Arriving on the scheduled start day, you will be met on arrival at Bogotá airport by one of the Skedaddle team and transferred to our first hotel in the Chapinero district of Bogotá.

Those arriving early enough will enjoy lunch together in one of the neighbourhood’s many pleasant restaurants, after which we will return to the hotel for bike fitting and an initial briefing. The rest of the afternoon is left free for relaxation, acclimatisation to Bogotá’s rarefied air (remembering that the city lies at 2,625m above sea level), and perhaps a little exploration of the surroundings.

We’ll meet up again for dinner before retiring for the evening.

Overnight altitude: 2,640m Approx

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,305 Metres Approx.

In order to avoid the hustle of the Bogotá’s busy streets, we begin the day with a transfer to Cajicá, a small suburban town situated on the Savanna of Bogota, a few kms north of the city.

Today is all about acclimatisation and is one of the easiest days of the tour. It is not totally without challenges though and despite the fact we are beginning our adventure on the Savanna of Bogotá, an enormous plateau, there are occasional small mountains to negotiate and we will encounter our first one just under 15km into our ride.

Our route is taking us along an old road, traditionally used to connect the local fincas, and although our first climb is only 4km to the summit, it is considerably steeper than the average Colombian climb and while we’re still acclimatising it might feel decidedly punchy.

From the summit we descend for a similar distance into Subachoque and even though we’re only a short distance from the capital we’ll already be starting to appreciate the beauty of rural Colombia. Rolling roads lead us from Subachoque to Facatativá, another important city of the ancient Muisca culture, where we will stop for lunch.

After a few more kms on the plateau we arrive at another small rise before we get our first taste of real Colombian style descending. 30km of joyful descending delivers us to our final challenge of the day, a minor climb with a 2km sting in the tail. After reaching the summit we find ourselves in a land that time forgot which seemingly has not changed in decades and where traditional life carries on with little interruption from traffic and other trappings of modern life. Eventually we arrive in the small town of Vianí where we will spend our evening.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 815 Metres Approx.

We leave Vianí in a similar style to our arrival yesterday, climbing out of town into some of the most incredible scenery we’ll experience during the entire tour. If the absence of human presence and activity surprised us yesterday we’ll be amazed at the feeling of solitude presented to us today, particularly in the earlier stages.

After a few kms of climbing, the world opens up to reveal spectacular views of the magnificent Rio Magdalena, the most important river in Colombia. The road seems to fall away and with views so breathtaking we have to work hard to keep our eyes on the road. But keep our eyes on the road we must as we‘re losing altitude for more than 40km before eventually reaching the Magdalena plains.

We’ll take lunch close to the banks of the river and spend the afternoon on gently undulating treelined roads as we make our way through a region famous for rice and cotton plantations. Along the way we pass through Armero, a ghost town left devastated by the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano which erupted in 1985 wiping out 23,000 of the 31,000 inhabitants and rendering it a virtual graveyard.

A final 50km or so of gently rising riding delivers us to our beautiful rural retreat just on the outskirts of the Mariquita situated on the first slopes of the Central Cordillera.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 4,225 Metres Approx.

After the last 2 days of relatively ‘gentle’ introduction to Andean road riding, we are confronted by what will be for many of us the most challenging day of our journey. Today we are tackling the notorious Alto de Letras one of the so called Mythical Mountains of Colombia. The mountain pass is one of the highest in Colombia and at 52 miles is reputed to be the longest climb in the world. The road rises from just over 400m to just shy of 3,700m and it is little wonder that Lucho Herrara, the Colombian climbing hero of the 1980s, once complained that European mountains such as Alpe d‘Huez were “far too short for Colombians“.

With only a couple of kms to warm up before the road ramps upwards we’ll be encouraging everyone to begin today with a gentle pace so as to save energy for when we reach the rarefied air of the higher slopes. There is however nothing to fear as for the majority of the climb the gradient is very manageable with numerous opportunities for rest and respite as the road winds gradually upwards. In addition we will make provision for anyone who does not feel that they can complete the entire climb and will be able to transfer tired riders over some of the more challenging sections.

