San Gil is a town located in Colombia’s Santander department. It’s known as the place for adventure activities and there are plenty to choose from…paragliding, white water rafting, canyoning, caving, rappelling…
I spent two days in San Gil: I went paragliding (amazing!), chilled at a waterfall and used it as a base for my visit to Barichara.
Paragliding
My main reason for going to San Gil was to go paragliding. I’ve been paragliding once before in the French Alps when I was younger and I loved it. I was keen to experience it again as the grown up me and San Gil was the place to do it.
I booked a flight over Chicamocha canyon with Parapente Chicamocha. Pick up was around 8.30am and we were driven to their office to fill in and sign forms (as you do when doing these sorts of activities) and pay.
From town to the paragliding ‘las ventanas’ take off point, it was an hour drive. Once at the launch point, we were told what to expect and what to do.
Flight order was determined by weight of the passenger and pilot and the wind. Knowing I was at the lighter end of the spectrum, I had a feeling I’d be flying in the first group or in the last. When names started being called, I was one of the first to go! Older me was feeling more nervous than child me!
Strapped and harnessed up, we ran to the edge and were quickly picked up by the wind.
The flight was amazing, it’s such a cool feeling gliding in the sky gazing over stunning scenery.
When the wind gusted strongly I still got a bit nervous though! Not wanting to land without doing a trick, I asked my pilot for a small one towards the end. It was really fun and I wish I’d asked earlier!
We landed where we took off which I was really happy about. One girl in the group landed at the bottom (I think they lost height quickly) and a van had to be sent to pick her up. She would’ve waited a long time!
Note: Minimum flight time was 20 minutes and it can go to 30/40mins. I was so happy I was up for half an hour! I remember being sad I was the last up and first down on my first paraglide in France!
Back on solid ground, I watched others have their turn and we then headed back to San Gil, arriving back just before 3pm.
Tip: Be prepared for a lot of waiting! There were six pilots and around twenty of us! It takes a while!
Cost: Paragliding over Chicamocha Canyon with Parapente Chicamocha cost 180,000COP (£45 approx). There is a cheaper paraglide at Curíti for 70,000COP (£17 approx). However it’s less time in the air and not over the canyon. I would pay more and fly over the canyon!
Juan Curí waterfall
On my first afternoon in San Gil I went to Juan Curí waterfall. From the entrance it’s about a 20/30 minute walk to the fall. There is a guide on duty at the fall and the lady at the entrance asked me if I could take him his lunch! When I got there and gave him his lunch, he really wasn’t expecting me to be bringing it!
The waterfall was nice and I enjoyed spending an hour there in the afternoon. It was just me for most of it! That said, I guess given what I’ve seen on this trip already, I felt it was an average waterfall. It’s kind of sad, but says more about me and travelling long term than the waterfall.
Note: If you’re looking for an activity, you can also rappel down this fall.
Getting there: Go to the local bus station and take a bus towards Charalá, letting the driver know you’re going to the waterfall. Buses are every half an hour, take around 30 minutes and cost 5000COP (£1 approx).
Entrance: 9000COP (£2 approx) to get in.
How to get to San Gil
You can get to San Gil from several of Colombia’s cities. From Bogota you can take a direct bus from the Salitre terminal. Approx journey time is 6hrs (however 8hrs is more realistic!) and costs around 40,000COP (£10 approx)
If you’re coming from Medellin, Cartagena, Santa Marta, you’re journey has two parts. First, get a bus Bucaramanga. I took a night bus from Santa Marta with Berlinas which took 9hrs and cost 70,000COP (£17 approx). Expreso Brasilia and Copetran also drive the route.
From Medellin, it takes around 10hrs and costs around 50,000COP (£12 approx).
Once in Bucaramanga, you’re next step is to get a colectivo to San Gil. TransSander drive the route; their vans leave every 20/30mins, cost 18,000COP (£4ish) and take 3hrs approx.
I arrived to Bucaramanga at 4.45am and was on my next connection and leaving at 5am. No waiting around!
Note: Buses in Colombia are known for being notoriously cold – like fridges or freezers!! On my last night bus (from Ipiales to Cali), I was frozen. All the Colombians had blankets which I soon realised was smart and I didn’t have enough layers. Not making the same mistake this time, my small rucksack was packed with layers like I was hiking in Patagonia! – cardigan, alpaca jumper, down jacket, gilet. I did pack my beach sarong to double up as a blanket. Turns out this bus was warmer than the other and I didn’t need them all. Best to be prepared though!
Final thoughts
I’ll keep this short and sweet…I liked San Gil! It was a nice town and paragliding there was fabulous! I highly recommend doing it if you can!
Plus, you can easily go to lovely Barichara which I also recommend doing!
