Colombia’s adventure sport capital, welcome to San Gil!


Advertisement
Colombia's flag
South America » Colombia » San Gil
September 21st 2012
Published: October 31st 2012
Edit Blog Post

When it comes to outdoor sports in Colombia, don’t look further, San Gil is the destination to head to and as I rarely miss an occasion to go white water rafting, rappelling or trekking, here I was slowly making my way toward it from the Caribbean coast.



A 10 hours bus ride south from Santa Marta all the way to Bucaramanga followed by another 2 hours and half on curvy mountain roads later, I finally arrived in the tiny town of San Gil.

Early morning and the town is already bustling : cattle trucks are queuing to deliver vegetables and fruits to the nearby market, rancheros wearing the classic cowboy hat are going in and out of the building loaded with wooden boxes while the oldest are chit chatting on the town main square.



Having heard of the multitude of activities available in San Gil and keeping in mind that the high season was already behind, I had decided to spend 5 nights on site, wise decision, at least I won’t have to pick one or the other!

Every ingredient is there for outdoor lovers, mountains, rivers, canyons, and gigantic waterfall, now the
Slowly but surelySlowly but surelySlowly but surely

Rappelling Juan Curi San Gil Colombia
main question on my first day was where to start?


Warm up: Rappelling down the Juan Curi waterfall



Yet one more collectivo mini bus, stop counting the number I took while in Colombia, with the usual Virgin Mary picture but this time lacking the salsa music. The bus quickly filled up and after a short chat with the driver, he accepted to drop me by the « Cascadas » where I was to meet my guide for this half day adventure.

The path to this 180 meters high waterfall starts gently and is then replaced by a quite strenuous half hour hike on a muddy and slippery ground zigzagging among the forest.

The starting point of the rappelling is actually about half way of the waterfall, where the water pouring down from higher above meets some flat rocky ground before being hustled another 70 meters down.

And these are precisely the 70 meters that I am about to rappel down right within the waterfall. Getting up close from the edge my heart starts to race, although I keep telling myself to remain calm, this is definitely the highest rappel I got to go for so far!



Deep breath, keeping my eyes looking at the guide above, I slowly put one leg after the other on the narrow rock at the edge of the waterfall, icy water running on me as if I wasn’t there, and still standing thus not feeling yet the reassuring feeling of being held by the rope, under me the water is raging down the 70 meters. These few seconds would have anyone wish to go back up to safe grounds, me included, but then I finally gave some rope, allowing me to seat back on the harness and with a firm grip I started the descent.

Not sure how long it lasted, but the feeling was amazing, as I gain assurance I started to rappel down faster right in the heart of the waterfall, feeling its strength, hearing the sound of the water bumping against the rocks, enjoying the smell of the moss & surrounding forest, during these precious moments I sincerely wished that it would never end.

As I got closer from the natural pool, I started to hear cheering in Spanish, guess I got spotted! Colombian tourists were literally staring at me and
No turn back, behind me 70 meters down....No turn back, behind me 70 meters down....No turn back, behind me 70 meters down....

Rappelling Juan Curi San Gil Colombia
the few locals who had dared to rappel down and as I arrived on safe ground, before I knew it a few of them approached me to take some pictures…More followed when they understood that I could speak Spanish and it is with lots of laugh and animated discussion that this half day ended.


Going for some serious « business » - whitewater rafting on Suarez raging river



The Suarez River is known in Colombia as the most extreme recreational river one can raft on in the country with class IV and V+ rapids. Now, for the past three days I had desperately tried to go for it, but every morning I would get a call from the agency saying in a lovely Spanish that the water level was too high and thus the river was too dangerous to go on with a raft.

That morning I was ready for yet one more cancelation call, when I was told that the water level had slightly went down during the night, today will be the day!



Upon completing the formalities at the rafting agency, our group was ready to go for what was supposed to be a two hours plus descent when the guide casually mentioned that we won’t do the usual break half way: « there is a lot of water & the river is really fast » before adding in very reassuring words « it is going to be so fast that it should not take much more than one hour to cover the ground we normally cover within a two hours descent »


On this positive note, we left San Gil for one hour drive up to the rafting
pfff that was a LOT of water !pfff that was a LOT of water !pfff that was a LOT of water !

Rafting Suarez river, San Gil Colombia
starting point. As we arrived at the metallic bridge from where our two boats and two safety kayaks were to take off, all of us were staring down at the river. The water was no longer clear, instead there had been so much rain that it had turned brown and judging by the water level marker on one of the rock, the water was oscillating just below the red zone…

If I hadn’t been convinced of the guide professionalism, I might not have given it a go but then in ten years of white water rafting, this group who happened to be part of Colombia national rafting and kayaking team, was one of the most serious I got to meet.

