It was time to visit Colombia. The country we had heard so many good things about and where we have multiple distant friends. In another situation, our adventure spirit would have led us to plan all the stay on our own. However, this time our knowledge of the region and its roads was limited. We went looking for the perfect hosts, and Colombici proved to be key to living the best possible experience.

Colombici, an organic project

For Maya and Pan, what started as trips on their own to discover Colombia – where they currently reside -, turned into their main occupation. While there were already tour operators offering training camps that followed the principle “more hours of cycling is better”, Colombici focused from the beginning on finding the perfect balance between the physical challenge and the subsequent reward. The opinion of all the groups of cyclists who have opted for their services, and our own, support their positioning.

Having resided in several countries, they are aware of the needs and desires of international cyclists when it comes to cycling adventures. We are all attracted by exotic places, and Colombia is unique in many ways. There are landscapes, roads, and architectural styles that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, and Colombici has created a portfolio of itineraries that cover all of them.

Of all the options on the table, we opted for their Into Coffee Heartlands tour, which would take us from the country’s capital, Bogotá, to the department of Quindío, where one can find picturesque towns such as Filandia and Salento. The tour also included Alto del Sifón, currently the longest paved climb in the world, with a peak at 4,120 meters above sea level.

It was a strange feeling not having to plan anything for our trip, since Colombici took care of everything. The routes were definitely attractive, and the proposed activities were to our liking. All that was left was to count down the days until we traveled to South America and met them.

On board Scarab bikes

We landed in Bogotá, but we would spend only a few hours there as our route began on the outskirts, relatively far from the traffic of the capital. Jet-lagged and trying to find oxygen at 2,600 meters above sea level, we got the Scarab bikes ready to ride through Colombia.

Toni rode the Apüna all-road model from the Medellín brand, made of steel and with a really particular paint job, as Scarab is characterized for. Javi’s bike was the version of the Santa Rosa road model with integrated cables and bigger tire clearance. It also featured the brand’s new Colibrí Damping System, which replaces the traditional steel seat post with a carbon mast. In addition to the clear aesthetic aspect, this improvement offered great comfort throughout the ride thanks to its damping properties to absorb vibrations.

Day 1

With a gentle climb, we began our journey in Colombia. The traffic was moderately dense, and we were pleasantly surprised that the vehicles, in most cases, left the desired gap when overtaking us. Wide roads, lines painted in yellow instead of white… we were unmistakably in America.

The trend of the first stage was mostly downward, as we ended the day at just 500 meters above sea level. The descent was long, without steep slopes, and we could enjoy the views of the mountains. We were struck by the fact that, unlike in Europe, vegetation was present even on the highest peaks, altering their silhouette.

We stopped in Vianí. The tasting of typical Colombian products began. Empanadas and almojábanas satisfied our hunger, and guayaba bocadillos would provide us with the sugar needed for the rest of the stage.

The descent continued, and the road became even more winding. We caught a glimpse of the Magdalena River, and it was at the Curva del Ángel where it was appreciated in all its splendor. This river crosses all the main departments of Colombia, before flowing into the Caribbean.

A couple of unexpected and brief showers made an appearance in the last third of the day. This reduced the ambient temperature, which played in our favor since the temperatures tend to be extremely high in that area. We put an end to the first stage in Cambao, the border between the departments of Cundinamarca and Tolima.

We got into the broom car of Danilo, a former professional cyclist who would offer us his support throughout our journey. We arrived in Honda, where we took a short walk before going to rest at the Hotel Posada Las Trampas.

Day 2

Our approach to Alto del Sifón continued with a second stage that had its own highlights. The first two hours were completely flat, with Mariquita and Armero being the most relevant towns in that first part of the day. Mariquita is the place from where most cyclists begin their ascent to Alto de Letras, which tops out at 3,680 meters above sea level. That was until now the most mythical climb in the country, but the government recently paved an old path, and now it is possible to ascend on a road bike to Alto del Sifón via Armero.

The wind was blowing in our favor as we headed south, and we covered the entire stretch to Armero quickly, with only one stop in Guayabal Armero to take a photo eating a guayaba sandwich. It was mandatory.

It was not until that day that we learned of the tragedy in Armero. In 1985, the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano caused an avalanche down the slope that destroyed the town, killing more than 20,000 inhabitants. We were deeply touched when riding past the ruins of the tragedy.

Just a couple of kilometers further, we stopped one last time before starting the climb to Líbano. It was very hot for us, but that is the usual temperature in the area. A few achiras and almojábanas were our fuel for the 30 km ascent ahead of us.

It was not an easy one, but the more elevation we accumulated that day, the less we had to climb the next day. Some cyclists climb to Alto del Sifón from Armero, which involves 115 km of continuous ascent. We divided the climb into two sections, sleeping in Líbano, the last medium-sized town before the summit.

