Experiences and local guides in San Gil

Nature

San Gil, at 1,100 m in the mountains of Santander, lives between two rivers: the Fonce, running through town, and the Suárez, with class IV rapids. Half an hour away the Chicamocha canyon opens 2,000 m deep, with a park and cable car over the abyss; around it, waterfalls such as Juan Curí (180 m), stalactite caves and the colonial village of Barichara, carved in stone.

Activities

• Rafting on the Suárez (class IV and V) and the Fonce (family-friendly), kayaking and canoeing
• Paragliding over the Chicamocha canyon or the Curití valley, flights of 20 to 45 minutes
• Caving at Cueva del Indio and Cueva de la Vaca, canyoning at the Juan Curí waterfall
• Bungee, zipline and mountain biking around Barichara and the Camino Real to Guane
• Barichara, one of Colombia's prettiest villages, and roasted hormigas culonas in season

When to go

All year, with a mild climate. December to March and July to August are drier, ideal for paragliding; April, May, October and November are wetter and the rivers run higher for rafting.

How to get there

From Bucaramanga (BGA airport, flights from Bogotá and Medellín), 2 h 30 by bus through the Chicamocha canyon. From Bogotá, 6 to 7 hours by bus. Barichara is 30 minutes by bus; the Chicamocha park and its cable car 1 hour. Rafting and paragliding trips leave from central San Gil.