Road Cycling Colombia: Cali to Coffee Paradise

We ride a total of 425 km over 6 cycling days. The tour is divided into four main cycling stages: i) day 2’s ride in the Andean foothills towards Calima Lake ii) days 3 and 4 which take place primarily in the plains of the Cauca Valley iii) day 5’s transition from the valley into the Coffee Region and iv) day 6 and 8’s routes in the highlands of the Cordillera Central. Day 7 is a hiking day in the Cocora Valley, so while our bikes get a day off, our legs certainly don’t! We have a transfer on days 2 and 3 to the cycling start points and on day 8 from the cycling end point to the hotel. All of the other rides are point-to-point. This region of Colombia has some of the country’s finest roads for road cycling, enabling a mix of fast-paced gliding on the flats, uphill grinds, and thrilling descents.

Besides enjoyable cycling routes, you can also look forward to immersing yourself in the rich traditions of the Cauca Valley and the Coffee Cultural Landscape. It goes without saying that coffee lovers are in for a real treat on this tour!

The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This tour is best suited for experienced road cyclists capable of handling back-to-back riding days with an average distance of 70 km and average elevation gains of over 1,000 metres. The first half of the trip is, compared to the second, more mild, providing a good opportunity to get properly warmed up before tackling the serious climbs in the Coffee Region. For the most part, the ascents aren’t overly aggressive with low gradients but there are some steep exceptions. Downhills are prominent as well, with some winding and steep sections requiring caution and braking control. Less experienced riders are welcome but should prepare themselves in advance to manage the longer distances and climbs at a reasonable pace. The support vehicle is always nearby to offer refuge to any weary cyclists.

Biking Conditions: This trip is on paved roads which are mostly in good condition, though broken asphalt, road debris, and potholes do present themselves. The route is on a mix of quiet, countryside roads and provincial main roads. Colombia is an economically fast-moving country and riding on paved surfaces means regularly sharing the road with trucks, buses, cars, and motorbikes. We have chosen the least busy roads possible but please be aware that traffic can be unpredictable and, especially near the cities and towns, unavoidable. On this journey, we transition from the warm Cauca Valley to the cooler mountains of the Coffee Region so be prepared for temperature swings, on some days happening in the span of a few hours! Rain is common in Colombia throughout the year. The mountains, in particular, can get foggy and rainy but heavy downpours are usually brief. We generally ride rain or shine, but depending on the guide’s discretion or your comfort level, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Hotels: The accommodations on this tour are a highlight in and of themselves. In Cali, we stay at a well-regarded colonial-style 5-star hotel in a trendy neighborhood. At Calima Lake, we stay at a 4-star hotel with a sustainability focus. In Trujillo we stay at a more basic, but still very cozy, 3-star hotel in the main plaza. In La Unión we stay in one of the most beautiful destination hotels of the region, surrounded by vineyards. Our night spent in Filandia is the highlight for many: a cycling hotel, designed and built by cyclists for cyclists. Yes, there is a spa. Our hotel in Salento, where we spend two nights, is part of a working dairy farm, combining traditional architecture with modern comforts. And, for the last night of the tour in Calarcá we stay at a coffee estate turned boutique hotel. Throughout, you can expect clean rooms, hot showers, professional service and, depending on the particularities of each property, extras such as inviting pools, gorgeous views, and delectable cuisine. English is widely spoken in the Colombian service industry but cannot always be expected in more remote regions.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. We provide high quality Go Rigo Go, Specialized, Trek, or similar road bikes. The bike assigned will depend on the availability and size. If you bring your own bike, please make sure it is a road bike in good mechanical order.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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The information in this document is given in good faith, and covers the average range of conditions likely to be found on this trip. Please note that the itinerary is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, however, we will always do our best to adhere to this original itinerary