Dear Members of Horizons U,

After having had so much support here, I decided to give support for the forum and write* about Colombia. I live in Colombia and have done so for the last 8 years. I have travelled extensively throughout this beautiful country and know it well.

So here my two cents on the security situation, best travel bike etc. If you have specific questions, please don't hesitate to write although I am not checking it all the time.

The Bikes I would ride

There is nothing as opinionated as a bike. However, in general what I see people do here they take what they ride from home (Europe, North America) and want something similar here.

I have frequent discussions with friends from Europe or the USA who want to go as fast as possible and have a liter+ bike in Europe. I would say do not bring your 1250 bike here, but rather invest in a smaller bike. Around 400-500 CC is ideal for Latin America, bigger if you are having a passenger. Believe me smaller is usually a bit better here in Latin America.

Most Latin American countries are still developing and bringing your 1250 with expensive camera gear and accessories will get you on the radar. Most people would need to work years for a bike like that and for the mayority it is a dream. I would say 400-650 will get the job done in Latin America. Remember that for most roads you won't be going faster than about 40-50 miles per hour and that is the highway...so you will not need a powerful bike. My personal favorites are the 310GS, the KTM 390 ADV, Suzuki Vstrom 650, KLR and dirt bikes in those CC ranges. I don't want to make it a promotion, but these bikes come to mind.

There have been people making it to Ushuaia (south point of Latin America) on a 90CC bike...yes I know...myself I have ridden many parts of Colombia on a Yamaha NMAX 150 Scooter (Not recommended for many reasons).


Touching on Security

In general Colombia is a safe country and I have driven a lot of small (dirt) roads and in general they are safe. The locals don't want to give you trouble and are very proud of their country. However, if you are driving by on a $25000 USD bike it is a different view than if you are driving on a <$10K bike. Most bikes in Colombia cost between $1000-$3500 USD so while you do not have to stick in that range, imagine you driving by on a bike that cost as much as 10-20 normal bikes....I guess you get the idea.

So my recommendations are based on those travelers that are keeping things in a normal range. Meaning, don't overspend on a bike. As the saying goes here...."No Dar Papaya"...which means don't show anything of value.

I would say you can bring things for supporting your nomad life. Like an Phone, laptop and Cameras (in case of Vloggers), but be careful. Recently there have been more bandas (gangs) that are drugging people. Especially in cities like Cartagena and Medellin. It is to say...be careful with going out. Most of the time, they are after what you have on your bank accounts.

The operating mode that they have is they will drug you with scopolamine. They can put that in your drink, but even blow it in your face. Scopolamine will put you in a zombie state where you will lose control. Then they will bring you to various ATMs and they will ask you for your pincodes. It is best to not have too much money in an account and maybe leave your money with a family member with whom you have specific instructions to make the transfer so in case you are drugged they will not do anything or they will make transfers on specific intervals (e.g. $250 USD a week on Tuesday).

In Colombia you can ride on dirt roads. I have done so many times, and they will bring you through the most beautiful valleys, villages and the rural part of Colombia that is largely unexplored by tourists. I have never encountered any issues other than mechanical. The locals will help you and mechanics are pretty much in every small village. Again, smaller and less fancy wins here in terms of the availability of parts.

Please note(!) if you are in the zones that are considered dangerous by foreign governments (e.g. USA, UK, Netherlands) in my opinion you can be on the main roads and will be safe. The province close to Ecuador is considered unsafe by the Dutch government, but in my opinion you can drive on the main road and not encounter any issues. Your last stop for the border should be Pasto to leave enough time to cross the border.

Other than security issues there is a high probabilty of land slides particularly in the Rainy Season (March-May + September- Early October) which can make the road conditions diminish rapidly. In this season it is recommended to drive early morning until 2PM and to take things slowly. This is ofcourse only true for parts with mountains.

Some Secret Routes

I would say they are not necessarily secret, but here some things that I believe many people are skipping (and is a shame).

My first recommendation is the road from Arboletes, Apartado, Dabeiba, Santa Fe de Antioquia to Medellin -- Now this area has some weakened control of the government. Meaning, some parts might be controlled by gangs. Therefore my recommendation is to stay on the main road for the entire trip as it will be safe. They are upgrading that road so there might be some roadworks. Great alternative to Medellin with fewer trucks.

A second one that many people overlook is the road from Medellin to Manizales. You can take the main highway, but a more fun road is Medellin -> Caldas -> Angelopolis -> Amaga -> Fredonia -> Tamesis (best pueblo ever) -> Andes -> Jardin -> Riocusio -> Anserma -> Manizales. This is one of the best roads in my opion...oftentimes overlooked. For those seeking a thril in Amaga you can ride the old rail line (yes with sketchy bridges...). Both Tamesis and Jardin are worth staying for the night.

I thought I will share this. Let me know if useful and I will update it with new info.