COLOMBIA MTB

The price is $1,250 per person when booking one of our set dates*.What’s the price of this 9-day Colombia MTB holiday? And what’s included?

$1995 USD per person. There must be three people for this trip to go out. If by chance we only have two people booked each person can pay a $200 USD supplement for the trip to run.

Included

• Airport pickup and drop off
• 8 nights of lodging with breakfast
• 6 ride days
• Lunch, snacks, and water on all ride days
• Professional, bilingual mountain bike guide
• Trip to thermal baths Otorno
• Cultural immersion
• Custom “Haku Expeditions Colombia” riding jersey
• Group farewell dinner on the last night

Not included

• Mountain bike, If you would like to rent a mountain bike we can put you in contact with the right people. Just let us know!
• Flights
• Meals not stated (e.g., lunch on non-ride days, dinners except for the farewell dinner)
• Single supplement room (if you’d like one, talk to us — it’ll be $35 extra per night)

Colombia’s currency is the COP Colombian Peso. You’ll be able to exchange US currency for the pesos on arrival at the airport. The exchange rate often fluctuates but at the moment (March 2020) is 1 USD to 3.3 – 3.34

We recommend you bring cash along with credit cards. Credit cards are accepted in many places in Colombia. However, tips and cash for small stores or transports is necessary.

TIPPING: In Colombia tipping is not obligatory but is very common. The restaurants will ask if you would like the “service” included in the bill. The service is 10%. Generally you should say yes unless you had a terrible service.

Tipping your guide in Colombia is generally 5-10% of the price you paid for the tour.

Each person is required to have a specific travel/trip insurance outside of your credit card or regular medical insurance.

You should get comprehensive coverage with trip interruption/cancellation and with personal liability. Mention all activities that you will be involved in such as mountain biking, hiking at high altitude and whatever other activities you may have planned.

We do not provide refunds.  If you should get hurt or sick not only will travel insurance cover your medical expenses it will also cover the lost portion of the trip. Make sure you have trip interruption or trip cancellation included! South America is famous for people striking and shutting down all activities. If you miss your Machu Picchu trip, Galapagos or any other side trip,  or even your flight due to strikes the insurance will cover the loss or additional costs that are incurred.

For this 9-day Colombia MTB Holiday Adventure:

You should have a mountain biking skill level of intermediate tech: You’ve got three plus years of riding on singletrack trails of all sorts with features such as rock gardens, steep sections, rolls and drops, roots, and small jumps. You are confident on the bike in most situations. You’re constantly looking to improve your riding skills and enjoy riding for extended periods of time climbing and descending in terrain of all sorts.

Your fitness level should be at least a 3.5: You will want to be in between these two levels

3 You exercise one to two times a week but do not have a normal schedule that keeps you biking or doing other activities weekly. You don’t go to the gym or train for any specific sports but you lead a relatively active lifestyle by biking, hiking, skiing, or whatever it may be. For biking: climbs and long descents give you some trouble and you tend to get tired after about 2-3 hours on the bike.

4 You exercise 3-4 times a week and enjoy physical activities such as biking, hiking, skiing. You are active. For biking: you enjoy climbs that are moderately long and being on a bike for 3-5 hours in one day doesn’t get you too tired or fatigued.

We include airport pick up and drop off with your mountain bike.We include airport pick up and drop off with your mountain bike from Pereira airport on days 1 and 9 of this itinerary.

A driver will be waiting at the Pereira airport for you with a sign with your name.

Upon departure you may be required to pay an exit tax. This tax is often charged in cash so please be ready with $20-60 cash on hand for the tax. Some airlines include this in their price and some do not.

This Colombia MTB holiday takes place in Salento and Manizales. The airport at Manizales is very small and flights are often canceled or delayed. We suggest you fly into Pereira where we’ll pick you up and bring you to Salento for the beginning of your MTB vacation. For the return home, we’ll take you back to the airport at Pereira for your flight out.

Before booking flights look into how much baggage you are allowed and how much an oversized  bag will cost you. All bicycles are oversized. The price ranges so check this before booking the flight.

Check if you need a visa for any of the countries you may pass though such as China. Some countries require it even when passing though, others will allow you to stay in the airport in a special area without leaving. Be sure of your layover countries visa requirements.

When you arrive in Colombia, you’ll need to fill out a declaration form for customs. It says that personal items may be brought into the country without a tax. It then states that if you have items that are valued more than $1500 you will need to pay a tax. We have researched this topic quite a bit and get many different responses; therefore, we can’t tell you firmly if they’ll charge you or not. Usually, it’s 15% on your bike if you claim the value is more than $1500.

Important: Generally, anytime you land in another country, even just for layovers, you need to get your luggage and rescan it or re-check it for security purposes. Every country is different so check once you arrive; don’t count on the front desk person who checked you in at your first airport. Make sure you have enough time during your layover for migrations and the bag check.

We recommend you bring a full suspension All-Mountain, Trail or Enduro bike.

