Arriving into Colombia with your own vehicle is not a straightforward process. The Colombian government decided that a digital approach to vehicle customs was needed, but preferred that the people entering the country be the ones that perform most of the technological work. Thankfully we managed to process everything on the customs officials computer at the Ipiales border crossing, before making the short drive to the Santuario de Nuestra Señora Rosario de las Lajas (a handful of a name but definitely worth a visit)!
We slept at the cable car parking before walking a few kilometres down to the sanctuary the next morning. The sanctuary is located at the bottom of a canyon, a hugely impressive location for such a structure. The church and bridge themselves are also impressive, but it is the stunning location that make it such a unique place.
From there we headed to Ipiales city itself to take care of some travel admin (i.e. ATM’s, mobile SIM cards and groceries)! We were not overly enamoured with what we saw, although perhaps this may just have been the few neighbourhoods we ended up in.
Having left Ipiales, we set our sights on a small village called Silvia, close to the city of Popoyan. There we would stay in a wonderful camping owned and run by a Moroccan family. Finca La Bonanza (Chez Kika) is a beautiful place to spend some quiet relaxed time, eating amazing Moroccan food, and be in the company of genuine people. We stayed nearly a week and could easily have stayed longer.
The village of Silvia itself hosts a market every Tuesday. It was great to see how all the indigenous communities come together each week to share food, gossip and everything else in-between. We loved the tour of the market that Kika gave us and especially the variety of fruit and vegetables available. We also paid a visit to El Bulevar de los Suenos. An amazing place, here both adults and children could enjoy nature, animals and local food in endless supply.
During our stay in Silvia we took a day out to visit nearby Popoyan. Founded in 1537 by Sebastian de Belalcázar, the capital of Cauca is one of the most important religious centers in Colombia. Known for its excellent cuisine, culture and political scene, the city also contains beautiful colonial architecture and its contributions to Colombian cultural and political life. We enjoyed a late lunch followed by leisurely strolling the side streets of the main plaza. Nothing fancy but very enjoyable all the same!
From Silvia we headed north to Colombia’s third biggest city of Cali. Better known in recent times for drug trafficking and crime, the city has undergone a revolution in recent years and is now an excellent place to come and visit. COP 16 (UN Biodiversity Conference) was even staged here in October 2024, a remarkable turnaround for this once notorious city.
Cali itself is said to be the home of salsa dancing and there are many salsa bars and clubs throughout the city. While we unfortunately did not get the opportunity to embarrass ourselves on the dance floor, we did enjoy the San Antonio neighbourhood of the city in particular, with its colourful and lively streets, cafes, restaurants and art galleries. The people were also super friendly wherever we went, really interested in speaking to foreign visitors and learning about different cultures.
Aside from San Antonio, we also enjoyed strolling along the Cali River, seeing the Gato de Tajada (Cat Statues) and visiting the Iglesia La Ermita. We also stumbled upon a basketball tournament in one of the city centre parks that kept us well occupied for the afternoon! A great find was the Pintando Ando pottery painting cafe we found close to the river. Here you can buy any pre-made figure that you like and paint it using an array of material provided by the cafe. For a relatively small price, three generations of our family spent a few wonderful hours together creating masterpiece after masterpiece!
From Cali and the Cauca Region we would continue north, where we would find better roads, more tourists and better facilities for life in a camper van. Yet we could reflect on our time in this often difficult part of Colombia with much fondness and certainly somewhere we could easily come back to one day.
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