On our September 2019 trip, we’ve decided to take a 10-day road trip to Colombia and try out Colombian driving! We’d been wanting to go on a road trip to Colombia for a while and try this out so we could tell you about it on our travel blog.
Our idea in this post is to tell you about the 10-day itinerary we chose for this first experience, give you our impressions, and tell you whether or not it’ s worth taking to the roads of Colombia. Spoiler alert: the answer is yes!
The focus of this 10-day tour of Colombia was Mompox. There were several possibilities, and we opted to break the bank and do a “one-way” tour from Bogota to Santa Marta. In other words, take the vehicle in one city and leave it in another. We tell you all about our experience in this post.
So get set for this road trip on the roads of Colombia !
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
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Our road trip itinerary
10-day road trip in Colombia
We pick up our car at the rental agency. Once we’ve sorted out the paperwork, we set off from Bogotá in our brand-new Dacia Logan. We’re off on a 1400 km road trip to Santa Marta!
Our itinerary in brief
- Route : Bogotá > Guadalupe > Barichara > Juan Curi > Giron > La Playa de Belen > Mompox > Santa Marta
- Duration: 9 days
- Distance: 1400km
- Tolls: $125.000
- Fuel costs: $240.000
Here’s our day-by-day itinerary. It’s not easy to give as much information as possible while trying to make it easy to digest… We’ve decided to focus this post on the road, driving and road trip tips for Colombia. Of course, we’ve added a little information on each destination, but don’t worry, each one will be the subject of a separate post! We’ve also included a few photos to give you a flavour of each place.
| Road Trip from Bogota to Santa Marta | Duration | Distance | Tolls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bogota > Guadalupe | 6h | 300km | 4x$8.000 |
| Guadalupe > Barichara | 3h | 100km | |
| Barichara > Giron | 4h | 150km | 2x$8 000 |
| Giron > La Playa de Belen | 6h | 260km | 4x$8.000 |
| La Playa de Belen > Mompox | 6h | 270km | 2x$8.000 |
| Mompox > Santa Marta | 6h | 310km | 3x$8.000 |
Day 1 – Bogota > Guadalupe
10-day road trip in Colombia
Guadalupe is a little-known village in Santander, well worth a visit for its natural site “Las Gachas”.
Route
We made several stops along the way: at Puente de Boyaca for the obligatory pilgrimage, at Ventaquemada to eat a Boyacense arepa and at Oiba for lunch.
The road between Bogota and Tunja is a good mix of rolling dual carriageway and mountain roads. Between Tunja and Oiba it’s a mountain road, not too twisty, with trucks to overtake and a few potholes.
Between Oiba and Guadalupe it’s a more difficult road, with parts resurfaced and parts totally rotten, and even a few pieces of track that arrive without warning.
Tip
Don’t miss the Tunja bypass to avoid entering the city center.
Accommodation in Guadalupe
Guadalupe
Finca
Finca La colina de los azulejos
Double room : $150.000 to $200.000 COP
A finca located just 10 minutes’ walk from the village, but with some very nice little houses in the middle of nature.
Guadalupe
Hostal
Atrapasuenos Hostal
Double room : $0 to $100.000 COP
A clean, functional hostal, also a little outside the village but within 5 minutes’ walk of the center. The owners have a bakery where you can have breakfast. A mirador near the hostal offers a beautiful view of the surrounding area.
Guadalupe
Camping, Hostal
Portal de Don Luis Hotel
Double room : $0 to $100.000 COP
El Portal de Don Luis is a finca ideally located just a stone’s throw from Guadalupe’s central square, yet right in the middle of nature. The view over the valley is sublime and Rafael, the owner, is a darling! The facilities are simple, everything is very clean and it was perfect for us! You can pitch your own tent or rent one.
Day 2 – Guadalupe > Barichara
Road trip between Bogota and Santa Marta
We took the day to discover the natural sites of Las Gachas, quebrada el salitre and pozo gloria. Before heading back to Barichara in the late afternoon.
Road
Very winding mountain road with lots of trucks.
We left at 5 p.m., far too late… we did most of the route at night, and with the day’s fatigue, the traffic jams after work and the rain that started to fall, it was quite difficult.
Tip
Avoid driving at night! Plan ahead and leave earlier than we did..
Day 3 – Barichara
Car tour in Colombia
A whole day dedicated to visiting the sublime village of Barichara. Discover the handicraft workshops and enjoy the view from the Salto del mico.