The safety briefing in itself took half an hour and I actually learned a lot when it comes to kayak rescue & additional safety positions to adapt should one of us fall and end up in the « washing machine ».



Once on the river, we were quickly paddling full speed, only resting briefly between each rapid, jumping from one side of the raft to the other trying to hold to the ropes when our
That was a nasty side one...That was a nasty side one...That was a nasty side one...

Rafting Suarez river, San Gil Colombia
raft would literally be crashed by the water.

Being one of the two persons with prior class V experience I ended up in the front of the raft, giving the pace to the other two paddlers behind me while keeping in sync with the paddler on my left side. My arms started to ache but then white water rafting has this special effect on you, when you hear the guide yelling « forward » « stronger », you somehow find the energy to paddle with all the strength of your body, notwithstanding the waves passing above our boat making you blind for a few seconds or paddling in the air before the boat jump back on the water.



When our guide announced that the last class V rapid was ahead of us, I offered to the paddlers who were on the back to switch seat, so that they could as well enjoy the adrenaline you get when seated up front. Our group had so far managed every rapid quite well, with everyone remaining on the raft despite the jumps and bumps and well this was about to change!

This last rapid is quite technical and
Plunging....Plunging....Plunging....

Rafting Suarez river, San Gil Colombia
with the amount of water that day, it turned to be even more challenging. Now, when it comes to white water rafting, the speed is important as the faster you get the smoother you pass through the rapid. Unfortunately for us, when we reached the rapid, our pace was not fast enough so before I knew it I was thrown into the raging river, luckily managing to grab the rope on my way down and hold to it while the boat started to have a life on his own. It seems that the safety briefing was indeed an excellent one as it only took a few seconds for the guide and then another paddler to grab me by the safety jacket and pull me back into the boat. And obviously this is the video I got…

As for the other boat, which was coming right after us, the entire embarkation flipped and the six of them were thrown into the water. The current being so strong, Kayaks could only follow them until they could get close and start a rescue procedure, as for us we got three of them and a few extra paddles on our raft.

Tejo playgroundTejo playgroundTejo playground

San Gil, Colombia


After such a day, and despite the exhaustion and dear need of a warm shower, we decided to meet later and celebrate local style! That night was the Tejo night, an explosive traditional Colombian game which consists at throwing a metal plate into a board full of mud and at its center gun powder, the objective being to hit the target so that to induce the explosion & mark points.

Colombia will never cease to surprise me!


Adding a new « extreme sport » arrow to my bow – river kayaking



Every time I got to see river kayaks in action, I have always wanted to learn but then usually I would either not have the time or the gut to go for it : it is one thing to be on a raging river as a group on one raft and another to be on your own inside your tiny kayak.

After the white water rafting adventure on river Suarez, where I got once more the opportunity to contemplate this idea, I finally decided to go for it, for the best or the worst but the motivation was there.

Having only one
Ready to go! right...Ready to go! right...Ready to go! right...

Kayaking, San Gil Colombia
day left before I head to Cucuta at the Venezuelan border, and after quite a mix up of agency by the hostel, I ended up having a guide for myself to learn the basics of river kayaking from another agency.



Laetitia meet your kayak, Kayak meet your new host! Guess it will be him and me for the next five hours… Now, learning to kayak is slightly different from learning to white water raft and I got to say the first two hours were much less enjoyable. Jaimes, my instructor for the day, took me first to a natural water pool where he taught me the basic of paddling, so far so good, and then how to make a safety exit from the kayak if it flips and you end up head down into the water not managing to turn it around (the Eskimos roll), a bit scary at first but quite straightforward.

Then came, the famous Eskimos roll or how to turn back your kayak by moving in sync your waist and the paddle, the whole thing keeping in mind that your body is upside down and your head under the water… I simply cannot
and a smooth left...and a smooth left...and a smooth left...

Kayaking, San Gil Colombia
recall the number of times we did the exercise but at some stage I started to have bruises on my knees, although I was getting close to it but still not fully mastering the synchronization of the paddle and waist movement.



It seemed that it was good enough to go on a calm river, keeping in mind that I could always use the emergency exit procedure in case of need.

For my first river kayaking, we headed to the river Fonce, which in comparison to the Suarez seemed at first a piece of cake, well this is if I had been on a raft, but the whole experience on a kayak is something quite different.

As I went through my first rapid on a kayak, I realized how different the two sports are, in a kayak, you immediately get speed as soon as there is some current, the slightest splash of water makes the kayak turn and you can literally feel every up and down along the river. A class II to III, would be boring in rafting but take a whole new dimension on a kayak. The other aspect that surprised me to say the least is that you actually need to keep your balance, not my strongest point, as if you don’t the kayak can very easily flip.



