Lowri San Gil is without a doubt a hidden gem in Colombia. If you’re a backpacker seeking adventure on a budget, you couldn’t find a better place.
We had a lot of hopes for San Gil and it definitely delivered. In spades!
Why did we love San Gil so much? Firstly, the quaint location and chilled vibe of the town is right up our street. But it was really the tons of budget activities to do here!
What to do in San Gil
The better question for San Gil would be “what can’t you do?”. In terms of adventure sports at least.
I don’t consider myself an adrenaline junkie. Rhys? Yes. Which is why once we became aware of what San Gil can offer backpackers even on a budget, we had to go.
And if adrenaline sports aren’t your thing, it’s still a great town to check out!
We arrived here after a very long 12.5 hour overnight bus ride from Santa Marta. Needless to say, we were not the most energetic (it was our first long bus ride so we weren’t yet quite in the swing of things).
Luckily we picked a hostel with a pool so after a relaxing morning we took the opportunity to stroll around town and get acquainted.
I feel it’s fair to say, don’t come here for the night life. The bar scene was pretty much non-existent. We did utilise my trusted Lonely Planet and found the recommended bar, Doggy Style. I think we were two of four people there… It was quiet season in fairness.
Regardless, we weren’t there for the nightlife and our hostel serving beer was all we needed to get social.
So, how did we seek adventure in San Gil?
1. White Water Rafting
This had been on the wish-list for us for quite some time.
As we were newbies having never been before, we thought we should sign up for the beginner course. A fairly tame experience (or so we were told) where you can tackle class I to III rapids.
However, the guy working at our hostel had a different idea: “Nah, don’t do that one, it’s boring! Do the advanced level. You will have much more fun!” Feeling amused, slightly confused, and strangely encouraged we thought “Why not?” and went for it! Great salesman.
It is also hard to turn down a whole day of adventure for just 130,000 COP (US$44) each. Worth every penny!
The day started with us being collected from the hostel around 10am. After a few additional pick-ups we did a stop at the office to sign some paperwork. I won’t lie, we were not expecting waivers. In fact, I feel slightly guilty admitting it but we were both shocked and impressed with the professionalism of it all.
Done and dusted we made our way to the river.
Before setting off we went through some basic but essential training in the shallows. Basically paddling, following instructions and, quite importantly, rescue and self-rescue.
“Forwards!“. “Backwards!“. “Inside!” .”High five!“.
These were consistently and loudly instructed by our assertive guide from the back of the raft. We were basically his power while he (thankfully) controlled the majority of the steering with his large oars.
It was fantastic as we made our way from a mellow Class I up to an exhilarating Class IV.
Then there was the Class Vs… The most memorable and death-defying of the journey. Two of them! Somehow we survived.
The first one, amazingly, was successful! We were high on adrenaline and feeling invincible! Until the last rapid of the day.
This brutal Class V saw the raft nearly flip over and three of us slip out, myself and Rhys included. I won’t lie, it was truly terrifying. Plus all the prior instruction on self-rescue went straight out the window! I threw my oar away and was drinking river water.
After what felt like an eternity, we were all safely back on board the raft. What a rush! And certainly an intense and unforgettable way to end the day. The whole experience was completely surreal; we honestly had the best day out!
Colombia Rafting were a great company and our guide was fantastic. Super knowledgeable and with no shortage of enthusiasm from start to finish. Plus they gave us all the GoPro footage taken at no extra charge! There was even food and a much-needed beer at the end!!
White water rafting is easily one of the most popular ways to seek adventure in San Gil on a budget.
2. Bungee Jumping
A bungee jump is one of those things that I always said I wanted to do. I never quite thought I would actually have the guts to do it. But, you only live once!
If anyone is reading this like, “Nope! Not me, not happening”, then that’s fine. But if you really want to, we strongly urge you to muster the courage. I did this by reading motivational, mind-over-matter blogs online and having self pep-talks. I was quite comical to be fair, but it did the trick!
One of my favourite quotes I try to live by is ‘Fear lasts a moment but regret lasts a lifetime‘. Powerful words, in my opinion. And I definitely believe they help me push my limits.
The nerve-wracking ordeal was also helped made slightly easier by the friendly and professional staff at the bungee centre. Plus they also spoke great English! Their soothing reassurance was definitely needed.
More waivers to sign our life away and we were strapped up and ready to go!
Given that my anxiety levels were sky rocketing, Rhys lovingly let me go first. He had to wait and watch, dealing with his own bubbling fear bless him.
The first step was entering ‘the jumpmaster‘. A boxed-in platform attached to a crane which motors you up to a dizzying 70m drop above the raging river. Once at the top the instructor initiated a quick photo shoot of our fear-laden faces. Exhibit A below…
Then came the guidance, being shimmied towards the edge with reluctant anticipation. Spreading my arms like wings felt very unnatural. But then so was this whole situation (I already hate heights so this really was a challenge of epic proportions).
Defying all sense and reason we each threw ourselves off the platform.
