Welcome to Colombia! This detailed motorcycle travel guide is packed with info covering everything you need to know about motorcycle travel in Colombia including paperwork, routes, safety, top tips and more. If you’re planning an overland motorcycle adventure in Colombia – start here.
This Colombia motorcycle travel guide is based on our ride through Colombia as part of our round the world trip. The guides on this website are constantly updated with info from contributors to keep them current, up-to-date and as helpful as possible for you.
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Motorcycle Travel Guide Colombia
By Andy Davidson
Mad or Nomad: Round the World Motorcycle Traveller
Colombia is one of our absolute favourite countries. In over 100 countries we’ve travelled through, it’s the first one we could seriously consider living in. Beautiful towns, stunning scenery, friendly people, great food and coffee… it’s got it all. This is a special country to travel in on a motorcycle through, and this guide explains everything you need to know to do that whether you’re overlanding, on a round the world trip, riding the Americas or just flying in and renting a bike. You’ll love Colombia!
READ MORE: All Colombia Guides
Our motorcycle ride through Colombia
We (Andy and Alissa from Mad or Nomad) are on a round the world motorcycle trip and entered Colombia in September 2024. This guide is based on our experiences and what we learnt. However, as with all our guides, readers and fellow travellers kindly contribute more info, which we always update our guides with so they stay current.
For more info on our ride there and what we got up to, have a read of our Colombia Blog.
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Paperwork
To enter Colombia with a foreign motorcycle, you will need your passport, motorcycle registration document and driver’s licence.
You will then need to obtain a Temporary Import Permit (TIP) and purchase insurance. Here’s the info in more detail.
Immigration
Colombia operates a 90-day visa-free program for over 100 countries. That means you can enter without a visa and stay up to 90 days and nothing has to be done electronically before entering.
However, note that while the UK is currently one of the visa-free countries, that may change soon. The UK has recently changed their rules on Colombians entering the UK, and so Colombia has recently announced that they may have to start asking British nationals for visas in reciprocally. So, if you’re from the UK, keep an eye on the Gov website for any recent changes.
Temporary Import Permit (TIP)
You will require a temporary import to take your foreign registered motorcycle into Colombia. To get your TIP you will need copies of your passport, vehicle registration and driver’s licence. If you don’t have copies you can make copies at the border if coming from Ecuador. If you are flying your motorcycle from Panama (or elsewhere in the world) then you will receive copies of your TIP when clearing customs.
A Colombia motorcycle temporary import permit (TIP) lasts 90 days, running alongside your visa, and can be extended once for an additional 30 days.
Motorcycle insurance
Motorcycle insurance is compulsory in Colombia. Insurance is called SOAT and can be obtained at SOAT insurance offices, or you can employ someone to obtain it for you before you land if you don’t want the hassle. Of course, it will be more expensive.
To find a SOAT office and sort your insurance yourself, simply search for Seguros del Estado.
Here’s a recommendation if you’re in Bogota where foreigners can purchase it easily. Expect to pay around 200,000 for three months for a motorcycle over 200cc.
Alternatively, Caroline is often used by motorcycle travellers to obtain SOAT. But you’re looking at nearly double the price. The benefit is she does it all over Whatsapp and sends you through the documents digitally. Her number is +573134416000.
Detailed info on paperwork
If you’re planning a motorcycle trip and aren’t used to the different types of paperwork requirements, or are just trying to get your head around motorcycle paperwork in general, have a read of our packed paperwork for motorcycle travellers guide too.
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Getting into and out of Colombia
Colombia shares land borders with Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. So, you’ve got a lot of options for entry and exit.
However, border situations are always changing, so we recommend using the iOverlander app to find a border that suits your route and reading the current and up-to-date info left by other travellers to pick your border.
Note that border towns are rarely the nicest places to stay. So, it’s always worth getting to the border early with a full stomach and drinks and snacks to hand so you’re not rushing or stuck in mid-day heat.
But the two most common points for crossing into and out of Colombia for travellers traversing the Americas are via Ecuador and Panama.
Entering and exiting via Ecuador is straight forward. There are a few easy land borders, but we recommend crossing at the Ipiales border and checking out the church in the town.
