During my Colombia travels I met a lot of people who all raved about San Gil. Known as the ‘Adventure Sports Capital’ of Colombia, the town offers travellers a variety of options from rafting to bungee-jumping, as well as boasting a cute little plaza and cathedral, and a beautiful park alongside the Rio Fonte. From what I’d heard from other travellers, and from my own research on what there was to see and do, it would be no exaggeration to say that I was dying to get there.
A rather boring 7-hour bus journey took us from Bogotá to San Gil. Arriving late in the evening, we dropped off our bags at Macondo Hostel, which had been recommended to me by other travellers, and headed straight out in search of something to eat. After passing a number of slightly dubious and greasy looking fast food restaurants selling fried chicken and burgers, we found ourselves in a quiet Italian restaurant that was nearby.
We spent the following day enjoying the sights in San Gil, starting with Parque Gallineral, a huge park filled with beautiful tall trees covered in a silvery moss called barbas de viejo (old man’s beard). After paying the modest admission fee, we spent a couple of hours following the winding tree-lined paths that cut through the park, crossing bridges over the river, and stopping to admire the stunning plants and trees.
We even seemed to unwittingly befriend one of the many stray dogs that were also enjoying the park, so we adopted him as our tour guide throughout our time there. We decided to sample some of the fresh fruit juice and ice cream which was being sold at one of the little cafes inside the park, which we both agreed was delicious. When the rain began we took it as a sign to head back to the hostel where we passed some time reading until the rain subsided and we could get into the warm Jacuzzi. Once we were able to pull ourselves away from the hot tub we wandered over to the nearby plaza and had a quick look around the lovely cathedral that flanks it. In the evening we decided to check out the infamous Gringo Mikes where the burgers are beastly and the cocktails are to-die-for.
After such a pleasant and relaxing day, we decided that, being in San Gil, some more adventure was needed, and so the next day we booked paragliding through our hostel. We were picked up from Macondo and driven to an area up in the hills around Curití where the paragliding company, ‘Nativox’, operates. We were strapped to an experienced pilot and taken up into the air for about 12-15 minutes. There were a number of paragliding companies working in the same area, and I’m not sure how similar they are to one another, but despite a slight delay waiting for the pilots to arrive with the equipment, overall I can say that we were both very happy with our company. Once we were in the air and I’d had a few minutes to take in the stunning views of San Gil and the surrounding countryside stretching out below us, my pilot asked me, in slightly broken English, whether I wanted “more adrenaline”.
After I answered in the affirmative, he proceeded to spin us quickly around through the air, dipping so low that I thought we might crash into the trees, and making me feel like I was on the world’s best rollercoaster. The time flew by and soon enough we were landing back on solid ground, where the rest of the crew were ready to receive us, and untangle me from the mix of strings which I had managed to get caught in on the landing! That evening we went to El Maná restaurant which I had heard of through Lonely Planet, where we were treated to a meal of fruit, soup, pasta, desert and lemonade for the absurdly cheap price of 10,000 Colombian pesos (roughly £3.50).
We had heard good reviews of the nearby town of Barichara, so the next day we headed to the bus station and after a quick bus ride, arrived in the quaint little colonial town. We passed a few hours wandering through the streets and admiring the white-washed buildings and churches, but the real highlight was the garden at the top of the hill, which contained a number of different artist’s sculptures, and had the most incredible view of the nearby countryside. When we felt we couldn’t stand gazing in awe at the vista and periodically taking photos any longer, we decided to head back to San Gil where we returned once again to Gringo Mikes and this time tried out the delicious brownie and ice-cream, as well as more of their fantastic fruit mojitos and margaritas.
Other travellers at the hostel had told us some great stories of their experiences rafting in San Gil, but on our last day in the town we opted to go bungee-jumping, which was something we had both always wanted to try. Shaun, the extremely friendly and knowledgeable owner of Macondo Hostel, advised us that the outfit that runs the bungee jumps (the aptly named ‘Bungee Jumping San Gil’) were not of the high professional standard that you might get in other countries, but we decided that the 35-metre jump would be just fine for us first-timers. With my limited Spanish I was able to ask the guy who was in charge whether he thought it was best to face forwards and jump, or backwards, and have him let go of your harness so that you fall. He understandably recommended that I stand with my back facing the drop, so that I couldn’t see what was in store for me and panic (perhaps he could sense that I’m not the bravest person in the world)!
Heeding his advice, I backed carefully towards the edge of the scaffold which was set up over the river, and confirmed in a strong voice (to hide my nerves) that I was lista (ready). With that, he let go of my harness and I went plummeting backwards for a few terrifying seconds before I felt the elastic kick in, and I began to bounce around in the air for about 30 seconds. One consequence of going backwards was that I did end up upside-down with my legs flailing wildly for a few seconds before my brain actually registered that I was the wrong way around, at which point I was able to fling my legs over and thus turn the right way up.
Cheap and cheerful it certainly was (costing us about £15 each), but we both still agreed that the bungee jumps were thoroughly enjoyable. A festival was being held over the weekend in San Gil but sadly we were leaving the next day and wouldn’t be around to experience it, but on the Thursday evening a parade was taking place at the plaza, which I wandered over to check out (whilst Phil stayed behind in the Jacuzzi with a bottle of beer!) The festivities included live music, a small motorbike trick show, and, of course, a very colourful parade of people of all ages dressed in bizarre wigs and costumes, with banners advocating peace and environmental initiatives to protect their land and water, issues which seem to be important in the hearts and minds of many Colombian people. After the parade we headed out for a couple of drinks and found ourselves in Sam’s Pub, which had a nice ambience and a decent selection of drinks.
And thus ended our trip to San Gil. We tried out only a small handful of the activities and sight-seeing options that are available, and still had a fantastic time. If given the chance, I would definitely go back, not only to go paragliding and bungee-jumping again, but also to try out some of the other activities on offer. Whatever your tastes, San Gil can definitely draw you in and keep you entertained for several days!
Laura
Laura is currently travelling around Mexico, having spent time exploring Chile, Colombia and the USA. To follow her blog, or to read about her past adventures, follow this link: http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/LP1989/
Joe Black on
Thank you for sharing this post!