Hilo de Plata is a bike trip through the Chicamocha Canyon in Colombia. The route combines exhilarating days of climbs and descents with relaxing nights in old colonial towns. The standard route is three days and four nights, but we can tailor the experience to your group.
On the rimLunch stopThe Chicamocha CanyonGravel through the dry forestThe river far belowWorth the climbMorning light in the canyonOld stone caminosThrough the old stoneworkThe hotel in JordánA real bed at the end of the dayDown into the canyon
The route
Distance
155 km96 mi
Climbing
4,400 m14,400 ft
Riding days
336 to 60 km a day
Elevation
400–1,834 m1,310–6,017 ft
Level
Intermediate
Day by day
Day 1
Girón to Zapatoca
Hard
Canyon views all day, then coffee in Zapatoca
60 km (37 mi) · +1,900 m (6,230 ft) · 6 h riding · See it on the map
We roll out of Girón toward Zapatoca, shadowed for most of the day by the canyon itself: arid, sheer, imposing. A day to find a rhythm and stop wherever you want. Zapatoca rewards you with good coffee and Santander-style cooking.
It is the longest day and the biggest climbing day. Girón sits at about 740 m and Zapatoca at 1,720 m, and with the dips along the way the day adds up to 1,900 m of climbing. Start early, ride it steadily, and let the canyon do the entertaining.
Day 2
Zapatoca to Barichara
Medium
A swim and a picnic on the way to Barichara
59 km (37 mi) · +1,290 m (4,230 ft) · 6 h, ~9 h door to door riding · See it on the map
The dry canyon gives way to the green mountains of the Serranía de los Yariguíes, through small towns like La Fuente and Galán, where a bike gets you close to the people and the food. Arriving in Barichara is the day's prize.
This is the day with the most in it. There are several places to stop, including one worth swimming at, and a natural picnic stop at about km 45.
The big descent to the river, then rafting if you like
≈36 km (≈22 mi) · ≈ +1,230 m (4,040 ft) · 4–5 h riding · See it on the map
From Barichara we drop to Guane, a tiny colonial village at the end of the old camino real, then climb back onto the plateau to Villanueva. The day finishes with the longest descent of the trip, down the canyon wall to Jordán, an old village on the Chicamocha.
About 36 km and 1,200 m of climbing, with roughly 2,000 m of descent. Most of the climbing comes between Guane and Villanueva; after that, the drop to the river is long, and rough in places near the bottom. These numbers are approximate: the day's ridden track will replace them.
Optional: rafting on the Chicamocha at Jordán, as an add-on to either the guided trip or a self-guided ride: roughly 2 hours and 7 km on the river.
Day 0Arrive. Pickup at Bucaramanga airport (BGA), welcome dinner and the night in Girón.
Day 1Girón to Zapatoca. Night in Zapatoca.
Day 2Zapatoca to Barichara. Night in Barichara.
Day 3Barichara to Jordán, by Guane and Villanueva. Night in Jordán.
Day 4Breakfast in Jordán and the transfer to Bucaramanga airport (BGA).
Included
1–2 guides depending on group size
Support vehicle carrying your luggage every riding day
Four nights: hotels and guesthouses in Girón, Zapatoca, Barichara and Jordán, in single or shared rooms
Breakfast, lunch and dinner on the riding days, the welcome dinner in Girón and breakfast in Jordán on the last morning
Snacks and water on the route
Photos of your ride
Transfers: Bucaramanga airport to Girón, and Jordán to the airport
Not included
Flights
Meals on day 4 after breakfast
Drinks outside meals, personal expenses and tips
Add-ons
Mountain bike rental, 3 days: COP 280,000US$90
E-bike rental, 3 days: COP 835,000US$270
Rafting on the Chicamocha, about 7 km: COP 295,000US$95
Booking details
Reserve free. Nothing is charged until 4 riders have reserved and the departure is confirmed.
Reserve your place. No card needed.
When 4 riders have reserved, the departure is confirmed and we email you a link to pay the COP 930,000US$300 deposit within 7 days. More riders can join, up to 7.
The balance is due 30 days before departure.
Deposit
COP 930,000US$300 per rider. Open departures: nothing to pay until the departure is confirmed (4 riders); then 7 days to pay. Private groups: paid at booking, for the whole group.
Balance
Due 30 days before departure.
Payment
In Colombian pesos through Wompi (Bancolombia): card, PSE or Nequi.
Airport
Bucaramanga (BGA), about 30 minutes from Girón
Operated by
Regiones Bike SAS, RNT 95664
Want more days, a different route or your own pace? We also design custom bikepacking trips. Let us know
Good to know
What will we eat?
Most meals are in family-run restaurants and local kitchens along the way. Dietary needs are no problem. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, allergies or simply things you don’t eat: tell us ahead of time and we’ll plan the meals around you.
What’s the weather like?
The bottom of the canyon is hot and dry, while the air around the canyon rim is cooler and the land more lush. From January to April the San Gil weather station (975 m) averages highs of 31–33 °C (88–91 °F) and lows around 19 °C (66 °F). Rain picks up from March, usually arriving as afternoon showers. We start early to avoid the midday heat. Sunscreen and plenty of water matter more than rain gear, but a light jacket is still worth packing.
What’s the terrain like?
The route covers about 155 km over three days, roughly 40% of it unpaved. Day 1 follows paved road above the canyon and has the biggest climb of the trip. Day 2 is mostly gravel and dirt back roads through farm country. Day 3 mixes stone-paved colonial streets with gravel and pavement before a long descent to the river that gets rough near the bottom. None of it is technical singletrack, though control matters more than speed on the descents. A hardtail mountain bike or a gravel bike with wide tires is the right tool.
What will we see along the way?
The route moves between two very different landscapes. The Chicamocha Canyon is dry country, covered in cactus, thorn scrub and tropical dry forest, while the land around the rim turns greener and cooler. On day 2 the road climbs through hills of coffee, sugarcane and pasture toward the Serranía de los Yariguíes, a national park of wet mountain forest. Reserves in the region protect the Chicamocha wren, a bird found nowhere else in the world.
What’s the history of the area?
Before the Spanish arrived this was the land of the Guane people, who farmed the mesas and walked paths between the valleys. The village of Guane still carries their name. Colonists widened those paths into stone-paved caminos reales for mules and cattle. In the 1800s these roads carried the region’s tobacco and quina (cinchona bark, the source of quinine) toward the Magdalena River and on to Europe. Geo von Lengerke, the German entrepreneur behind many of them, is buried in Zapatoca. Girón’s whitewashed colonial center is protected as national heritage, and Barichara is a national monument considered one of the best-preserved colonial towns in Colombia. Jordán grew up as a resting point where the old road crossed the Chicamocha. Its suspension bridge, built in 1864, is said to have charged the first toll in Colombia.
