Colombia mission
Photo and words by Ron Fisher
In the fall 2009 Swiss paddlers Ron Fisher and Severin Häberling caught up with Dutch legend Kees van Kupiters, to paddle Colombia’s known and undiscovered runs. Here is Ron’s report what they did , saw, and paddled.
My motivation to visit Colombia was fairly simple – I wanted to go kayaking. Kees van Kupiters told of the friendly people, warm rivers, and unexplored canyons and he had been there six times. Kees has many first descents, knows the people, speaks Spanish fluently and knows where to find undiscovered whitewater. Severin Häberling and I were quickly persuaded and booked a flight to Bogotá.
Getting parents and friends to be enthusiastic about our trip was difficult, as everyone has heard too much in the media about kidnappings, high crime and drugs. We decided to for it anyway though and in mid-November we were picked up by Kees at the airport in Bogotá and headed off for some river exploration.
We spent the first week in San Gil where we paddled a few known rivers and organized missing materials before we started exploring unknown whitewater. At the very beginning, I managed a solo first descent of 60km on the Rio Suarez. For two days I was alone on the river through fantastic landscapes, paddling through some very difficult whitewater and making my way through class IV for hours.
Our next stop was Cocorna, a small town in the middle of fabulous mountain scenery, inhabited by incredibly friendly people and surrounded by numerous unexplored rivers. We spent three days paddling 20km on the Rio Cocorna. The first night we left the kayaks in the canyon and returned the next day. Unfortunately, we made only one kilometer of progress on the second day and spent the night in the gorge without food and sleeping bags before we could paddle out on the third day! Kees also almost cut two of his fingers off with a machete and could not paddle for the next few days.
We took advantage of this time and after two days of partying in Medellin we traveled 18 hours by bus south to Pasto. Before the trip, I had researched a lot on southern Colombia. There are great canyons with beautiful rivers, far away from the road. Only a few sections have been paddled and I set my sights on the Rio Guaitara and the Rio Juanambu. The two mentioned rivers run through deep and long gorges, past very few settlements and in Policarpa join the Rio Patia. Our plan was to take out there and take a bus back to Pasto, but we weren’t sure if our plan would work.
The southern part of Colombia is considered particularly dangerous and it is recommended to stay in the big cities or only along the Panamerican Highway. To be safe, we went to the police in Pasto and explained our plans. We quickly realized that Policarpa was not an option for us. This small town is teeming with paramilitaries and coca farmers. Policarpa is at the end of the road and from here they continue by boat to the coca plantations in the jungle. We didn't want to take the risk of getting kidnapped or worse, but this meant that we would only be able to paddle half of the lengths of the rivers.
After a two-hour taxi ride, we reached the put-in of the Rio Juanambu. The road crosses a bridge 120 meters above the river as it passes through an impressive gorge. The gorge is several hundred meters long, but it was not possible to see more than half of it from the bridge. The peasant family near the bridge assured us there was no waterfall in the canyon and, after a little photo shoot with the kids, showed us the way to the river. It was already 5:00 pm and we had only an hour until dark. A little nervous about what we’d find, we paddled through the narrows and a few kilometers further until the river opened up and we found a super place to sleep on the river.
We cooked a delicious dinner, enjoyed the campfire and discussed whether the small scorpions in the meadow were dangerous or not. Regardless, I decided to sleep on the sand where there were fewer insects that could make a night quickly into a nightmare.
The next morning we began our real exploration of the Juanambu. After half an hour the walls moved closer together again and the whitewater became more difficult. We had no idea what to expect in the next 20 kilometers, and at every bend we were glad to see a way to continue downstream. The first five kilometers were dream class 4-5 whitewater with only two portages. We spent some time scouting and thought we might have to spend another night on the river, but then it became easier and the last 15km consisted of class 3 and 4 rapids with breathtaking scenery. Well before dark we reached the takeout at the Panamerican Highway. We were overwhelmed by the world-class first descent we had just enjoyed. I hope that as many kayakers as possible can paddle this pearl in the future. We have paddled few canyons this beautiful!
Some soldiers were posted at the bridge by the takeout and we hung out and talked to them for quite some time, taking a round of pictures together before leaving. They stopped a truck for us and ordered the driver to bring us back to Pasto! Thanks!
A few days later we drove to the Rio Guaitara and experienced a similar trip. Again, this river flows through a dreamlike canyon and hides two or three very narrow gorges with little possibility to scout, and more difficult whitewater. At the takeout we did not feel very well and felt even worse after we spent the night out in the rain -- we called a taxi to pick us up at the take out but he didn't want to come because the area is too dangerous at night. The people we met in the canyon next morning were afraid of us at first; they explained to us later that a few years ago many people were killed here and that no one really feels safe yet, especially when some crazy kayakers appear who they have never seen before.
I spent the last few days of the trip in the hospital in Pasto, recovering from an infection from bad water in the Guaitara.
Conclusion: I am totally surprised by the people of Colombia. Never before have I experienced such friendly, good-tempered people. Except when taking out from the Guaitara, we never felt unsafe. Colombia is a kayaking paradise and there are still thousands of rivers waiting to be paddled. However, the most of them are in an insecure area and it will probably take years before it is possible to explore them!
Many thanks to Kees van Kupiters and Severin Häberling for the exciting trip!
*never get a too sharp machete * put in early ;-) * always bring mosquito shit * bring food * fuck morning rains * get TEVA´s with grip before leaving home * buy a new spounge * update first aid kit * never forget to bring some rum just in case * all in all: lots of things on the mind, but was a great trip and thanks to ron and severin for the tremendous job they did to get us through!!!
Kees van Kupiters quote on facebook, right after the trip!
