Anyone else stuck in Colombia
 

Hi, the Ipiales/Tulcán border has been closed for the last five days due to protests. We’re thinking of crossing at San Miguel, but were warned by some police that area isn’t currently safe for gringos. Has anyone crossed at San Miguel in the last few days? How was the road? Did you feel safe?

Thank you in advance,

Steve and Priscilla

Hi Steve and Priscilla,

We, a group of 4 people, are stuck as well, we are now at Laguna de la Cocha waiting for the Tulcan boarder to open.

We have heard that friends of an American couple we've met crossed at San Miguel yesterday. They asked if they knew of anyone who had recently crossed at that point and here is their response.....”Yes i have talked to several that have crossed this week and no problems. Just following the suggestions.. dont go alone and daytime only which is a no brainer.”

When future prospects does not change we will consider to cross the boarder at San Miguel as well, maybe we can group up for the ride?

Could you let us know when the situation at the Tulcan boarder changes?

Thanks in advance!

Stef

Ha ha, we’re also at laguna de la Cocha, in the cute little boat town El Puerto, we’ve been here six days, we’re bored to death and ready to scratch each other’s eyes out. Honestly, you couldn’t get stuck in a better place, but if I see another trucha frita on my plate I’ll jump off one of the bridges. Yes we are interested in a convoy, we’re on two Yamaha 250cc motorcycles, so we el better on dirt than pavement. We would like to leave tomorrow, get a hostel around 4pm and cross the next day fairly early. Please let us know how this fits into your plans.

Thanks for your response,

Steve and Priscilla

Hi Stef,

Tried to PM you my WhatsApp number, but HU has a three post minimum policy before you can PM someone. As of five minutes ago, here’s a WhatsApp message from our friends a day ahead of us. PM to follow shortly.

“We will let you know how the rest of the road will be. We had rain on the death road today. Not easy, a bit slippery. Lot traffic. One car brought me to the situation that I had to lay my bike down in the deep gravel. Two deep but easy watercrossings.”

We opened a Twitter account the other day just to get news. Here’s the latest on the resistance’s feed. Basically it says there’s a small chance it may be resolved today.

Edit: looked at the news rather than hostel rumours and yeah nevermind. Damn.

Just went to the migration office in Quito and they told me the road is closed but the border isn't closed and has always been open. Was she chatting bollocks?

If its just the road, on Google maps says there's loads of alternative roads running parallel which could go around the road block.

I did the San Miguel crossing from Ecuador to Colombia today. Really nice roads, no problems. In Mocoa now.

Hi guys,

We crossed the border today at San Miguel, we just arrived at a hotel in Lumbaqui.

We drove off at 6:30 from Laguna de la Cocha, weather was a bit foggy but cleared up nicely when we arrived at the unpaved part. We crossed the Trampoline del le muerta at 11:00ish, arrived at the San Miguel border around 14:30. Got the bike cleared and ready to go at 16:30. Drove till dawn to the hotel mentioned above.

We had no problems, did not fall at all. Traffic was minor, several trucks and cars, no jams. The road is unpaved but still relatively smoothish, no big bumps only lose gravel. Was dry when we drove it, under wet circumstances the road will be significantly harder to cross. We haven't felt unsafe along the road, the military has a presence in the area but not more than average.

If you have any questions about the ride, let me know!

Cheers!

TY, brother we launch from Sibundoy tomorrow 6am.ish thanks for your road report. Hoping we meet sometime. South America is fickle, somewhat benevolent and always challenging. Have the feeling we will share a beer or two in the future. We’ll toast the road and it’s intricacies

Was wondering how the drive went, arrived safely?

Will definitely drink a cold one if our paths will cross someday.

Enjoy your trip

The border was definitely open Tuesday and Wednesday, however today a general strike has started. Nobody is entirely sure when it will end but it's big. I left Quito this morning, and have gone about 130km. In that distance I went around or through at least 30 roadblocks. Some were piss poor and unmanned and you can blast through at 110kph, some involved some offroading (you might struggle on an 1200gs), and several involved a conversation, a smile and some puppy dog eyes. Don't count on being able to get gas, most stations were closed. Good luck!

Also, I don't know if the border has been blocked again.

Hi,
My bike is currently in Tulcan. I’m attempting to travel south through Ecuador. I abandoned my bike last week because of road closures and physical threats when trying to cross the road blocks.
My plan is to fly down to Quito and bus back to Tulcan to pick my bike up and continue my travels south. Can anyone tell me the current situation? Will this be feasible by next week?