From Cartagena, Medellin was our next port of call in Colombia. As the crow flies, not a great distance at all but not too far north of Medellin we were already climbing hard and entering the northern edge of the Andes mountains. Add to the mix a steady stream of heavy trucks, slow buses, a period of torrential rain and you can see why just 670kms on the map translates to 15 hours of driving !
In the ‘80’s and early ‘90’s the mere mention of the city of Medellin conjured images of drug and gang violence. It was at the time one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Definitely a ‘no go’ area. The death of Pablo Escobar in a shootout with police in 1993 was the beginning of a revival for Medellin. Indeed it is now held up as a model of how to combat gangs and drug violence. The problem, of course, has not completely disappeared but no longer do its citizens live in perpetual fear and it is considered one of the safest cities in Colombia these days. An impressive transformation we thought, and, a city now on every Colombian visitors list.
Our campground, El Bosque, was outside the city in the eastern highlands and one of the nicest places we have stayed on our trip so far. A beautiful setting, on the edge of a national park, with great amenities, nice and cool ( being a full kilometre higher than steamy Medellin ) and with super friendly staff. We were not alone, with a French couple and two Belgian couples also staying there – one of the Belgian couples had been on the road 12 years ! Definitely THE place to stay for Overlanders in Medellin but the drive to get there, through the heart of Medellin’s insane traffic during Friday rush hour was definitely stressful and not for the faint of heart.
The shortest route to downtown Medellin from our place was by cable car – an excellent way to commute to the downtown since there was no way we were driving back there ! The views over the city were amazing as one drops a full kilometre to the downtown area passing over the very barrios that were once Escobar’s heartland. Medellin offered up a beautiful day and we spent our time exploring the downtown sights and wrapped up our day with a walk through the Botanical Gardens – worth it for the flora and fauna alone but an added benefit was the escape it offered, in the middle of the city, from Medellin’s relentless noise – not a place to go if you crave peace and quiet!
Just east of Medellin is a locally famous area of lakes and mountains centred on the town of Guatape. Heading east it seemed like a logical place to break our journey. While a little on the touristy side, the town and surroundings are indeed beautiful – not just famous for the lakes but the huge rock bluff ( El Penon ) that protrudes 656 feet straight up and is visible for miles as you approach the town. Colombia is justifiably famous for its colorful towns but Guatape is probably THE most famous of all Colombia’s town in terms of being “colorful”. Seems every house and business is trying to outdo the other and it does give an amazingly vibrant overall feel to the town as evidenced in the pictures below.
Leaving Guatape we got yet another lesson in relying on Google Maps – as in you can’t always ! Our route, ostensibly the shortest and quickest ( the latter does not always follow the former in Colombia ), turned out to be anything but and included 3 hours of bone shaking surface – potholed, gravel strewn mud covered and occasionally flooded at times barely wider than the donkey path it likely once was ( and we saw more of those than cars on it ). Given the remoteness and altitude ( at times over 9,000 feet ) we were concerned how we would ever get out if we had any vehicle problems- fortunately the truck handled it all with ease, even if it looked the worse for wear afterwards.
Arriving in Villa de Leyva quite late as darkness fell ( something we never do as a rule ) it was no problem to find the Renacer campground and first impressions were definitely in line with the high expectations set based on others who referred us there. A classic Colombian villa set on the edge of a mountain with great views and a relaxed vibe- we quickly elevated it to the top of our best in Colombia, edging out El Bosque in Medellin. Villa de Leyva, considered Colombia’s most picturesque and original colonial town did not disappoint either. While it was sheer hell getting here ( at least via the route we took ) we’re glad we made the detour to do it. A great place to spend a few days unwinding after a rigorous journey to get there – our stay further enhanced by the opportunity we had to spend some quality time with Peter and Heike, a German couple who were doing the same Pan American route as us ( also in a truck camper ) but doing it south to north ( as many Europeans do ). They picked our brains on Central America and Mexico and we theirs on countries that lay ahead for us in South America.
“Villa” is one of those places that’s tough to drag yourself away from but after 3 days there we left for Bogotá, excited to be heading home in just a few days. Bogota had seen a national strike the day before so all the traffic that was not on the road on Wednesday caused volumes to double on Thursday – getting into the city was brutal. With really only a full day at our disposal we limited our sightseeing to the world – renowned Gold Museum (one of the best museums we have ever been to and deserved of its exceptional reputation), some downtown wandering and an excursion on the city’s impressive funicular train up to nearby Monserrate ( treated ourself to a great lunch at the restaurant up top on our last day in Colombia and took in the spectacular views over Bogotá ). We would of course be returning to Bogotá in January – plenty of time for the other sights then.
To all our faithful readers we sincerely hope you have been enjoying travelling along with us – we love hearing from you so keep the comments coming ( we always reply ! ). Enjoy the Christmas and New Year season with all your loved ones and we will be back at it in January ?. Feliz Navidad !!
Really enjoyed your travels. Thanks for taking the time to document it all. Hope to see you guys when you’re back in Kelowna.
We too, Penny ! Call you when we get back – right now enjoying a couple of cold ones in the El Dorado lounge at Bogotá airport . Hard to believe we will be back in K town late tomorrow morning !
I see you captured the essence of Adam in your photo. Surprised it was so small though ? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!).
That is a spectacular iguana (or whatever it is.).
Did you climb to the top of El Penon? Or any of the other rocks around there?
If I’m not mistaken, I would say your photography skills are moving up a few notches. I always zoom in on your photos to appreciate the finer details. Gotta love that fountain!
