Colombia Grand Loop Tour

Arrival to Cali. Our 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.

(Driving day 1: 338 km/240  miles)

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.

(Driving day 2: 363 km/225 miles)

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.

(Driving day 3: 373 km/232 miles)

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.

(Driving day 4: 373 km/232 miles)

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.

(Explore & fun day)

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”.

(Driving day 5: 515 km/321 miles)

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.

(Driving day 6: 515 km/321 miles)

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.

(Driving day 7: 515 km/321 miles)

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.

(Driving day 8: 515 km/321 miles)

We continue to 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.

(Explore & fun day)

Caribbean beaches and an incredibly historic city center make for a great day of off-bike exploring. Optional activities that can be arranged a visit to the active mud volcano El Totumo, a boat trip to the islands, or a city bus tour to the old fort.

(Driving day 9: 515 km/321 miles)

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.

(Driving day 10: 515 km/321 miles)

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.

(Explore & fun day)

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.

(Driving day 11: 515 km/321 miles)

We head out of Medellin early after a great breakfast buffet and climb up over the edge of the bowl Medellin city is build 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.

(Driving day 12: 515 km/321 miles)

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 other-worldly 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.

It is departure day. Our 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.

Note: Because of the time difference travelers from Europe will arrive home the date/day after departing the US.

Also: This program is a guideline for activities and experiences on the tour. Deviations may occur, but we guarantee that our positive tour leaders will do their utmost to execute the program as described – as far as it is feasible and circumstances allow. We are continually working to improve the program, thus you may experience positive surprises.