COLOMBIA
Transcription
COLOMBIA
CARTAGENA the alpaca rally 2016 The Alpaca Rally - Stage 1: COLOMBIA Cartagena to Quito QUITO Greetings from ROARR! Here is another little morsel of interest to pore over during your afternoon tea - a little taster of stage 1 of our South American odyssey, The Alpaca Rally. For many of you well travelled and worldly people, Colombia still remains an undiscovered little corner of our planet. And that is a travesty that must be righted! As perceptions slowly change and the world becomes increasingly aware of just how beautiful Colombia is and the realisation that, actually, it’s pretty safe, it’s only a matter of time before tourism takes off. Where else on earth can you be walking pristine deserted palm lined beaches, and 40 minutes drive later be lying in a hammock at 3000ft suspended above rainforest canopy, with snow-capped peaks dotting the horizon? And this is only day 1. Continuing south criss-crossing the mountains of central Colombia and emerging into the ‘Coffee Triangle’ some days later, it is at times disconcerting to see the landscape change so dramatically so quickly. You, the ROARR family, are drawn to that which hasn’t been done, that which hasn’t been seen. The allure of the unknown is what keeps us on the road and out of the cruise ships. We are enamoured with Colombia; the driving, the people, the atmosphere, the contrasts, and trust that you will be too. All the best, Conrad & Adrian COLOMBIA The Alpaca Rally - Stage 1: Cartagena to Quito MUD VOLCANO OLD TOWN, CARTAGENA Cartagena may well be the most beautiful city in all of South America. Our hotel is within the old city walls just down the road from where this picture was taken. Every colour under the sun, with narrow streets crammed with cafes and shady squares. A bizarre creation to say the least. Nonetheless oddly pleasant to wallow in this muddy crater protruding out of the ground. After a mud massage you are escorted to the river where a team of women strip you naked and wash the mud off you. It’s all very above-board, in case you were wondering 240km / 5h00 Minca Ecohabs Minca Cartagena TAYRONA & MINCA Bastion Boutique Hotel FERRY CROSSING Pristine beach backed my mountains. We stay in Minca in the Sierra Nevada foothills, in little huts perched above the tree canopy, snow-capped peaks dotting the horizon. 350km / 6h00 We’re driving in but ferrying out. Duration anything from 45 minutes to 3 days. Some may remember the farcical experiences we had here on the route survey - marooned for 8 hours on a broken ferry. It is quite an experience, crammed cheek by jowl on a bit of floating sheet metal that appears cobbled together from odds and ends, the control deck something out of the 1800’s. Mompox 240km / 7h00 Bioma Boutique Hotel The town that time forgot.... Monteria Hotel Cinco MEDELLIN Quite remarkable - what was once the most dangerous city in the world is now crowned one of the most innovative cities in the world, the proud owner of a pioneering overground metro system and networks of cable cars connecting the poorest districts, a hub for art and design, Botero statues grace many a square. It has completely transformed. It is a fascinating place. Highly recommend taking an organised walking tour of the city - it will send chills down your spine and allow you to fully appreciate just how drastically Medellin has changed THE ESCOBAR RANCH Medellin Only in Colombia can the sprawling estate of the most notorious drug baron in the world be turned into a kids amusement park - Pablo’s first smuggling plane proudly 400km / 8h00 sat atop the ranch’s gates. Driving along the road and through Doradal and the dirt tracks around his estate (which are all open to the public) one can’t help but feel a certain fascination with the fact that Pablo himself would have travelled down this very road countless times. Charlee Design Hotel Cañon del Rio Claro 170km / 3h00 Reserva del Rio Claro 380km / 8h00 GUATAPE & EL PENOL A short detour off the road from Medellin lies Guatape, a network of waterways where the wealthy come to live Pereira Hacienda San Jose EPIC ROAD Honda to Manizales, starting out in steamy rainforest and climbing sharply up into the Nevado del Ruiz. We reach the highest point on the Colombian stage here @ 3800m. SALENTO & VALLE DE COCORA Visit the Cocora valley and its 60 metre high wax palms. We’ve got 2 nights in Pereira so plenty for discovering this delightful area. Nearby Salento is a charming little town with a slow pace of life you can visit a working coffee factory and while away the afternoon. COFFEE TRIANGLE This whole area is incredibly lush and filled with coffee plantations 330km / 6h00 TOUGH SECTION Popayan Dann Monasterio 140km / 4h00 Short but hard. When we drove this it was raining heavily and the muddy little track through the mountain fog was pockmarked with potholes. Not a JCB in site so not likely to be improved upon this side of eternity. San Agustin Akawanka Lodge 290km / 7h30 Pasto Loft Hotel LAS LAJAS CATHEDRAL THE MOCOA DEATH ROAD No, you’re not going to die. Well…probably not. You’re gonna want to take this slow though, not sure how much I trust the intermittent guard rails. This is 80% unpaved and the toughest drive of the rally. 330km / 7h00 Quito Casa Gangotena STAGE 2: Quito to Mancora STAGE 3: Mancora to Lima The trails around Cotopaxi Next up in the Alpaca Rally trilogy: Stage 2 - Quito to Mancora ECUADOR ROARRallies roarr.me/alpacarally (t): 0203 7474 607 (e): [email protected] 70 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1XF
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