RIDE DESCRIPTION
What's Included:
Everything Included - Our trips and rentals include reliable easy to ride motorcycles, all riding gear, beautiful hotels, and off-the-beaten-path locations for an authentic experience Colombian experience.
✓ Adventure Motorcycle
✓ Unlimited Mileage
✓ Accommodations in hotels
✓ All airport and hotel transfers
✓ All meals included
✓ Fuel and road tolls
✓ Protective gear including helmet, jacket, gloves, knee protection
✓ Rain Gear
✓ Cellphone holder
✓ Wireless / USB Charger
✓ Basic emergency medical insurance
✓ High-quality 50 liter dry bags
✓ Locking 50 liter top box
✓ Tire repair kit including electric air pump and tire tubes
✓ Luggage storage at our office
✓ 24 hour customer support for any needs or emergencies during the trip.
What to Expect:
Our routes are made for intermediate riders.
The mild off-road sections are simply unpaved roads where cars can easily drive.
Rides are at a relaxed pace and our guides are very patient with everyone.
We calculate 5 hours of actual driving time per day but with stops for pictures, breaks and lunch, each day is a full 8 hours of being out and about.
There is always plenty of time to explore the towns and have a nice relaxing meal after we arrive.
Absolutely the best motorcycling experience in my life! The GOAT aka owner / guide Jeff took Me on a four-day trip, visited coffee farms, hand fed hummingbirds, stayed in Salamina and Manizales which are just beautiful hotels, route took us on amazing terrain with all kinds of ride challenging experiences! Equipment and my steel Honda pony was perfect machine for riding on these Colombian roads!! Already planning my next adventure with Jeff sometime 1st qtr 2022!!!
- Jesse M. Galveston
THREE BOOKING OPTIONS
① All-Inclusive Guided Tours
Our all-inclusive tours include a knowledgeable local guide / mechanic, fully prepped adventure motorcycle, motorcycle gear, prepaid and booked hotels and all meals. Single occupancy hotel rooms- your own private room each night at no extra charge.
② Motorcycle + Hotels
(aka Self-Guided + Hotels)
Our self-guided tours include a fully prepped adventure motorcycle, prepaid and booked hotels, motorcycle gear, detailed route map, and 24-hour customer support. Single occupancy hotel rooms- your own private room each night at no extra charge.
③ Motorcycle Rental Only
(aka Self-Guided)
Fully prepped adventure motorcycle rental. All motorcycle gear included as well as 24-hour customer support. Explore on your own or with a group of friends. Let us help you plan a great trip.
RIDE DESCRIPTION
A full-on adventure into a beautiful natural area and one of the most unexplored places in Colombia:
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Caño Canoas is a wall of waterfalls 70 meters high and almost 200 meters wide
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Uniquely rare in rivers of the world, the waters of Caño Cristales appear to be a liquid rainbow.
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12,000 Year Old Petroglyphs - Heralded by researchers as “the Sistine Chapel of the ancients”—the rock drawings depict animals, humans and geometric patterns.
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The route is rugged. If you like river crossings, sand, rocks, and mud this is the trip for you. This route is extremely remote, and at certain times of the year, impassable, due to deep mud. We recommend having an adventure prepped bike complete with knobby tires as well as bringing ropes to help pull you out of the mud in case you get stuck.
IS COLOMBIA SAFE?
The answer is a resounding YES. Colombia is exactly the opposite of what Netflix Narcos series portrays. People have to realize that Pablo Escobar was killed three decades ago. We've led hundreds of tours around the country and have never had any problems with security.
Anthony Bourdain summed it up perfectly:
"If you want to find bad people in Colombia, you can surely find them, as you could in New York or Los Angeles. But nowhere have my crew and I been treated better or with more kindness and generosity. I'd bring my family on vacation there in a heartbeat. And hope to soon. As I said before: Colombians are proud. Let them show you what they are proud of."
