Colombia on four wheels – from the Andes to the Caribbean

Colombia on four wheels – from the Andes to the Caribbean

Martin, Patrik, Zdenek and my little one are meeting at the Prague airport. Our trip to South America is just beginning!

After arriving and spending our first night at the hotel, we started our Toyota 4Runners on a chilly morning on the outskirts of Bogota, not knowing that a journey lay ahead of us that would stay with us long after we returned home.

Colombia is not a country you drive through – it is a country you experience. And we wanted to experience it to the fullest.

Bogota itself drew us in with the first breath. At an altitude of over 2,600 meters, the air is different – ​​sharper, cooler, brisker. Walking through the historic district of La Candelaria, we felt the old city mingling with the modern energy of graffiti artists and the student atmosphere.

We stopped at a small square and had our first tinto, a small, strong Colombian coffee. It's strange how even a simple cup of coffee can kick-start not only the day, but also the adventure we came for.

When we returned to the car, the mountain sun was already rising between the houses, we got into the 4Runner and headed north. After just a few kilometers, the city disappeared behind us, replaced by hills dotted with farms and eucalyptus groves.

Our next destination was the ancient colonial city of Villa de Leyva.

The road to Villa de Leyva winds like a thread leading through the Andean hills. Sometimes you enter a narrow canyon, other times a panorama of endless green waves opens up before you. And wherever you stop, the crowing of roosters always comes to life from afar.

The whole way we had the windows open a little, and the air that smelled of the warm clay of freshly cultivated fields and the mountain sun flowed in. A journey through serpentine roads is a truly profound experience that every traveler enjoys and actually seeks out such routes on purpose.

And then it happened. We entered the city and were surrounded by stony history. Villa de Leyva is exceptional in that time really slows down here and takes you back three centuries.

When the Plaza Mayor, a huge dusty and stony square, appeared in front of us, we understood why it is said to be one of the largest in all of Latin America. It is so large that you feel like a tiny being in the middle of the action that took place here.

Around us were white houses with typical clay roofs, green doors, shutters and hot stones of the roads and sidewalks. The experience is simply impressive.

We left the Toyota in the shade of the old wall and set off on foot through the streets, where the voices of street vendors, the shouts of locals from cafes and the clatter of horse hooves could be heard.

Villa de Leyva is a city where there is no rush. Elderly ladies sit on benches and watch life go by, children play soccer between cars, sellers of handmade ceramics and wooden products peek out from their small shops that smell of exotic wood, freshly roasted coffee and terra-cotta.

We climbed a small hill above the city, from where we had a panoramic view of all those white houses and their roofs scattered like pearls in the green landscape.

In the evening we sat on the terrace overlooking the square and drank passion fruit lemonade. When the church bells started to ring and the sky turned from orange to burgundy, we felt like we were in another world.

In the morning we set off on a long journey towards Medellín. Colombian roads are adventures in themselves: sometimes smooth asphalt, then a broken section where you have to slalom between potholes, and occasionally you are stopped by a cow that has decided to cross the road.

As we climbed higher, fog began to roll in around us. Flocks of vultures flew above us and a valley full of coffee trees opened up around us. The adventure is also enhanced by the local drivers who do not respect any rules, in short, you always need to be on your guard.

In every mountain pass through which the road winds, there is an armed military patrol, who gives you a thumbs up to indicate that the next journey is safe and in order.

Medellín was the exact opposite of Villa de Leyva. Vibrant, lively, but at the same time dangerous in its own modern way. Probably a remnant of Pablo Escobar, who built and controlled his empire with the coca trade here.

We stayed near El Poblado Park and in the evening we went out into the streets full of chaos, music, grilled arepas and the smell of fried bananas. Everything, absolutely everything is barred, houses, hotels, cafes, restaurants. Everywhere there is a barred entrance with security.

The next day we set off by car above the city. As we climbed the serpentine roads, Medellín spread out below us like a living organism – skyscrapers, parks, slums and green hills, all in perfect contrast.

In the evening we ended up at a lookout point, from where the city shone like a starry sky glued to the ground.

After Medellín we got off the road and headed into the jungle. The asphalt gradually disappeared, replaced by a broken road that over time turned into muddy terrain.

The Toyota 4Runner fought its way through fords, deep ruts, falling branches and steep climbs. The tropical humidity surrounded us like a warm blanket and the sounds of nature were deafening.

Jungle roads require 4x4 vehicles because you never know what will happen next.