ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE 17-DAY GIANT LOOP OF COLOMBIA TOUR
17-Day Giant loop of Colombia Tour is your chance of seeing the whole of Colombia. Spectacular mountain routes are mixed with beautiful destinations. Such as colonial villages, Caribbean beaches, big modern cities with interesting history, and authentic local rural life. Destinations include Cartagena, Medellín, Cali, Villa de Leyva, Zipaquira Salt Cathedral, and the wonderful coffee region among much more.
POI: CARTAGENA
Latin America’s most romantic city. Colonial town on the Caribbean coast was established when the Spanish arrived in the new world.
POI: ESTORAQUES
Unknown national park with Asterix type Menhir stone formations in the hundreds right at the edge of Playa del Belem.
POI: MEDELLIN
Colombia’s 2nd largest city. Awarded world most innovative and home of notorious drug dealer Pablo Escobar until his death in 1993.
INCLUDED
Price Match Guarantee
Small group sizes (Min 5 / Max 10)
Professional Multilingual Tour Leader
16 Nights accommodation in shared room (Upgrades available)
All Breakfasts
Base model Motorcycle Rental (Upgrades available)
Fuel and Road Tolls
Mandatory 3rd Party, Passenger and Rider Medical Insurance
Motorcycle Damage and Theft Liability Reduction Insurance
Group Activities and Entry Fees
Pre-tour Preparation Guide and Briefing
Transfers to/from Cali International Airport (CLO)
Support Vehicle & Driver included with 5+ Riders
MotoDreamer Apparel Gift
All taxes
NOT INCLUDED
Airfare
Upgrades
Lunches, Dinners and Drinks
Personal paperwork, permits and visas
Travel and evacuation insurance with cancellation coverage (Available from Global Rescue)
Tips to staff
Any inclusion not specified
17-DAY GIANT LOOP OF COLOMBIA TOUR DETAILS
17-Day Giant loop of Colombia Tour comprises 95% pavement, up to 5% on gravel driveways, or possible road construction detours. Hundreds of curves and extremely scenic well maintained roads. Rookie to expert riders and couples are very welcome on this tour. We stay in mid- & high-range hotels. Always, we opt for the best option available – a clean, safe and practical location.
Temperatures can vary between 12 to 40°C (53.6 F to 104°F). Also, temperatures can drop for a short period going over the mountain’s passes. It is recommended to ride with ventilated riding gear. A pull over rain suite is a good idea to carry against mountain temperatures and possible short rain showers that can occur year-round.
50%
DIFFICULTY
5%
OFF-ROAD
85%
COMFORT
100%
FUN FACTOR
17-DAY GIANT LOOP OF COLOMBIA TOUR ITINERARY
Arrival in Cali
Motolombia staff pick you up at the airport and bring you to the hotel. Depending on what time in the day you arrive, we will meet to sort out paperwork and prep the bikes. A group briefing meeting will be arranged once the last rider has arrived.
Cali to Montenegro
We leave Cali at 8:00 AM and make our way through sugar cane plantations in the Cauca Valley. The coffee region is all shades of green and coffee and banana plantations stretch as far as the eye can see. We ride on small back roads before making our way to our hotel. A dip in the pool before dinner is usually a hit with most riders.
Montenegro to Honda
After breakfast at the hotel we get on the bikes and immediately we are back on tiny curvy roads heading northeast towards the first Andes mountain pass. If we are lucky with the weather, at the summit we’ll get a glimpse of Los Nevados snow-capped peaks. After reaching 4300 meters altitude we start our way down into the Magdalena river valley. We overnight in the old colonial river port town of Honda.
Honda to Bogotá
We do a short walkabout in the morning then we start our ascent up to Bogotá. In Bogotá we stay next to the Zona Rosa in La Zona T. We will arrive early to try and beat the rush hour and have time for some sightseeing.
Bogotá to Zipaquirá to Villa de Leyva
We beat the Bogotá traffic by heading north out of town while everyone else is driving south to work in the city. 30 km north of Bogotá we’ll stop to visit the Zipaquirá Salt Cathedral 300 meters underground. After lunch, we make our way north to Villa de Leyva, an old colonial village with Latin America’s biggest cobblestone square. Fine dining and a cozy village atmosphere await in the evening.
Rest-day in Villa de Leyva
if you prefer not to spend the day relaxing there are plenty of activities to do around Villa de Leyva. Among others – horseback or 4×4 buggy ride into the desert, visit the beautiful waterfall or dinosaur fossil museum. The Terracotta House and shopping for handicrafts in the village are something of a “must-do”.
Villa de Leyva to Bucaramanga
The road will once again be a curvy ride in the high mountains. We go on narrow back roads and make our way up past San Gil – a favorite vacation spot for Colombians. The ride then takes us through the spectacular Chicamocha Canyon on switchback curves and a steep ascent before arriving in Bucaramanga.
Bucaramanga to Ocaña
As soon as we make it out of Bucaramanga we once again are in hundreds of curves making our way down into the Magdalena River Valley again. After a couple of hours the terrain flattens out and we can make better time heading north to Aguachica where we turn off back into the mountains reaching our destination, Playa del Belem, near the Los Estoraques national park.
Ocaña to Mompos
In the morning we make a small excursion into the Los Estoraques national park to see the incredible rock formations and caves. The riding back down the mountains will offer great views of the valley below and most of the afternoon we will be following the Magdalena River as it becomes a delta where it meets the Cauca River. We spend the night in the historic river port town Mompos.
Mompos to Cartagena
We continue the north in the river delta and this will be one of the warmest days on the trip as we ride through desert-like bush on our way to the coast. We arrive early afternoon in the beautifully kept Cartagena de Indias the first capital of the New World.
Rest-day in Cartagena
Caribbean beaches and an incredibly historic city center make for a great day of off-bike exploring. Optional activities that can be arranged are a visit to the active mud volcano El Totumo, a boat trip to the islands, or a city bus tour to the old fort.
Cartagena to Caucasia
We start the last leg of the tour by heading straight south through rolling hills and cattle farmland before we slowly get back into the mountains. We spend the night in Caucasia, a little town in cattle country.
Caucasia to Medellin
From Caucasia, we make our way over the mountains surrounding Medellin and descend into the hectic multi-million populated city. We stay in the Zona Rosa, El Poblado, in a 5-star hotel close to the nightlife and good restaurants.
Rest-day in Medellin
Depending on the group´s wishes we can organize different activities in Medellin, including a city tour with the new cable car system, a Pablo Escobar tour, museums, Botero Square or you are free to relax and dine in the many great restaurants.
Medellin to Salento
We head out of Medellin early after a great breakfast buffet and climb up over the edge of the bowl Medellin city is built in. The ride down to the Cauca River is incredible and as we make our way back into the coffee region the weather also gets warmer. We will spend the night in the beautiful grower village of Salento.
Salento to Cali
After a great breakfast we will visit a coffee plantation and go into the Cocora Valley where the world’s tallest wax palm trees grow – an otherworldly atmosphere awaits. After lunch, we will make our way back through the Cauca Valley and arrive in Cali late afternoon. Here we return the bikes before checking in at the hotel for the last night in the salsa capital of the world – Cali.
Departure day Cali
It is departure day. Motolombia staff will take you to the airport in time for your flight. If you wish to stay longer we are happy to help you make hotel reservations or organize flights to other national destinations.
OBS
The 17-Day Giant loop of Colombia Tour itinerary may change without further notice. This could be due to weather, road or any other condition that the operator or its guides feel will jeopardize the safety of the group or material.