Guatape looks like my kinda place! So beautiful and uncrowded! And!!! There’s a beautiful lake! Oh, and then I read that it’s a reservoir. Maybe not so much.
“3 hours of bone shaking surface – potholed, gravel strewn mud covered and occasionally flooded at times barely wider than the donkey path it likely once was” All part of the adventure! I love the Google Maps views of your routes. They (along with the photos, of course) give us a good idea of what you are experiencing.
You two are having more of an adventure condensed into such a short time than many people have in a lifetime. I am so envious, but this is somewhat tempered by the fact that I am up at Big White skiing!
I gotta ask… do you ever use those two gas cans on the back of your truck?
That high rise building in Bogata is amazing!
Well, by the time you read this, you’ll be back in Kelowna. Hard to believe. Enjoy the refreshing temperatures. Maybe you’d like to come up to Big White.
Hope to see you soon!
Hi Charlie !
Lots of questions here ( which we love ) so let me go through in order ?:
1. I knew someone would comment on Adam ( lol ). Botero does take some liberties with ‘proportion’ it seems !
2. Yes, it was an iguana, I was astounded I could get so close; he moved a second later !
3. No, did not climb the stairs- but some do. There are 1500 steps as I recall? We went there for the colors and architecture which were really impressive.
4. Thanks for the compliments on the picture quality – all our images are shot in high resolution so they are ( or should be ) all clear on the site. The problem is getting fast wifi to download at that same quality – it’s tough so I am often forced to drop to ‘large’ or ‘medium’ and image quality suffers badly especially if expanded. We had good wifi this time .
5. Guatape was quite crowded – I had to wait quite a while to get those people free shots ! Looked like a lake when we drove in – was not aware it was a reservoir; good to know – Colombians seem to love it either way !
6. Hands down this was the scariest road we have been on and at times ( though not evident in these pics ) the roughest. It was the fact it was so high, that rain was looking imminent and there was almost no one else on it.
7. Gas cans were used in Yukon and Alaska and will be in Ecuador and southern Argentina. I also have 5 collapsible 20 litre fuel bags so we can carry 240 litres if we need to ( we never have ). The truck has a ridiculously small 98 litre tank – nowhere near enough. I would like 1,000 km’s range and the main tank tops out at 600. The extra capacity is also good for where there are significant price differentials ( 65cents a litre in Ecuador vs 1.40 in Peru – so EVERYONE stocks up in Ecuador ! ). The big overland vehicles will do 2,000-2,500 km’s allowing them to completely bypass expensive gas if need be. I wish we could do that !!!! There are occasional fuel strikes in South America too so we do NOT want to be stranded – hence more capacity.
Terrific blogs, Jeff. Thoroughly enjoyed every mile of your trip so far…and looking forward to the continuing adventure.
Great to hear Garth ! We are in Toronto airport en route to Kelowna – a beer when we get home perhaps ?
Enjoying your awesome pictures and blogs.So happy you are making the most of your “retirement” Merry Christmas, looking forward to your adventures in 2020!
Bonnie Bordas
Hi Bonnie !
Awesome to hear from you and that you are enjoying the blog – hope all is well with you and the Summerland gang ( miss you guys ). We just landed in Kelowna – looking forward to a month with the kids and a cold Christmas !
Jeff
Now that’s a real mountain pass! It’s really good to hear about Columbia from your experience. Medellin has been in the news for so long as being so negative. We definitely would like to travel there.
Really enjoying your travel blog.
L Wood.
Yes, we enjoyed it – safer now than in the bad old days !
Beautiful! Columbia sounds incredible. It’s good to hear some positive information on this area. It’s been painted with such negativity and uncertainty. Travelling to Columbia has been on the list. We just might go now.
Great blog. Loving the photos and the very well written stories.
Thanks Lorna, and yes, so far it has been an awesome place ! Just landed in Kelowna – cold here !!!
Hello lovely couple!
Perfect start of the Sunday to read your new adventures so brilliantly written and accompanied by stunning pictures, I love it.
And of course it makes me even more eager to travel…
The good camp sites are found via iOverlander or do you use other info?
Enjoy your family reunion back home and keep going with the stories after the break. By the way; how do/did you find a secure place to park your vehicle, while being at home?
Safe travels,
Mark
Hi Mark !
Great to hear from you and thanks for the kind words – it’s a labour of love ?.
Yes we use iOverlander for the campsites, almost always – would be lost without it.
I actually found the storage place on WikiOverland which is not a site we ever use normally – that said, iOverland does have a vehicle storage filter although it does not cover every place of course. I will email you more details on the place we found.
Hope you have an awesome Christmas and New Year my friend ! Keep in touch ?.
Ciao,
Jeff
This must put you about at the equator now? How are things holding up mechanically?
Hi Chris
Getting closer – we cross it when we go into northern Ecuador so likely some time late January after we get back.
So far so good with the car and camper, only minor things so hope that continues. Fingers crossed !!!
We are home in Kelowna now ( got in yesterday ); will pop by some time next week – let’s grab a coffee ?
Hi Jeff and Lois
Have really enjoyed following your trip; it looks wonderful and is giving us inspiration
Hope you have a lovely Christmas and we look forward to the next blog. Regards to Nick and Jackie and maybe we’ll be lucky enough to cross paths in Chile or Argentina in feb or March
Hi guys !
Great to hear from you ! Will pass on the greetings and same to you of course !
Our plan is to get to Chile to start the Carretera Austral before the weather gets bad. Aiming for late March so we may indeed connect.
Let’s stay in touch ….!
Jeff and Lois