Accommodation in Barichara
Hotel
Casa Canela
Double room : $150.000 to $200.000 COP
A lovely hotel in a great location near Barichara’s main square. Guests appreciate the service, cleanliness and welcome. Their swimming pool is undoubtedly a plus!
Finca
Artepolis
Double room : $100.000 to $150.000 COP
For those looking for peace and quiet, just outside the village of Barichara but relatively close to the center. Artepolis offers a really pretty setting at a very affordable price!
Hotel
Oniri House
Double room : $250.000 to $300.000 COP
Hotel Casa Oniri is where we stayed during our visit to Barichara. It’s a superb boutique hotel located in the heart of the city, just a stone’s throw from Barichara’s main square. The little extra: a rooftop with a view of the cathedral!
Day 4 – Barichara > Juan Curi > Giron
10-day Road trip in Colombia
After an early morning in Barichara, we set off for the beautiful Juan Curi waterfall, clearly worth the detour. After a swim and a good meal, we head back to Giron to spend the night.
Road
The road between San Gil and Barichara is quite twisty. Then between San Gil and Juan Curi it’s really quiet. There was just one section where the road was no longer paved.
The road between San Gil and Giron is simply spectacular, as it crosses the Chicamocha canyon! Truly sublime.
The road is in pretty good condition, very twisty, lots of trucks to overtake, traffic jams after the toll at the bottom of the canyon. The thermometer rises impressively as you descend to the bottom of the canyon.
Accommodation in Giron
Giron
Hotel
Chill Out Hotel
Double room : $150.000 to $200.000 COP
During our stay in Giron, we stayed at the Chill out hotel. Superbly located in the historic center of Giron, the hotel offers beautifully decorated rooms in the colonial style.
Day 5 – Giron > La Playa de Belen
10-Day road trip from Bogota to Santa Marta
We take advantage of the morning to discover Giron’s pretty historic center, then a fairly long drive awaits us, so we head for La Playa de Belen, where we’ll arrive at dusk.
Route
We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant.
The road between Giron and Aguachica is pretty good and rolling, with a few double-lane sections. Then the stretch between Aguachica and La Playa de Belen is very nice, but much more twisty and tiring. At the end of the route, after turning off towards La Playa, there are some unpaved sections, but these are not difficult.
Tip
Ask at the toll booths where the next restaurant is on the road. When you don’t know where to stop to eat, these are often good places for truckers to stop. The sign: if there are lots of parked trucks or cars, it’s a good place to eat.
Accommodation in La Playa de Belen
Day 6 -La Playa de Belen > Mompox
10-day Road trip in Colombia
The morning at La Playa de Belen is devoted to discovering the beautiful Los Estoraques Natural Park. Then a stroll through the village until lunch. After lunch, it’s off again for the long drive to Mompox.
Route
As mentioned above, the La Playa – Aguachica section is a very twisty mountain road. From Aguachica onwards, you leave the mountains and the road is good and rolling all the way to El Banco, with some double-track sections.
Once past El Banco, you enter a swampy landscape and suddenly, you don’t know exactly where, but the road stops and turns into a totally rotten track.
There are only a few km left to Mompox, but we’re not making any headway. It must have taken us 1 hour to cover about 20 km. What’s more, it was nightfall and not very pleasant.
Tip
Once again, really avoid driving at night; on stretches like the end of the road, it was really a mistake on our part not to have left earlier to avoid this.
Day 7 and 8 – Mompox
10-day Road trip from Bogota to Santa Marta
We spend the two days in Mompox discovering the historic center, full of history. We take a guided tour, learn more about the watermark and take a boat trip to the Cienaga de Pijiño.
Accommodation in Mompox
Mompox
Hotel
Casa Amarilla
Double room : $150.000 to $200.000 COP
Located just a stone’s throw from the Santa Barbara church, Casa Amarilla is a well-known Mompox hotel. With relatively affordable prices, the hotel offers excellent facilities. The staff’s warm welcome is particularly noteworthy!
Mompox
Hostal
La casa del viajero hostal
Dormitory : $25.000 to $50.000/Double room : $0 to $100.000 COP
A welcoming and comfortable hostal in Mompox to get the most out of the city at a low price. Dormitory beds are very affordable, and the hostal also offers double rooms.
