Name: 14 Day The Colombian Motofiesta Self-Guided Motorcycle Tour
Brand: Motofiesta
Price: 1800 EUR
Availability: InStock

Colombia Motorcycle Tour

Start and end the journey around Colombia in Bogota, its capital. During the almost two-week trip, you will travel about 2000 kilometers. It will be an active holiday but without any unnecessary stress. The vehicles in Colombia are those not available on the European market, Yamaha XTZ250 motorcycles, which work great on the roads of the country. You will not be accompanied by a luggage car, so it is necessary to carry all of your equipment on the motorcycle.

Key information

Bike: rental (Yamaha XTZ250)
Terrain: mix of asphalt and off-road
Mileage: 1968 kilometers / 1223 miles
Daily rides: 3.5 to 7.5 hours
Riding gear: not included: helmet (mandatory)
Meals: All breakfasts

Highlights

Starts and ends in Bogota
Experience riding through the Andes
Visit a clay house, climb el Peñol, and enjoy cable car rides to Monserrate in Bogota
Visit the world-famous El Penon De Guatape, bustling Bogota, and the extreme San Gil
Get familiar with the culture of South American inhabitants and taste the local cuisine
There will be a chance to relax in places distant from civilization
Combine the active leisure with collecting impressions
13 nights accommodation

Skill level

Beginner

Styles

11 riding days in English

The organizer also speaks: Polish

Airport transfer included: El Dorado International Airport

Accommodation

You will be accommodated in hotels with private bathrooms, fresh bedsheets, and internet access. There will be no shortage of convenience and comfort during the trip. Motofiesta provides you with stays in trusted hotels.

You will spend the night in the best possible hotels/hostels/guesthouses available in the area. The priority is to keep it safe and clean. In the hottest and less-frequented areas of Colombia, it may happen that there will be no hot water in the tap. With 25+ degrees of heat outside all year round, Colombians do not see the need to additionally heat water, which is still lukewarm from hot pipes.

On the first day after the accommodation and dinner, you will go to the local operator, where everyone will be able to buy a card with a local number and the internet; the cost is about 20 EUR. It will facilitate communication between each other and contact with the home. In most places where you will be traveling, you will have a signal, and in most places, there is Wi-Fi.

Night 1: Sesquile
Night 2: Tauramena
Night 3: Duitama
Night 4: El Cucuy
Night 5: San Andres
Nights 6 and 7: San Gil
Night 8:Otanche
Night 9: Guatape
Night 10: SonSon
Night 11: Salamine
Night 12: Mariquita
Night 13: Bogota

Program

The journey is not only about riding a motorcycle, but also discovering the charms of both larger cities and small villages.

The main attractions

El Peñón de Guatapé

The monolith created millions of years ago, consisting mainly of quartz, feldspar, and mica, about 220 meters high with an estimated weight of 66 million tons. In 1940, it was declared a national monument by the Colombian government.

San Gil

A city which is known mainly for the possibility of practicing extreme sports in almost all forms, you'll decide to go rafting.

Parque Nacional El Cocuy

You will pass this little-known, beautiful mountain National Park, climbing up to 4000 meters above sea level in some places.

Medellin

A city tour with a visit to the property which belongs to probably the most famous drug cartel boss, Pablo Escobar. You can even play a paintball game there now.

Candelaria

The old town in Bogota, a city with over 10 million inhabitants located higher than the Polish Rysy plus the entrance to Monserrate with a beautiful panorama of the city.

Day 1: Arrival in Bogota, transfer, and rest

On this day, Motofiesta organizes a transfer to the hotel and rest after a long flight. Acclimatization may take a while, so as to relax, you'll use the benefits of the first hotel, a swimming pool, spa, fitness center, and restaurants. If the time of your arrival allows it, you will have a short organizational meeting.

Day 2: Sesquile - Tauramena (199 kilometers/124 miles, about 7 hours of riding)

Your day will start with a traditional Colombian breakfast and discussing the schedule. After complying with all of the formalities of picking up the motorcycles, head towards Tauramena. The beautiful route will be leading you downhill basically all day long. The air may feel quite crisp for the first part of the day, but it will get warmer with each passing hour. The real tropical climate will welcome you to Tauramena.

Day 3: Tauramena - Duitama (175 kilometers/109 miles, 4-5 hours of riding)

In the morning, visit the little-known waterfall, under which you can take a bath and relax in the hot weather. This place is quiet and hidden from the beaten track. You can get there by gravel road, but the last part is a walk through the jungle. On the way, go through the suspension bridge. After a bath, start riding motorcycles to the east Andes cordillera. The landscape will change very much.

It will become more deserted and raw than before. At an altitude of 3300 meters above sea level, taste the unique mountain cheese, which is produced only in this part of Colombia, from a mixture of cow’s and goat’s milk. You will also visit the area of Laguna de Tota, the highest located lake in Colombia (3030 meters above sea level), where you will eat dinner and rest a bit.

Then, go to Duitama and your accommodation at Pueblito Boyacense. It’s a mini town in Duitama, designed by the best architects and artists from the city. Its style combines the special features of the 5 Colombian departments, and the whole look is just phenomenal.