As expected, it was totally worth it. After all the initial fear and doubt, the resulting emotion was pure elation!
The euphoria could also be explained by all the blood that goes rushing to your head after bouncing up and down. Or possibly the relief when you realise you’re still alive!
On top of the incredible life-experience, we were also given certificates and photos to take away. At no extra charge!
Easily up there with one of the craziest, terrifying but most awesome hours of our lives, and it only cost us 70,000 COP ($24 USD) each. Bargain.
3. Paragliding
Another adventurous activity we were excited to experience.
There were two main options for paragliding in San Gil. The most popular being a 30-45 minute flight through a local canyon which was around 130,000 COP ($42 USD). Or, what we chose, a shorter 15 minute flight for just 70,000 COP ($22 USD) each.
We figured the shorter time was still plenty long enough to get a valued experience out of the trip and we still stand by this reasoning with hindsight.
We booked in the morning and were collected that same afternoon directly from our hostel. It was a 45 minute, very bumpy, ride to a picturesque hilltop that was to be our launch site.
A slight set-back, we had to wait a half hour due to strong winds. Just what I needed for encouragement on top of more time to dwell on my fears. Especially when Rhys had to be guinea pig and go first!
I tried not to notice how high Rhys had gone before it was my turn. As he promised, it really didn’t feel as high as it was once we were up there and within a few minutes I was able to relax and embrace the exhilarating experience!
The panoramic views were just incredible! Plus the guide even did a few cheeky spins which got my heart racing.
4. Abseil (Rappel) Down a Waterfall
Abseiling down a waterfall was top of our list before we even arrived in San Gil! It seemed pretty unique and so we just had to do it.
Despite booking through our hostel, we had to make our way to the falls ourselves. Luckily it was pretty simple. A short walk to the local terminalito (small bus station) and then a 30 minute bus ride to Las Cascadas (the waterfalls).
The cramped backwards journey did nothing to help my hangover-induced nausea which in turn made my anxiety for the abseiling worse. I do not recommend drinking the night before.
However, the perks of quiet season meant we were the only two yet again for this activity.
No waivers this time. We were simply geared up in our harness and sent off up the hill. It was more challenging (and sketchy) than we had expected, taking easily 20 minutes or more.
At the top, the guide secured the rappel lines before providing some brief instructions. And I stress the brief since his English and our Spanish were no bueno. Luckily we had been climbing before, so we got the gist.
I was just raring to get down this thing before I chickened out! I think I was even more nervous than before the bungee jump!! Again, hangover…
The nice part was there were two lines so we could make our way down together. After easing our selves over the edge, suspended 70m high, we paused for an obligatory photo and then made our way down. Or raced in my case.
I want to say it was fun… Rhys certainly would. I’d say I started to enjoy myself about half way down; maybe.
It was definitely another crazy, adrenaline-induced adventure where we pushed ourselves way beyond the boundaries of our comfort zone.
Tip: All of the above mentioned activities were all booked directly through, or recommended by, our hostels. Aside from the obvious convenience of going this route, you can actually feel a bit more reassured of the company’s credibility. Hostels typically aren’t going to recommend you to a sketchy-haphazard tour operator. At least, luckily, not in our experience.
5. Walk the Camino Real from Barichara
This scenic walk can provide a calming break from all the adventure activities in San Gil.
The Camino Real trail begins in the tiny pueblo of Barichara, a 40 minute bus ride from San Gil’s terminalito. It costs just 5,000 COP ($2 USD) each, on way.
On arrival, it is instantly understandable how this pueblo claims the title of ‘Prettiest Town in Colombia“.
Beautiful, white-washed colonial buildings with red-tiled roofs. Narrow cobblestone streets. Idyllic surroundings!
It really is so beautiful.
Barichara is definitely worth a walk around (it won’t take long) but maybe do it after the walk.
The Camino Real trail is easy enough to find. Uphill from the centre square, a stone monument marks the beginning of the trail.
From here it was ~10km to the (even smaller!) pueblo of Guane. The journey took us around 2 hours and was (gratefully) almost entirely down hill.
The trail leads through the stunning countryside of Colombia’s Santander region. The views are breathtaking and the feeling of isolation is magical.
We only passed two people the whole way! In fairness, that is probably because most people don’t walk back (given the return journey is mostly uphill).
A second reason might be the time of day we did our hike. We would recommend not going at midday like us. The heat from the sun was relentless! Near melting-point, we were super grateful to arrive in Guane where we were finally able to find shade.
This sleepy village of Guane offers a similar charm to that of Barichara but on a much smaller scale.
Guane is made up of just a few streets. It’s mostly colonial houses with a few restaurants and artisan shops within the village centre but it was a ghost town when we visited (again, quiet season).
Luckily we didn’t have to wait long for a bus to take us back to Barichara. We could have ridden it back to San Gil but we needed lunch, and a refreshing beer after the walk.
Tip: Despite not waiting long for our bus, they are fairly few and far between. Some have 1.5 hour waits between! We recommend researching bus times before setting off. Of course walking back up eliminates that need.
