ATV tours in Medellín: where to ride, what it costs and what to expect

Where you actually ride

Nobody rides quads inside Medellín. The trails sit 45 to 90 minutes out of the city in the mountains that ring the valley, on farm tracks, old mule paths and mud roads through coffee and flower country.

• ·Santa Elena. Closest to the city, flower farms and cloud forest, cool air and mist most mornings. Best for a half day.
• ·San Cristóbal and the western hills. Views straight back down over the valley, drier trails, popular with locals on weekends.
• ·Guarne and Rionegro. Rolling farmland near the airport. Easy to bolt onto an arrival or departure day.
• ·Guatapé and San Rafael. Longer drive, but you can ride in the morning and be on the reservoir by lunch.

What an ATV tour costs in Medellín

Pricing is per machine, not per person, and most quads take a driver plus one passenger.

• ·Two hour ride, roughly $70 to $110 per quad with helmet and guide.
• ·Half day, three to four hours of trail time, roughly $110 to $180 per quad.
• ·Full day with lunch and a longer route, from about $200 per quad.
• ·Transport from your building, $120 to $220 for the vehicle depending on how far out you ride and how long the driver waits.
• ·Boots, gloves and rain gear are usually free loans. Some operators add a small fuel or damage deposit.

Do you need a license or experience?

No license is required to ride on private trails and farm tracks, and operators run a short briefing before you set off. If you can ride a bicycle and follow instructions you will be fine.

Experience only changes how fast the guide lets you go. Beginners get a slower group and gentler line. Anyone who has ridden before can ask for the technical route, which is where the day gets fun.

What to wear and bring

You are going to get muddy. Not a little muddy, properly muddy, and that is most of the point.

• ·Clothes you do not care about, long sleeves and long pants.
• ·Closed shoes with grip. Sneakers are fine, sandals are not.
• ·A change of clothes in the car for the drive home.
• ·Sunglasses or the goggles the operator provides. Mud flies.
• ·A phone strap or a chest mount. Loose phones do not survive quad trails.
• ·Cash in small bills for the roadside stops. Card readers are rare up there.

Best time to go

Morning, always. Trails are quieter, the light is better and Antioquia afternoons bring rain more often than not. A 7:30 or 8:00 departure gets you riding by 9:30 and back in El Poblado by mid afternoon.

Mud is seasonal, not optional. In the wetter months of April to May and September to November the trails are slicker and more fun, just plan for a full change of clothes. Dry season riding is faster and dustier.

Group tour or private ride?

Group tours are cheap and they work. You meet at a set point, ride in a line and follow the pace of the slowest rider in a group of twelve.

A private ride costs more and changes the day. You leave from your building at the hour you choose, the guide rides your pace, you stop where you want for photos and lunch, and there is a clean vehicle waiting for you at the end instead of a shared van.

• ·Bachelor groups and families do better private. Mixed skill levels break group tours.
• ·If you are riding on an arrival or departure day, private is the only version that fits the schedule.

How we run ATV days

We pick you up, drive you out, brief the operator on who is riding, and keep the vehicle at the finish so nobody sits around in wet clothes waiting for a van.

The version we push hardest is ATVs in the morning and Guatapé in the afternoon. You ride while the trails are empty, eat trout on the water and get back to the city with the whole day used properly.