Day 4: Duitama - El Cucuy (173 kilometers/107 miles, 6.5 hours of riding)

As usual, you will leave after breakfast, but this time north. The first part of the day will guide you through curvy roads with high-quality asphalt. In the second part of the day, ride on gravel roads carved in rocks. You will visit the second highest situated city in Colombia, then, enter the pass at the height of 4,200 meters above sea level, where there is extremely different vegetation than anywhere else.

The views will be amazing. You will be enchanted by the endless fields of paramo shrubs existing only in the high northern Andes. If you’re lucky, you'll see a view of the snow-capped peaks of the El Cocuy National Park. Rest in a modest but very nice hotel in the town of El Cocuy.

Day 5: El Cucuy - San Andres (140 kilometers/87 miles, 5 hours of riding) | Day 6: San Andres - San Gil (143 kilometers/89 miles, 4.5 hours of riding)

You will admire the mountain views, but different than before. From the altitude of 2700 meters above sea level where El Cucuy is located, go to the Santander riverbed at 700 meters above sea level, only to climb using beautiful corners over 3000 meters above sea level again and this will not be the end yet.

From there, you will again go to 1500 meters above sea level where you will spend the night in a beautiful and atmospheric town. You will stay at a hotel with a local standard. Do not worry, it will definitely be clean and safe with a tasty breakfast. In addition, the beauty of this route is enhanced by the fact that many of its parts run through the gravel road.

It will not be a technically demanding expedition, but to be safe and make it with a smile on your face, Motofiesta will divide it into two days. The destination will be San Gil. The last stretch before San Gil will lead through the spectacular Chicamocha National Park. In total, you will travel about 300 kilometers during these two days.

Day 7: San Gil (Rest day, rafting)

The first week of the Columbian adventure and many kilometers wound on the wheels of your motorcycles are behind you. Both you and your machines will need rest and regeneration. That is why Motofiesta will leave the motorcycles in the friendly wash and service for inspection and dirty clothes in the laundry.

You will go to a hotel with a swimming pool, which is your base for the night. You can not get bored in the town of San Gil. It is famous for having the best infrastructure for extreme sports in Colombia. You will definitely try some of these sports. You will be able to take part in crazy rafting on the Suarez River or take a paraglider flight over the canyon of Chicamocha.

Those who have the need to rest and catch up with European civilization will be able to do this in a hotel, sipping drinks over the pool, and those who are indestructible and always ready for the new impressions may find their paradise on earth!

Day 8: San Gil - Villa De Leyva - Otanche (302 kilometers/188 miles, 7.5 hours of riding)

Rested after a night without a motorcycle, you will start the day early in the morning because the is a long section waiting for you. First, you will go to Villa De Leyva where you will visit the largest and the most bizarre clay house in the world. You will have a delicious dinner at the Peruvian restaurant. Then, you will move west where the scenery will become more hilly and green.

You will spend the night in a small town famous for extracting emeralds. It will be an opportunity to purchase first-hand emerald green souvenirs.

Day 9: Otanche - Guatape (270 kilometers/168 miles, 7 hours of riding)

You will have breakfast in the early morning with a view of the green mountains. Next, go on the road where for the first 3 hours, you will ride through the real jungle. You will be able to see waterfalls and streams, lush vegetation, and beautiful birds and butterflies. This day will remain in your memory for many years.

Spend the second part of the day on asphalt roads. Stop for a dinner where there is also an opportunity for paragliding flight in tandem over the Cocorna valley. Check-in at the hotel with a swimming pool and views of the region with the biggest attraction of El Peñón de Guatapé in the afternoon. In the evening, your befriended chef will prepare a delicious dinner for you.

Day 10: Guatape - SonSon (126 kilometers/78 miles, 3.5 hours of riding)

The monolith that you admired the previous evening from the hotel terrace will now stand in front of you. Only 707 concrete steps divide you from its peak. When you happily put a foot on the top of the rock, you’ll see a panorama that will remain in your memory forever. On each side, you will be surrounded by beautifully shaped waters and El Embalse Peñol-Guatapé bays.

After enjoying the view, you will drink the fresh fruit juice. The route will be with good asphalt and many corners that you all love so much. On the way, you will stop at a nice restaurant for dinner.

In the evening, you will reach the famous coffee-producing town of Sonson. You will visit the most beautiful corners of the town and have a rest before starting another day of your adventure.

Day 11: SonSon - Salamine (90 kilometers/ 56 miles, 4 hours of riding)

After breakfast and a cup of regional coffee set off to conquer ‘Zona Cafetera’. The road will be almost exclusively covered with gravel, full of beautiful views, which will include beautifully maintained coffee plantations. Tourists rarely go to this area, so the whole day including dinner will provide you with the feeling of discovering new territory.

You will feel it for sure during dinner, which you will eat in a small town that can not be reached by any asphalt road. You will stay overnight in a colonial-style hotel to get some rest after the day-long off-road riding.

