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Day 1: Santa Marta - Minca

We leave the heat of the city and go to Minca which is situated in the wild and impressive hills of the Sierra Nevada. Here we will do a day trip through this famous coffee region. The dirt roads will once again offer spectacular views as we reach La Tagua, where all the mules from the fincas around bring their coffee beans. This is Colombia as pure and original as it can get.

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Day 2: Minca - Fundación

We leave Santa Marta and follow the highway 90 for some 50 km. We then take a beautiful dirtroad which will lead us up to the coffee villages of San Pedro and San Javier, charming places completely off the touristic track. We will have an authentic lunch up there in the hills together with the local farmers and then find our way back to the valley. If there is time left, we can visit the Gabriel Garcia Márquez museum in Aracataca before we reach our hotel Fundación..

 

Day 3: Fundación - Mompox

Starting in Fundación on a very short tarmac section and we then follow the beautiful dirtroads through rural Colombia. After a long day of dust and adventure we reach Mompox, the jewel among all the colonial towns of Colombia. Because of its rather isolated location, it is often frequented by tourists. Mompox could be described as the smaller and more beautiful sister of Cartagena. To reach this location we will have to cross the Rio Magdalena in some small canoes which will be already waiting for us. 

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Day 4: Mompox - Playa Belén

We will feel like we are riding through the Wild West as we travel along the hot and dusty bank of the Río Magdalena. Shortly after passing El banco, we stay on the highway until we reach Aguachica. From now we will go higher into the hills and notice that the climate is changing. The heat and the plains are behind us, now in Playa de Belén - which has no playa at all by the way - and we will discover another style of colombian living. We have left the departamento of Magdalena and enter Norte de Santander.

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Day 5: Playa Belén - Roundtrip

Playa Belén is a beautiful small village which has kept its colonial character. It is located very close to the entrance of the famous Parque Los Estoraques where we will walk around and see bizarre stone formations and natural caves. On our bikes we can go to the viewpoint Los Pinos and admire the landscape. Our lunchtime will be spent with a colombian family who will organize a barbecue close to a river while we might perhaps jump into the cristalline waters and cool down.

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Day 6: Playa Belén - Pamplona

Beautifully winding tarmac roads will lead us up to 2400m today. We stop at a restaurant at the highest point and have a little snack before we go down again to almost sea level. The colombo-venezuelan border town Cúcuta can be something of a challenge as there is always busy traffic. In any case, we leave Cúcuta behind as our final destination for today is Pamplona. Be prepared for a change of climate: Pamplona has a chilly average temperature of 12-16 °.

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Day 7: Pamplona - Capitanejo

Today we will reach 4000m of altitude, so be prepared for some fresh air. The green landscape we see in Pamplona will soon get rocky and grey. At 3200m there is a charming village called Chitaga and this is where the tarmac ends. The motorbikes lose some of their strength, too - due to the altitude. But this doesn`t matter as we won`t be going fast. It`s much better to enjoy looking around the amazing rocks and valleys that open up before us. Reaching Málaga it will get warmer again and out hotel in Capitanejo awaits us with a climate of eternal spring in a picturesque valley.

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Day 8: Capitanejo - El Cocuy

You`ll just love the dirtroad that brings us to the national park El Cocuy. Shortly after leaving Capitanejo we will already see the snow-covered peaks which are over 5000m. In this area there are many onion, potato and corn fields and you will notice the diversity of everything in the local markets of Guacamayas and Guican.  At lunch time we arrive in El Cocuy so we still have time for a little trip into thin air - up to 4000m. 

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Day 9: El Cocuy - Mongui

It is going to be a long day today. But one of the best! Leaving El Cocuy on a spectacular dirtroad that leads us through the incredible beauty of the colombian Andes. You will definitely drive with your mouth open, it`s simply gigantic. Little breaks will be made in the villages of Chita and Jérico both of which are so remote that a tourist is quite an unusual sight for the people. It is a unique part of Colombia and we have the privilege to visit it because we are on motorbike. Other vehicles almost never come here.  Finally we reach Monguí, a small and charming colonial village where we stay overnight. 

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Day 10: Mongui - Barichara

A tarmac road leads us through Duitama and again up in the mountains. After we pass the 4000m, the tarmac suddenly stops and becomes an adventurous dirtroad with whatever you like: sand, mud and stones. Great fun and never boring. In the middle of nowhere we pass a truly interesting village of a Taoist-sect. Friendly people that live to their own rules. It will take us 3-4 hours on this road until we reach Charalá where we hit tarmac again. After lunch we go on to our today`s destination: the famous city Barichara.

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Day 11: Barichara - Rest Day

Barichara has a warm climate as we are now on the moderate altitude of 1300m. Today is a rest day and Barichara offers a lot to do apart from shopping and enjoying the lively plaza with its fantastic restaurants. Riding a horse or rafting down the river are just two options. If you are more into cultural things you might watch the artistic work of the sculptors in this region. They use the local stones for impressive artwork.

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Day 12: Barichara - Girón

Our trip to Girón starts with a long and soft dirtroad winding uphill and offering great views. Arriving in Zapatoca we will have lunch on the fancy patio of a typical restaurant which offers special dishes of the region: an alltime favourite is the "tamales", sort of a dumpling wrapped in banana leaves. Apart from that the cathedral and the funny D0n Quixote museum are worth paying a visit. From Zapatoca to Girón there is a tarmac road which leads us to the old town of Girón where our hotel is located.

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Day 13: Girón - Aguachica

Leaving Girón means leaving the hills. Our next stay Aguachica is on sealevel again.  We pass small villages and see lots of banana plantations on our road which has the second name "Ruta del Sol". It is the main connection between the capitol Bogotá and the Caribean coast. 

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Day 14: Aguachica - Pueblo Bello

Straight up north is our direction following the highway until we reach Bosconia. Here we leave the hot "Ruta del Sol" and head towards Valledupar. Shortly before arrive there we take a small road that leads us to Pueblo Bello, a really outstanding and authentic village. It feels a little bit like being in the wild west: cowboys, farmers and indians all over.

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Day 15: Pueblo Bello - Palomino

Our first stop is Valledupar, the hometown of the famous "vallenato"-music which is heard always and everywhere. We are in a valley of cattle, cowboys and farmers. As our destination for today is the Caribean Coast again, we have two options: the longer tarmac road or the partly demanding offroad-track through the jungle. Both will lead us to the department of La Guajira and to the "hot spot" Palomino where we will stay tonight. The day may be a long one, but you can end it on a Caribean beach with a cocktail in your hand.

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Day 16: Palomino - Rest Day

Palomino is located between two rivers which come from the Sierra Nevada and flow directly into the Caribean Sea. Here you can go riding, swimming or try some watertubing down the river. It is a perfect place to relax and enjoy the jungle as well as the beach. After being in the regions that are mostly untouched by tourists, you can enjoy this ecotouristic and multicultural meeting point Palomino.

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Day 17: Palomino - Santa Marta

A beautiful coastal highway leads us back to Santa Marta. Several viewpoints allow us to stop and admire the unique landscape. Remember: The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the highest coastal range in the world. In Santa Marta we stay in a nice hotel in the old town. Here we are close to the colourful markets and to the beach. Here you can first buy some souvenirs for your loved ones and then relax and enjoy your Happy Hour on the beach.

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What to expect:

This tour is not for absolute beginners. You should have some basic experience with offroad riding. The trails are usually easy but you will have to deal with sand, stones and mud. The distances are sometimes long so be prepared for 5-7 hours of riding every day. There will however be the opportunity to recover on the restdays.