12 Day Santa Marta to Medellin Guided Motorcycle Tour in Colombia

Overview

This listing has one of the 10 most popular offers available in Colombia This trip is more than your normal motorcycle trip, it is an experience of a lifetime! In these twelve days you will enjoy endless hours of twisty mountain passes, explore some of the most picturesque parts of the Colombian Caribbean, and traverse several branches of the Colombian Andes. All the while taking in incredible landscapes, delicious flavors, and unique, warm and welcoming accommodation all over this beautiful country.

Highlights

• Starts Santa Marta and ends in Medellin
• Explore the Walled City of Cartagena
• Enjoy beautiful backroads in between Caribbean towns
• Discover many Colonial towns in the Antioquia region
• Ascend the 4000m pass alongside an active volcano in Nevado del Ruiz
• Visit the tallest palm trees in the world in Salamina
• Climb the famous "Penol" in Guatape
• 11 nights accommodation

Itinerary

1. Day 1: Santa Marta - Cartagena

   - Riding hours: 4 - Mileage: 225 km / 140 miles - Paved / unpaved: 95 / 5 Highlights: - Cruising along Colombia’s Caribbean seafront from Santa Marta to Barranquilla. - Lunch stop at Bocas de Ceniza, where fresh water of the Magdalena river meets the Caribbean Sea. - Explore the famous Walled City of Cartagena.

2. Day 2: Cartagena - Rincon del Mar

   - Riding hours: 3 - Mileage: 120 km / 75 miles - Paved / unpaved: 80 / 20 Highlights: - Explore one of the oldest and most culturally significant towns of Colombia during a walking tour of Cartagena. - Day trip options for snorkeling, paddle boarding, or just relaxing on the beach with cocktail in hand during your stay in Rincon del Mar. - Optional night boat ride to see bioluminescent plankton.

3. Day 3: Rincon del Mar - Necoli

   - Riding hours: 5.5 - Mileage: 280 km / 174 miles - Paved / unpaved: 70 / 30 Highlights: - Get off-the-beaten-track as you meander through Afro-Colombian beach towns in the direction of Panama. - Epic sea views from the road en-route to your final night of beachside accommodation. - Dinner alongside gentle, crashing waves and a pool to lounge in seaside through the evening.

4. Day 4: Necoli - Sante Fe de Antioquia

   - Riding hours: 6.5 - Mileage: 325 km / 202 miles - Paved / unpaved: 90 / 10 Highlights: - Your longest day of riding. Enjoy the drastic change in landscapes as you move from the coast into the Andes. - Stop in Mutata to explore and for lunch. - Epic mountain twistys for the final few hours of riding into Santa Fe de Antioquia. - Enjoy a meal and people-watching in the main plaza of this beautiful colonial town.

5. Day 5: Santa Fe de Antioquia - Jerico - Jardin

   - Riding hours: 4.5 - Mileage: 170 km / 106 miles - Paved / unpaved: 90 / 10 Highlights: - Bypass the traffic of Medellin on beautiful, winding back roads. - Try a bandeja paisa for lunch at a traditional Colombian restaurant in historic Jerico. - Overnight in the beautiful town of Jardin, known for its beauty, great coffee, and welcoming people.

6. Day 6: Jardin

   - Riding hours: 0 - Mileage: 0 - Paved / unpaved: N/A Highlights: - Choose from numerous activities in and around Jardin while the guides work on the motorcycles. - Some options include; caves, hikes, waterfalls and coffee farms, or just exploring and people-watching in the beautiful town centre.

7. Day 7: Jardin - Rio Sucio - Manizales

   - Riding hours: 6 - Mileage: 190 km / 118 miles - Paved / unpaved: 70 / 30 Highlights: - Impressive, panoramic views from the rio Sucio viewpoint. - Hours of twisting, curvy mountain riding. - Amazing hot springs accomodation at Termnales el Otoño.

8. Day 8: Manizales - Nevado del Ruiz - Salamina

   - Riding hours: 5.5 - Mileage: 170 km / 106 miles - Paved / unpaved: 50 / 50 Highlights: - Out-of-this-world landscape on the way to a 4,000 m pass. - Glacial scenery and the view of Nevado del Ruiz. - Visit the hot springs near the Paramo National Park. - See the highest palm trees in the world at Salamina!

9. Day 9

   - Salamina - Aguadas - Cerro Tusa - Riding hours: 4.5 - Mileage: 146 km / 91 miles - Paved / unpaved: 80 / 20 Highlights: - Unique and quirky mountainscapes covered with palm trees. - More twistys! Keep your wits about you on these epic mountain roads. - Arrive just outside Venecia for some incredible food at Cerro Tusa Springs.

10. Day 10: Cerro Tusa Springs

    - Riding hours: 0 - Mileage: 0 - Paved / unpaved: N/A Highlights: - Explore the Sinifana valley, and Cerro Tusa - a huge natural pyramid. One of the largest in the world. - Relax poolside, in the sauna, or take in rolling, mountain views. - Take a trip into Venecia to see the beautiful town square.

11. Day 11: Cerro Tusa Springs - La Ceja - Corconá

    - Riding hours: 4 - Mileage: 130 km / 81 miles - Paved / unpaved: 75 / 25 Highlights: - Exquisite breakfast at the Cerro Tusa eco hotel. - Twistys, twisty and more twistys! An awesome day of paved-road riding. - Lunch stopover at the historic town of La Ceja. Choose from a number of off-bike activities in Cocorná including: - Parasailing and paragliding - Canyoning and rappelling - Kayaking and canoeing - River rafting and tubing

12. Day 12: Corcona - Guatape - Medellin

    - Riding hours: 5 - Mileage: 150 km / 93 miles - Paved / unpaved: 90 / 10 Highlights: - Visit the famous giant rock of Guatape. Climb the 649 steps all the way up for an incredible view. - Lunch in the colorful town of Guatape. - Quick stop at the Las Palmas lookout over Medellin. - A final ride down into Medellin. The city of eternal spring.

Ride Details

Terrain

mixed

Bike

rental bike (Honda XR190cc dual sport model)

Mileage

1906 km / 1184 miles

Daily mileage

120 - 325 km / 75 - 202 miles

Riding gear

included: helmet, riding gloves; available to rent: elbow and knee pads, riding boots, rain gear, full protective gear set

Meals

11 breakfast, 11 dinner, 12 lunch

Accommodation

After a long day’s riding you want to be able to clean up, unwind and relax with a drink in a comfortable location and get well rested for the following day. They have put years of thought, trial and error into the select few lodging options they include on their tours, and pride themselves on working with some of the best accomodation options in Colombia. Standard sleeping arrangement for this tour is private rooms shared between 2-3 riders. Single room upgrades are available on request. Some examples of lodgings are listed below:

Food

They know that good or bad food will make or break your experience while overseas, which is why tthey’ve gone and done all the hard work for you, trying just about every restaurant, eatery (and bar) imaginable along the routes, leaving your group with simply the best. After all, they do this for a living and they want to be eating well too! During these days you will experience a mix of fine dining experiences, international flavors and traditional Colombian cuisine, all of which are of the highest quality. Vegetarian options are available at every meal, and are just as delicious as the omnivore's choices. Please advise them of any dietary restrictions at least two weeks prior to your arriva

Getting There

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