There is a land border with Panama, however, it’s impassible as it’s somewhere in the infamous Darien Gap jungle. To get your motorcycle between Panama and Colombia you will need to fly it. There are a few options for flying your motorcycle. And we have written a dedicated guide explaining the process and our experience, which you’ll find below.
If, however, you want to ship into Colombia from elsewhere in the world, we recommend you have a look at our Recommended Shipping Companies page and get in touch with company listed under Colombia to help you receive your motorcycle once it arrives in the country.
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When to ride in Colombia
Colombia’s dry season runs from December to March and June to September. The wet season runs from April to May and October to November. However, the weather in Colombia is largely dependent on the region. Note, before we rode in Colombia we were repeatedly told to make sure we avoid October as it’s the worst and wettest month of the year to ride. We rode throughout the entire of October and were rained on twice.
Everything was cheaper because we were out of season and the weather was absolutely perfect. So, take weather warnings with a pinch of salt.
Money, costs and accommodation
Colombia is one of the cheapest countries we have ever travelled through – including the entirety of Southeast Asia.
Hotels, food, activities and petrol are all very affordable and it’s easy to live and travel in Colombia for long periods of time.
Money can easily be withdrawn at ATMs in large towns, you’ll find them using Google Maps.
Accommodation
We recommend using iOverlander and Booking.com to find cheaper accommodation options in Colombia. AirBnB is also surprisingly good too.
Camping is possible in Colombia, but as always, use your common sense and don’t camp just anywhere. Speak to locals and make sure you have a good understanding of the area you’re planning on staying first.
For more info on camping, have a look at our camping guides.
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Hotels we recommend in Colombia
- Bogota – Hotel Natural Sevgi
- Mongui – Mongui Plaza Hotel
- Cocuy – GLL Hotel El Cocuy
- Guacamayas – Hotel Doña Tere
- Malaga – Hotel Las Flores Málaga
- Barichara – Hotel Casa Aparicio López
- Barbosa – Hotel La Realeza
- Jardin – Cabañas Sentido Ancestral
- Jardin – Hostal Las Flores Jardín
- La Unión – Donkey Sunrise (a must for adventure riders)
- Filandia – Steel Horse Colombia (another must for adventure riders, you can ride horses here)
- El Espinal – Hotel Albatros
- Villavieja – Cosmos Tatacoa Hotel
- Gigante – Hotel Casa Quinta
- San Agustin – Masaya Hostel San Agustin
- Mocoa – Hotel Boutique Patio Bonito
- Colon – La Posada
- Ipiales – Hotel Royal Class
Petrol food and water
You won’t have trouble finding petrol throughout Colombia. There aren’t many big stretches without petrol stations either. In some remote regions you may need to fill up out of bottles if you’re caught out, but that’s unlikely.
The food is delicious and easy to find, and you won’t have an issue finding water either.
Safety and security for motorcycle travellers in Colombia
Don’t be put off by safety concerns in Colombia. Of course, there are regions and areas that you may need to avoid (more on that below), but for the most part Colombia is a safe and inviting country to travel through and it’s a fantastic country for motorcycle travellers. Have a read of this Thoughts from the Road column on Colombia and check out our safety article too.
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Avoiding dangerous areas
The UK Gov website has a great map where you can see the areas to avoid in orange. That makes plotting a route through the green areas a lot easier. There may be times where you want or need to pass through orange zones, if you must, use your common sense and try to avoid the more remote roads and regions in those areas.
iOverlander
iOverlander is a great resource. You will find pins marked on the map where others have had trouble. But don’t take it as gospel because pins can be out of date. There were times we travelled along roads where there were pins that others had mentioned they had been robbed etc. But times change and those pins need updating. Still, it is a valuable guide.
Locals
Asking the locals is a great way to suss out a route or area. This is especially handy and useful if you’re thinking of taking a less travelled route or for off-road riding.
Don’t ride at night
This is an important one. For travellers, it’s sound advice wherever you are in the world. It’s not just the worry of banditos, but also because livestock, wild animals, sand, gravel, potholes and the dreaded speed bumps litter the roads. Always try and get to your accommodation way before it gets dark.
Common sense
Most importantly, use your common sense. If an area feels particularly dodgy or you have a lot of eyes on you without a lot of smiles accompanying them, just move on. The longer you travel the more you develop a kind of sense for these things regardless. And even if your sense is wrong, at least you avoided the potential risk.
