Offroad adventure mit Karakoles - Kolumbien entdecken & erleben
Erfahrungsberichte gefällig?
Das sagen unsere Kunden und neuen Offroad Infizierten zu ihrer Abenteuerreise durch Kolumbien mit unseren Karakoles Geländewagen samt Dachzelt. Bald teilst auch Du hier Deine Erfahrung mit anderen Neugierigen.
Reisender <Substantiv>:
Eine abenteuerlustige Seele, die mit unstillbarer Neugier durch die Welt zieht, neue Erfahrungen sucht und dabei oft mehr als nur Reiseziele findet.
Kolumbien kennenlernen – auf und abseits der ausgetretenen Pfade
Wir haben einen Toyota Troopy (Landcruiser GRJ78 Troopcarrier) mit einem Aufstelldach von Kai gemietet, und sein Fahrzeug und Service sind einfach genial! Nachdem wir das Auto in Bogotá von einem seiner Mitarbeiter übernommen hatten, der alles sehr detailliert erklärte, deckten wir uns zunächst in einem Supermarkt ein und fuhren dann Richtung Südwesten Richtung Ibaqué.
Während der gesamten Reise haben wir die iOverlander App in Kombination mit MapsMe und einem Garmin Overlander verwendet. In unserer ersten Nacht trafen wir ein amerikanisches Paar, das auch in einem Troopy reiste (sie hatten das Fahrzeug aus den USA mitgebracht), und beschlossen, für den nächsten Tag zusammen zu bleiben. Gemeinsam bogen wir von der Straße zwischen Ibaqué und Armenien in Richtung Toche ab und von dort in den Krater des Vulkans Machin. Was für ein schöner Ort, sehr abgelegen und ruhig! Kurz bevor wir zu unserem (wilden) Campingplatz kamen, mussten wir eine schlammige Strecke überqueren, wo wir Diff-Sperren, L4 und sogar eine Winde benutzen mussten, um wieder herauszukommen. Das ist Offroad!
Von dort fuhren wir auf Feldwegen in Richtung Salento und sahen Tausende von Wachspalmen (wahrscheinlich viel mehr als im Cocora-Tal), dann gingen wir zu einer Kaffee-Hacienda in der Nähe von Manizales – sehr interessant und schön. Nach einem Zwischenstopp in Jardin (schöne kleine Stadt!) fuhren wir nach Medellín, um die Weihnachtsbeleuchtung zu sehen und machten eine Tour zur Comuna 13, die spektakulär war!
Nach Medellín brauchten wir 2 Tage auf schönen kurvenreichen Straßen durch die Berge (sehr langsamer Verkehr!) bis nach Cartagena, wo wir Weihnachten feierten. Dieser Ort ist ziemlich überfüllt mit Touristen, hat aber immer noch viele schöne Sehenswürdigkeiten, vor allem einige Straßen mit tollen Graffiti.
Unser nächster Halt war Santa Marta, aber nur, um einen Freund von uns zu besuchen. Von dort aus fuhren wir nach Minca zum Wandern und dann zu den Stränden neben dem Tayrona Nationalpark. Wir wanderten auch im Park, mit schöner Aussicht und sehr wenigen anderen Menschen.
Auf dem Rückweg nach Süden waren unsere Highlights Barichara, wo wir während der Neujahrsfeierlichkeiten übernachteten, und Villa de Leyva, eine hübsche und alte Kolonialstadt – viele Touristen, aber immer noch sehenswert.
An unserem letzten Tag gaben wir das Fahrzeug an denselben Mitarbeiter zurück, von dem wir es bekommen hatten – alles verlief reibungslos und sehr professionell. Er brachte uns sogar nach Bogotá und von dort zum Flughafen – außergewöhnlicher Service! Wir würden Karakoles 4x4 jedem empfehlen, der Kolumbien auf und abseits der ausgetretenen Pfade erkunden möchte!
Jutta & Peter aus Deutschland
A family from India traveling through Colombia in one of our cars
"Everything was just perfect, we had a great time. The kids loved it, we loved each day of the trip, thank you so much for all the help".
These are the words of a family from India who traveled for the first time in one of our cars through the snow-capped mountains of Colombia. We designed for them the perfect route considering that they traveled with children. It was an unforgettable experience!
Cómo es una expedición por Colombia en un carro de Karakoles Travel?
Stephany Ortiz @stepha.ortiz nos cuenta como fue su experiencia viajando en un carro de Karakoles Travel durante una expedición de 4 días por los paisajes mas hermosos de Colombia, gracias a que fue una de las ganadoras del concurso "Nos Vamos por Colombia", realizado por @viajando_barato_ y Karakoles Travel. Tengan en cuenta su recomendación, es muy importante para todos los viajeros. Muchas gracias!