ITINERARY
Day 1 / Arrival in Bogota
Recommended Hotel:
Click Clack Hotel
Courtesy airport pickup: Upon arrival at the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, a driver will be waiting for you at the arrivals area holding a sign with your name and for easy identification. They will then take you directly to your hotel.
First Night Hotel Stay: The Chapinero district, where the hotel is located, is one of Bogotá's most diverse and dynamic neighborhoods. This area offers a mix of residential, commercial, and business zones and is recognized for its culinary scene, featuring a wide variety of restaurants serving both local and international cuisine. Whether you're in the mood for traditional Colombian dishes or international flavors, Chapinero has something for everyone.
In terms of architecture and atmosphere, Chapinero is a fusion of the old and the new. Historic churches stand alongside modern high-rise buildings, creating a unique juxtaposition that characterizes the district. It is also a hub for shopping, with options ranging from high-end boutiques to artisan markets, reflecting the area's relatively affluent status.
Day 2 / Bogota to Villavicencio to Vista Hermosa
Recommended Hotel:
Hotel La Posada Montreal
Toll road - No signs say no motorcycles. If you go through the tunnel on a motorcycle they confiscate and impound it. Lifted the bikes onto a trailer, Strapped the bike onto a trailer and rode in the truck with a driver. Took 20 min to get through the tunnel. Never saw a moto shuttle before. Never saw one as efficient as that.
Drive times - BOG > Villavicencio > Vista Hermosa = 8 hours
All Paved Route - First half is a very windy road with lots of truck traffic. Second half is a flat paved road.
ALL GEAR INCLUDED
Day 3 / Vistahermosa to Caño Canoas
Recommended Hotel:
Paraiso
Similar to Iguazu falls in Brazil. It's also possible to hike behind the waterfall. Very nice fresh weather behind the waterfalls and acts like a natural air conditioner.
The falls are located in the La Macarena mountain range, a mountainous range that is considered by scientists around the world as one of the most outstanding wildlife locations in the country.
It is also one of the most beautiful natural areas and one of the most unexplored places in Colombia.
Driving Conditions
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Drive Time: Depending on conditions the trip takes about 4 - 8 hours from Vistahermosa to Cano Canoas.
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Muddy Roads: The drive consists muddy roads, lots of river crossings. Some dry sections before the national park and some very muddy sections in the national park. The roads have deep puddles up to 2ft deep as well as huge ruts in the road. Some 4x4 trucks (lifted Land Cruisers with big tires and winches) even get stuck.
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River Crossings with Homemade bridges: Really fun homemade ferries. Exiting some of the river crossings required driving up a 45 degree mud river bank. Without these bridges / river crossings, it is completely impossible to cross the river.
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Guide: We recommend hiring a guide since the route is filled with unmarked turns. We recommend calling the Paraiso Hotel and arranging a guide a few days in advance.
Rustic Accommodations:
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Food: Large pigs can sometimes be seen hanging in front of the hotel waiting to be butchered.
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No air conditioner
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Generator turned off at night: Be sure to charge your electronics before they turn off the electricity.
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Old wood rooms: Rooms made out of old wood boards. Similar to sleeping in a barn stall. John woke up with a chicken in his room, Dave woke up to a dog in his bed.
FEATURED IN
Day 4 / Caño Canoas to Caño Cristales / La Macarena
Recommended Hotel:
Hotel La Fuente
Overnight Parking:
TBD
Uniquely rare in rivers of the world, the waters of Caño Cristales appear to be a liquid rainbow. For several months every year, the water appears to turn into vivid hues of red, yellow, blue, green, and even black. Being an extremely unique phenomena, this color change is actually due to the mass-blooming of an endemic plant species called Macarenia clavígera. This flowering water plant is incredibly rare, growing only in a few tropical climates of the world. Caño Cristales is the only place where it blooms so prolifically and spectacularly. Unfortunately, the colors can only be seen at a certain time of year, from mid-May to early December.