For all the challenges that Letras can throw at us, the ride is truly amazing. The mountain will reveal many surprises and rewards and if the weather is kind to us the views will take what is left of our breath away. The 25km descent from the summit delivers us to Manizales, a busy and important town in the heart of one of Colombia’s main coffee producing regions.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,640 Metres Approx.

Even though we descended into Manizales yesterday we are still at 2,300m above sea level and our day begins with a very welcome and lengthy descent to warmer climes. The beauty of the coffee region presents us with an extremely pleasant and picturesque start and upon completion of our 30km descent we will roll joyfully towards Rio Cauca, another of Colombia’s major and most important rivers. Once we reach the valley the road inevitably and predictably begins to rise again and the rest of the day is generally in an upward direction.

On any other day, in any other country, 45km of ascending would seem to be a serious prospect however with yesterday still firmly in our memories we’ll readily rise to the challenge as we head for Anserma, a small coffee-producing town surrounded by mountains in a region famed for its pleasant and welcoming climate.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,635 Metres Approx.

Although definitely not an easy stage, today offers some respite and an opportunity to recover as the route we take is mainly gentle climbing, dramatic descending or flat and undulating, as we make our way from the mountains back down to the banks of Rio Cauca.

We begin with two gentle climbs as we leave Anserma by following a road along a fantastically scenic mountain ridge. At approximately 25km we’ll break for a coffee and admire the stunning views before commencing what feels like a never-ending descent into the valleys bellow via the towns of Riosucio and Supía.

Having experienced a dramatic rise in temperature with the loss of altitude, we spend the rest of the day following the course of the Cauca until we reach La Pintada, a bustling community on the banks of the Cauca nestled at the foot of the Cordillera Central amidst lush vegetation. The town’s name translates literally as “the painted one” and is so called because of its beautiful setting and the local tradition brightly painted colourful buildings and, in the right season, an abundance of floral displays.

Due to its proximity with Medellin the town is a popular retreat for hard-working city folks and at weekends and holiday periods bursts into life as the population swells with partying, music-loving paisas.

We finish with one final, short climb to a stunningly located hotel overlooking the vast swathes of the Caucua Valley.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,000 Metres Approx.

Whilst we only have a relatively short distance to cover, this stage is certainly not an easy ride! Thankfully the beautiful countryside through which we’ll be biking will keep our minds off the occasional steep ramps.

We’ll begin by retracing the last few kms of yesterday’s ride as we drop down into and through La Pintada, after which we undulate gently alongside the Cauca for almost 20km until we reach a small bridge that leads us over the river.

Here we bid farewell to Rio Cauca and the lowlands and begin a series of climbs which may well be the most challenging of the entire tour. It’s a tough section but rewarding with absolutely stunning scenery and small communities that have not succumbed to foreign tourism in any way, shape or form.

Eventually we will arrive in Amaga where we will enjoy a well-deserved lunch while the team load the bikes onto the vehicle before completing the journey in the support bus in order to avoid riding in heavy and unpleasant traffic. We’ll be spending the next two evenings and a much needed rest day in Medellin, the seductive ‘City of Eternal Spring‘.

• Meals: Breakfast

Medellin is located in the Aburrá valley and is surrounded by huge mountains. It might be a perfect place for cyclists who love to climb but with a week of Andean riding in our legs our time here is best spent recuperating. Medellin is an exciting and interesting city with sophisticated modern quarter and fascinating down to earth downtown area. Don’t forget to pack your dancing shoes because, amongst its many attractions, Medellin boasts one of the most vibrant Zona Rosas in Latin America and can offer a great night out for everyone regardless of tastes and preferences.

Overnight altitude: 1,500m Approx

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 2,190 Metres Approx.

Back on the bikes today for another full day in the saddle and back into the hills! The Andes still have some beautiful surprises in store and the Cordillera has one last big challenge for us, taking us once again to the clouded summits that generations of Colombians have tried to dominate and make home. The people here have a tenacious attitude which typifies a nation that has never surrendered even when the odds seemed against them or when the road seemed, as it does for much of today, to be always climbing upwards.