La experiencia de viajar por Colombia en un carro de Karakoles Travel
Bryan Garcia, más conocido como @viajando_el_flaco en Instagram, nos cuenta como fue su experiencia viajando en un carro de Karakoles Travel durante una expedición de 4 días por los paisajes mas hermosos de Colombia, gracias a que fue uno de los ganadores del concurso "Nos Vamos por Colombia", realizado por Viajando Barato @viajando_barato_ y Karakoles Travel.
Colombia - March 2018
On and off-road through a green desert and crossing the Andean Mountains
It was by far the nicest and most impressive travel that we have done with our kids (4 and 6 years old) – we started with our 4x4 vehicle from Bogota west to the Magdalena river and then south into the Tatacoa desert, continuing to the monolithic statues and UNESCO world heritage site in San Augustin before crossing the Andes to reach stunning colonial Popayan and lively Cali.
The excellently equipped Renault ALASKAN from ¡KARAKOLES! 4x4 car rental was so comfortable that we „flew“ over all kinds of road, wether they were paved, desert tracks or rocky andean mountain roads. Our kids were especially thrilled with the off road parts and river crossings. It took no longer than 10 minutes to set up both tents, that were very comfortbale and like a playing castle for the kids. From there we could see the starry skies in the Tatacoa. Only in Popayán we decided for the luxury of a hotel just to spend a classy night in the oldest monastery of this colonial town that is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
After the peace treaty in 2016, we see Colombia as a country that is easy and fun to travel. With some basic Spanish, like us, it is no problem to get around since the amazing openness and friendliness of Colombians went a long way to help us discover this beautiful country. The people, the sights and the cuisine captivated us so much that it is difficult to decide what was more interesting but definitely the lush green rainforests in the Andes are unforgettable. We plan to come back and get to know more from this diverse and amazing country.
J. E.Driving in Colombia's Tatacoa Desert
A Bogotá based familiy of 4 travelled with a Karakoles to the Tatacoa Desert. See their amazing experience from their own video!
4X4 in Colombia
Day 1 CALI-POPAYAN via SILVIA (190 KM, 6 hours including stops)
We leave Cali at 12 after a short briefing about the car and the tools. Kai gives us all the necessary information, including maps, a gps with waypoints for the off road tracks and a lot of useful advices on both how to move around Colombia by car but also about the nicest spots to be seen around Cali. The car is equipped with more than we actually needed, and since we are not really experienced in off-road driving we record all instructions on video to be sure not to miss anything.
The Car is quite easy to drive, and after a few km we get used also to the Cali traffic and the many motorcycles. Absolutely not as bad as we read on some travel or expat blogs. We leave the city following google maps.
Road conditions and traffic signs are fine, the only doubt is about overtaking slower traffic. Looking at the road marking it’s not really allowed but everyone does - so we also dare.
After roughly 2 hours and 100 km we reach Piendamo and the turn to Silvia - quite easy to find. The road leads uphill to Silvia, where we arrive after 40 mins. We continue always straight, passing the main square with the church towards Guambia. The road is unpaved but very easy. Nice 10 minutes drive to the village passing lots of Guambianos in traditional dresses on the road.
Back to Silvia, short lunch stop on the square and then we leave again towards Popayan, where we reach at 6 pm in the evening traffic. As Kai suggested, we choose an hostel that provides a car park and located in the city center (not really the hostel car park or Parqueadero but just on the other side of the road). Car parked safely, a quick stop at the hostel and we still have time to enjoy a nice walk and dinner in the old colonial town, definitely fascinating also at dark.
Day 2 POPAYAN - S. AUGUSTIN (132 km, 5:15 h including stops)
We leave early in the morning at 8.30 from Popayan. The road leads uphill to Coconuco (1 hr, 35 km). We decide not to stop at the thermal baths in order not to lose too much time. After Coconuco the paved road ends - we stop and lower the pressure of the tyres. After a nice drive in the middle of green valleys (mixed paved / unpaved) we reach Paletara, a small village where we have a 30 mins stop for a smoked (....and fried…) trout and where the pass road begins. The first kms after Paletara are just great - a long straight that crosses a valley with small palms - and we start getting the feeling that we’re finally starting to leave the beaten track. The unpaved road gets narrow and bumpy, but with the 4x4 it’s fine (and fun) to drive. The clouds are very low, it’s rainy and foggy. We just pass a few minibuses and some motorbikes - not very crowded.
40 km (and lots of bumps) after Paletara the paved road starts again. At a military checkpoint we have to stop - the officer is very friendly and curious about where we are coming from and where we are going. He’s glad to hear we’re enjoying Colombia (one of Kai’s suggestion - always talk about how much you’re enjoying the country and the locals will be glad to assist you) and after a short chat we hit the road again to Isnos and final destination San Augustin. At 13.45 we park the car at the hotel, having enjoyed the ride and with enough time left for the archeological sites and the Estrecho del Rio Magdalena - definitely worth the few (but intense) kms drive from San Augustin.
