Ipiales is the last big Colombian town before Ecuador, and the high, cold plateau around it is some of the most dramatic farmland in the Andes. San Pedro lies a little north-west of the city, in a landscape of terraces, small farms and green slopes that tilt toward the canyon of the Guáitara river. The land is at about 2,900 metres and above, so mornings begin with frost on the grass and a hard blue sky.
Ipiales is better known for the Las Lajas sanctuary, a neo-Gothic church built across the gorge of the Guáitara, so that the structure seems to hang from the cliff. It was built in the first half of the twentieth century on the site of an older shrine, and it is one of the most photographed churches in South America. It is a few kilometres from the city, and if you are in the area, you should go. It is crowded on weekends, and quiet and moody in a drizzle.
The ride is demanding. Roads climb and drop, the surface is a patchwork of asphalt and repairs, and heavy lorries on the Pan-American highway can make overtaking tense. Small lanes between the villages are less busy but have potholes and drainage cuts. Weather swings between sun and cold rain quickly, so a waterproof layer is a necessity, and the light, when the cloud lifts, is sharp and gorgeous. It is a landscape that rewards slow riding.
Ipiales has seventy-seven thousand people, so it has everything: fuel, food, workshops and hotels. In the small settlements, you cannot count on any of that. Buy your fuel in the city and take cash. Altitude affects the engine, with carburetted bikes running rich, so a slightly flat feel is normal. The border with Ecuador at Rumichaca is only a few minutes beyond, and the crossing is busy with trucks, so check the paperwork for your bike in advance if you plan to continue.
For food, try a plate of local potatoes with cheese, a hot soup called locro, or a bowl of hot chocolate with a piece of cheese in it, a Colombian habit that sounds odd until you try it on a cold morning. The hills here are green most of the year, and the air has a slightly smoky, sweet smell from farm fires.