Cali to Medellin by Car?

Gator says on Mar 9, 2008, 14:41:

Safe but I would do it during daylight hours, aboout 450km, say 8 or 9 hours.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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wendell13 says on Mar 9, 2008, 16:07:

It would be cheaper to fly if it is only one person...There are many, many toll boothes between Cali and Medellin and they are not cheap. I rode with a friend from Cali to Santa Rosa de Cabal outside of Pereira. I think I counted 7. They were about 8000 pesos each. That is over 50,000 pesos one way just to Pereira. You are looking at paying over 200,000 just on tolls alone, not including gas and food.

My friend did the drive to Medellin from Cali. He said never again, but he was traveling with a young child. He drove during the day and night and it took him about 14 hours last October.

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Atrevido says on Mar 9, 2008, 17:08:

Wendell, Gator clearly stated that the trip takes only 8 or 9 hours but you say it took your friend almost double. Are we to surmise that Gator drives like a bat out of hell?

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tomtom33 says on Mar 9, 2008, 17:28:

Shit happens on those mountain roads. The trip from MDE to CTG by bus is supposed to take 12 hours. It has taken my novia 16 to 20 hours on occasion.

If you don't want to fly, take the bus. It's quite cheap and comfortable. I did it once. I would never drive it because I could never get used to cars coming at me in my lane coming around curves. There are some very crazy drivers in them thar hills.

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Morrongo says on Mar 9, 2008, 19:57:

Can confirm should take 8/9 hrs.......normal conditions

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Mononoke28 says on Mar 10, 2008, 09:40:

I've gone from Tuluá to Medellín. It's an 8 hour trip with a beautiful scenery. My husband has travelled at night and it has also been safe.

Diana

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Gator says on Mar 10, 2008, 09:47:

Guess I should have said not counting unforeseen circumstances. Since you did not ask about flying I made no comment on that aspect.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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bickerss says on Mar 10, 2008, 10:30:

Have taken the fast minivan taxis a few times - few hrs to Periera and then 5 hrs from there to Cali from Memory.

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Juanes says on Mar 11, 2008, 09:17:

absolutamente no hay problema patron....

i did this journey twice last year and it was fine...the smaller mini van is good...when you go on with the bigger buses which is just as safe siempre pregunta por un descuento...i paid 90 mil instead of 120 mil bogota - santa marta....especially if this bus isnt full...say you paid that before and always go and ask 2-3 of the companies in the terminals...i remember breaking up my journey in manizles too to go visit a nacional park there...

as for this travel in daylight hours i dont know where all the scaremongering comes about cos i took 3 nite buses out of probably 18 from ipiales in the south through san augustin, huila department, santander, etc....the truth is i have never felt more safe on colombian buses than anywhere in central or latin america apart from argentina/brasil maybe...

its worth a daytime ride just to see the fabulous mountains and cordilleras anyway so i would do that defintelty. this road is well patrolled by govt and policia nacional too for checks so dont be scared to see the real country by rode....

travel around san augustin, tierra dentro and buenaventura/san cipriano was more edgier if anything cos of the closeness to falling down the mountainside while the drivers drinking water, speaking to the conductor and blasting jorge celdon...

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

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tomtom33 says on Mar 11, 2008, 11:34:

What you feel and the reality of the situation may not be the same. Scaremongering? The simple fact is that it is more dangerous at night - no matter where you are.

Last I heard, Colombia ain't Kansas.

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nueva york bombero says on Mar 11, 2008, 15:07:

Juanes, thanks for the positivity!!!
Definitely not enough of that here!!!
I haven't had problems traveling at night either......

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Juanes says on Mar 11, 2008, 18:54:

maybe it is more dangerous at night tomtom especially on those cafetaria roads but only cos of the fall into the abyss at 2500 - 3000 metres into the green valleys but its not more dangerous at night cos of anti govt or paramilitary happenings.

seriously dude , i felt more scared in downtown miami when i got off at martin luther king boulevard by accident when trying to go back to north beach....or the buses in nicaragua where a guy pulled a machete on me for asking for my money back for double charging me.

all im saying is that travel in colombia overnight is not a bad or unsafe option as reported badly by govts and individuals alike on websites,etc.....the buses mostly have a/c, people travel with their kids, and the paras have patrols every so many kilometres...so keep it real sont fly and see the country by bus.........

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

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vicshere says on Mar 11, 2008, 19:44:

tomtom I think we should qualify dangerous....I would say the most dangerous thing at night are the poor road conditions....pot holes....stopped cars and trucks...donkeys ...bikes without lights.....rocks.....car and truck parts.....drunks.... slow cars and trucks.....robbers and thugs.....unlite speed bumps.....hair pin turns .....blind corners...speeding busses and trucks....vehicles without head lights... tailgating busses and trucks.....on coming highbeams.....on coming traffic in your driving lane....twos reduced to half a lane with no warning.....GOD DAM IT tomtom it is dam DANGEROUS to drive at night

listo

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Gator says on Mar 11, 2008, 20:31:

Both Vic and I live in Colombia, married to Colombinas,but since you live in the UKL we will defer to your superior knowledge on travel. Vic listed some of the reasons it is not a good idea.

"...but its not more dangerous at night cos(sic) of anti govt or paramilitary happenings."
In reading the posts YOU, Juanes, are the only one to throw this "fact" into the equation.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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vicshere says on Mar 11, 2008, 20:50:

gator I only travel at night when it a has to trip...but in my bus and car travels I have never come across any "anti govt or paramilitary happenings." and that's because I try very hard to avoid any possible encounters and or those areas of travel....in other words you should really know the road which you will be traveling on....I always stay on the main trunk highways...don't stop for anything even accidents that your involved in..drive to the first police de caretters and explain....don't give rides...dam I could go on all night ..its all common sense dam it

listo

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Juanes says on Mar 12, 2008, 04:48:

well whatever guys but i know for a fact colombian buses and the highway are less 'dangerous' , however you define it, compared to nicaragua/el salvador and bolivia, ecuador, peru, paraguay in south america....

and i know cos i went on chicken buses, luxurious ones, american school ones from la cuidad de mexico a patagonia en argentina, and did cartagena a ipiales and every place in between.

so back to the original post ' cali - medellin' by car,.....it is infinately less dangerous travelling in a coche compared to bus travel on the same journey which is ultimately ok to use both during the day and night, although i would recommend fhe former para disfrutar las cordilleras.

entiendes mendes ?

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

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Gator says on Mar 12, 2008, 10:00:

Vic. ¡Exacto!

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

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Juanes says on Mar 13, 2008, 17:34:

so felicidades on marrying a colombian girl, have you travelled colombia from head to toe on local or national buses before this or do you just pass comment from your office presumably in or close to the zona rosa about travel in the country this way ?

http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Juanes/

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