Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [266]
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BICYCLE
Colombia is not the easiest of countries for cyclists. Road rules favor drivers and you’ll end up fighting traffic on main roadways. Never assume that a driver will give you right of way. On the plus side, most roads are paved and security is improving. Even the smallest towns will have a repair shop and you can get your bike fixed cheaply and easily. Bike rentals are uncommon but you can buy a bike almost anywhere. However, if you want something really reliable, bring your own bike and all your own kit.
It is also worth noting that cities are becoming more bike-friendly, with new bike tracks and Ciclovia (the weekend closure of selected streets to cars and buses, making them tracks for bikers and skaters instead).
Some bike shops and hostels rent bikes.
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BOAT
Cargo boats ply the Pacific coast, with the port of Buenaventura as their hub. Travelers with sufficient time can get a bunk bed below deck for the journey northbound to the Chocó Click here or southbound to Guapi and Isla Gorgona.
Before railroads and highways were built, river transport was the principal means of transport in mountainous Colombia. The only safe river journey you’re likely to take is on the Amazon from Leticia, upriver to Iquitos, Peru or downriver to Manaus, Brazil; Click here for details.
The Río Atrato and Río San Juan in the Chocó should both be avoided at present due to guerrilla activity in the region.
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BUS
Buses are the principal means of intercity travel, and go just about everywhere. Most long-distance intercity buses are more comfortable than your average coach-class airplane seat, and the overnight buses sometimes have business class–sized seats. A word of warning: Colombian bus drivers turn the air‑con down to arctic temperatures. Wear a sweater, a beanie, and gloves, or better yet, bring a blanket. Bus drivers also tend to crank up the music and/or action movie (dubbed in Spanish) on the bus’s television, even in the middle of the night. You may like to travel with a couple pairs of earplugs.
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TO NIGHT BUS, OR NOT TO NIGHT BUS?
There was a time when taking night buses in Colombia was not a good idea. The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) used to control many of the major highways. This is no longer the case, and night buses to most destinations are a comfortable way to avoid wasting a day in transit, plus saving you the cost of a night’s accommodation.
The only major route on which you should avoid night travel is the road from Popayán to Pasto and the border with Ecuador. There is no longer guerrilla activity, but armed thieves have been known to stop buses and rob everyone on board.
This advice could change while this book is in print. You may like to double-check online or at your accommodation before taking a night bus.
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It is common for buses to stop at requisas (military checkpoints), even in the middle of the night. The soldiers manning the checkpoint will ask everyone to get off the bus, check everyone’s identification, and then pat you down. They may look through your bags or, more rarely, do a strip search.
Long-distance buses stop for meals, but not necessarily at mealtimes; it depends on when the driver is hungry or when the bus gets to a restaurant that has an arrangement with the bus company. Buses are locked during the stops, and everyone must get off, even in the middle of the night.
All intercity buses depart from and arrive at a terminal de pasajeros (passenger terminal). Every city has such a terminal, usually outside the city center, but always linked to it by local transport. Bogotá is the most important bus transport hub in Colombia, handling buses to just about every area of the country.
The highway speed limit in Colombia is 80km per hour, and bus companies are obliged to put a large speedometer at the front of the cabin, so passengers can see how fast