Day 3 SAN AUGUSTIN - DESIERTO DE LA TATACOA (290 km, 5h30)
The Plan is to start early for the long drive. Getting the pressure in the tyres up again for the paved main road however takes a bit longer than we expected (around 40 mins) and when we leave it’s almost 9 am. We struggle a bit to get out of San Augustin since the main road is a one way road and we almost end up driving in the wrong way. A friendly police lady prevents us from doing so and gets us some directions.
We fill up a bit the tank with “corriente” since we do not see any petrol stations with Gasolina Extra. After 100 kms on the main road we then find the “Extra” fuel and fill up the car. It’s a pleasant drive, the road passes by a lake and crosses some villages and towns. The only negative aspect is that sometimes the pace is a bit low due to traffic and slow trucks.
After the village of Hobo we are stopped by a Policemen. I showed my passport, my Italian driver’s license and the papers of the car. Everything fine, there’s no need to show any additional papers Kai prepared for us just in case there were some issues. Again a few words about how beautiful Colombia is and then we are allowed to drive on towards the Tatacoa desert. It gets warmer and warmer as we reach Neiva, and the landscape changes once again: almost no vegetation anymore, just some small bushes and Cacti. We pass Villavieja and after another few kms we reach the desert, after risking to drive over an iguana that was sunbathing in the middle of the road. Simply stunning! We find some hammocks for the night before exploring the desert - how good it is to have a 4x4! The scenery is great and driving the small roads is real fun!
For dinner we get the typical lamb dish and as soon it turns dark we are astonished by the amount of stars over our heads - I had never seen the milky way so clearly, despite some beer :)
Day 4: DESIERTO DE LA TATACOA - SALENTO (310 km, 11h including stops)
After a few hours sleep on a hammock we go for an early morning walk in the desert before setting forth again - The longest stage with another unpaved pass over the Andes awaits us. Stop for breakfast in Villavieja and then a bit less than 2 hours to get to the main road (via Nacional). The drive out of the desert is great, the road crosses small villages and passes by really green rice fields - a nice contrast to the desert. It’s a highlight when we pass old narrow tunnels and a steel bridge over the rio on a former railway track.
Back on the via Nacional we fill up the tank again and for lunch we reach Ibague. After getting some food we struggle a bit to find the first waypoint Kai gave us - the point where the unpaved road for crossing the cordillera to Salento starts. We find the turn off the main road a bit before 2 pm. Short stop to lower again the pressure in the tyres and we start. Again a narrow former railway tunnel and a we start a steep ascent towards Toche on a winding dirt road.
After half an hour we ask some locals to make sure that we’re on the right road. They confirm that the way is right - but they also tell us that it will take 3-4 hours to reach Toche. We start getting a bit worried since Toche is only half way on the crossing from Ibague to Salento and we did not really want to experiment driving in the dark on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. In the end after a bit of discussion among the three of us we decide to stick to the original plan and not to drive back to catch the main road. And it was the right decision. At quarter past four after 50 km uphill drive we reach Toche, a pleasant group of coloured houses in a green valley. In general, we learn to raise doubts about timings given by locals, while they are quite good and always available to give you the correct direction. The three of us can still remember the little girl preventing us from taking the wrong way at a turn with no signs that day!
The road from Toche to Salento is fantastic and the landscape incredible - lots of high palms growing at more than 3000 m altitude, coffee plantations, green vegetation everywhere and blue skies. The sun starts going down as we cross the pass and start the descent to Salento, where we arrive safely at 6.15 before darkness.
This day and this drive definitely were one of the highlights during our holiday in Colombia.
Day 5: SALENTO - CALI (206 km, 4 h including stops)
Last day of our road trip with the 4x4 - we leave at around 11.30 after a stroll in Salento and a visit at a coffee finca. Tyre pressure up again and then it’s all highway drive down to Cali. No particular thrills on the two lanes highway. All goes smoothly, after 5 days we of driving we feel really comfortable on Colombia’s roads - it’s a pity that we need to return the car, after having washed away all the dust and dirt of our incredible adventure.
What to say - these five days and almost 1200 kms on Colombian roads and tracks were great fun. Exploring the area around Cali with a 4x4 is for sure a great way to make the most of your time in Colombia and to enjoy the variety of landscapes and vegetation. It also allows you to get off the beaten track and to have a unique adventure - definitely recommended! We’re glad that we decided to give the self-driving option a try, even despite of our initial concerns. And in the end everything went smooth and we always felt safe: road and traffic conditions in Colombia are fine and people are always nice and happy to help you.