All in all, I might not have fully mastered the Eskimos roll on my first white water river kayaking day, but I definitely had a lot of fun and I managed to go over my fears. River kayaking is now definitely high on my list of things to further learn, in which part of the world, well time will say but one thing is sure this was not the last time I was getting that close with a mountain river!



Travelers Tips

l Transportation:


• bus from Santa Marta 10 hours to Bucaramanga – Copa Bus departure 7.30am / 11.30am / 7.30 pm or Brasilia Bus 8.30pm, 50’000 COP
• bus from Bucaramanga to San Gil 2h30 – plenty of them, 16’000 COP


l Agencies while in San Gil:


• Rafting: Colombia Rafting www.colombiarafting.com 125'000 COP
• Kayak: Kayak Colombia KAYAKCOLOMBIA@HOTMAIL.COMask for Jaimes – one day training 125'000 COP
• Rappelling : cannot find the name of the agency anymore but this can easily be arranged on
Juan Curi upper part of the waterfallsJuan Curi upper part of the waterfallsJuan Curi upper part of the waterfalls

Rappelling Juan Curi San Gil Colombia
site 45'000 COP


l Accommodation: stayed in two hostel, the first one not worth mentioning and second one was great! SAM VIP Hostel (17’000 COP/night)


Additional photos below
Photos: 32, Displayed: 31


Advertisement

Flying (or at least felt like it!)Flying (or at least felt like it!)
Flying (or at least felt like it!)

Rafting Suarez river, San Gil Colombia
Harder !Harder !
Harder !

Rafting Suarez river, San Gil Colombia
Water is literally pouring downWater is literally pouring down
Water is literally pouring down

Rappelling Juan Curi San Gil Colombia
Short break - enjoying !Short break - enjoying !
Short break - enjoying !

Rappelling Juan Curi San Gil Colombia
Colors & geometryColors & geometry
Colors & geometry

Rappelling Juan Curi San Gil Colombia
Our rafting group - BEFORE getting on the riveOur rafting group - BEFORE getting on the rive
Our rafting group - BEFORE getting on the rive

Rafting Suarez river, San Gil Colombia
Smile is back!Smile is back!
Smile is back!

Kayaking, San Gil Colombia


1st November 2012

Wow
This is something! You are definitely the person to give advice to Lonely Planet or any guide book. I am so impressed by your blog! Can't wait to read your next entry!
1st November 2012

Re: Graciela
Thanks Graciela for your comment, not quite sure I could ever contribute to a guide book but in the meantime having fun writting these blogs ;-) and enthousiastic comments always add a cherry on top of the cake, thanks for that!
2nd November 2012

Love San Gil!
We just wanted to say how jealous we are that you got to experience all the great adventure sports that SG has to offer! It looks amazing! Nate had recently broken his toe and foot and we were unable to do any of the fun stuff. We still managed to eat the delicious fruit salads in the market and enjoy the town. We stayed at Sam's too, loved it! We'll be back some day to take on the mighty river, it looks insane!! Happy Travels! Nate and Jessie
2nd November 2012

Re: Nate & Jessie
Now I remember where I read that SAM's place was great, it was in your blog before I left for Colombia! So it should be me thanking you for the good advice :-) When I went to Camino real in Barichara thought about you guys and your encounter with the snake, although luckily for me I didnt see any. And yes, fully agree the fruit market was a dream come true...ahhh i missing so much the Lulo juice and the fresh mango...
3rd November 2012

Excellent adventure!
What great experiences and how lucky to have someone taking photos of all this! I've only rafted a few rivers in the US, including the Colorado, but there, they have one person at the back doing all the work. I look forward to following your lead and paddling too. All very inspiring!
4th November 2012

Re: Tara
Indeed lucky! Both the rafting & kayak agency had it all set picture wise; for the kayak, pictures & video were taken with a tiny camera fixed on the guide helmet, clever one! Everything else, well I keep using my camera & waterproof box, which does as well a good job, in between two action scenes. When will you reach Colombia?
4th November 2012

Reaching Columbia
I am such a slow traveler that I think I won't get to Columbia for another year. I think I'll need more time in northern Argentina, 6 months in Peru, and 3 each in Ecuador and Bolivia. But I'll get there and follow (some of) your leads.
4th November 2012

Wow...time is a rare luxury, glad to hear that you can take it while traveling through South America. Safe travel Tara & guess I will read soon some more of your latest adventures :-)

Tot: 0.31s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 22; qc: 129; dbt: 0.1407s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.5mb