You can customize this tour according to your needs, times or budget.
“Alto de Letras” is truly a “bucket list” climb for serious cyclists. As Colombia’s most challenging climb, it ranks next to Hawaii’s Mauna Loa as one of the longest mountains passes in the world, which can be done on a road bike.
Through its more than 3,800 meters of gained elevation over the course of 82 kilometers, you’ll discover beautiful landscapes, new scents, and typical villages.
We will stay 45 kilometers outside the city to pedal our first ride at 2,300 meters (8,202 feet) above sea level. This region is the second-largest flower producer in Colombia, and produces 20% of all the flowers that our country exports. After we’ve completed our big challenge, we will relax in natural hot springs. To finish the trip, we spend time enjoying the coffee region, riding around coffee plantations, learning about coffee, and closing with the best records in our cycling profile.
After much grit, dedication and passion, when you complete the challenge that is this climb, you will be left with incredible feelings of accomplishment.
Medellín
Medellín
Upon arrival, we pick you up at the José María Córdoba airport in Rionegro, which serves the city of Medellín.
We assemble the bikes (in case of rent we do a quick fitting) and have a welcome meeting, where in addition to celebrating the great adventure that is about to begin, we will have a tour exhibition where we present the details of the trip. Then, you will enjoy our gastronomy. Colombian cuisine is very diverse and varies according to the different regions of Colombia.
We ride towards the Alto de las Flores, well known because it was the origin of the Flower Fair in Medellín, and we will share with you our knowledge about the silletera culture. We will finish the ride in a beautiful hotel located in a nature reserve. There we will shower and enjoy a tasty dinner Medellín.
On this day, we show you why Medellín was selected as the most innovative city in the world in 2013. Drawing on the firsthand knoledge of an expert, you will learn about the history of Medellín, and how we went from being the most violent city in the world to one of the cities with the welcoming cities in the world for tourists. We will visit the most important communes or “favelas” in the city, an example of transformation and social development.
We end the day celebrating with a coffee or a beer in the oldest bar in the city.
Distance: 47km+1,057 m. Ascent: 7.4km
Expert cyclists option: 63.1 km. Elevation: +1,430 m.
Expert cyclists option: 63.1 km/39.2 mi. Elevation: +1,430 m
Today you will have the opportunity to meet our famous “Repechos” and practice some tips on how to ride in Colombia.
After lunch, we will move to our next destination to be closer to the great challenge, Letras. We will sleep in the middle of the jungle in cabins surrounded by the charm of Colombia.
This day we do a transshipment to Puerto Salgar, and then we do a challenging ride to a beautiful heritage town. A town that takes its name from the Ondaimas, the indigenous people who inhabited the banks of the Magdalena River.
We finished the ride in the town square, where we enjoyed a variety of fresh juices.
Then we return to the hotel to cool off in the pool and enjoy lunch.
A ride around the village where we train our technical skills on the bike and prepare ourselves for the great challenge that awaits us the following day.
After refreshing ourselves with a delicious tropical juice, we finish our bike ride at the hotel.
In the afternoon, we will have a technical talk with some tips for climbing Letras, which is the great challenge of this trip.
Letras, The big challenge!
We are going to climb one of the longest mountain pass in the world.
Don’t worry about water, granolas, bananas, and assistance. Our experience along with escorts on bike, motorbike and car will be ready to help you with whatever you need.
The effort and sweat will be rewarded by the amazing landscapes of the route, the small towns and the people cheering you on throughout the ride. The smells, the change of vegetation, and the different crops will make the climb always varied and interesting.
Usually, we will make a stop at approximately kilometer 40, but feel free to continue if you don’t want to stop. At the end of the ride, you will get to enjoy the hot springs at our next hotel in the middle of nature. That night over a big dinner, we will celebrate!
Distance: 100 km / 62 mi, elevation gain: 4,150 m / 13,600 ft
Short option: 80 km / 50 mi, elevation gain: 3800 m / 12,460 ft
Long option: 120 km / 75mi, elevation gain: 4,250 m / 13,950 ft
The big challenge in the coffee region!
We will be visiting another coffee town “Jericó”. We hit a 12km climb and visited two beautiful towns on our way to Jericó, which is known as the “most beautiful village of Antioquia” by its topography, republican style, and landscapes—culture of coffee and horses.
We celebrate with a cold beer and a good coffee at the top, then we enjoy in in the rooftop jacuzzi and rest in a traditional old house where we can have a good massage* as the reward of the day.
During the afternoon, we walk around the authentic village.
Distance: 51,2 Km.
Elevation gain: 2.156 m.
We bid farewell to the coffee village on our bikes, concluding our tour with one final exhilarating challenge. Our journey culminates at a country house hotel, where we will have shower and lunch.
To ensure a smooth transition and avoid city traffic, we transfer by car to Medellín where we finish the trip.
We rejoice in the thrill of cycling through Colombia, triumphantly conquering its mountains like true escarabajos (beetles).
Cheers! You have rode in Colombia!
Scroll the table below to see all our “Team Plans” for this tour.
Letras
Accommodations and meals | Continental Team | Pro Team | World Team |
Thoughtfully selected accommodations (Double) | **Single accommodation | **Single accommodation | Suites/Upgrade rooms(Single accommodation |
Meals: gourmet lunch and dinners at our favorite local restaurants. | 1-course meal + local drink (No-alcohol) ** one dinner is not included | 2-course meal + local drink + one Glass (beer, wine) | 3-course meal+ Snacks and drinks in-between + local drinks (alcohol beverages) |
Transfer and transportation | |||
Airport Shuttles Services to & from your Hotel |
| Bike transportation is included | + Storage bike box in case of trips outside the tour itinerary |
Transfers between regions to avoid traffic. | Comfort transportation | Luxury van. | |
Support | |||
Support vehicle | When necesary | All day’s tour | Car and motorcycles support all day’s. |
Standard bike tune-up | 1 days tune-up | All day’s tour | All day’s tour |
GPX file for every route | Cycling computer with pre-programmed maps. | ||
Bike services | |||
Bike unboxing & boxing | + Standard tune-up before boxing | + Full maintenance before boxing | |
Small parts replacement & mechanic services | + Brake cables/pads & Cleats | ||
Bike rentals | |||
Hight-end carbon, Shimano Di2, 12 speed. | |||
Bike insurance | Minor scratches, saddle & handlebar tape/hoods. | 90% insurance | |
Recovery | |||
Sport Massage | Two (2) massages | All days tour | |
Equipment therapy | Compression Boots, Massage gun | Massage gun, Cold Water Therapy & Compression Boots | |
Clothes & touches | |||
Exclusive Safetti Cycling jersey | One (1) jersey | 2 jerseys, different styles + Plus one (1) bib short. | |
Our courtesy gift | T-shirt, Singleorigin coffee bag, digital photos | T-shirt, 3pack artesanal beer, Single-origin coffee bag, digital photos, video's tour | |
Laundry service provided | Two (2) laundries | All day’s tour. | |
Services | |||
Travel assistant Pre and post-cycling tour | Booking, advices, arrangements. | Booking, advices, arrangements. | |
Gratuities for baggage, porters, and hotel service | |||
Total single accomodation Total double accomodation | $10,490,000 cop 8,990,000 cop | $14,800,000 cop $12,880,000 cop | $22,960,000 cop |
