Why this ride
A mountain loop with linked bends, elevation change and broad landscape variety. It links naturally to Las Lajas sanctuary and Andean lake.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Pasto Las Lajas and Laguna de la Cocha
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 226 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 43
- 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
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Pasto
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.
Read the complete Pasto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pasto sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Las Lajas.
2. Las Lajas
No photograph prepares you for this one. The Santuario de Las Lajas is a neo-Gothic church built across a gorge, its tower and spires rising from a bridge that springs from the rock walls of the Guáitara river canyon, close to the Ecuadorian border in the far south of Colombia. From the viewing paths above, it looks like a fantasy castle hung between the cliffs, with waterfalls on one side and a deep green drop on the other.
Read the complete Las Lajas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Las Lajas comes up 45 km in. Next is Laguna de la Cocha.
3. Laguna de la Cocha
Cold, high and often wrapped in cloud, Laguna de la Cocha is the largest lake in the south-west of Colombia, and it feels like a different country from the dry canyons around it. Also known as Lake Guamuez, it lies at around 2,800 metres in the Andes east of Pasto, and the shores are lined with wooden houses painted in bright colours, small jetties, and boats waiting to take visitors across to the Isla de la Corota, a tiny forested island that is a protected sanctuary and a wetland of international importance.
Read the complete Laguna de la Cocha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 116 km in you reach Laguna de la Cocha. Next is Pasto.
4. Pasto
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Pasto write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pasto, late in the day.
Recorded source links
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Los Ajos and La Cofradía · 178 km
- Inantaz and La Cofradía · 156 km