Living/Climbing in Colombia

Hi guys, im looking for some advices in terms of living and climbing in Colombia. ill be there because of my studys for round about 6 to 8 months from April on. All classes will be digital, so i can choose by myself where do I want to live. obviously i want to climb as much as possible without having longer ways to crags.So whats the best place to be? im searching for something small but with a nice climbing community to connect with during my time abroad. Thanks for your help,WIlli

I believe Suesca near San Carlos is the spot.

Hey William,

I lived in Medellin for a few years and was introduced to climbing there. Colombia is an incredible place and the people make it all the more special, it has an abundance of rock and a community of very dedicated climbers and route developers. You have quite a few spots to choose from, it mostly depends on whether you want to be near a big city or if you want to spend as much time climbing and are fine with living somewhere smaller/rural.

The most well-known spots are as follows:

Suesca - Colombia's oldest and most popular crag. An hour from Bogota though quite removed from the big city, the pueblo itself is small. Most of the country's guiding/alpine schools are based here. You have everything from sport, hard trad, and multipitch routes. Grading is often sandbagged and a lot of the routes have an "alpine" feel to them. The people I know that climb here climb often and climb very well. 

Cons: I'm not a big fan of Bogota and the weather in this part of the country isn't ideal. 

La Mojarra -  I never actually made it here but everyone spoke really highly of it, most of the climbers I knew tried to spend at least a week's vacation here a year. There are tons of routes and new development happening constantly. It's part of the Cañon del Chicamocha so the scenery is beautiful, and theres a nice climber's hostel that seems to be the center of the community. The weather is also nice. That area of the country is really sweet as well, lots of beautiful nature and historic pueblos (Barichara), and its somewhat of a adventure hub in general with paragliding, rafting, canyoneering etc...

Medellin - I'm biased towards Medellin since I spent a few of the best years of my life here, theres not much climbing near the city but there are a lot of good climbers and if you're willing to travel 1.5 -3 hours there are some incredible spots. The closest is El Peñol, sport and trad routes on a big granite monolith. My preferred spot is La Peña, a newly developed granite area with lots of sport climbing and incredible scenery. My friend Jerson developed it and is also the owner of the climbing hostel at the base, as well as the El Muro climbing gym in Medellin. Its become the go-to spot for climbers from Medellin.

In terms of large cities, Medellin offers the best quality of living in my opinion, though Colombia's charm lies in the countryside and the smaller pueblos. The bus system is excellent (albeit a bit chaotic) and you can easily find direct buses to even the smallest of pueblos, something I've had difficulty with in Europe. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions. You will have an excellent time, and not just because of the climbing. Just make sure there's good wifi where you are going. 

Phil A wrote:

Hey William,

I lived in Medellin for a few years and was introduced to climbing there. Colombia is an incredible place and the people make it all the more special, it has an abundance of rock and a community of very dedicated climbers and route developers. You have quite a few spots to choose from, it mostly depends on whether you want to be near a big city or if you want to spend as much time climbing and are fine with living somewhere smaller/rural.

The most well-known spots are as follows:

Suesca - Colombia's oldest and most popular crag. An hour from Bogota though quite removed from the big city, the pueblo itself is small. Most of the country's guiding/alpine schools are based here. You have everything from sport, hard trad, and multipitch routes. Grading is often sandbagged and a lot of the routes have an "alpine" feel to them. The people I know that climb here climb often and climb very well. 

Cons: I'm not a big fan of Bogota and the weather in this part of the country isn't ideal. 

La Mojarra -  I never actually made it here but everyone spoke really highly of it, most of the climbers I knew tried to spend at least a week's vacation here a year. There are tons of routes and new development happening constantly. It's part of the Cañon del Chicamocha so the scenery is beautiful, and theres a nice climber's hostel that seems to be the center of the community. The weather is also nice. That area of the country is really sweet as well, lots of beautiful nature and historic pueblos (Barichara), and its somewhat of a adventure hub in general with paragliding, rafting, canyoneering etc...

Medellin - I'm biased towards Medellin since I spent a few of the best years of my life here, theres not much climbing near the city but there are a lot of good climbers and if you're willing to travel 1.5 -3 hours there are some incredible spots. The closest is El Peñol, sport and trad routes on a big granite monolith. My preferred spot is La Peña, a newly developed granite area with lots of sport climbing and incredible scenery. My friend Jerson developed it and is also the owner of the climbing hostel at the base, as well as the El Muro climbing gym in Medellin. Its become the go-to spot for climbers from Medellin.

In terms of large cities, Medellin offers the best quality of living in my opinion, though Colombia's charm lies in the countryside and the smaller pueblos. The bus system is excellent (albeit a bit chaotic) and you can easily find direct buses to even the smallest of pueblos, something I've had difficulty with in Europe. 

