Pasto sits high in the Andes of southern Colombia at about 2,500 metres, under the smoking cone of Galeras volcano, and it is the last big city before the Ecuadorian border. About 380,000 people live here, in a city that feels more like the Andes than the Caribbean, with Indigenous and colonial influences in its food, crafts and festivals. Puerres is a smaller town in the southern highlands, and the roads out of Pasto lead to some of Colombia's most surprising sights.
For a rider, Pasto is a place to rest, refuel and eat. The approach from the north, along the Pan-American Highway, crosses deep canyons and high moorland, with long climbs, tight bends and a lot of heavy traffic, and fog and rain are common. The road south toward Ipiales and the border runs across a high plateau of potato fields, with wide views and cold, thin air. Side trips lead to Laguna de la Cocha, a large mountain lake east of the city, where wooden houses and small islands stand among mist and reeds, and to Las Lajas, a neo-Gothic basilica built across a river canyon near Ipiales that looks like something from a fairy tale. The surface is generally good, but landslides can close sections in wet weather.
Pasto's culture is vivid. Every January the city holds the Carnival of Blacks and Whites, a huge festival with parades, painted faces and floats, recognised by UNESCO, in which people throw talc and paint at each other with abandon. The city is also known for barniz de Pasto, a craft in which wooden objects are decorated with a resin-based lacquer from a tree grown in the Amazon, and for its food, which includes cuy, or roasted guinea pig, a traditional dish.
The surrounding landscape is volcanic. Galeras is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes, and its activity sometimes disrupts travel, so check local news. The moors above the city are covered in frailejones, strange, furry-leaved plants that grow only in the high Andes, and the air smells of damp earth and eucalyptus.
Fuel and services are plentiful. Carry warm layers and a waterproof jacket, since the weather swings from sun to drizzle in minutes, and take it slowly on mountain roads.