Alanna Vogt shares her experience in Colombia
IT WAS FABULOUS. Best week of my life. Best decision I’ve ever made.
When I decided to have an escape from life I literally went to the Equitours site, searched for exciting rides leaving in March, and found the Barichara ride. I didn’t have an idea of where I wanted to go, but I wanted it to be fun and warmer than Winnipeg. I was nervous to go alone, I don’t speak Spanish, plus going to Colombia alone was pretty adventurous – I’ve travelled quite a bit alone, but not anywhere like Colombia. Biggi at Equitours said she had a great time on the ride, I read some solo female travel blogs that said Colombia was reasonably safe for women (take the same precautions as anywhere else and know where to go), so I booked it.
Julio the guide is wonderful, we’re in regular contact and I have plans to go back and visit him. He booked me a safe place to stay for a few days ahead in Bogota and arranged airport transport. I went early to acclimatize to the elevation, and I did some Tripadvisor tours in the city. Julio picked me up from the hotel on the Sunday, and we drove to his farm first then the site to meet the horses. He speaks good English, and while the groom (Wilson) doesn’t, he understands a lot and we were able to laugh together and communicate by the end of the week.
Never once on the ride was I concerned about safety, either with the horses or as a solo female. Julio has virtually every detail planned out. Honestly I wasn’t concerned about anything, it was the perfect escape for me. All I had to do was get up and get on a horse each morning. The ride is pretty face paced, but you take time at lunch to relax, we even went swimming twice over lunch. There is also enough walking to look around you and take it all in. The scenery is stunning, the horses are extremely well trained and with plenty of energy for long canters and uphill climbs. I rode four of the five horses that we had with us, and all of them were different (of course!) but I felt safe all the time. Julio started me on probably the quietest, but later rode the others and they were great.
Julio also has very interesting non-horse activities planned, and I learned a lot about Colombian history, as well as current politics and economy. Julio has a wealth of knowledge and we never ran out of things to talk about even after spending a week together where he was the only person I could really talk to!
The hotels are quite nice, and since you are there mid week you are the only party staying – other than in Barichara. They are simple but nice rooms. Don’t expect hot water, but that goes for most places in Colombia other than Bogota. The food is simple but very good. I ended up being in Colombia a month, and you eat a lot of grilled meats / fish, rice, plantains, arepas, some potatoes, and soups. Colombians have a different soup in every region. I’ll eat anything and I was pleasantly surprised with the food. I also didn’t get sick until my last week in Medellin.
I wasn’t sore until the last day of riding, when I found that I needed to stand in my stirrups during the canters. My pelvis had enough after about 140 km of riding! The saddles are very comfortable, and have pads on top. I think that Julio said they are military surplus from when Colombia ended their cavalry, so they are designed for long rides. It was hot most days, though we did get rained on in the afternoons twice.
The level of service from Julio and his team is above anything I’ve ever experienced. I never needed anything, ever. I really can’t say enough good things about it. They care so much about the guest having a great experience in Colombia, and Julio is very passionate about showcasing what his country has to offer – though I found this with most Colombians. They also care so much for the horses. Julio and Wilson both have two daughters, and are very respectful of women. I absolutely never hesitated to say I needed to pull over and use the “bathroom” in the bush! I also found that when we stopped, the women I encountered were very happy to talk to me, let me use the bathroom in their house, etc when they saw I was travelling with three men!
If you are adventurous, and go with an open mind and few expectations of what you think might happen, you’ll have an amazing time. Horses and developing nations are unpredictable of course! I really loved Colombia, the people, the country, I can’t wait to go back. There are for sure problems there, but I always felt quite safe, and definitely when I was with Julio. Having international tourists is newer for Colombia, and I met many locals who couldn’t believe I just hopped on a plane and did the ride alone. Less than twenty years ago no one could go where I went, it wasn’t safe. But now they are very excited to see people coming and it’s wonderful how much they love their country and want to show it to people.