortish distance to San Agustin which is a lively tourist town with 3 ancient sites of stone statues, carvings and tombs all excavated and presented in the forest beautifully and is a UNESCO world heritage site.
We found a lovely hostel out of town with a great view. While we were there another BMW motorcycle turned up with a Colombian couple and this turned out to be most fortuitous.
They were on a short tour from Bogotá but had decided to extend it so we arranged to ride together for a few days - Evelyn and Emiliano (Eve & Emi).
Turns out Emi’s family have a rich history as influential Spaniards who came to Latin America from Barcelona to escape the Civil War and Franco. He has a lot of knowledge of Columbia and Ecuador, where his great uncle was President, and a large network of contacts - he’s a big foodie to boot and set about organising some great experiences for us.
After San Agustin we went south and stayed just inside the Amazonian Zone in a hostel, within the official indigenous area, owned and run by indigenous people. We left the bikes in secure parking, gathered our luggage and walked into the jungle.
It was a basic wooden/bamboo building with no windows but mosquito nets over the bed. The water was straight out of the ground as was the shower water so nice and cold - which was much needed in the heat. The cooker was an open fire and dinner tasted all the better for it - there was a camping type gas ring to boil hot water for coffee in the morning which was a God send
.
New Year’s Eve was spent sharing the outdoor kitchen with Eve and EMI, a German couple and a few ‘locals’ - the owner Jose, Ricardo (manager) and some of their family and friends, all indigenous. They were so nice and genuinely interested in us as we were in them. They were so patient with our limited Spanish but we managed to communicate - might have had something to do with the local wine made out of a type of palm fruit only found in the Amazon which was rather nice
On New Year’s Eve the tradition is to make a doll which symbolises all the things you want to leave in the last year and burn it at midnight. It was great to be where we were, and join in with this ancient ritual.
On the second night we were awoken by rain on the tin roof at about 3am. The rain was torrential and kept us awake till the alarm went off at 6am, which was a bit annoying as this was the day we were going to cross the Andes using a road known as ‘The Trampoline of Death’: https://weather.com/photos/news/2022-05-27-colombia-trampoline-of-death-road.
It’s not a difficult ride but It’s in cloud forest which means it rains - on average there are 4 rain free days a year. As you can imagine there are a lot of road collapses and landslides. It’s also very narrow, in places, so passing is difficult and there’s no barriers
There’s no way to check the road before you go so if there’s a landslide 3/4 of the way along you simply have to turn around and go back and it’s a long slog.
It was a great ride and we were very lucky. The heavy rain lasted for less than an hour and apart from 1 water crossing we had a good run with very few large lorries coming the other way. The only down side was the heavy clouds and fog which meant the views were limited - although it also meant you couldn’t see the sheer drops either.
We were heading for the town of Sibundoy which, to us, sounded like something out of Harry Potter and when we got there it certainly was a magical place. Nestled in a giant bowl in the middle of the mountain range the views were outstanding.
We were wet, cold and hungry after 6hrs on the trampoline and pulled into a small restaurant where we had soup, spare ribs with rice and lentils and sweet coffee for less than £2 each.
Emi had booked us into a lovely hostel with a great view.
Next day we rode out of the bowl in lovely sunshine and over the next set of mountains which went over 3000 metres. This time the road was tarmac and what a ride it was.
Emi had arranged for us to have lunch next to a huge lake where the speciality was trout - one of my favourites.
The ordinary wooden restaurant was owned by a well known chef who over 3 hours dished up 6 courses plus a traditional mulled wine using a local fruit which was similar to a large Logan berry.
From there we made the short ride to Pasto where there is a festival and we had another gastronomic treat in store.
The trip has been amazing but Columbia has blown everywhere else out of the water
We found a lovely hostel out of town with a great view. While we were there another BMW motorcycle turned up with a Colombian couple and this turned out to be most fortuitous.
They were on a short tour from Bogotá but had decided to extend it so we arranged to ride together for a few days - Evelyn and Emiliano (Eve & Emi).
