San Gil

San Gil sits on the Fonce at around eleven hundred metres and its economy now runs largely on activity tourism: rafting on the Fonce for beginners and on the Suarez, class IV and V, for people who know what they are doing; paragliding over the Chicamocha canyon from Curití and Mesa de los Santos; caving in Cueva del Indio and Cueva de la Vaca, which involve swimming through passages in the dark; abseiling down the Juan Curi waterfall; and bungee jumping. Parque Gallineral in the town is a riverside grove of trees hung with grey moss. Barichara, generally called the prettiest town in Colombia, is twenty minutes away and most visitors base themselves in one or the other.

History

The Guane people lived here before the Spanish, and the town was founded on 17 March 1689 by Gil Cabrera Dávalos and Leonardo Correa de Betancourt. In 2004 San Gil was officially named the tourist capital of the region for its rafting, caving, kayaking and hiking (Wikipedia, San Gil).

What you'll find

• Rafting at two difficulty levels - the Fonce and the harder Suarez.
• Paragliding over the Chicamocha canyon - from the plateau edge.
• Caves involving swimming in the dark - Cueva del Indio and others.
• Parque Gallineral - a moss-hung riverside grove in town.

When to go

Year round; river levels vary with the rains. Several days.

Practical notes

Operator safety standards vary considerably - check equipment and guides rather than booking on price. The Suarez is genuinely serious whitewater. Caves involve confined spaces and water. The town itself is ordinary; the surroundings are the point.

Nearby

Barichara is twenty minutes west; the Chicamocha canyon is north.

Key facts