San Gil: the Colombian capital of adventure

About seven hours north of Bogota you’ll find the town of San Gil, surrounded by mountains, rivers and colonial towns. I don’t know why, but this part of Colombia gets skipped in a lot of travel itineraries, while there’s so much to do!

Living on the edge in San Gil

Crowned as the ‘adventure capital of Colombia’ you can guess what to expect. Whitewater rafting, paragliding, bungee jumping, rappelling down waterfalls, crawling through caves, cliff jumping, it’s all part of the fun around here. So adrenaline junkies out there, this is your place to be! Shall I make your day even better? It’s incredibly cheap as well. $20 dollar bungee jumping or $15 dollar paragliding, it does make you wonder if safety’s first, but hey, I made it out alive! (Might wanna check your travel insurance beforehand…)

Crazy local games

San Gil is not only your outdoor thrill seeking mecca, even indoors they know how to spice things up. This is the place where I “learned” (or you could better say “tried”) the local game of Tejo. Tejo involves heavy metal balls, a circle full of clay, lots of beers and gunpowder. Strange combination, but the locals treat it like its part of the Olympics. Basically you try to smash the heavy metal balls into this circle of clay, hoping it will hit the little envelopes of gunpowder which gives you points (and deafness) and makes you drink even more beers. Lots of fun, but unfortunately needless to say, I sucked at it.

The local delicacies

Since San Gil seems to be the place for firsts, I had another once in a lifetime (but never again) experience. Apparently they got some sort of delicacy around here called hormigas culonas. For those who don’t speak Spanish; big-arsed fried ants, literally. My mom always taught me to try first, but I kind of wish I forgot about that wisdom here.

Taking it slow…

For those who aren’t so fond of all these new exciting experiences, San Gil actually has some quite relaxing things in store for you as well. Dipping in one of the many waterfalls and natural pools around or strolling around the beautiful colonial towns like Barichara makes time stand still. No ants for dinner? Gringo Mike’s has some proper Mexican-American style dishes that will fill you up and make you wanna roll back to wherever you’re staying. 

San Gil really is a place for everyone and it is so easy to add a few days to your initial plan. The town will surprise you with its people, amazing food, beautiful surroundings and of course its overload of activities. Spice up your life (wise words by the Spice Girls..) or enjoy the tranquility of the rolling hills and old towns that take you back in time, San Gil got it all.

Marthe

Photos by: M. Barends ©