Photo and words by Ron Fisher
In the fall 2009 Swiss paddlers Ron Fisher and Severin Häberling caught up with Dutch legend Kees van Kupiters, to paddle Colombia’s known and undiscovered runs. Here is Ron’s report what they did , saw, and paddled.
My motivation to visit Colombia was fairly simple – I wanted to go kayaking. Kees van Kupiters told of the friendly people, warm rivers, and unexplored canyons and he had been there six times. Kees has many first descents, knows the people, speaks Spanish fluently and knows where to find undiscovered whitewater. Severin Häberling and I were quickly persuaded and booked a flight to Bogotá.
Getting parents and friends to be enthusiastic about our trip was difficult, as everyone has heard too much in the media about kidnappings, high crime and drugs. We decided to for it anyway though and in mid-November we were picked up by Kees at the airport in Bogotá and headed off for some river exploration.
We spent the first week in San Gil where we paddled a few known rivers and organized missing materials before we started exploring unknown whitewater. At the very beginning, I managed a solo first descent of 60km on the Rio Suarez. For two days I was alone on the river through fantastic landscapes, paddling through some very difficult whitewater and making my way through class IV for hours.
Our next stop was Cocorna, a small town in the middle of fabulous mountain scenery, inhabited by incredibly friendly people and surrounded by numerous unexplored rivers. We spent three days paddling 20km on the Rio Cocorna. The first night we left the kayaks in the canyon and returned the next day. Unfortunately, we made only one kilometer of progress on the second day and spent the night in the gorge without food and sleeping bags before we could paddle out on the third day! Kees also almost cut two of his fingers off with a machete and could not paddle for the next few days.
We took advantage of this time and after two days of partying in Medellin we traveled 18 hours by bus south to Pasto. Before the trip, I had researched a lot on southern Colombia. There are great canyons with beautiful rivers, far away from the road. Only a few sections have been paddled and I set my sights on the Rio Guaitara and the Rio Juanambu. The two mentioned rivers run through deep and long gorges, past very few settlements and in Policarpa join the Rio Patia. Our plan was to take out there and take a bus back to Pasto, but we weren’t sure if our plan would work.
The southern part of Colombia is considered particularly dangerous and it is recommended to stay in the big cities or only along the Panamerican Highway. To be safe, we went to the police in Pasto and explained our plans. We quickly realized that Policarpa was not an option for us. This small town is teeming with paramilitaries and coca farmers. Policarpa is at the end of the road and from here they continue by boat to the coca plantations in the jungle. We didn't want to take the risk of getting kidnapped or worse, but this meant that we would only be able to paddle half of the lengths of the rivers.
After a two-hour taxi ride, we reached the put-in of the Rio Juanambu. The road crosses a bridge 120 meters above the river as it passes through an impressive gorge. The gorge is several hundred meters long, but it was not possible to see more than half of it from the bridge. The peasant family near the bridge assured us there was no waterfall in the canyon and, after a little photo shoot with the kids, showed us the way to the river. It was already 5:00 pm and we had only an hour until dark. A little nervous about what we’d find, we paddled through the narrows and a few kilometers further until the river opened up and we found a super place to sleep on the river.
We cooked a delicious dinner, enjoyed the campfire and discussed whether the small scorpions in the meadow were dangerous or not. Regardless, I decided to sleep on the sand where there were fewer insects that could make a night quickly into a nightmare.
The next morning we began our real exploration of the Juanambu. After half an hour the walls moved closer together again and the whitewater became more difficult. We had no idea what to expect in the next 20 kilometers, and at every bend we were glad to see a way to continue downstream. The first five kilometers were dream class 4-5 whitewater with only two portages. We spent some time scouting and thought we might have to spend another night on the river, but then it became easier and the last 15km consisted of class 3 and 4 rapids with breathtaking scenery. Well before dark we reached the takeout at the Panamerican Highway. We were overwhelmed by the world-class first descent we had just enjoyed. I hope that as many kayakers as possible can paddle this pearl in the future. We have paddled few canyons this beautiful!
Some soldiers were posted at the bridge by the takeout and we hung out and talked to them for quite some time, taking a round of pictures together before leaving. They stopped a truck for us and ordered the driver to bring us back to Pasto! Thanks!
A few days later we drove to the Rio Guaitara and experienced a similar trip. Again, this river flows through a dreamlike canyon and hides two or three very narrow gorges with little possibility to scout, and more difficult whitewater. At the takeout we did not feel very well and felt even worse after we spent the night out in the rain -- we called a taxi to pick us up at the take out but he didn't want to come because the area is too dangerous at night. The people we met in the canyon next morning were afraid of us at first; they explained to us later that a few years ago many people were killed here and that no one really feels safe yet, especially when some crazy kayakers appear who they have never seen before.
I spent the last few days of the trip in the hospital in Pasto, recovering from an infection from bad water in the Guaitara.
Conclusion: I am totally surprised by the people of Colombia. Never before have I experienced such friendly, good-tempered people. Except when taking out from the Guaitara, we never felt unsafe. Colombia is a kayaking paradise and there are still thousands of rivers waiting to be paddled. However, the most of them are in an insecure area and it will probably take years before it is possible to explore them!
Many thanks to Kees van Kupiters and Severin Häberling for the exciting trip!
*never get a too sharp machete * put in early ;-) * always bring mosquito shit * bring food * fuck morning rains * get TEVA´s with grip before leaving home * buy a new spounge * update first aid kit * never forget to bring some rum just in case * all in all: lots of things on the mind, but was a great trip and thanks to ron and severin for the tremendous job they did to get us through!!!
Kees van Kupiters quote on facebook, right after the trip!
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