The Andes of southern Colombia look folded rather than carved, a series of green ridges one behind another until the cloud hides them, and Guapuscal Bajo sits in the middle of that country. The name means lower Guapuscal, which implies an upper one higher up the slope, and the pair are small farming settlements in the municipality of Tangua, in the department of Nariño. There is no famous landmark to point to here. The interest lies in the day-to-day landscape, in small terraced plots of potatoes, onions, maize and pasture, in the kids in uniform walking the lanes and the smoke rising from kitchen stoves.
On a motorcycle this is real highland riding. The roads rise and fall in short, steep sections, often narrow, with sudden changes from smooth asphalt to gravel or concrete strips laid by the local council. Expect farm animals, motorbike taxis and slow-moving trucks, and give yourself plenty of time. The climate is cool and changeable, and fog is common at higher elevations, so visibility can drop quickly. Mornings are best, and the rainy seasons, roughly from October to December and again in spring, make many side roads slippery.
Tangua and Funes are the nearest villages, each with a couple of thousand people, and both have small shops and places to eat a plain, filling lunch. For fuel, do not rely on villages this size. Guaitarilla, about seventeen kilometres away, is a larger town, and Pasto, the departmental capital, is the dependable stop with stations, workshops and hotels. Fill up before you leave the main road rather than hoping for a pump up the hill.
What you will carry away is mostly the feel of the place, the sound of cowbells and rushing water, the cold at dawn, the smell of woodsmoke and wet earth, and the generosity of people who often wave at a passing rider. Greet them in Spanish, accept a coffee if it is offered, and take your time on the bends.