This simply stunning Colombian motorcycle tour will take you from the capital city of Bogota all the way North to the Caribbean coast….
Stay in everything from luxury hotels to traditional Haciendas in the countryside.
Experience some incredible trail riding through the Andes mountains - the longest mountain range on the planet!
Cross the vast Chicamocha Canyon.
Cross rivers on small boats.
Experience some of the warmest hospitality in the world!
Wander the cobbled streets of colourful towns & villages.
Start your days with fresh Colombian coffee!
Stay in Villa De Leyva opposite the largest town square in Latin America.
Finish at Cartagena on the stunning Caribbean coast.
This simply stunning Colombian motorcycle tour will take you from the capital city of Bogota all the way North to the Caribbean coast. It’s an incredible route that combines exceptional riding, scenery, food and accommodation, immersing you in the ‘real’ Colombia.
You’ll ride through picturesque countryside, visit colonial towns, cross rivers on small boats and meet locals in colourful remote villages. Finishing in the tropical paradise of the Caribbean coast, this is a truly special trip that ticks all the boxes!
We love Colombia – and there’s never been a better time to visit!
Arrive in Bogota, Colombia’s sprawling and exciting capital city. You’ll be met at the airport and brought to the hotel where you’ll receive a briefing of the adventure ahead.
We then head out to a lively restaurant for a welcome feast of traditional Colombian dishes.
Riding on unfamiliar bikes on unfamiliar roads in a busy city is never a great idea, so we have organised a minibus to collect us from our hotel and take us to our workshop on the outskirts of the city.
The rest of the support team will be waiting and the bikes will be lined up & ready to go! You’ll have time to make some personal adjustments to the bikes before we hit the road.
We take the backroads away from the city and witness the countryside become more and more beautiful with every passing hour. As we near our destination of Ubate, we ride small lanes that roll through lush pine forests until we reach our accommodation – a traditional style farm set in a beautiful valley, surrounded by mountains and trees… now this feels like proper Colombia!
This farm is owned by our Colombian partners, who are all cowboys at heart! Even if horses aren’t your thing, we strongly recommend you let them take you on a night ride into the hills… it’s an incredible experience that you will not regret nor forget!
After a traditional Colombian breakfast, a fantastic day of riding awaits!
We start the day surrounded by greenery and tall forests that skirt the mountainside. We ride through quaint and colourful villages and pass through the rugged landscapes of ‘La Candelaria Dessert’ before descending into the gorgeous town of Villa de Leyva.
Our hotel overlooks the square – the largest town square in Latina America – and is conveniently located next door to an excellent little bar – how’s that for planning? Sit outside and enjoy a cold beer or gin and tonic whilst listening to classic rock music and watching life go by.
A picturesque ride through the ever changing terrain and scenery that leads us to the beautiful town of Barichara, declared a national monument in 1978.
Barichara is quite simply known as ‘The Most Beautiful town in Colombia’… need we say more?
It’s quite fitting that in the indigenous Guane dialect, ‘Barichara’ literally translates to “Place of Rest”!
Take some time to explore the cobbled streets of Barichara on foot – or if you’re feeling a little more energetic why not go rafting or hike to the rustic town of Guane.
Today we cross the vast Chicamocha Canyon, riding one of Colombia’s most twisty roads… the Royal Enfield Classics are surprisingly agile and they are pure joy on the corners!
Be sure to have your cameras charged and at the ready as the landscapes today are simply stunning!
As we continue our journey north, the scenery continues to change – the lush landscapes of the Santander region merging into a more rugged terrain as we enter the valley of Magdalena Medio.
We will also have the slightly unnerving experience of crossing a tall wooden bridge!
We descend to the flat lands and leave the Andes Mountain range behind us, reaching the Magdalena River – the largest and most famous river of Colombia.
We could ride up river to cross a bridge if we really wanted to, but we take this opportunity to give you the experience of a rustic Colombian ferry – always good fun!
We reach the town of Mompox, which could be described as a miniature version of Cartagena. It’s a beautiful little town, so we’ll stop here for a couple of nights to take it all in.
Take today at your own pace and choose from a range of activities… simply relax by the hotel pool, go horse riding around the grounds of a beautiful hacienda, discover the intricacies of the filigrana (a very delicate type of silver work) by taking part in a short workshop, or enjoy a beautiful canoe picnic on the Magdalena river.
