Two years ago I crossed from Colon, Panama to Monitos, Colombia on a Colombian contraband boat about 90 feet long. I spent 10 days in Colon looking and waiting for a boat to leave. Every day I went down to the docks and asked around. One day a boat came in from Colombia, so I talked to the captain and he said he was turning around to head back in two or three days, and that the cost would be $150 USD. Not a bad price, and a great trip though the San Blas islands.

If anybody is interested, while in Colon I stayed in Hotel Garcia, where you can bring the bike into the lobby. Colon is a shit hole, one of the most sketchy places I have seen in the Americas. Do not go out in the streets at night.

When we got to Monitos, Colombia (at night), we dropped anchor off the coast of a deserted beach, and about 5 launch boats shuttled all the contraban back and forth from the boat to the beach. It was then all put in trucks and driven down the beach and then eventually to a dirt road that turned into a highway to Cartagena. I camped on the beach and followed the same route to Cartagena the next day through Tolu and Coveñas.

Contrary to Grant's post, northern Colombia is safe these days, although I would still recommend not driving at night anywhere in Colombia.

Last year I drove from Medellin north to Turbo, without any problems. I have Colombian moto friends who have driven from Turbo to Arboletes to Tolu to Cartagena, along the coast road, who also say there is no problem there these days either. The highway from Cartagena to Venezuela is also safe, as is the route south from Medellin to the border with Ecuador. Basically the only unsafe strech in Colombia these days is east of Villavicencio, and back roads through the jungle.

All of the main highways are fine, done during the day. All of this info is from my own personal experience from living and riding in Colombia for two years, and from different riding clubs based here in Medellin who do long-weekend trips all over the country.

If you can get your bike to Turbo (shipping from Panama, maybe stopping in San Andres), the road from Turbo to Medellin is fine. As is the road from Turbo to Arboletes to Cartagena. Both have some dirt stretches.

Another option instead of the contraban boat is the sail boats that are always sailing back and forth from Colon, Panama to Cartagenta, Colombia, taking backpackers. They usually charge $250 USD per person, plus $250 per bike.

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www.motoadventures.org Photo Journal of My Alaska to Argentina trip.
www.casakiwi.net My Moto Hostel in Medellin, Colombia...with a garage of course.