Mompox
Hotel
Hotel Bioma
Double room : $250.000 to $300.000 COP
This is where we stayed during our stay in Mompox. Hotel Bioma is perfect for those who want to treat themselves. With its blend of colonial and modern decor, swimming pool on the patio and roof-top overlooking the rooftops of Mompox, it offers top-notch services. To top it all off, the Arepa de Huevo breakfast is delicious!
Day 9 – Mompox > Aracataca > Santa Marta
10-day road trip in Colombia
We leave mid-morning for Santa Marta, the end of the road trip! On the way, we stop off at Aracataca to visit Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s birthplace, now a museum.
Road
We stopped off in Aracataca to visit Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s birthplace, now a museum. Then on to the road for lunch.
The road between Mompox and Santa Marta is really good, we’re no longer on mountain roads, we’re on the move. We just had a bit of a scare about the time to return the car, as we ran into a huge traffic jam due to roadworks. But it cleared up after 1/2 an hour and we were on our way.
We returned the car on time at Santa Marta airport, ready to board our flight back to Bogotá. Unable to find the agency, we simply called the number and someone came to the airport parking lot to collect the keys, and voila!
Accommodation
Back home to Bogotá!
Tailor-made tours with an agency
If you don’t feel like renting a car and taking care of the organization of your trip, you can hire an agency to create a tailor-made tour for you, including chauffeur-driven transport, accommodation and activities.
Lessons from our road trip in Colombia
By car from Bogota to Santa Marta
So, as mentioned above, the aim of our road trip was really to get to Mompox, and we chose to start from Bogota and drive through Bucaramanga to get there. Once we’d made this choice, the idea of visiting Barichara and a part of Santander was obvious, and it really helped us a lot!
We’re really happy with our road trip, and even if some stretches of road were difficult, we really had a great 10 days!
There’s something exhilarating about driving on Colombia’s roads, as the sublime landscapes unfolded before our eyes, and we clearly had the impression of immersing ourselves even more.
Cutting out journeys
Between Bucaramanga and Mompox, we absolutely had to find a way of cutting the road, because otherwise it was 10 hours of non-stop driving, and we didn’t feel like that at all.
Clearly, we don’t recommend journeys of more than 5h/6h in a row. Whatever your itinerary, find options to cut off the road and proceed in short stages.
So the choice of stopping at La Playa de Belen, a heritage village, was an obvious one for us. Of course, it’s a long way to get there, and part of the route is quite tiring, but we don’t regret it at all, because it’s a village that’s totally off the beaten track, and Los Estoraques is well worth the detour.
Taking your time
In the end, the only downside to our road trip was that we would have needed more days to have more time (especially to enjoy Santander and Playa de Belen). So if you liked our itinerary and would like to do the same, we advise you to add at least 3 or 4 days to do it in the best conditions.
Two drivers
On the second part of the itinerary between Bucaramanga and Santa Marta, Angélica’s father joined us for the rest of the trip. Knowing that Angélica doesn’t drive, this was a real lifesaver!
Being two drivers meant we could take turns at the wheel, and clearly that’s really important to us. In addition to the day’s activities, driving in Colombia takes a lot of energy, and pleasure can quickly give way to fatigue.
Avoid driving at night
The only really difficult parts of the driving were at the end of the day, when we had to drive at night. Each time it was our fault, as we left too late. For example, the final road to Mompox, where we spent 1 hour on a broken track, would surely have been less difficult during the day..
Adapting
Driving is quite different from what we’re used to in Europe. The state of the roads demands particular attention, traffic is a bit wild in the big cities, and the many (very) heavy lorries cause traffic jams on the country roads… You have to be able to adapt to local customs and be a bit violent at times to be able to infiltrate traffic or overtake a truck in the mountains.
Rent a car for your road trip
10-day Road trip in Colombia
Today, car rental is becoming increasingly popular in Colombia, and it’s perfectly possible to rent a car to get around.
Of course, it’s cheaper to make a loop and return your car to the same city and agency where you booked it. But it’s also possible to rent a car for a one-way trip from point A to point B. This is what we did on our road trip between Bogota and Santa Marta.
In any case, we recommend that you read our post where we give you all the information you need to rent a car in Colombia.
Best tips
Rent a car in Colombia
To rent a car, we advise you to use the Rental Cars comparator, which gives you a complete overview of the different rental companies in Colombia.
