Riding the Mountains of Northern Colombia
Update 31 (May 2023)
Bogota to Bucaramanga, Colombia
The visit to Bogota was all about the motorcycle. I needed new tyres and found a front one but I am still looking for a rear. I wasn’t being fussy, the availability of large size tyres is very limited, but better than many other countries. My luggage has had a tough life. Enduristan has a very supportive warranty policy and replaced my bags through the distributor for Colombia. I found a good motorcycle mechanic and had a full service done, including injector clean, which was probably not actually necessary on reflection. A bottle of injector cleaner (car is okay) worked through the tank normally does the job.
I also needed to work out how I was getting around the Darian Gap. This is the remote jungle region of Panama, where there no highway between South and Central America. So you need to go by sea or air from Colombia to Panama. I rode out to the Bogota Airport and met with an air cargo company that I will later use to air freight the bike from Bogota to Panama City.
After about 12 days I was ready to leave Bogota. The thinking was to enjoy Colombia some more and then return to Bogota to fly to Panama. I will go north first and stay at high elevations to avoid the heat. After that I am just making it up as I go along.
So I left Bogota on a Monday morning. I don’t tend to book any accommodation during the week, just on Friday and Saturday nights.
I left the highway fairly quickly and made my way through some nice rural country.
Turmequé town square and some pretty amazing artwork. It is impressive how these relatively small towns come up with these centre pieces.
I think I saw someone still living in this building. It was a classic looking home but was sadly slipping by.
I started out thinking I would stay in Tunja but nothing really appealed. I then found some nice accommodation up the road at Paipa. I stayed at San Telmo Boutique Hotel for three night and just enjoyed the hospitality and local area. It was a peaceful rural setting but town was just a walk down the hill (and a hike back up).
I think the horse across the road was bored and just wanted some company. I really should have paid it a visit.
Next stop was the town of Barichara. I was still getting a feel for Colombia. My hosts had suggested a route taking the main road. It’s always smart to follow the suggestions of the locals, but when you don’t speak the same language it is sometimes hard to understand just why they make the recommendation. Was there some danger I didn’t understand, or were they just playing it safe, or thinking in the context of their family sedan? After a while I got bored with the main road and decided to take a shortcut. I still had enough time to back track if need be. It worked out fine.
An Acacia growing by the side of the road. I don’t think it belongs here?
Rio El Valle.
Coming out of a gully near Rio Gambeta.
I arrived at Barichara around 4pm. It’s a lovely town and quite unique, in that it is nice for the tourist, without seeming to touristy. Quite a rare feat.
Barichara town square.
Lots of classic buildings. And the Elvia Restaurante, by far the best I have come across in South America. Lunch below.
After three nights I moved on. I had actually decided to head back south again, not directly along my previous route. I wanted to have a look near Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy. So I needed to go north for a while and then back in a more southerly direction.
My next stay was in Malaga. I arrived in the town around 5pm and was parked by the side of the road trying to work out where to stay. A guy in a van pulled alongside me and started talking in English, asking if I needed some help. He ended up guiding me to a hotel. The hotel worked out fine and was 100 metres from the centre of town.
Malaga town square.
Malaga town square. Getting a bit dark for a photo but the towns folk were enjoying the night, with lots of families still out.
Getting ready to leave the “parking” at my Malaga hotel. Luckily the restaurant down the hallway didn’t open until 11am.
I started following this bridge over Rio Chimamocha to take an alternative route but decided I didn’t have time. The rivers were pretty full after a second night of heavy rain.
The road was a simple single lane through the mountains.
Then this bridge Puente Hisgaura appeared. It is quite amazing to have it built there, given the dirt track at either end. I did feel a little skeptical crossing it. The road is quite undulating and doesn’t give a lot of confidence….
I was low on drinking water and quite happy to see this roadside stall. I stopped and bought a few things. I actually came back the same way a few days later and they remembered me and were full of smiles when I approached. I bought a drink and we had a bit more of a chat (as best we could).
The town of Güicán where I would spend two nights. And the closest town to Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy.
The entry to the town.
The photo below is from my hotel room. The white building on the right is the school. As I was riding down the steep hill into the carpark, a football (soccer) came flying off the top of the school and started bouncing down the hill. I could hear the kids above, so thought I would collect it for them (it’s about 5 storeys high at that point). I could hear them cheering. I shoved it inside my jacket and took it around the top to the school entrance. The teacher at the entrance recognised the ball and was thankful, just as the some kids were running down to get it. It was good fun to help out.
Güicán town square. Condors are popular.
The next day I rode out to have a look at Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy. The park is fairly remote and access is very restricted. To visit you need to get a local guide and hike around 20 kilometres to reach the main attractions, including a glacier. I don’t really have the gear or enthusiasm for that so I was hoping to get a long distance look. It turned out the weather was not on my side and the cloud obscured the mountains. It even started hailing as I neared the park boundary. It was still a nice ride and I had some lunch at the town of El Cocuy before returning to Güicán.
I feel like I have passed hundreds of donkeys in South America. But for one reason or another I have never taken a photo of one. They often seem like friendly inquisitive animals. So this one is going to be my representative donkey for the South American continent.
After two nights I made my way to Bucaramanga, pretty much going over the same route for a while, so there is nothing much to report. The view from my hotel room below.
Quito, Ecuador to Bogota, Colombia
Update 30 (May 2023)
Northern Colombia and Panama
Update 32 (June 2023)