READ MORE: How to Deal with Bribes
Keeping your motorcycle and gear safe
It’s always a good idea to find accommodation that has secure parking. And if it doesn’t, then pay to put your bike in a secure carpark with security for the night.
If you’re booking via booking.com then it’ll say whether or not it has parking and you can set a filter. If you’re on iOverlander, then again it will most likely say in the description. And if it’s via Google Maps, you can either look through the pictures or call and ask (one of the reasons we recommend buying a local SIM card so you can make calls).
We tend to put our bikes in safe parking areas belonging to the hotel or more commonly inside a hotel’s courtyard. On occasion, when a hotel doesn’t have that, they just let us bring our bikes inside. We have even brought the bikes into our rooms before.
And on occasion, we simply leave them outside. It’s dependent on the area and what the hotel staff say about safety.
Regarding kit, we leave both our panniers on the bikes. Alissa’s panniers hold our personal rucksacks and they come into the hotel and that’s it. Everything else stays on the bikes. My panniers hold the camping gear in one and the tools and miscellaneous in the other. Mine are secured with a Mosko Moto cable lock. This could be cut relatively easily but deters opportune thieves. In our crash bar bags we have other belongings. All of this stays on the bike overnight and when we leave the bikes to walk about and we’ve never had a problem.
When we started our round the world trip back in 2018, we left with a big chain lock, disc lock and motorcycle cover. Now we have a small bicycle lock and very rarely use it. If you are concerned, a tatty old cover is a good idea to act as an invisibility cloak.
READ MORE: How to Keep Your Motorcycle and Gear Safe While Travelling
Health and safety
Vaccines
When travelling abroad, it’s important to read up on the vaccine recommendations and requirements of the countries you are travelling through.
The best website we have found, that clearly explains what is needed and required is travelhealthpro.org.uk. Simply click on each country you plan on travelling through and read through the vaccine recommendations.
Yellow Fever
There is a risk of yellow fever transmission throughout parts of Central and South America. And some countries in the Americas will require you to show a yellow fever vaccination certificate. So, we recommend getting the vaccine before travelling. You can find info on the travelhealthpro website, and the fitfortravel.nhs.uk website has additional info with a map of areas at risk of yellow fever.
READ MORE: How to Stay Healthy on the Road
Travel insurance and emergencies
We highly recommend getting decent personal travel insurance before you leave on your trip. It’s incredibly important that you’re covered in case of an accident and your medical bills will be taken care off.
If you are planning on heading into very remote regions and off-roading, then we also recommend carrying an emergency satellite GPS device so you can call for help if you have a medical emergency.
Alissa had a serious crash in Nepal years ago and we wish we had an SOS device back then. Luckily we had excellent travel insurance though, which took care of the £20,000 hospital bill. Do not risk it, make sure you are covered.
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Planning your motorcycle route through Colombia
When we first started planning our motorcycle ride through Colombia, we were sent a list of Colombia’s best towns and told that we can’t go wrong if we link these up. And they were right. Here’s a link to a great selection of 17 cultural heritage towns throughout Colombia. It makes a great starting point for planning your route through the country.
Toll vs free roads
There are both free roads and toll roads in Colombia. However, motorcyclists do not need to pay to use the toll roads and highways in Colombia. Don’t be put off by them either, especially if you need to cover some distance quickly, a lot of the toll roads are stunning.
Note: if you’re using Google Maps or Maps.Me and have ticked to avoid toll roads, make sure to double check your route for any sections where it goes a very round-about way. For instance, there may be a small bridge which costs pennies to get across if you’re in a car, but as you’ve clicked to avoid tolls, Google may take you on an hour-long detour.
Rides, places, activities and recommendations
Colombia is full of incredible routes, rides, things to do and pretty towns you’ll want to spend your time in. Here’s a list of some of our favourites.
Trampoline of Death
Apparently one of the most dangerous roads in the world! But don’t believe that at all. It can easily be done two-up on a large capacity adventure bike so long as you’re comfortable riding gravel. The difficulty is the narrow sections if trucks are passing. But even then, it’s just a pull over and wait game. Easy peasy. Don’t be put off by the name and add this beauty to your list.