After making our way carefully through Medellin’s busy city streets we begin the last big ascent of our tour which rises to just under 2,600m. It isn’t long before we’re back on quiet rural roads where we can relax and take in the views as we pass through numerous small villages and towns. Our destination today is the town of Santa Rosa de Osos, a largely overlooked yet fascinating mountain community which makes an interesting contrast to the glitzy high rise glamour of the Medellin.

After 8 days on the road we’re still high above sea level with plenty of thrilling descending to look forward to tomorrow.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,460 Metres Approx.

One of the most endearing qualities of Colombia’s ever changing terrain is its ability to throw up surprises on a daily basis and today is no exception. It feels like our route has been turned upside down as for the first time since our first couple of days on the bikes we lose more altitude than we gain – much more! With approximately 1,300m of climbing today it wouldn’t be accurate to describe it as ‘all downhill from here‘, indeed the day begins with a climb to 2,450m, but overall we’re definitely on the way down!

We bypass Yarumal, the last town of any significant size in the mountains, before we begin our descent. Just over the summit we encounter numerous tiny communities where hundreds of Colombia’s displaced people, a legacy of the country’s troubled past, scrape an existence by the roadside. It is difficult not to be moved, but also impressed by these people, many of whom, despite obvious poverty and difficult living conditions take pride in their humble homes.

Another major change today is the climate and we leave the cool fresh temperatures of the hills in favour of Colombia’s warm Caribbean flatlands. It’s a day of contrasts and forgotten places of astonishing beauty and we will experience them all from the highest point in La Cordillera to the lowest points in the coastal savannahs in a single ride. Upon reaching the small town of Taraza we load up the vehicles and make a transfer to our hotel in the city of Monteria.

Transfer: to Monteria

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 350 Metres Approx.

With the big mountains behind us, quite literally, the pace will change quite dramatically from here on. Monteria is a major city and in order to avoid negotiating heavy traffic, we start the day with a short transfer to Ciénaga de Oro in the suburbs.

Today’s stage is relatively long but the route that we take is very flat by comparison with what we’ve experienced so far and with change in the terrain, climate and pace of life, we’d be forgiven for thinking that we’d ridden into a completely different Colombia. We ride, for the main part, on very quiet roads through a region which, although could never be described as a high-ranking tourist destination, is diverse and culturally rich.

We’ll aim to reach our destination, on the Caribbean coast, in time for lunch, after which there is time to explore and enjoy the town. Colombia doesn’t really boast what most people consider to be typical Caribbean beaches with golden sands and leaning palm trees, but that’s not to say that this little seaside gem doesn’t pack a punch. What this bustling little town lacks in glamour and tranquillity it makes up for in energy, vibrancy and character and it is difficult not to be taken in by its charm.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 390 Metres Approx.

We’ve reached our final day on the bikes and its a long hot one for which we will aim to make an early start in order to eat up some miles before the sun is at its most intense.

We tackle today in two stages, with a short transfer after lunch breaking the journey and eating into a section of hot flat riding into a strong prevailing headwind. Our first stage is a rolling 95kms which begins with almost 25kms of delightfully smooth freshly laid tarmac and, if we‘re lucky, a Caribbean breeze which delivers us to our lunch stop where we will load up the bikes for the transfer.

Saddling up once again for a 25km finale we’ll ride together along the coast to the magnificent and almost perfectly preserved colonial city of Cartagena, brimming with history, romance and legends of pirates. Cartagena’s beauty is unrivalled by any other Colombian city and is deservedly reputed to be the most beautiful in the Americas.

On arrival we’ll head to the ancient city walls overlooking the ocean where we will enjoy a celebratory drink before making our way to our hotel situated in the historical centre where we will spend our final evening together.

• Meals: Breakfast

All good things must come to an end and after having rested at our hotel and taken our final Colombian breakfast we take a morning transfer to Cartagena’s airport for the short flight to El Nuevo Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, to connect to international flights home.