Colombia - Caribbean & Andes motorcycle tour

After a relaxed start of the day with a typical local breakfast, the motorbikes are handed over to us. We ride to Minca, a nearby small town famous for its organic coffee growing. Here we escape the heat of the city and go on an off-road tour through the tropical forests. We visit a coffee finca(plantation) with a brewery. Here we can see in an authentic environment how coffee beans are planted, harvested, processed and prepared for export. We stay in a hotel with a wonderful view of the plantation in the jungle and dozens of hummingbirds fluttering around.

We leave Minca and ride along the main road for a short while before we take a beautiful winding unpaved road which will lead us way up to the charming coffee villages of San Pedro and San Javier, two charming places completely off the beaten track. The sights will surpass your imagination. We will have an authentic lunch up in the lush, green hills together with local farmers and then find our way back into the valley and in the late afternoon we will reach Aracataca, birthplace of the famous author Gabriel Garcia Márquez. We spend the night in nearby Fundación. 

We start our day from Fundación, and after a short distance on a paved road we soon follow the beautiful hot and dusty roads through rural Colombia. These roads will lead us to Rio Magdalena, Colombia's main river. We will cross the Rio Magdalena in small canoes, and ultimately we reach the beautiful town named Mompox. Mompox could be described as the precious little sister of Cartagena. From the rooftop of our hotel we will have wonderful views over the landscape and the village. 

From Mompox we ride along the Rio Magdalena riverbank. Today is going to be a hot day, and the scenery today will make you wonder if you'rein a stagecoach-type western movie of the 50's. Dusty scenery flickers before our eyes on the way to El Banco. Once at El Banco, we turn onto the main road and ride to Aguachica. From there, we leave the lowlands and take a beautiful and shady paved road that leads us into the hills from Ocaña to Playa Belén.

In Playa de Belén, the days usually begin with mist, but what looks like rain clouds at 6:00 in the morning almost always clears up quickly. Soon, the enchanted landscape surrounding Los Estoraques National Park reveals itself in all its beauty. We visit the park right after breakfast and take a walk through the unique rock formations shaped by erosion. Afterwards, we hop back on our bikes and ride through dozens of winding turns over the nearby mountain range. On the other side, we’re greeted once again by a warmer climate as we continue our journey through Sardinata to the hidden village of Lourdes.

Time moves differently in Lourdes — tourism is still a foreign concept here, which adds to the village’s authentic charm. We follow a narrow road that leads us to the sunken village of Gramalote, which was destroyed by a landslide many years ago— today, only the church tower remains visible. From Arboledas, the route turns into an off-road track, offering spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and jungle. Our destination for the day is the city of Pamplona, situated at an altitude of around 2,200 meters. In this cooler, fertile climate, agriculture plays a major role, as evidenced by the endless abundance of fruits and vegetables.

It is wise to layer up your clothing for this day. The road to Capitanejo starts out with gentle curves in a green landscape and then twists and turns to take us higher and higher up the mountains.  From 3200m (10,500 ft), just behind Chitagá,the tar road turns into gravel when we pass the 4000m (13,000ft) mountaintop. At this height it is often foggy and damp, but if we are blessed with clear view weather, it will provide scenic views over fantastic mountains. And although we ride on a federal road, there hardly is any traffic. From Málaga it gets warmer again as we descend into the beautiful picture-perfect landscape of Capitanejo.

Off road we go up even higher today, into the El Cocuy National Park. We see amazing scenic mountains with summits over 5000m (16,400ft) high, whose pristine snow crests can be seen. We pass many small farms that mainly grow onions. Local folks are heartwarmingly friendly, open and happy when strangers pass by to admire their surroundings. People gather in the villages to exchange their goods. Around noon we arrive in our overnight accommodation El Cocuy and have enough time for a local tour on small pathways up to approx. 3800m (12,500ft). From here you have breathtaking views of the summits in the area. You will definitely notice the thin air - it's good that our overnight accommodation is"only" 3000m (9,800ft) high.

We start off the day on gravel roads, beginning at the end of the village and drive through the gigantic, impressive mountains of the Andes for the rest of the day. You'll want to stop around just about every corner and let your eyes wander first. Gentle hills and rugged mountains alternate, the panorama is simply gigantic and hard to describe. We pass through the villages of Chita and Jérico, which are incredibly remote, you will be stunned by their lifestyle. A very special and unique world that we can look into until we finally land in magical Mongui, full of new impressions. Here, too, since we are still at an altitude of 3000m (9,800ft), the air remains cool and thin. Mongui is famous for its football production, which is why you can see the round balls in the whole village.

Via Duitama and Gambita we head towards Barichara. We will cross another high mountain before going downhill on rocky and partially muddy paths. Depending on weather conditions, we have the option to choose between two off-road routes for this adventure. After we have passed San Gil, a winding road takes us to Barichara, where a colonial-style city with a warm climate awaits us.

Barichara is ideal for a rest day. Allow yourself to go shopping and feast your stomach, your eyes and your heart.There are great restaurants, lots of handicrafted souvernirs to see and also adventurous activities such as rafting, bungee jumping or horse riding. If you just want to relax, you can sit back and watch the hustle and bustle on the plaza or take a stroll to admire the work of the stonemasons located at the city gates. Barichara is also famous for its "hormigas culonas" -roasted ants, which are offered as a delicacy.

We start the day off well rested on a long offroad track to Zapatoca, where we will have lunch. We will enjoy food prepared according to the local "Santander-way" on a large patio. Regional specialty are the „cazuelas“, fish or meat soups cooked in clay pots. The cathedral is worth a visit, as is the Don Quixote-Museum. A winding mountain road leads us from Zapatoca to Giron, the views on our way down again will be spectacular before we arrive at our hotel in Giron's old town.

With the ride to Aguachica we say goodbye to the green mountains of Colombia, we pass banana plantations and small villages and by midday we'll hit the flat plains again. The temperature can soar on our famous route "ruta del sol" (sunroad),wich provides a central connection between the Andes mountains and the coast.

We continue north. We ride to Bosconia on the main road, then we turn towards Valledupar.  We are not far from Nabusimake, this village is the spiritual center of the Arhuaco native America where they live their life like in pre-Columbian times and in harmony with nature. We stay in Valledupar, the place of origin of "Vallenato", ubiquitous folk music of Colombians dominated by the accordion.

We are now in the land of cattle and cowboys. Through the backlands and the desert region "La Guajira", we meet the Wayúu native Americans, as we head back to the coast.

We will stay at the coast. Our destination is Palomino, where we end the day on the palm-fringed sandy beaches. Palomino is a small village tucked in between two rivers that flow down from the Sierra Nevada. The natural surroundings of this village allow for excellent virgin nature hiking, horse riding and river tube-rafting. You can also choose to relax on the beach, where you can enjoy the unique view of snow-capped mountains on one side, and the Caribbean sea on the other.

We ride towards Santa Marta along a beautiful coastal road. In several places you can gaze over the turquoise-blue stunning Caribbean coastline. Once back in Santa Marta we return to the hotel that we started our tour with, in the center of the old town. On the crowded market you have another chance of souvenirshopping. Or you enjoy a cool drink by the sea, or on the roof terrace.

As your unforgettable journey concludes, you’ll be transported to Santa Marta Airport, carrying cherished memories and experiences from your travels through Colombia. Saying goodbye to this beautiful country and its warm-hearted people will surely be a challenge.

Depending on the timezone of your country, you arrive at your home airport on Day 21 or Day 22.‍