On the 23rd of February 2025, we met Jef and Lien, two Belgians who are bikepacking around South America. The two very enthusiastic bikers started their bike trip in Santiago de Chile. They both brought their bikes from home and have been biking for around 100 days around the south of South America.

Lien and Jef never imagined they would cycle for so long. At the age of 34, they wanted to visit Patagonia, but they heard about the idea of exploring “Carretera Austral,” which has “more than 1,200 kilometers and enchants all those who visit it by car or bicycle with pristine landscapes and an air that only those lucky enough to know this route can breathe,” based on chile.travel.com.

[https://www.chile.travel/en/where-to-go/destination/carretera-austral/]

Lien mentioned that one of the most challenging things so far is the wind, especially in Patagonia, but at the same time, the most rewarding thing at the end of each climb was the landscape and the people along the way. Yet, biking from one place to another kept them excited about what lay ahead.

Despite being foreigners, Lien and Jef relied on locals throughout their journey from Patagonia. They could not be more surprised by how altruistic Latin American people can be.

Biking and camping are challenging, especially because after cycling from town to town, proper rest is essential. Otherwise, it is hard to keep a good rhythm, which is why they opted to rest once in a while in cabañas or hostels.

Although biking on international roads can be difficult because there is nothing around and you must rely on your mechanical skills or people along the way, Lien and Jef were lucky—they only had a few flat tires and never faced a major mechanical issue, which was a relief, as it would have been a significant challenge for them.

In Colombia, they arrived in Bogotá and found us on the internet. We were surprised that they chose to bike in a big city rather than the countryside. They mentioned that Bogotá is well known for its bike lanes and Ciclovía on Sundays. That day, we biked through many neighborhoods, and Lien and Jef were very happy about taking the tour with us.

They continued their journey to Boyacá, a few hundred kilometers north of Bogotá, and remarked: “Colombia is stunning. There are many mountains and breathtaking landscapes, but the high altitude has been challenging for us.”

Boyacá is a department of Colombia that is very famous because of its altitude: “It covers a small portion of the Middle Magdalena Valley of the Magdalena River to the west, the Cordillera Oriental mountain range with altitudes of 5,380 m above sea level,” based on the Boyacá topographic map.

[https://en-gb.topographic-map.com/map-xg3l5k/Boyacá/?center=5.62743,-72.82837]

Lien and Jef mentioned how friendly people in Colombia are. They never thought locals would be so interested in them just because they were biking through the country.  Lien stated: “Back home, we are so caught up with work and social life that we live in our own bubble. But in Colombia, people were willing to help us, even if it meant putting aside their own plans.”

 Lien concluded: “The most important thing is to enjoy biking because you never know what adventure awaits.” Biking is difficult and not the most comfortable way of living your life, but enjoying what you do is the key not only to biking but to life.

Written by Daniel