Colombia: Donkey Sunrise > Cali > Popayán > Pasto > Ipiales

Feb 2026 |

This was my final stage in Colombia, working my way to the Ecuador border at Ipiales / Rumichacha.

Ride 1: Donkey Sunrise > Cali

After a nice few nights at the legendary Donkey Sunrise, I headed out to Cali. Tim at DS gave me some tips about where to stay and hang out, shared a map of the best - and safest - route south. I am writing this a bit after the ride, and honestly, I don't recall anything wow about it, it was fairly flat, farmland, hot.

In Cali, I booked a room on Agoda in the recommended section of town. Had a good walk around and ate a decent (expensive) pizza. The north-east section of town is a heritage area, with lots of F&B, pretty cool. I only stayed one night, so didn't really get a full experience of the city.

Ride: 170 km / 4 hours

R2: Cali to Popoyan

Setting out from Cali, I had no idea what to expect of Popoyan. But gotta say, it was stunning. I planned to blast through town one night. Booked a well-rated room on Agoda, an amazing old heritage building, beside the town square, with parking. Popoyan is a large colonial city, perhaps the best I visited in Colombia. There were no gringos around, and people were literally dancing in the square every night. There was also a massive security presence that was a bit freaky to see; and there were some issues in this area the weeks that followed. I stayed 2 nights. Again, I don't recall the ride, but don't think there was anything profound along the way.

Ride: 140 km / 4 hours

R3: Popyan to Pasto

Though most riders head east/south to Mocoa and the "Trampoline of Death", I didn't. While this ride looks interesting, I had already done the "Road of Death"in the northeast and had just booked a very expensive liveaboard in the Galapagos in the next 2 weeks. So caution was in order and I decided to take the less risky route south, the 25 road to Pasto (which also turns out to have security issues). This road was a nice ride, winding through a narrow valley and high mountains. I stopped for lunch, and a local adv rider joined me; we are staying connected on WhatsApp as we ride south.

Pasto was nothing special IMO. Nice setting in the mountains. I had a walk from my hotel to the town square and F&B; honestly, it was the only city in Colombia where I didn't feel safe. Stayed one night and moved on.

Ride: 140 km / 4 hours

R4: Pasto Ipiales / Las Lajas / Rumichacha

My last ride in Colombia. The road from Pasto was superb, high altitude, good view, 4 lanes, I just ripped. I made a stop at Las Lajas, the famous cathedral near Ipales. It's spectacular, a must-see (I didn't stop at any of the Guinea Pig restaurants near the cathedral, though I toyed with the idea). From there, I bypassed Ipiales and rode to Rumichacha -- for a horrible border experience on the Colombian side. After crossing into Ecuador, I rode on to Otavalo, making for a too-long day.