El Cocuy National Park
Cocuy is a cool little town in the Andean Highlands where all the houses and buildings are painted white with a lick of mint. It’s a little hilly maze of cobbled streets and easy to get lost because every street looks the same. El Cocuy National Park is on its door step and you’ll see a small dirt ring road (which can be ridden in a day) looping to the east of the town. This is an awesome ride. And the ride to Cocuy from Bogota is also a good one too.
Take the road to Toca and then the small and pretty dirt road to Pesca, then up to Sogamoso, Socha, Socota and to Cocuy.
In Cocuy you’ll ride at around 3,700m through Paramos, which are a kind of high-altitude eco-system / desert found in the Andes full of weird flora and fauna that has adapted to the cold and wet conditions.
Steel Horse Colombia
Steel Horse Colombia is a beautiful ranch nestled in Filandia, Colombia. They run awesome horse riding tours or just day rides for all ability levels. Even if you’re not into riding, it’s a great overlander spot and they have great accommodation.
READ MORE: How to Go Horse Riding in Colombia
Tatacoa Desert
The Tatacoa Desert is a dry tropical forest filled with ancient fossils, cacti, turtles, snakes, wildcats and evidence of human habitation dating back thousands of years. It’s seriously easy to get lost too. The desert is also an exceptionally good spot for stargazing. There’s an outdoor observatory and the astronomer who owns it has the largest private telescope in Colombia. And we got to see Saturn through his scope! Nearly 800 million miles away. Worth checking it out if you’re in the area.
Cocoro Valley
Colombia’s Quindio wax palm trees are the tallest palms in the world – soaring over 200 feet (60 metres ) and live for up to 200 years. The trunks were originally used for wax candles, but are now protected and the Quindio is Colombia’s national tree. They thrive in this high-altitude Andean cloud forest, and the reason they grow so tall is because they grow so slowly – so they don’t deplete the nutrients from the soil too quickly. This keeps them going for a couple of centuries. It’s a cool place to check out and walk about, but you can’t ride through this section.
Los Nevados National Park
This ride didn’t go to plan. We took a 2 hour detour to cross Los Nevados National Park, but the entire route was completely clouded over with thick fog and we couldn’t see a thing. But from the pictures, it looks like one not to miss!
Towns
Guatape – Gorgeous Guatape! Known for the massive rock overlooking the town… It’s worth the hike up and is also a very cool place to spend a few days.
Jardin – Jardin is one of our absolute favourite towns. It’s a beautiful spot and we spent three days in a cabana nestled in a coffee plantation above the town for my birthday. You’ll find it in the accommodation list above if you’re interested.
Barichara – Another beautiful town with great restaurants and accommodation. A little more touristy, but very pretty at the same time.
Riding gear
For the most part, Colombia has decent weather all year round due to its proximity to the equator. There are six regions in the country and even if one is facing harsh rain, the others might have sun, so it’s easy to plan your ride so as to avoid bad weather.
So, we recommend choosing an ultra-lightweight, breathable and well vented adventure riding suit – and one that is not waterproof. Pack a cheap and light set of throwover waterproofs in case it rains and a small compressible down jacket in case you’re caught out in the cold. For more info and guides on adventure riding gear have a look at the below guides.
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Renting a motorcycle in Colombia
You may want to travel in Colombia using a rental bike or by joining a guided tour instead of taking your own bike there. This is a great way of exploring the country without having to ship your own bike to the Americas, or for a quick trip or even if you’d just rather ride with a professional guide who knows the country inside out.
You’ve got a range of options here including road only tours, off-road only or even a mix of the two. And there’s a fantastic selection of companies and motorcycles to choose from in Colombia. Check out our recommended rental and tour companies for Colombia for more info.
Buying a motorcycle in Colombia
Another option to consider is buying a Colombian plated motorcycle as a foreigner. This is of course trickier than renting, but totally possible. We have a dedicated guide explaining exactly how to do it below.
READ MORE: How to Buy a Motorcycle in Colombia
Top tips
WhatsApp – We recommend joining the Colombia WhatsApp group for overland motorcycle travellers.
