Why this ride
A named mountain-road corridor with sustained elevation change and pass scenery. It links naturally to Chicamocha Canyon.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Chicamocha Canyon Road starting at Bucaramanga
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 104 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 37
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Editorial context
Coordinates are curated start-via-end route seeds. They are not a surveyed centreline or navigation geometry. Run road snapping, topology checks, access checks and a live-status review before publication.
Access context
Do not auto-publish. Snap to a routable road network, verify current closures, legal motorcycle access, surface, permits, border controls and local safety information.
Seasonal context
Dec-Mar
Scenic road chapters
Chicamocha Canyon Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 29 km this is Chicamocha Canyon Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 29 km
- Named road
- Chicamocha Canyon Road
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga is a big, hilly, surprisingly green city in the northern Andes, and for riders it is the doorway to one of the great canyons of South America. It lies at around a thousand metres on a plateau in the department of Santander, with some 570,000 people in the city proper and many more in the neighbouring towns of Floridablanca and Girón. People call it the city of parks, and the bulk of its trees and gardens do, in fairness, make the heat easier to bear.
Read the complete Bucaramanga write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Bucaramanga sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Chicamocha Canyon.
2. Chicamocha Canyon
The Chicamocha is one of the great canyons of South America, and the road along its edge has a scale that surprises people who think of Colombia as green and gentle. The river has cut a gorge in the Santander mountains that is more than a kilometre deep in places and stretches for over two hundred kilometres, a dry, rugged landscape of cactus, scrub and layers of rock in shades of ochre, red and grey. Locals will tell you it is among the biggest canyons in the world, and the view from the rim makes you believe it.
Read the complete Chicamocha Canyon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chicamocha Canyon comes up 33 km in. Next is San Gil.
3. San Gil
San Gil calls itself the adventure capital of Colombia, and it earns the title with rivers, caves and cliffs in every direction. The town sits in the Santander hills above the Fonce river, near its meeting with the Suárez, and the rapids on both are among the best in the country for rafting. Paragliders launch from the ridges above the canyon, and cavers explore the limestone passages nearby. After a morning on the road, the shops offering tours look more tempting than the usual souvenir stalls.
Read the complete San Gil write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
104 km in you reach San Gil.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Chicamocha Canyon Road (150 km) · 170 km
- Villa de Leyva Road · 87 km