In Colombia there are thousands of opportunities to raise your adrenaline to the top. With extreme sports you can be in contact with nature and culture while you challenge yourself in an unforgettable experience.
Kayaking and Rafting
As one of the world’s water reserves, Colombia has beautiful rivers that run through the mountains with categories ranging from II to V in a scale from I to VI. Their warm waters and surrounding landscapes filled with wild life are great settings for a perfectly safe adventure for any kind of extreme sports. Expert guides and equipment are available for rent.
The best places to practice these sports are Santander, Cundinamarca and Huila. Santander, a 7 hours ride from Bogotá, has two rivers to do kayaking and rafting; head to San Gil and the Chicamocha Canyon and choose between the Fonce and the Suarez rivers. If you rather stay closer to Bogotá, go to “Rio Negro” in Tobia town, a river classified as class II to IV.
For a rather cultural adventure, navigate the waters of the Magdalena river in Huila, García Marquez’s inspiration for his book “The Love in the Time of Cholera”; a very wide an abundant river with rapids raging from class II to IV.
Rappelling and Waterfall Rappelling
For testing your nerves here’s an adventure in which you will be going down at your own speed only suspended by a rope. Colombian mountains offer high falls in which you can choose between dry rappelling or with waterfalls for a refreshing but more extreme adventure. You might not be eager to enjoy the amazing landscapes; however, while you descend, remember to keep an eye on the colorful flora and fauna that lives in the rocks such as small frogs and moss.
Also in Santander you will be able to practice this sport; Juan Curi waterfalls and Cañaveralito falls are the best places to feel the vertigo while descending 80 and 65 meters respectively. Another popular destination in Colombia for waterfall rappelling is Útica, only 3 hours away drive from Bogotá.
Rock Climbing
This sport has been practiced in Colombia since the 1970’s when it first started in Suesca, a town that used to be an indigenous settlement in pre-Hispanic times. Just 2 hours away from Bogotá, is the preferred and therefore more explored site for rock climbing lovers in Colombia, is a 2 Km cliff mainly of sandstone.
With heights ranging from 20 to 130 meters and approximately 400 routes, rock climbers will find good adherence, cracks and balconies to anchor themselves and safely enjoy the experience.
Paragliding
Due to its topographical conditions and climate, Colombia is one of the best places to do paragliding in South America. You will not only enjoy spectacular views but you will also be able to do it almost every day of the year. Soft winds and thermal activity will make the flight interesting at all levels. The best sites for fulfilling your dream of flying are Santander, Valle del Cauca and Cundinamarca.
Mountain Biking
Colombia has been recognized for its cyclists, who have won world competitions since the 80’s, even recently one of them won the gold medal for BMX in the Olympics. Improve your skills where our cyclists have become winners!
With uphill and downhill roads you will be able to reach rough terrains with narrow trails and ride through forests, deserts, savannas and mountains. There are multiple routes to follow, many of them close to Bogotá.
A highly recommended experience is the Tatacoa desert in the Huila department, which used to be a jungle back in the tertiary period; an attractive setting where ochre and greyish eroded hills, labyrinths, abysms and plateaus, create challenging obstacles while you experience this spectacular environment.
Potholing
For those of you who enjoy uncertainty and are triggered by the darkness of the underworld, the caves in Santander might be the right experience to undertake. Dare to hike and crawl through narrow openings in ground, jump in the complete darkness, go through mysterious waters and mud, and feel how your senses are awaken when your vision is limited.
Explore the “Cueva del Indio”, “Cuenva de la Vaca” and “Cueva del Yeso” where ancient tribes, animals and nature used to live.
Surfing and Diving
If instead you love the sea, there are plenty of sites where you can enjoy Colombia’s beaches. On the Caribbean, warmer water, slightly calmed currents, good visibility and coral reefs, result in a great opportunity for diving specially for beginners.
A very popular destination is Taganga, a small fisher town near Santa Marta; other places such as “Islas del Rosario” are easy to reach by boat from Cartagena. San Andrés and Providencia, well known for the sea of the seven colors, are also highly recommended as they hold the 80% of the Caribbean’s diversity of coral reefs.
On the Pacific, more extreme diving sites challenge those who have more experience; actually, some places require a certain level to allow you to dive. Gorgona is interesting due to the fact that there are mangroves and cliffs in combination with the coral reefs. Malpelo island offers a very extreme diving experience since it is filled with sharks such as the hammerhead shark; special tours travel to this site and need to be strictly planned in advance.
You will be able to experience one of the most biodiverse sports underwater; 80% of the species in the tropical Pacific are present in these waters. Furthermore, in the Pacific Coast there is also the possibility of surfing, so you will be able to practice different sports besides scuba diving.
Expect to find these and a thousand more adventures waiting at every corner of Colombia. You will find spectacular sites that take the best out of the diverse topography to provide unique experiences.
Let’s awakening your spirit of adventure and heightening your 5 senses in Colombia, the #LandOfSabrosura.