Day 3

If the ascent to Alto del Sifón is already a major challenge in itself, the weather conditions were going to accentuate its toughness. It started to rain the previous afternoon, and although it stopped just when we started our route – at 5:30 a.m. to try to reach the top at a reasonable time – we faced intermittent rain throughout the day.

The first segment was the hardest because of its slopes. We arrived at Murillo, a small town at 2,900 meters of altitude with a lot of charm. From there we could appreciate from a distance the Nevado del Ruiz, something that lifted our spirits. What raised our body temperature was the broth we drank while taking shelter in one of the local restaurants in the square.

With 25 km of ascent already behind us, we confidently faced the remaining 30. The lack of oxygen was already apparent, and there came a time when we could barely pedal. There were energies left, but our legs were simply not responding.

There was no hurry; Once we were wet, it didn’t matter if it was still raining or not, and we were on time to reach the summit before midday. At times riding in a group, at times forgetting about the others and following our own pace, we were counting down the kilometers that separated us from the highest summit of the entire trip.

Above the 3,800-metre mark, the fauna disappeared, and the landscape seemed like it was from another planet. It is what is known as the páramo. At that moment we saw the first frailejones, a native plant with a thick trunk and a rosette at the top. We were told that they barely grow 1 cm per year, so when we saw the size of some of them we imagined how old they were.

First, we reached Alto de Ventana, we went down about three kilometers, and five kilometers further – without realizing it because there is no sign indicating it – we reached Alto del Sifón.

Did the third stage end there? No, we also wanted to conquer the famous Alto de Letras, even if it wasn’t from the most common side. From Sifón we entered the Los Nevados National Natural Park, and then began a descent in heavy rain and cold. We were grateful for the moment when we reached the crossroads to begin the gentle climb to Letras.

We were extremely proud of the achievement, but there was no time for celebration. We got in the car and drove down to Manizales, where the hot springs of Termales el Otoño awaited us.

Day 4

On the fourth day of our Into Coffee Heartlands tour, we got slowly back into pace with a visit to Hacienda Venecia, where they showed us everything that goes into a cup of coffee. From harvesting the fruit to the roasting, with the pre-drying and drying process in between. We became experts on the subject.

The whole morning was spent there, so time was running out. It was a transition stage, going around Pereira and then entering the department of Quindío. According to the locals, the most typical meal in Colombia before going out to ride is a good broth, so we followed their advice and also complemented it with a refreshing cold agua panela with lemon.

The day’s ride started at around 2:00 p.m. We agreed to go around Pereira instead of crossing its busy streets, but even so, traffic was present throughout the main road section of the route. After a long and flat ascent, we reached the detour to Filandia. Many people had told us good things about this picturesque town, but we would postpone the visit until the next day as dusk was upon us.

We arrived at Casa du Veló and went straight into its steam room to warm up. Later we had time to take a look at the rest of its facilities and the dazzling architecture of the complex. A true paradise for bike lovers.

Day 5

Unfortunately, it was the last day of the route. The only good news was that we didn’t have to pack our bags as we were spending the night at Casa du Veló again. On this fifth stage, we made a loop within the department of Quindío where we passed through Filandia again, went down to Salento, and later headed to Cocora.

It was Sunday, and the next Monday was a bank holiday, so we came across a lot of cyclists. Inevitably there were also a lot of tourists in the area, as both Salento and Cocora are places worth visiting.

After a short descent on the main road, we tackled a really tough 4km to reach Salento. We passed by – we would return later to stop for lunch – and headed east to Cocora, a place known for its tall palm trees.

With our Scarab we could only reach a certain point, as from there we could only continue on foot or horseback. We regrouped there, and after a brief stop, we retraced our steps to descend back to Salento. We sat on a terrace in the main square to continue tasting the Colombian delicacies.

We had already done most of the climbing, so in the second third of the stage, we enjoyed a long descent in which we crossed Circasia, Montenegro and Quimbayá. In this last town, we began the last climb of our tour with Colombici, just when our legs were beginning to ask for mercy after the load accumulated in the previous days.

It was an entertaining climb, with changing gradients and banana trees at touching distance. However, to be honest, what we wanted most was to get to Casa du Veló. The last 700 meters at more than 15% made us arrive at the accommodation exhausted and starving.

Once we were somewhat recovered, we went to Filanda to wander its colorful streets and soak up the good atmosphere. During our last dinner together, Maya and Pan gave us a medal that meant a lot to us. For everything we experienced thanks to them. Colombici convinced us to travel to Colombia, and now we are the ones encouraging you to explore this beautiful country with them.