From City To City

oldbongo says on Oct 5, 2004, 15:01:

the oldgringo says.... take the plane..
take the plane..

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Pirovito says on Oct 5, 2004, 15:08:

OMG Did You have any bad experience traveling by car???

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emilyh says on Oct 5, 2004, 16:00:

I think it just depends what time Hi Pirovito,

My Boyfriend and I drove from Cali to Bogota in December just gone. We were driving to Bogota to spend Christmas with his family and left early in the morning (at about 6am) on the 23rd.

I would have to say it was probably the highlight of my time in Colombia. The scenery was absolutely amazing....in fact when describing the crossing of La Linea to people here (Melbourne, Australia) I just have nothing to compare it too, to describe how everytime I thought we were at the top, there was still more.

When we went, there had actually been an accident on La Linea early in the morning and we were stuck in a traffic jam which had already been going on for a few hours....so we made the best of it and headed back into Armenia and then onto the "Parque Nacional del Cafe" in Montenegro, just outside of Armenia. Once again, breathtaking scenery and a great park to visit for the day.

After a couple of hours there, we went and drove back to Calarca and the traffic jam was now moving slowly up the mountain, which was fine with me because I wouldn't want to drive fast on that road. It took quite a while as there were soo many cars, but it was a really great experience, especially the difference in temperature as you go from quite hot Cali to the top of La Linea which is cold and then down to steaming Girardot and Melgar!

Naturally I understand your safety concerns, however we travelled when it was a peak travelling time and I never had a worry for our safety at any time. According to my boyfriend, who lived in Cali for a lot of his childhood it is one of the safest city-to-city routes, however he said he would aim to go either on the weekend or at a time like Christmas when you know it will be busy. Also, he wouldn't travel at night.

With our stretched out route due to the accident and also a flat tyre we ended up getting to Bogota after 11pm, but that was fine and it really was a great experience, one I will do again when I get back!

I hope you have an experience as good as mine and believe me it was sooo much more exciting than the road to the airport!

Hope this helps, if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask.

Em :)

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oldbongo says on Oct 5, 2004, 16:00:

you don't have to be kidnapped... to have bad experiences on the road.

i have had a litany...
flat tires...
got lost...
mechanical problems...
storms......always a big headache...

all will agree you can't go at nite.

caravans have been arranged by local travellers
wishing to improve their security. wonder why....

most colombians say that things have improved a lot,
and they have,..but,...what have you got to gain?
....what have you got to lose?

enjoy colombia,but maybe stay off the country roads for awhile yet.

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emilyh says on Oct 5, 2004, 16:04:

You couldn't get lost taking that route And if you are worried, you can buy an "Auto Guia" Turistica de Colombia from a bookshop, however we just ripped out the "Altimetrias" guide from the Yellow Pages and that was enough, you literally just follow the city and town names. Oh yeah, but make sure you have lots of change for all of the tollways.

Em

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Gator says on Oct 5, 2004, 19:13:

This trip is OK by car.. provided you are willing to drive like a Colombian (Take No Prisoners). I too recommend the ""Auto Guia" Turistica de Colombia".
Distance, a little over 500K, Road good, most exciting, crossing La Linea, at about 3400 mtrs traveling between Ibague and Armenia travel time say 12 hrs +-, stop overnight? the area around Armenia. I have driven this route four or five time but usually fly because of the time saved. Say one hour air time from Bogotá. Have you thought about the bus?

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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juanalejo says on Oct 5, 2004, 19:17:

No Problem Absolutely no problem travelling on this road, I do this trip 3 to 4 times a year since I was a kid and have never stopped traveling through it. The scenery is absolutelly amazing all the way, extremely diverse. My favorite spot is the Gualanday valley near Ibague where you see all the flat top mountains jutting off the ground. If you leave early morning, which I highly recommend for traffic sake, you might be lucky enough to see the Nevado del Tolima on top of Ibague, as it tends to cover behind clouds by mid morning. Caravanas are government protected convoys heading to areas which are considered dangerous, as the government is trying to boost tourism in remote areas. AS this road is not considered dangerous you will probably not find a caravan through this area unless it is heading to somewhere past Cali, but do not forget December is the Cali Fair and a lot of people do travel to it. My biggest concern is traffic that time of the year. To give you some perspective out of the 45 million Colombians last Christmas season 30 million travelled by car or bus.

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Pirovito says on Oct 5, 2004, 21:32:

Thank You Gracias, I really want to see the marvelous scenary, now I know that I could go without any problems based on your suggestions(hopefully). thanks once again for your priceless adviced.
Pd: bus drivers definately won't let me stop and take pictures of the landscape in case I decide to take a bus... =~

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caslug says on Nov 4, 2004, 21:04:

bus service? Is it feasible to travel by bus from Cali to Bogota? Kinda of like Greyhound in the US? I was planning to fly, but figure I have time and would like to see the countryside. I would schedule the trip during the weekday.

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Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 4, 2004, 22:00:

caslug says on Nov 5, 2004, 10:15:

another question... Is the bus travel all coach or they have some nicer option? Where you pay more? Thanks for reply Gator.

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mcastilo says on May 3, 2005, 16:50:

car travel Hi my name is Marta and I am going for the first time in my life to Colombia.I am very excited but I have a couple of questions since I have heard so many horrible things about the traveling by ground.My father lives in Armenia and we would like to travel to Cartagena is this a safe thing to do?I will be with my husband and 4 young children.Any input would be helpful...if anyone knows how much I can get round way tickets to Cartagena from Armenia please let me know.Thanks for any input..

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