Day 12: Salamina - Mariquita (160 kilometers/99 miles, 5.5 hours of riding)

In the first part of the day, you will stay on gravel roads, this will be the last off-road part of this trip. You will stop to take pictures of wax palms. The highest can reach a height of up to 50 meters! There will be many valleys on the way, where you will be able to see how local residents deal with the transport of goods between the mountains using special rope lifts.

You will spend the second part of the day on asphalt roads. They will take you to a hotel with a swimming pool where you will spend the evening and another night.

Day 13: Mariquita - Bogota (190 kilometers/118 miles, 4.5 hours of riding)

In the morning, there will be time to take advantage of the offer in your hotel, such as the possibility of fishing, using the pool, admiring the walking flamingos, or a great restaurant. You are only a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Bogota on beautiful asphalt curves.

After crossing the bridge over the main river of Colombia, Rio Magdalena, from the height of 200 meters above sea level, go to the capital of the country lying at 2600 meters above sea level. On the way, stop to photograph the panorama of the Magdalena Valley, stretching to the horizon. In good weather, you can see from there, 70 kilometers to the west, snow-capped peaks of three volcanoes.

Day 14: Bogota - Departure

After breakfast, along with those who have enough time before departure and a desire to explore, set off to explore the most interesting places in the capital of Colombia, and there are a lot of them. Certainly, the famous Monserrate is one of them, from which the peak (3152 meters above sea level) offers a spectacular view of the city.

Fortunately, you will not have to climb it, but you will use a comfortable cable car. Probably only then will you realize how big this city is; Bogota currently has over 10 million inhabitants. You will visit the old town, enjoy a delicious meal, and then head for the most famous and richest gold museum in the world, Museo del Oro, which exhibits over 30,000 exhibits.

At lunchtime, you will go for the steaks to a friendly restaurant where, with a glass of good wine, you will discuss your two-week adventure day after day. Of course, some of those attractions can be limited due to flight hours. And finally, time for the transfer to the airport and a farewell.

Motorcycles

During the expedition, you will use Yamaha XTZ250 motorcycles. In European conditions, it is a small capacity, but there won’t be many larger motorcycles found on the roads. During previous expeditions in Colombia, they performed brilliantly.

Luggage on a motorcycle

Each participant will have at their disposal a soft bag with a capacity of 50 liters. You should pack your belongings into it and mount it to the motorcycle with straps attached. Your suitcase will be kept in a storage room in the first hotel in Bogota. A group of more than 6 participants could be accompanied by a support car with the possibility of carrying luggage or people not riding motorcycles.

Route/navigation

Most of the route will take place on mountain roads full of curves and beautiful views. Depending on the quality of the road and your chosen destination, you will drive a maximum of 300 kilometers per day. Every few days, you’ll take a day off the road and stay in one place for a night to relax and enjoy the local charms.

You will have two different paper maps and navigation on the phone. From Motofiesta's experience, the Maps Me application works better than Google Maps. It has better road coverage in Colombia, works offline, and is free. If for some reason your group is split, then on this application, Motofiesta will appoint a meeting place.

Skill level required for this tour: novice

Novice:

This level is for: beginners with less confidence / Competent riders new to enduro/off-road riding / Motorcycle refresher needed.

Location

The old saying goes. "A guest is always as welcome as God himself’ and Motofiesta believes that the Colombians are a perfect reflection of this sentence. Hospitality, friendliness, and diversity, these three words describe the inhabitants of this unique country, where a tourist is not treated as a client, but as a guest; a country famous for its coffee plantations admired all over the world.

Through the tops of the Andes, the jungle, to the shores of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the Columbian diversity manifests itself not only in the landscape but also in food and attractions. You can visit there the monuments of ancient civilizations, go crazy at the colorful festivals, calm down in the jungle, or talk to the local people at the markets.

To quote the Colombian Ministry of Tourism, Motofiesta can assure you: “The only risk is that you will want to stay forever!” If the description above makes you want to admire the beauty of the local exotic nature, what would you say if they told you that you can do it all on a motorcycle? The roads are made mainly of asphalt, but there will be also some gravel surface.

Anyone, even a novice motorcyclist, will do just fine. You'll avoid the main routes and use side, less frequented roads not only to avoid crowds and traffic jams but also to discover the most charming places in Colombia.

Fun facts

The total area of Colombia is equal to that of France, Spain, and Portugal combined.
Colombia is the only South American country with simultaneous access to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
It is called the “gateway to South America” because of its location: it lies at the point where the North, Central, and South America meet.
It is part of the Ring of Fire, countries prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Colombia has the second highest number of national holidays per year in the world due to its cultural wealth.
Colombia has the highest number of endemic species; the species that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
It’s Shakira’s home country.
Children drink coffee after lunch from an early age. Of course, while adults drink strong black coffee, children can have a milder version with milk.
Colombia is the place where the legendary El Dorado was supposed to be located.
The country provides as much as 60% of the world’s emerald production.
Each major city in Colombia has its own nickname: Bogota is called the Athens of South America, and the world’s salsa capital, Cali, is called the Branch of Heaven.

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Food

Daily breakfast is included in the package.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

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