hey guys.
Currently in Salento and working my self down to Ecuador. However, I would love to visit both cali and San Agustin before I do so. So what do you recommend me to do. Salento-Cali-Agustin-Ecuador or Salenti-Augustin-Cali-Ecuador?
I am looking for the way that is the best in ways of time common sense.
The thing is when I look at the map it is obvious that I should start with Cali, however my Colombian friend from cali tells me that I should start with San agustin.
You have a few options, but starting from Cali definitely gives you more choices. I guess it depends on which border crossing you use. If you want to use the San Miguel crossing, then you should start in Cali. You can visit Cali and then head south to Popayan. From Popayan, you can cross the Cordillera to Pitalito and check out the San Augustin area. From Pitalito, you can head south to Mocoa. After Mocoa, the trip to the border (San Miguel) is an easy 4 hours. You wouldn't have to do any backtracking, and you'd see a very beautiful part of the country that most travelers skip.
If you want to do the Ipiales crossing, then you may or may not have to backtrack at some point (depends on the route). One itinerary is at the beginning, similar to the first itinerary explained above. Start with Cali and then head south to Popayan. From Popayan, cross the cordillera and head to the San Augustin area. From here, you have about 2 choices. You can either backtrack the same way you came going back to Popayan, or you can continue south from Pitalito, heading to Mocoa. Backtracking to Popayan would put you on the Pan American highway. From there, it's easy to catch a bus to Ipiales (the city on the Ecuador-Colombian border). If you don't want to go over the same tracks, then continue south to Mocoa (I'd do this instead of going back to Popayan). From Mocoa, it's easy to catch a bus to Pasto, where you can make your way to the Ipiales crossing.
If you can get service from Cali to Pitalito without having to pass through Popayan, then you could avoid having to backtrack to Popayan. From Pitalito (San Augustin area), you can head east over the Cordillera checking out Popayan, then going south to Ecuador, or you can continue south to Mocoa, making your way to the border from there.
If it were up to me, I'd do the San Miguel crossing. The Mocoa area is one of the prettiest places I've visited in Colombia and it's definitely worth a visit. Several years ago, the Putamayo region was not safe to visit. However, the situation has greatly improved and the region is a great place to see birds and animals, while experiencing Colombia's natural beauty. Due its past reputation as being an unsafe area, it doesn't receive a lot of tourists, and to most Colombians, Mocoa may as well be on the Moon. I'd go there before its stock eventually rises.
If you go to San Augustin first, you'd need to backtrack north to Cali from Popayan on the pan-American highway, and then return south via the same highway on the way to Ecuador. So the normal thing would be go to Cali first, if you must see Cali. I think Popayan is far more interesting than Cali.
airbnb51st has good suggestions, and I totally agree about going south via Mocoa. Between San Augustin and Mocoa, this is a really beautiful and untraveled region of Colombia. The only problem with crossing at San Miguel to Ecuador is you skip out on visiting the iconic Las Lajas sanctuary, that is the highlight of crossing the border at Ipiales.
I hate to piggyback on a thread, but this sounds useful. I am planning to do the reverse in a week's time, starting in Ipiales. Would Ipiales-Pasto-Mocoa-San Augustin-Popayan make sense? From there I'd like to hit Salento.
Yeah, that's a good route. You can get to Mocoa from Ipiales in 1 day. You'd basically catch a Pasto bound bus in Ipiales and then transfer in Pasto to Mocoa. From Mocoa, it's easy to get a bus to Pitalito and the San Augustin area. You'd then have to cross the cordillera to get to Popayan. Then from Popayan, you can head north to Cali and easily find transport to either Armenia or Pereira (both of these towns are about the same distance from Salento).
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