These days the trail bikes have become more like Enduro bikes and the Enduro bikes have become more like Downhill bikes. Therefore, what we recommend is, a full suspension mountain bike with 140mm or more of suspension front and rear. We also recommend that you have a tubeless tire setup. We also recommend tires like Maxxis Minion, Highroller or Assegai.

For the bike:

• Bleed kit or ask if we have the one you need
• Bring a well maintained bike for Enduro, All-Mountain Style Trails: Check that the chain is not stretched, cables are clean or new, the headset and pivots are moving nicely or cleaned and greased
• You will need extra bike parts, please don’t expect to buy much on this trip
• Extra brake pads
• Derailer and shifter (Optional)
• Spare Tire (Optional)
• We recommend tires like Maxxis Highrollers, Assegai, Minions or something similar
• Tubeless is your best bet. Bring extra sealant and an extra valve
• A derailer hanger, a multi-tool and a tube are essential
• Extra Screws for the bike and for clip-less shoes if you use them. Zip ties are great too
• Any kind of liquids you may need, Reverb oil, brake oil, tubeless sealant, chain lube in small bottles. Pack in sealed baggies so they don’t explode in transit.

Our Mountain bike tours include breakfast from your hotel or finca and lunch on ride days.

Our MTB rides include lunches at local restaurants and also in the homes of locals who live on the trail. Most meals are a large bowl of soup followed by a main meal. The main meals are generally meat or chicken with rice, beans and plantain. In the case that you do not eat meat you can get a plate that has rice, eggs and fried plantain.

If you have dietary restrictions please let us know so we can help you plan for the trip accordingly.

We provide snacks for the ride days. Feel free to bring extra energy bars for the trail if you think you may want snacks you know you already enjoy!

We provide water for the rides. You will need a bottle or camepack to fill.

Breakfast each morning, lunch on ride days (4 lunches)

Our groups generally range from 2-8 people.

Our clients generally range in age from 25-55. However, all ages from 18 up are accepted if the mtb level and skill fit the trip.

We do not recommend that you bring a drone for this trip as much of the trip is in forest where you will not be able to see the footage very well.

All you need for each day is a small camelbak or hip pack with water and your bike tools.

How to pack your bike for travel

Packing your bike for a trip like this requires either a bike bag or a bicycle box. Both work. If you do not have a bicycle box you can contact your local bike shop and generally get one for free or very cheap.

Steps to pack your bag:

Drop the seat post before you take off the wheels. It’s easier that way.

Take the pedals off, it is easier now while the bike is still whole.

You will need to take off the handle bars. Put the screws back into the stem so you do not lose them. Strap the handlebars to the side of the bike with padding. Make sure nothing moves so you bike does not get scratched. Zip ties can help with this.

Take out some of the air in the tires. This is a requirement for flying with the bike. Take off both wheels. We recommend you put the axle back into the bike so you do not lose it.

Take off the discs from the wheels. While this may seem tedious it saves your disk from getting bent and only takes a few minutes. Put the disks inside something like a folder to keep them safe. Put the screws inside a baggie and tape to the folder. Keep them with the bike. (If you lose your suitcase with clothes at least you still have your full bike together!)

Take off the derailer and derailer hangar. While this is optional it keeps both pieces from getting bent. Remember exactly how this goes back on.

If you have a bike bag like Evoc or Dakine there will be directions of what goes where. Make sure to tie up the chain so it does not move and scratch the bike. Tie up any loose ends with zip ties or string.

If you are using a bike box you will need to put in a tire or two first then the frame (and maybe the second tire) with the bars strapped to the bike. Make sure nothing moves. I usually use zip ties to make sure the tires are strapped in one place with the frame. Also make sure that the cog set is facing away from the bike. This will scratch the bike otherwise.

Once everything is packed you can often put a few extra items inside like your helmet, bike shoes and empty CamelBak. You will want to keep the bag at 23 kilos/50 pounds unless the company you are flying with allows for more weight without a price increase. (Calling to make sure is the best way to know)

Also, don’t forget to put your name, address, phone number and email on the bag or box.

The luggage comes with us on this trip when we move from Salento to Manizales

Do not overstep your limits. Please walk any section of the trail that you are not comfortable riding.

We require that you purchase travel/ trip insurance outside of cc or medical insurance from home. This insurance is much more broad than just medical insurance in case you get hurt. These insurances also cover, trip interruption, trip cancelation and many other good benefits. If something happens and you miss part of the trip these insurances will return the lost portion of the trip to you.

We do not do refunds for missed trips, trips that are cut short due to an injury or trips that are interrupted due to natural causes such as weather, strikes by the people, etc.

Colombia is very tropical and can rain at any time. However, we pick dates that are considered the driest time of year.

Our guides are local men and women who are have at least three years experience as a mountain bike guide and are excellent companions on the trail.

They have a keen knowledge of both their history and their surroundings — it’s a pleasure to be with them.

If you would like to rent a bike, please let us know and we will put you in contact with the right place to get you all set up!