Colombia El Dorado

Day 1 - Arrival - Santa Marta
After a long flight, you will probably arrive at Santa Marta the same day. Santa Marta lies on the Caribbean coast and is, next to Cartagena, one of the main destinations for visitors to the Colombian Caribbean coast. You will find a wide variety of activities here.

Day 2 - Santa Marta - Minca
We drive to Minca, a small town famous for its organic construction of coffee. Here we flee from the heat of the city and make an adventurous offroad tour through tropical forests. We can visit a real Coffee finca where local beer is brewed. Tonight, we stay in this village in a hotel with beautiful views over the mountains where many hummingbirds fly around.

Day 3 - Minca - Fundacion
We leave the pleasant climate of Minca behind us and drive a short while along the main road until we reach a side road  that will take us offroad into the mountains until we reach San Javier. This is a small, hidden village, which lives exclusively from coffee cultivation. Here we see how the coffee bean is grown, harvested and processed or prepared for export. After our lunch at the farm, we drive back to the valley and reach Marquez in the afternoon.  Marquez is birthplace of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. We spend the night in Fundación.

Day 4 - Fundación - Mompóx 
We start driving on asphalt road. Next the road changes into a sandy paths until Mompóx. This is a nice colonial place in Colombia. Here are few tourists due to the remote location in the mountains. It is the beautiful, little sister of the crowded Cartagena. We cross Colombia's largest river the Río Magdalena with a ferry to reach our final destination of today our Mompóx. From the roof terrace of our hotel we enjoy a fantastic view over the countryside and the city.

Day 5 - Mompóx - Stay
The long stage of yesterday has paid off. The city of Mompóx is relatively hidden and you will not see many tourists. Here you'll experience the true Colombia and you can imagine yourself as in a novel written by Gabriel García Márquez. A day off that you can spend strolling or cycling through the old colonial Center, swimming in the Rio Magdalena. Or you can make a boat trip on the River, visit museums that provide insight into the past, or visit a silversmith. Mompóx is famous for its filigree silver jewelry. The one who wants to make a ride on his motorbike can do an offroad tour visitng the beautiful interior of Mompox.

Day 6 - Mompox - Playa de Belén
Starting in Mompox we continue driving along the banks of Rio Magdalena. The route is dusty and hot, a landscape like in a western. At El Banco we proceed driving via the main road to Aguachica. There we leave the surface and follow a beautiful and shady tarmac road which leads up to the hills of Ocaña Playa Belén.

Day 7 - Playa de Belén -  Stay
Playa Belén is a beautiful little village, with  a colonial character. After the heat in Mompox, we enjoy a more temperate climate. This village is located on the Parque de Estoraques. From here we will look to the rock formations and natural caves. With your motorbike you can drive to the lookout Los Pinos and  enjoy the fanastic scenery. Would you like more adventure then there's the Zipline in Playa Belén.

Day 8 -  Playa de Belén - Pamplona
The first half of the day we drive many turns on paved mountain roads up to 2400 m. On the highest point we will enjoy a traditional Colombian lunch. Then we go downhill towards the border city of Cucuta  where we drive through the middle of the busy city.  On a quiet country road we continue towards Pamplona. Here it is pretty cool with an average temperature of 16 degrees. For the first time during the trip in Colombia you see people in a down jacket and a hat. Our hotel is situated directly on the Plaza and has the charm of an antique shop selling old typewriters to antique irons, the owner has an old and special collection of items.

Day 9 - Pamplona - Capitanejo
Following a beautiful green countryside the road  goes towards Capitanejo. Starting from 3200 metres altitude, just after Chitaga there is no asphalt anymore and we go further up to 4000 metres on a dirt road. On this altitude it is often foggy and cjhilly, keep this in mind with the choice of your clothes. In this thin air the motorbike moves in second gear, on clear days you have time to enjoy the great views. Although we use a country road  there is hardly any other traffic. From Málaga the temperatures rise again and we drive through the beautiful landscape of Capitanejo

Day 10 - Capitanejo - El Cocuy
We drive on unpaved roads to National Park El Cocuy. Here we get a view of the snow capped mountains with some giant peaks of around 5000 meters. The farmers in this region live mainly by cultivating onions. The people on our way are very friendly and open and they enjoy meeting us. In the villages, they swap products. Around noon we arrive in El Cocuy. If we have enough time for a ride following small roads we drive to around 3800 meters. From here you have splendid views on impressive mountain peaks. Our overnight stay is "only"  on 3000 meters..

