MOTOLOMBIA – TOURS AND RENTALS

What riding gear do I need?
- Your own helmet and riding gear as this is not included in the rental or tour. We do have some gear and helmets available for short-term tours, but do not carry all sizes. We recommend you use MX boats and protective gear and carry a rain suit.

What documents do I need to rent and ride in Colombia?

- Valid passport
- Drivers license with motorcycle endorsement (International license can easily be obtained at your Automobile Club. Call AAA for information)
- Valid credit card to cover damage deposit

How do I make reservation?
Make sure to make reservation well in advance. A reservation is not valid before we receive 50% of the total price of the rental or tour and confirm this in writing. We accept all major credit cards, except Master Card (our credit card terminal DO accept Master Card physically once you’re here, but our online credit card software do not accept Master Card). To pay with credit card send us your card no., expiration date and full name on CC. We also accept Paypal payments (please add a 5% extra charge to cover Paypal fee’s and bad exchange rate) and finally you can make an international money transfer to Mike’s Danish bank account (if you wish to do that we will forward the bank account details upon request).

What about insurance?
- All rentals include the mandatory 3rd party liability insurance (SOAT), this includes rider and passenger accident coverage.
- A deductible damage deposit will need to be confirmed on your credit card before hand-over of the bike and covers the maximum responsibility you have.
- We recommend that you take out adequate travel and health insurance as well as trip cancellation insurance as this is not covered by us.

Can I expect that everything is exactly as described?
- Most times yes, but please bring good spirit and an ability to stay calm and be patience as things sometimes take longer in Latin America or don’t always go exactly as planned.



Can I leave extra luggage somewhere while on tour?
- You can safely leave luggage at Casa Blanca Hostel free of charge while renting a motorcycle from Motolombia.

Where will we sleep on tour?
- We normally stay in small hotels, B&B and the some of the nicest hostels. Always private rooms double occupancy (single occupancy can be arranged for an extra fee). Camping is an option on personalized tours.

Where will we eat?
- Breakfast is included in the tour. Lunch and dinner is not included. This way you can decide to eat cheaply or decide for something more exclusive. We stop at a nice restaurant for lunch everyday and at night we are usually in a city or village that have several different options to choice from for dinner.

Do I need to worry about altitude sickness?
- Altitude sickness is not a problem, you need to get quite high up to feel anything. The highest mountain pass we cross is approximately 4000 meter. We do not overnight in higher altitudes.

Do I need to worry about mosquito, snakes or other dangerous animals?
- We will not go into any area where malaria is a thread, but there can be some areas with mosquito especially after it has rained, but no more than a summer day in Europe. Other dangerous animals are rare. And they won’t be near roads, cities, villages or hotels where we stay.

How many hours a day do we spend on the bikes?
- Usually 2-3 hours before lunch and 2-3 hours after lunch. There are non-riding days planned on tours of one week or longer. The motorcycle is available to use if you wish to go out and see something on your own (fuel is not included on scheduled non-riding days) and there will be activities arranged depending on the group wishes. The possibilities are many for example horse back riding, hiking, site seeing, shopping, off road riding, rafting, canopy, swimming pool, hot springs, coffee plantation tour etc.

Can I cross borders on the rental bikes?
- Going into Ecuador is possible with a special permission. We make this permission for free. We do not allow for our bikes to enter any other country. Ecuador is also doable on a customized guided tour. If you wish to cross more borders, we suggest you look at buying a bike from us with buy-back guarantee.

What happen in case of a serious accident?
- There are great doctors and clinics all over Colombia, but since the country is huge, many areas are remote. The tour guide always carry a first aid kit and have first emergency response training. There’s also an option to bring our 4×4 support car for an extra fee. You need to buy health insurance to cover yourself in the case of an accident as this is not covered by us! Make sure to tell your insurance company that you will be riding a +500 cc motorcycle.

What airlines fly from Europe to Colombia?
- There are several good and cheap options from Europe to Colombia. Iberia Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa and Avianca Airlines all have connection to Cali, Medellin or Bogota. We do not recommend flying via the USA because of their strict security measures that might result in you missing your connection flight.

How much money should I bring to Colombia and what is the currency?
- Its not recommend to carry to much cash or travelers checks. There are ATM machines everywhere, so its easy to get a cash advance from almost any major credit card in most cities. In Colombia the currency is Pesos (one US Dollar = approx. 1800 Pesos) and in Ecuador the currency is US dollars. Budget to eat lunch and dinner will probably be around $20-50 USD dollars per day, plus personal expenses like non-included activities, souvenirs and drinks.

What’s the climate and temperature like?
- Colombia is very close to the Equator, so the days are equally long and the weather is tropical warm all year around. In the valley’s its between 25-35 C and in the mountains it get colder but never really cold. In May and October/November it is supposed to rain more, but its usually no more than a 1 hour tropical rain poor and then the roads dry fast again. We run tours all year around no problem.

How many percent of the trip is off road or on dirt roads?
- The percentage of dirt riding can be adjusted according to rider wishes on the tour, but usually maximum 20-30% gravel and dirt roads. In general the tours are on well maintained tarmac roads in good condition. Some riders specifically wish for off road type riding, they will need to ask for a personalized tour.

Will we reach the ocean for a swim?
- We do not reach the ocean on any of the pre-planned tours, but it can be arranged on a personalized tour. Some riders plan to fly to Cartagena on the Caribbean coast before or after the motorcycle tour to relax on the beach in addition to the motorcycle trip. National flights are about $50-80 USD between major cities in Colombia, like Cali to Cartagena.

How many kilometers will we ride per day?
- Because of the technicality of the routes here (many curves) the average amount of kilometers is usually around 250-300 km per day, which can easily be 6 hour on the bike.

Motolombia on tour