6. Play Tajo
Pronounced tay-ho, we definitely recommend seizing an opportunity to play this intriguing and certainly unique game.
How do you play? Basically, heavy stones are thrown into a clay-filled target which contains 1 or 2 mechas. These mechas are triangular pieces of paper filled with gunpowder!
They are what makes the game so fun. If your stone hits a mecha, they explode! Great entertainment.
Our hostel in San Gil organised a weekly night out dubbed ‘Tajo Tuesdays’. It was tons of tons and a great way to mingle with other backpackers.
As well as Tajo, we also got to enjoy Colombian bowling. It involves throwing a heavy, over-sized ball across some gravel to take out three posts, reminiscent of a cricket stump. You get points based on what you knock down.
A staff member has the not quite so enviable job of re-balancing the stumps each time you knock them down. If they were knocked down that is (we weren’t very good…). At least we all left a nice tip at the end for his efforts.
7. Try Hormigas Culonas
One for the foodies! Another way to seek adventure in San Gil, this time in the form of food! Well some might say adventurous, others probably think this is fairly tame. Either way, it was new and exciting to us.
A local delicacy unique to the Santander region of Colombia, Hormigas Culonas literally translates as “Big-ass ants”.
They are a great conversation starter and a great way to bond with other travellers, as was the case with us. We were invited with several others to try this interesting delicacy with a friendly Israeli family at our hostel.
Everyone took an ant, counted down and bit the bullet together. We’d say a beer or two is needed first to get some Dutch courage.
They weren’t as bad as I had anticipated… Maybe reminiscent of burnt popcorn? I realise I’m not quite selling it. Now we’ve tried it, I don’t think we’ll be rushing back for more any time soon, let’s just leave it at that.
If you’re looking to buy a bag of ants (typically 20 per bag), they are sold by street vendors around town. Tourists can expect to pay around 5,000 COP ($2 USD) for a bag.
What to eat
Apart from the aforementioned ants, there are lots of things we actually enjoyed eating during our time in San Gil!
We discovered a very delicious, and very filling, almuerzo at a restaurant called La Mana. It was an absolute bargain at 10,000 COP each ($3.50 USD), especially considering how much food we got.
There’s no denying we ate more than our share of fried foods throughout South America. San Gil’s buñuelos were definitely among our favourites. A large, perfectly rounded ball of deep-fried goodness that was lighter than air!
Gringo Mike’s was a great spot for more western food. We usually don’t go for places like this but we were invited and had heard non-stop great things. We were definitely glad we went.
It easy to see why it’s a favourite among backpackers. Their burgers were beyond epic! Being a tourist magnet, prices are a bit higher than more local food. Expect to spend around $15,000 COP ($5USD) for a meal, which is still decent.
Another of our favourite discoveries in San Gil was the non-descript ‘meat on a stick’. It might sound dull but I swear the flavour was divine!
Almost every evening we saw these two hard-working women, out in the central square fanning away over a raging-hot charcoal grill. They served up pollo, carne & chorizo skewers, each with a baked potato on top!
They were super cheap at just 2,000 COP (<$1 USD) each. We would share just a few of these skewers for a full dinner! Or we would just buy one and use the meat to pimp up our pasta.
Where to stay in San Gil
As usual, we relied on trusty Hostelworld to find a good place to stay.
There were plenty of reasonably priced and highly rated hostels around town. We had our heart set on a pool and preferably hammocks which is why we opted for the charming Nirvana Hostel which was just 26,000 COP (US$9) per night.
The hostel is a little further out of town than we would have liked but we loved the chilled vibe here. The downside for us (which we hadn’t realised upon booking) was that they didn’t have a kitchen. When you’re backpacking on a budget, being able to cook is essential.
Aside from the Nirvana Hostel we had really wanted to stay at Sam’s VIP Hostel located directly in the town centre. Plus they had a kitchen and it was the same price! So we decided to move after a couple days.
Sam’s was much more modern and I would say a bit more clean. The showers there were just amazing! There was even a rooftop pool, which in all honestly was not that great, but the views at sunset were pretty awesome.
Sunset from Sam’s VIP rooftop
How to get to San Gil
We made our way to San Gil by bus. It was a long 12.5 hour bus ride directly from Santa Marta in the north. It was our first overnight bus ride in fact!
When researching, I had thought we might have to change bus on route in Bucaramanga but luckily hat turned out not to be the case. We booked online using Busbud which cost about 44,000 COP ($15 USD) each. Not bad when you consider that we saved a night’s accommodation travelling overnight.
There are also buses to San Gil from both Medellín and Bogota for a similar cost.
Tip: When booking tickets online, make sure to check if they need to be printed. Some will not accept a confirmation on your phone. Busbud demands this. We had a mini nightmare after booking, realising we had no access to a printer and then being locked out of our email… Luckily we resolved it but learn from our mistake.
So, to any travellers planning a journey backpacking through Colombia, make sure to seek adventure in San Gil. I think we can say fairy confidently that you will not be disappointed.
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