San Gil

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Our Arrival

Our bus from Bogota dropped us off at the terminal up the hill and over the river from the town at 3:20pm. We walked down the hill and left across the bridge which is calle 12 and took the first right down carrera 11 which is where a lot of the hotels are next to the river. It took 20mins to walk there along the side of the road. There wasn't much of a path.



Where We Stayed

Hotel San Carlos - Carrera 11 and calle 12. COP$20,000 for a double room with TV, fan and shared bathroom. COP$30,000 for a private bath. Towels and soap provided. Cold water showers. Internet works on both levels.



What We Did

Walked up to the cross on the other side of the river for views of the town - either walk up the road by the supermarket/shopping centre and turn right or go over the bridge on calle 13 and up the hill and turn left at the top (this 2nd route has a longer steep bit than the other route).



WENT TO JUAN CURI WATERFALL

Walk over the main bridge on calle 10 and wait over the road on carrera 12 for a bus to Charala. There was a bus there when we arrived with a conductor selling tickets, COP$4,000 each. The bus left at 9:35am and took 40 mins. Ask the bus driver to stop at the cascada.

Once there walk up the path. You will be stopped by the restaurant and asked to sign in. Admission is COP$7,000 and you will be given a wristband. You can also choose to pay to rappel. There is a shop and toilets here.

Follow the path to the waterfall. It is a 20min walk on a rocky path so wear shoes rather than flip flops. There are a couple of small stream crossings along the way. Once you reach the bottom of the falls you need to cross over the stream and climb the rocks to the pool at the bottom, there are ropes to help you along. The water is pretty cold but the sun shines on the surrounding rocks so its refreshing.

When you leave you can head up to the middle part of the falls where people rappel from. As you are heading back to the entrance, just after you cross the first small waterfall, there is a path on the left. Follow it up a steep hill to get to the middle of the falls.

To go back to San Gil wait on the road for a bus to pass. We just missed a bus but only had to wait another 15mins for another one to come along. Pay the driver when you get off COP$4,000. Get off in town just over the bridge where you got on as the bus doesn't go into the town.



VISITED BARICHARA AND WALKED THE CAMINO REAL TO GUANE

Go to the bus station on carrera 10 and calle 15 and catch a bus to Barichara. We got there just as a bus was exiting the terminal at 8:35am. The bus arrived in Barichara at 9:15am and cost COP$4,200, pay the driver as you get off.

The bus drops you off in Barichara central park. From there you can wander around the streets looking at the nice views and colonial cobblestone paths in Colombia's prettiest village. Walk up calle 6 to Santa Barbara church, just to the left is a park with stone sculptures. Continue along the road to the left and you will reach the start of the Camino Real just down the hill on carrera 10 and calle 4, opposite a statue.

Walk the Camino Real to Guate - We started this walk at 10:15am. It is 9km by road to Guate but the path is shorter and pretty much all downhill. Wear shoes rather than flip flops as the pathway is rocky. The walk is easy with some lovely views. Bring water as it can be quite hot and there is only one place to buy drinks along the way. Following a big descent after 5 mins you will need to cross the road and continue the path on the other side. A few mins later cross over a driveway and follow the path. Again after about 20 mins walk from the start of the path you will coss the road again. Follow the yellow markers to continue along the pathway. We arrived in Guate at 11:30am.

In Guate there is a scenic cemetary on top of the hill. As you arrive in the town continue along the road to the far side and it is on the street there. It was locked when we were there on Sunday. Down the hill is the central park and the church. When we were there a chicken and produce auction was happening. We got a couple of beers from a bar/shop and sat on the tree stump chairs and watched the action in the park. There is a museum with guided tours every 20 mins. The bus times back are posted on shop doors on the right hand side of the square (as you face the church). We caught the bus at 12:30pm. The bus stopped in Barichara at 1pm, at the South of the square and arrived back in San Gil at 1:40pm. The fare was COP$6,000 from Guate through to San Gil.



Where We Ate

The market on carrera 11 sells big tamales for COP$3,000 - $3,500.

There are set meals around town of soup to start, a chicken dish and a drink for COP$5,000.

There are a few mini supermarkets around town and a big supermarket in the shopping centre over the pedestrian bridge on calle 12.

You can buy beers in the shops around town and sit on the chairs inside them to drink it.



About San Gil

San Gil is a river town that doesn't make anything of the river. Of course the adventure sports do but the town itself isn't based around it. There are steep slopes on both sides of the river you can walk up for views.

The town has a lot of traffic down its one way streets, especially by the market. Look out for the swarms of vultures hanging around.

If you want to partake in any of the extreme sports there are booking offices at the end of carrera 11 towards the park.

My guidebook said that there is no real rainy season and the weather is pretty much the same year round. I interpreted this to mean that it doesn't really rain here. However we came near the end of June and it rained everyday of the 3 days we were here. Once around 1pm and once in the evening. The rest of the time it was hot and the sun was shining.



Where We Went Next

We caught the bus to Bucaramanga. The bus terminal for these minibuses is on carrera 7 and calle 8. The company is ContraSanGil. Inside ther offices there is a desk to buy a ticket. It cost COP$16,000 to Bucaramanga. Bags go in the back and you will get a bag tag. The bus left at 9:45am. This is one of the most scenic bus journeys I have been on, sit on the passenger side if possible. The journey goes past the Canon de Chicamocha which is well worth a visit. We went back there from Bucaramanga but it makes more sense to stop off there on the way then catch another bus to Bucaramanga. We arrived at the terminal in Bucaramanga at 11:55am.

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