The route to Caño Cristales is hardcore. If you like river crossings, sand, rocks, and mud this is the trip for you. Warning: This route is extremely remote, and at certain times of the year, impassable, due to deep mud. We recommend having an adventure prepped bike complete with knobby tires as well as bringing ropes to help pull you out of the mud in case you get stuck.
How to enter Caño Cristales
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Have to buy tickets to enter: Prices are around $381,000COP / $100USD per person. The government building where you buy tickets can be closed sometimes.
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Extra taxes for foreigners
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Ticket price includes a guide and lunch.
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Can't wear sunscreen while in the National Park.
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Cannot bring single use water bottles, must be reusable water bottles.
Day 5 / Caño Cristales / La Macarena to San Jose de Guaviare
Recommended Hotel:
Hotel Portico Suite
Overnight Parking:
TBD
Tens of Thousands of 12,000-Year-Old Rock Paintings
Hailed as “the Sistine Chapel of the ancients”, archaeologists have found tens of thousands of paintings of animals and humans created up to 12,500 years ago across cliff faces that stretch across nearly eight miles in Colombia.
Their date is based partly on their depictions of now-extinct ice age animals, such as the mastodon, a prehistoric relative of the elephant that hasn’t roamed South America for at least 12,000 years. There are also images of the palaeolama, an extinct camelid, as well as giant sloths and ice age horses. These animals were all seen and painted by some of the very first humans ever to reach the Amazon. Their pictures give a glimpse into a lost, ancient civilisation. Such is the sheer scale of paintings that they will take generations to study.
Route
Mud, water, and very remote
Gas Stations
There are no gas stations in this area. All gas is sold from empty coke bottles at small stores.
Boat Ride or Drive
It is possible to take a boat to San Jose de Guaviareiare. The boat ride costs around $2,500,000COP / ~$650USD. You can see lots of turtles, birds, and fish and is very relaxing. Definitely a welcome break after 4 days of riding.
Day 6 / San Jose de la Guaviare to Villavicencio
Recommended Restaurants:
Mambru Jardin
Tacos del Mundo
Cafe Macanas
La Mayoria del Suroeste
Bon Appetit
Overnight Parking:
Jardin Parking
Recommended Activities:
La Garucha
Cueva de Murceligos
Reserva Natural Jardin de Rocas
Tour Cafetera: Cafe Historias
Making our way back to Bogota we cross the famous llanos of Villavicencio.
The Llanos are vast tropical grasslands that stretch across eastern Colombia and western Venezuela, covering an area of approximately 220,000 square miles. The term "Llanos" means "plains" in Spanish, and the region is often described as the "Serengeti of South America" due to its rich biodiversity and expansive landscapes. The Llanos are situated between the Andes Mountains to the west and the Orinoco River to the east, serving as one of the most important ecosystems in South America.
As you ride through the Llanos, you'll come across the Llaneros—Colombia's version of cowboys. This is cattle ranching country, and the Llaneros are the heart and soul of this land. Their traditions are deeply embedded in their daily life, from cattle herding to their unique musical styles like Joropo. Meeting these hardy individuals, known for their exceptional horsemanship, adds a fascinating cultural dimension to your motorcycling adventure.
In the Llanos, you'll experience freedom like nowhere else—wide-open spaces, untamed wildlife, and a sky that turns into a canvas of colors as the sun sets on the horizon. It's not just a ride; it's a journey into the heart of Colombia's untamed beauty, and a testament to the diversity and richness of this captivating country. So if you're looking to truly get away, set your sights on the Llanos. This sprawling, natural wonder is a motorcyclist's dream come true.
Day 7 / Villavicenco to Bogota
Recommended Hotel:
Click Clack Bogota
Sorry dudes, today we have to go back to Bogota. The trip is beautiful though and its a great way to end an awesome motorcycle adventure in Colombia.
