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San Gil Whitewater Rafting

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Kiryo
Kiryo
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4 out of 5
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San Gil

  • May 11, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Kiryo from Chicago, Illinois
San Gil

Location: San Gil

The Capital of Colombia’s White Water Rafting Industry… err, Colombia’s only white water rafting industry, resides in San Gil, about 2.5 hours south of Bucaramanga in beautiful Santander Department. Of note here is, in addition to rafting, is the plethora of “extreme” sports available for enjoyment, in parallel to plenty of other more traditional countryside sports like horseback riding and hiking.

San Gil is located in the Guane region of Santander, the only Indian group to not be fully subjugated by the Spaniards back in the day of Colombia’s colonial past… but don’t expect to see loincloths and bow and arrows in the region. The San Gil region is well-developed, well organized, extremely well organized by many standards of South America, so you should expect to find good rafting facilities and decent sporting operators here that will not cost you much compared to other rafting and extreme sports.

Within San Gil, if you are only there for several hours, with no time for rafting or any other sports, try heading to El Parque del Gallineral. Located at the northern entrance to the town limits of San Gil, El Gallineral sports a relaxing atmosphere with a large collection of Spanish Moss-covered trees, a platform for launching rafting expeditions on the river, and a restaurant that has very good meats for a very cheap price in the environs of the park. General entrance to the park cost around $3, while a very heavy meat dish cost around $5 with freshly-squeezed lemonade.

Although a hotel stay did not happen in San Gil, plenty of options exist, from budget rooms to pretty decent “resort” style hotels with plenty of services to boast advertising on the Internet. As in most places in Colombia, you will be approached by individuals claiming to have cheap rooms or cheap hotels, it's best to book ahead or at least check with other travelers who’ve been through here before to ascertain the best accommodations available at the best price.

From journal Departamento de Santander

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