Refreshed and bushy tailed, we hop back on the bikes and boy oh boy have we got a corker of a day in store for you!
Today we reach the Caribbean sea and arrive at the beautiful natural reserve of Sanguaré, known for its white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. It’s simply stunning!
The final day of riding leads us along the Caribbean coast.
A stunning ride through a surprising mix of landscapes and scenery will take us to Cartagena, a magical fortified town and one of the most beautiful cities on the Caribbean coast.
You’ll have crossed the Andes mountains, ridden through rural farms, forests and stone deserts, crossed rivers and ridden along the Caribbean coastline… an incredible adventure deserves an incredible farewell… so tonight, we’ll be doing just that!
We’ll be saying our goodbyes here as our team will now load the bikes and journey back to the workshop in Bogota… Bon voyage!
For those flying out today, we’ll arrange your transport to the airport. But if you can spare a bit more time, we would strongly recommend you hang around a bit longer! It’s such a beautiful place and whether you just want to relax on the beaches or continue exploring, Cartegena will not disappoint.
How about visiting the Rosario Islands’ coral reefs?
Twin-share accommodation is included as standard – see ‘Optional Extras’ below for single room pricing.
On this tour we use 4* hotels in the bigger cities and the absolute best available in smaller towns & villages.
Please see the daily itinerary info for more details on the accommodation.
All boat fees for river crossings during the ride.
Your tour will be led and managed by a highly experienced member of the Ride Expeditions team (trained as a wilderness first response medic).
Ride Expeditions Ltd is committed to customer satisfaction and consumer financial protection. At no extra cost to you, and in accordance with ‘The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018’, all passengers booking with Ride Expeditions Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form.
The policy also includes repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Ride Expeditions Ltd. This insurance has been arranged by Towergate Travel through Evolution Insurance.
During the COVID-19 crisis, every rider that requested a refund was issued a cash refund.
All fuel for your motorcycle is provided by us.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner is provided on most days.
Please see the daily itinerary to see what meals are included on each day.
A mechanic will be riding at the back of the group, ready to attend to any issues that may arise.
At least one member of the support team will have been trained as a Wilderness First Response medic.
An extensive medical kit including a defibrillator (AED) & stretcher is carried in the support vehicle.
We also have consulting doctors on call, 24/7, who are always ready to assist in the case of an emergency. Our doctors are fully briefed on all riders medical info prior to the tour, they know what we do, where we are riding, exactly what we have in our medical kit and what training our medics have.
Tours are accompanied by GPS trackers and a satellite messenger device so our doctor and office can see exactly where we are and can maintain communication.
If you have you your own suitable & reliable motorcycle at the start point, you are quite welcome to use that for this trip. If not, we will provide a rental motorcycle for you… Please see the Dates & Prices section for available bikes.
The cost of shipping the motorcycle back to base from the finish point is also included.
Since the day Ride Expeditions started running tours in Cambodia back in 2012, we have been dedicated to supporting the local community.
Part profits from every motorcycle tour are donated to M’Lop Tapang – a local Cambodian charity dedicated to bettering the lives of young children & their families.
A Ride Expeditions riding jersey with your name printed on the back.
Playing our part in rainforest & wildlife conservation and in an effort to off-set our carbon emissions, we donate part profits to World Land Trust.
This motorcycle tour of Colombia is accompanied by a 4×4 support vehicle with a trailer and spare bike, equipped to carry your luggage, an extensive medical kit + stretcher + defibrillator (AED), drinking water, snacks, tools, spare parts and a satellite messaging device.
We’ll welcome you with a bag of Ride Expeditions goodies which will include:
You’ll need to book a flight to arrive in Bogota, Colombia (BOG) on or before the morning of Day 1 of this trip. You will then fly out of Cartagena, Colombia (CTG) on the last day of the trip.
It is important you either:
You are liable for any damage caused to your motorcycle. Please see 'Optional Extras' below for a damage protection plan.
It is a condition of booking that you obtain appropriate travel insurance that covers you for riding the same capacity motorcycle that you’ll be riding on this motorcycle tour.
The insurance must cover emergency evacuation, medical bills, repatriation etc.
