bicycle tour in medellin
The Forgotten Road
Bicycle Tour in Medellin
When a new tunnel road heading west was opened in 2006, the original road to Santa Fé de Antioquia from Medellin was left mostly forgotten except for the extremely sporadic vehicle coming or going between its small roadside settlements and coffee farms. As a result, a great bike tour Medellin was born!
Experience the Colombian Countryside
Bike tour down different microclimates and landscapes!
This old asphalt road might be too narrow for cars and trucks to share nowadays, but for a bicycle tour in Medellin it’s a dream!
A gravity bike ride coasting down a forgotten road for almost 2 hours with practically no physical effort at all, gravity does all the work. You will not break a sweat while enjoying the breathtaking views down to the western valley. This is a ride for any skill level and physical state, this is a ride for everyone, you can take it easy and enjoy the spectacular views with family and friends, or go for a more exciting ride.
It’s kind of like the Death Road of Bolivia but blacktop and without the perils, although riders still must be cautious about cracks in the asphalt, potholes, landslides, and also mules, cows, and horses just loitering in the middle of the road!
This day tour in Medellin will have you riding bicycles through coffee plantations!
This unique experience starts off early in the morning at a misty and cold Boquerón Pass 2730 meters above sea level. After a 50-minute drive from El Poblado towards the western mountain ridge flanking the Valley of Aburrá you reach a high mountain pass called El Boquerón. The view down to the valley on the other side of the mountain ridge from the 700-meter drops is breathtaking.
Bikers are given their bicycles, safety gear, and an instructive briefing from our expert guides. Above all, safety first!
The road is mostly asphalt but in a deteriorated state in some spots, making it all the more fun!
It is all downhill with the occasional rest stop at roadside Campesino settlements for refreshments all the way down to the town of San Jerónimo, 40 kilometers from Boquerón Pass and a 2000 meter elevation drop.
Riding bikes through coffee trees in Colombia.
During this bicycle tour in Medellin you ride down through all the climates and terrain types, it’s like starting off in the conifer forests of an Alpine pass and ending down in the crackly heat of the Serengeti. Therefore you will see all kinds of birds, animals, waterfalls, cross makeshift bamboo bridges with your bicycle over your shoulder, find out what a coffee bean plucked and peeled right off the coffee plant tastes like and meet local country folk that have for generations lived off the land of these breathtaking mountains.
The bicycle ride ends at the bottom of the mountain in a town called San Jerónimo.
From the town of San Jerónimo, we hop into our air-conditioned vehicles and head back towards Medellin with a stop for a typical Colombian lunch on the way.
Cost per person scaled to group size:
2 people ….. USD $270 each.
3 people ….. USD $190 each.
4 people ….. USD $150 each.
5 people ….. USD $125 each.
6 people ….. USD $110 each.
Suggested prices in USD. For the final price check with us as we adjust the prices to the fluctuating exchange rate between USD & COP
Included:
- Doorstep transportation in company-owned vehicle.
- English-speaking drivers.
- Bicycle and helmet.
- English speaking bicycle guide.
- Accident insurance.
- Typical Colombian lunch.
- Total tour time averages 5-6 hours door-to-door.
Not included:
- The trip to Santa Fé de Antioquia & The Western Bridge, contact us for a quote.
A nineteenth-century bridge built by a drunk engineer.
Their is a famous attraction in the area about 20-minutes from San Jerónimo that can be added as an option to The Forgotten Road bike tour.
El Puente de Occidente (The Western bridge)
A great attraction to visit while on the tour of Santa Fé is the Puente de Occidente, the Western Bridge. This amazing wood and steel structure is a Colombian national treasure that is conserved in its original nineteenth-century state. The Puente de Occidente was finished in 1895 by engineer Jose María Villa who had worked on the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Legend has it Jose María was an unredeemable drunk so the government tried to replace him but when the new engineers arrived on-site and asked him for the blueprints, he drew them in the sand because he had them in his head. They had to let him finish the bridge!
The Western Bridge
And don’t forget all our other cool stuff!