Day 11 - El Cocuy - Mongui
Today we have another long driving day ahead of us. Via an asphalt road we go to "La Uvita" then the rest of the day we drive on unpaved roads through the gigantic mountain landscape of the Andes. After almost every turn you would like to stop to enjoy the beautiful views. Gentle hills and rugged mountains alternate, the panorama is just splended. We pass the villages of Chita and Jérico, which are so far away that they are still really surprised to see tourists. A very special and unique world, where we are privileged to be able to take a look. Full of new impressions we arrive in the enchanting town of Mongui. We are still on 3000 meters altitude, the air is cool and tenuous. Mongui is known for the manufacture of footballs, that's why you come across footballs in the whole village. .

Day 12 - Mongui - Barichara
Via Duitama we go to Barichara. We are driving again on a pass of 4000 metres before going downhill on a stony and occasionally muddy road. We pass a village of the Tao-sect, which live in ' the middle of nowhere and have founded a colony ' , they are fully self sufficient.. Some Europeans settled here as well and you will notice some blond children playing  in the streets . Starting from Charala we proceed on an asphalt road, but after 60 km unpaved droads, this is not a punishment. We spend the night in the colonial town of Barichara, which is situated on 1336 meters altitude and  we will feel this due to the temperature.

Day 13 - Barichara - Stay
Barichara is ideal for shopping and going out. There are delicious restaurants, fun souvernirshops and you can admire the work of the local stonemasons. There are also adventure activities such as rafting or horseback riding. If you just want to chill out. the plaza is the colorful place in the city.

Day 14 -  Barichara - Giron
The route to Giron starts with a nice, long off-road passage until Zapatoca. Here we enjoy lunch in typical Santander-style. Specialty of the region are tamales: filled dough wrapped in banana leaves. The Cathedral is worth a visit, just like Don Quixote Museum. Starting from Zapatoca brings us a beautiful mountain road with wonderful views to Giron where we spend the night in a hotel in the old town.

Day 15 - Giron - Aguachica
After Aguachica we will leave the Andes mountains behind us. We pass banana plantations and small villages and in the afternoon the weather is hot. This route is the "Ruta del Sol" and connects the Andes with the coast.

Day 16 - Aguachica - Pueblo Bello 
We continue to the North. We drive on the main road to Bosconia, then we go into the direction of Valledupar. Before we get there, we take the exit to Pueblo Bello, a sleepy village that the Colombian farmers and ranchers share with the local Arahuac Indians. The centrally located hotel is simple, but has a lovely roof terrace with hammocks.

Day 17 - Pueblo Bello - Stay
Today is a day off, it is possible to visit the village of Nabusimake in a custom made high jeep. Through a very bad path we travel back in time to village. Nabusimake. This is the ceremonial Centre of the Indians and Aruhuaco visitors enter in the pre-Columbian time, a whole different world. We get to know more about the culture of the Indians, their world view and their life in unity with nature. It is also possible to make a trip on the motorbike in this beautiful surrounding.

Day 18 - Pueblo Bello - Palomino
In this region we drive through the hinterland and the desert area "La Guajira" where mainly the Wayúu Indians live. Than we go  back to the coast. It is a long day's drive but it is wonderful to be in Palomino the end of the day on the palm-fringed sandy beach.

Day 19 - Palomino - Stay
The village lies between two rivers that are fed from the Sierra Nevada. The area is great for hikes, horseback rides and watertubing on the river.  If you stay at the beach, relax and enjoy the fantastic view of the snow-covered mountains of Sierra Nevada on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other side.

Day 20 - Palomino - Santa Marta
After a drive along a beautiful coastal road we are back in Santa Marta. We can make a small detour into the the Sierra Nevada before we drop off the motorbikes. We will stay in the colonial center of Santa Marta. Here you can buy your last souvenirs and relax on a terrace along the sea  of on the plaza.

Day 21 - Santa Marta - departure
Depending on the flight times, you can enjoy the last few hours on the Caribbean coast, or may be pay a final visit to the bustling market to buy some last souvenirs before being taken to the airport.

Day 22 - back home