This route meanders south from Bogotá through the middle of Colombia’s Eastern Cordillera, west across the Tatacoa Desert, and back north along the flatlands of the River Magdalena valley. The first half is made up of rugged mountain scenery, and climbs to above 3,800m in the mountains of the Sumapaz Páramo before undulating its way down into the hot lowlands (with over 4,000m of climbing along the way). The second half traverses a huge tropical dry forest region along old trails and part of an abandoned railway, with multiple river crossings and nothing but cattle for company for hours. The route follows quiet dirt roads & tracks, and takes you through towns and villages that see very little tourism, but whose inhabitants love chatting to passing bikepackers.

Highlights along the way are the Sumapaz National Park, warming up with a hot lunch in San Juan de Sumapaz, the huge vistas between Villarica and Baraya, locally-grown (but little-known) coffee and cacao in Dolores and Alpujarra, stargazing in the Tatacoa Desert, the old Golondrinas train tunnels and long pedestrian suspension bridge over Río Cabrera, and meandering along old paths through the vivid colours of the River Magdalena’s eastern floodplain, with nothing but cattle for company, and loads of shallow river crossings to cool off in.

Stats:

• Distance: 460 km
• Elevation: +7,300 m (concentrated into the first 250 km).
• Surface: RWGPS says it’s 50/50, but in reality it’s more like 65/35 in favour of the dirt..
• Riding time: I’ve done it in three days while scouting, but it’s much more pleasant as a 6-day trip.
• Climate: Cold (sometimes very) in Sumpaz, warm to very warm as you head down through Villarica to Dolores, hot between Dolores and Alpujarra, and then very hot for the rest of the way. As usual in Colombia, it could be sunny the whole way, or pouring with rain, or both on the same day, pretty much any time of year. Rain in the páramo means it gets very cold, and rain in the lowlands means high humidity and lots of mud.
• Lodging and resupply: I’ve marked places where you’re sure to find food & lodging on the RWGPS map below. Inside the national park there is very little. Outside it, you’re almost never further than 50km from a shop & refuge of some description.
• Leaving Bogotá: As I mentioned in another post, it’s worth avoiding the long grind through Bogota’s crazy traffic to the start of the route, and hiring a SUV or van to take you to Usme (leave before 5am to avoid the morning rush hour). I use a friendly, reliable local transport coordinator called Alberto (WhatsApp +573005260663).

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