Alto el Sifón

2 Stages | 3 Nights

Officially the longest climb ever used in a UCI race

⛰️

Officially the longest climb ever used in a UCI race ⛰️

Introducing Alto el Sifón: officially the longest climb ever used in a UCI race (Vuelta a Colombia 2024). An epic ride across 4 climate zones, reaching the high páramo above 4,150 m.

El SIFON 2 stages cycling tour with Colombici

What to expect

Expect an epic journey through the Colombian High Andes and its wild terrain. The route takes you from lush tropical valleys up into the high páramo, where the landscape transforms dramatically.

You’ll dissect Colombia’s four distinct climate zones in just two days — from humid jungle to cool coffee hills, alpine forest, and the surreal high páramo.

Along the way, you’ll ride past fields of frailejones towering above the misty slopes, with the snow-capped Nevado del Ruiz looming in the distance. It’s like riding on another planet — vast, remote, and breathtaking.

What’s included:

✔︎ A support vehicle.

✔︎ Top-rated accommodations (3-star and above).

✔︎ Daily breakfasts.

✔︎ Nutrition & hydration. (gels, fruits, local snacks)

✔︎ Travel accident insurance.

✔︎ Professional photographer on the Queen stage.

What’s not included:

✘ Your flights.

✘ Alcoholic beverages.

✘ Lunches and dinners.

✘ Local accommodation tax.

✘ Your shopping!

Possible add-ons (additional costs):

+ Bike rental

+ Airport transfers

+ Single occupancy (instead of double)

Cycling Tour El Sifon Tolima Colombia, colombici

Quick Hits:

Duration:
3 nights / 2 stages
Total Distance:
166 km (103 mi)
Total Elevation Gain:
5,150 m↑ (16,896 ft↑)
Starting Point:
Bogotá (transfer to Honda)
Ending Point:
Mariquita (return to Bogotá)
Difficulty:
Challenging
Cultural Highlights: Nevado del Ruiz – a stratovolcano, Líbano – the gateway to coffee heartlands, and colorful Murillo.
Best Time to Ride:
All year round.

Stage 1:
Honda → Líbano
83 km (51 mi) | 1,850 m↑ (6,070 ft↑)

Ride through tropical lowlands lined with banana, lulo, and papaya trees before the road begins its slow, dramatic rise. You’ll pass the haunting ruins of Armero, where nature has reclaimed what was once a town.

As you climb higher, the air cools and the scenery shifts; lush jungle gives way to coffee plantations clinging to steep hillsides. You’ll feel the transition through Colombia’s climate zones, from hot and humid valleys to the fresh, fertile tierra templada of Líbano, a quiet coffee town surrounded by misty green mountains.

Libano murillo colombia cycling tour colombici

Read a journal on Colombia’s Evolving Identity

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Read a journal on Colombia’s Evolving Identity 📖

Stage 2:
Líbano → Murillo → El Sifón → Letras
83 km (51 mi) | 3,300 m↑ (10,827 ft↑)

The queen stage. Ride through Murillo, Río Lagunilla, La Ventanas, El Sifón, and Kumanday before reaching Alto de Letras and its iconic sign.

The climb traverses Colombia’s most extreme climate zones, coffee hills, pine forests, Frailejones, and high-altitude páramo.