Language – Learning the language goes a long way in any country you visit. And luckily, Spanish is a relatively easy language to learn for English speakers. We recommend at least learning the basics (hello, thank you, please etc) to be polite and make an effort. Anything else you learn goes a long way in improving your experience interacting and engaging with locals. But don’t worry, it’s easy and fun to communicate even if you really struggle with languages and you can get by without it. Communicating When You Don’t Speak the Language
Apps – Download the Google Translate app onto your phone, and then download Spanish onto it. This will work offline and you can easily communicate with locals using this app.
iOverlander – It’s a fantastic tool for overland travellers and is free. Download it and contribute wherever you can.
Maps.Me – A free offline map and navigation app. Simply download the maps for Colombia and use it offline. The Best Free Apps for Motorcycle Travellers
SIM card – We recommend purchasing a Colombian SIM card for your travels. It will make life easier when travelling and you can make phone calls to book hotels. They’re easy to buy from any Claro store. However, you may want more data or not want to have to deal with swapping your SIM out.
We personally use Holafly eSIMs. This way, you can get mobile data on your phone ready for when you cross into the country. It’s the easiest and quickest way to have unlimited data on your phone.
Speak to the locals as much as possible – Make an effort in learning language basics and practice as much as possible. Locals always appreciate it when you try. Relax and enjoy your ride in Colombia, it’s an incredible place and made all the more better by the wonderful people you’ll meet.
Read more on motorcycle travel in Colombia
Thanks for checking out the Motorcycle Travel Guide: Colombia. We hope you enjoyed it! Here’s a few more articles on motorcycle travel in Colombia and the Americas that we recommend you read next.
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Are you planning a motorcycle trip in Colombia? Do you have any questions, tips or suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.
Great article and very informative thank you
Thanks David, much appreciated.
Andy
This has helped me so much with my planning for South America! Thank you guys!
Hi JJ, thanks for your comment, really glad to hear it’s helped! Shout if you need anything else and all the best with your travels.
Andy
Your website is an invaluable resource. Just couple of queries about Colombia page…
1. The Colombia landing page says “Colombia is undiscovered, largely unexplored”, which taken literally is, well, rather Imperial and patronising of the locals, innit? I think most of Colombia will be well known to someone.
2. About the Darien – you state baldly “need to fly”. Not strictly true, even if most of us do now.
3. Do please elaborate on the Colombia/Peru border? I just assumed it was rideable, until recently – whoops, apparently not. Yet not utterly impenetrable, I think I’ve seen, somewhere, a report of boats etc, of sub-Darien epicness.
Hi Gideon,
Thanks for reading – and for your kind words on our website.
In answer to your questions…
1. Interesting point. It certainly wasn’t intended that way. More to highlight there are regions in Colombia well off the main tourist trail. For example, the Nabusimake and the Arhuacos. But yes, I guess some people may take it in an unintended negative light. I’ll reword. Thanks.
2. As far as I’m aware, overland motorcyclists do need to fly their bikes now. The previous routes via San Blas and local fisherman are no longer allowed due to strict tightening of the rules. I’ve heard of one or two people who have managed it, but it comes with great risk of confiscation. The people that try it are travelling with small 125cc bikes that they’ve bought in Colombia and are prepared to risk the cost of the bike. It’s of course different for overlanders. There may be the option to send it via cargo/container – as car drivers do, but this is really uncommon too. So, yes, perhaps it’s not strictly true, but for the most part, that’s the way to go.
3. We’re not aware of any border crossings between Colombia and Peru that’s why we don’t mention that in this guide. If you do hear of one or go that way, then please do report back!
Thanks again for your questions Gideon, and for your contributions to the website – the Honduras notes in particular have been super helpful for readers.
Cheers,
Andy
Cheers Andy,
2. Yes, it was really the container option that I meant as an alternative. In some circumstances it would be a better option. We have indeed opted to fly.
Thanks you two! Planning to be in the south of Colombia sometime soon-ish and found your post really helpful!
Hi Jim, thanks for your comment! Good to hear from you.
Really glad to hear you’re heading to Colombia – you are going to absolutely love it! Have a blast and please do report back on here and let us know how you get on!
All the best,
Andy
Your Travel Guide really whetted my appetite! I’ll let you know for sure. Thanks Andy and have fun in Africa mate!