Turns out Emi’s family have a rich history as influential Spaniards who came to Latin America from Barcelona to escape the Civil War and Franco. He has a lot of knowledge of Columbia and Ecuador, where his great uncle was President, and a large network of contacts - he’s a big foodie to boot and set about organising some great experiences for us.
After San Agustin we went south and stayed just inside the Amazonian Zone in a hostel, within the official indigenous area, owned and run by indigenous people. We left the bikes in secure parking, gathered our luggage and walked into the jungle.
It was a basic wooden/bamboo building with no windows but mosquito nets over the bed. The water was straight out of the ground as was the shower water so nice and cold - which was much needed in the heat. The cooker was an open fire and dinner tasted all the better for it - there was a camping type gas ring to boil hot water for coffee in the morning which was a God send
.New Year’s Eve was spent sharing the outdoor kitchen with Eve and EMI, a German couple and a few ‘locals’ - the owner Jose, Ricardo (manager) and some of their family and friends, all indigenous. They were so nice and genuinely interested in us as we were in them. They were so patient with our limited Spanish but we managed to communicate - might have had something to do with the local wine made out of a type of palm fruit only found in the Amazon which was rather nice
On New Year’s Eve the tradition is to make a doll which symbolises all the things you want to leave in the last year and burn it at midnight. It was great to be where we were, and join in with this ancient ritual.
On the second night we were awoken by rain on the tin roof at about 3am. The rain was torrential and kept us awake till the alarm went off at 6am, which was a bit annoying as this was the day we were going to cross the Andes using a road known as ‘The Trampoline of Death’: https://weather.com/photos/news/2022-05-27-colombia-trampoline-of-death-road.
It’s not a difficult ride but It’s in cloud forest which means it rains - on average there are 4 rain free days a year. As you can imagine there are a lot of road collapses and landslides. It’s also very narrow, in places, so passing is difficult and there’s no barriers
There’s no way to check the road before you go so if there’s a landslide 3/4 of the way along you simply have to turn around and go back and it’s a long slog.
It was a great ride and we were very lucky. The heavy rain lasted for less than an hour and apart from 1 water crossing we had a good run with very few large lorries coming the other way. The only down side was the heavy clouds and fog which meant the views were limited - although it also meant you couldn’t see the sheer drops either
.We were heading for the town of Sibundoy which, to us, sounded like something out of Harry Potter and when we got there it certainly was a magical place. Nestled in a giant bowl in the middle of the mountain range the views were outstanding.
We were wet, cold and hungry after 6hrs on the trampoline and pulled into a small restaurant where we had soup, spare ribs with rice and lentils and sweet coffee for less than £2 each.
Emi had booked us into a lovely hostel with a great view.
Next day we rode out of the bowl in lovely sunshine and over the next set of mountains which went over 3000 metres. This time the road was tarmac and what a ride it was.
Emi had arranged for us to have lunch next to a huge lake where the speciality was trout - one of my favourites.
The ordinary wooden restaurant was owned by a well known chef who over 3 hours dished up 6 courses plus a traditional mulled wine using a local fruit which was similar to a large Logan berry.
From there we made the short ride to Pasto where there is a festival and we had another gastronomic treat in store.
The trip has been amazing but Columbia has blown everywhere else out of the water
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The heavy overnight rain created this water crossing. It wasn’t deep but it had a lot of force. A lot of cyclists try to carry their bicycles across these, trip up and are swept over the edge.
Motorcycles and cars were parked up each side and Emi had a chat with the locals. We were assured that, as the rain had eased, we just had to wait and so would the flow - he estimated no more than an hour. After about 20 minutes a lorry came through then a couple of 4x4s then sure enough the flow visibility eased and the smaller cars went through.
The bikes went 1 by 1 with everyone stopping the other side and a few standing in the water in case of any mishaps - it didn’t look much but it was a powerful flow.
Motorcycles and cars were parked up each side and Emi had a chat with the locals. We were assured that, as the rain had eased, we just had to wait and so would the flow - he estimated no more than an hour. After about 20 minutes a lorry came through then a couple of 4x4s then sure enough the flow visibility eased and the smaller cars went through.
The bikes went 1 by 1 with everyone stopping the other side and a few standing in the water in case of any mishaps - it didn’t look much but it was a powerful flow.
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