Feel free to reach out with any questions. You will have an excellent time, and not just because of the climbing. Just make sure there's good wifi where you are going. 

hi Phil, thanks for your comment. that helped me a lot. I contacted you per mail i guess and hope you got it:)

Spent winter of 17-18 traveling around Colombia to climb and highline. La Mojarra has the highest concentration of routes, best (driest) weather, and is super comfortable and set up for vacation cragging. If I were living in the country for a while I would base myself north of Bogota. Maybe a little colder and wetter but you will be close to Suesca, Macheta, Zipaquira, Cucaita, Sutatausa... these are all great crags. Ibague also has good climbing albeit the climate is humid hot jungle. Florian is a beautiful but hard to get to area with several good areas. In general travel in Colombia is pretty easy but slow curvy mountain roads everywhere.

Peter Hudnut wrote:

Spent winter of 17-18 traveling around Colombia to climb and highline. La Mojarra has the highest concentration of routes, best (driest) weather, and is super comfortable and set up for vacation cragging. If I were living in the country for a while I would base myself north of Bogota. Maybe a little colder and wetter but you will be close to Suesca, Macheta, Zipaquira, Cucaita, Sutatausa... these are all great crags. Ibague also has good climbing albeit the climate is humid hot jungle. Florian is a beautiful but hard to get to area with several good areas. In general travel in Colombia is pretty easy but slow curvy mountain roads everywhere.

Thanks Peter, what do you mean by north of Bogota? Have you been somewhere you can recommend?? I mean there are lots of places north of bogota :D Another question, when i base myself around there, whats the best way to get around?

The lakes are nice, tomine, sisga, neusa... there are several small towns too, guatavita, tocancipa, etc. Bogota is just so big and sprawled out, but it would probably be nice if you were on the northern outskirts of the city. Traveling by bus is easy but slow. If you are going to live there for a while it would make sense to get a small car or scooter. If you hang out in Suesca and Macheta a lot you will definitely meet lots of local climbers.

La.majorra. hands down. Great climbing. Chill vibe. Wifi. Absolutely beautiful setting

Michael Kim wrote:

La.majorra. hands down. Great climbing. Chill vibe. Wifi. Absolutely beautiful setting

Hi :) thanks! have you been there? Where did you stay?

Refugio la roca!

Few things about la mojarra: on the plus side there are hundreds of routes, easy access, great weather most of the time - climb in the afternoon shade, usually breezy, dry, and good temps, steady rotation of climbers always passing through so easy to find partners. Highly recommend checking it out for a while, but... if you are planning on living in Colombia for a while La Mojarra probably isn’t the best. Bucaramanga, the nearest city, isn’t close. The climbing area doesn’t really have a town, and the climbing scene is much more geared towards travelers rather than locals - if you dont mind making new friends every week or two then watching them leave no big deal. Due to it’s location, and that your options of where to stay/eat are very limited, it is much more expensive than other climbing areas in Colombia.

I would say La Mojarra. It is located in the Santander Province near Bucarramanga. Santander has low cases of COVID-19 and less likely to encounter lockdowns. Bogota, Medellin, and Cali have high cases and usually have lockdowns during the weekends. 

Mike M wrote:

I would say La Mojarra. It is located in the Santander Province near Bucarramanga. Santander has low cases of COVID-19 and less likely to encounter lockdowns. Bogota, Medellin, and Cali have high cases and usually have lockdowns during the weekends. 

Hi Mike, what about these small towns around suesca peter mentioned? do they have the same restrictions regarding covid like bogota?

Peter Hudnut wrote:

Few things about la mojarra: on the plus side there are hundreds of routes, easy access, great weather most of the time - climb in the afternoon shade, usually breezy, dry, and good temps, steady rotation of climbers always passing through so easy to find partners. Highly recommend checking it out for a while, but... if you are planning on living in Colombia for a while La Mojarra probably isn’t the best. Bucaramanga, the nearest city, isn’t close. The climbing area doesn’t really have a town, and the climbing scene is much more geared towards travelers rather than locals - if you dont mind making new friends every week or two then watching them leave no big deal. Due to it’s location, and that your options of where to stay/eat are very limited, it is much more expensive than other climbing areas in Colombia.

Hi Peter, probably youre right. to stay in bucaramanga or piedecuesta is not an option but im thinking about to base myself in los santos, its really close to the crag. Does anybody know something about this little pueblo?

Hey all, Im in Medellin for a while, not sure how long and would love to get on some rocks if anyone is up for it. Looking to go to el penol. I was only able to bring my shoes and harness but am totally willing to pay for food and travel expenses is anyone has some gear and wants to get outside. heres my number 7146971998 happy climbing 

Does anyone know about any climbing near Barranquilla?

Hi Sarah, i think i already wrote you on FB :) La mojarra would be the closest spot! And Max, i'll be in Los Santos with all my gear upon 4th of may, if you want to team up on climbing, lets do that!