Adventure style kit with decent ventilation is the way to go on this motorcycle tour, rather than enduro or road leathers. So that means a good helmet, protective riding jacket and trousers, ideally with CE or equivalent approved armour on the pointy bits – elbows, knees and shoulders.
You are also going to need good riding gloves, a neck tube and a sturdy pair of motorcycle boots.
Please bring waterproofs if your kit doesn’t keep out the wet stuff.
All damage to the motorcycle is then covered by us.
Single room accommodation is available for 10 out of the 11 nights.
Yes, there are ATMs in the larger towns, but not the villages.
Don’t forget to tell your bank you are heading to Colombia, as without this information they will most likely think some rogue hacker is dipping into your account and promptly block your card.
Yes, and we advise you do. They’re cheap to top up and easily obtainable at the airport or small shops in Bogota.
This really should not be a problem in Colombia and we will make every effort possible to communicate your requirements to the places we visit. However, as we are not preparing the meals ourselves, we are unable to make cast iron guarantees. If you are going to go into a life-threatening spasm if you touch a stray peanut, then please let us know – we need to know that stuff, we really do.
Most nationalities can enter Colombia for 90 days without a visa. However, we always recommend you check the foreign office website for the most accurate and up to date information relating to visas and other entry requirements.
Follow this link for Colombian entry requirements. This link is to the UK foreign office website – if you are not a UK resident, please search for the equivalent info from your home country’s foreign office.
Visa costs, if applicable, are not included in the tour price.
To secure your place we simply need a £500 non-refundable deposit. The remainder does not need to be paid until 60 days prior to the tour start date.
Yes. Here at Ride Expeditions, we take the necessary precautions to ensure that we protect both ourselves and you as the customer, with insurances covering financial failure, public liability, professional indemnity and employers liability (you will need your own travel insurance).
To obtain this insurance we must meet strict safety standards and local regulations. We must also carry out thorough risk assessments about all aspects of a tour before tyres can hit tarmac (…or dirt!).
Yes. All passengers booking with Ride Expeditions Ltd are fully insured for the initial deposit, and subsequently the balance of monies paid as detailed in your booking confirmation form. The policy also includes repatriation if required, arising from the cancellation or curtailment of your travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Ride Expeditions Ltd. This insurance has been arranged by Towergate Travel through Evolution Insurance.
Not riding the motorcycle, no (although this will of course depend on the extent of your limited mobility). However, we may be able to accommodate you in our support vehicle. We advise you to give us a call and we can discuss.
Wi-fi does exist at most of our overnight hotels, but not all.
For the most accurate and up to date info, we advise you visit the ‘Travel Health Pro’ website.
Please also consult with your own doctor at home at least 8 weeks before your trip.
To be legally riding in Colombia you are required to carry your local driving licence, which must cover the size of bike you will be riding. This will also be a stipulation of any travel insurance company too.
You may also need an International Driving Permit (IDP). An IDP is basically an official, multi-language translation of your driving licence.
Average group sizes are 8-9 riders and we limit the groups to 12 riders.
If you cancel your booking before departure, cancellation charges will be applied as follows:
Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for further info regarding cancellations, changes and transferring your trip to a friend.
The local currency is the ‘Colombian Peso’. You can either pick up some pesos back home or bring USD, GBP or EUR with you – you’ll easily be able to change these for pesos in Bogota. Alternatively, you can simply withdraw from ATMs when you arrive.
For the most accurate and up to date info on travel advice for Colombia, we advise you to visit the foreign office website.
Follow this link for Colombian travel advice from the UK foreign office. As we are a UK company, this is the official government advice we follow. If you are not a UK resident, we advise you search for the equivalent info from your own country’s foreign office, as travel advice may differ.
Colombia has two ‘wet seasons’. These are May and November. The rest of the year provides a fairly perfect climate for motorcycle touring.
The minimum required number for this trip to run is 6 riders. We reserve the right to cancel the tour if this number is not met and we will provide you with a minimum of 56 days notice. Please know that this is an absolute last resort for us and we will always do everything in our power to avoid this happening.
We accept GBP payments by Visa, Mastercard & American Express and direct bank transfers. Please get in touch if you would rather pay in another currency – we’ll do our best to accommodate!
There are two options for Colombia: plug type A is the plug which has two flat parallel pins and plug type B is the plug which has two flat parallel pins and a grounding pin.
