Adventures in Antioquia - Canyoning in Colombia
Canyoning in Colombia
A Spanish Adventure Saturday Canyoning in San Carlos
Every day traveling in a foreign country is an adventure. But the founders of #SpanishAdventure take it to a whole other level.
I consider myself an adrenaline junkie, always looking for the next opportunity to get my blood pumping and heart racing. It’s not easy to scare me. Almost all of the “adventure tours” I do in Western countries bore me.
That is not the case at Spanish Adventure. Every day we have a mini-adventure post Spanish class: sliding down a natural rock slide, jumping into a waterfall, interacting with locals, or hiking. But Saturday...Saturday is not for the faint of heart. It’s a full day, full on adventure that will test your limits. AND it’s less than the cost of breakfast back home. Literally. It’s amazing.
The day started with a gnarly trek through the jungle where I kept thinking “HOW did anyone find this route?!” After about an hour of trekking, we arrive at a gorgeous river. We wade through the water and rocks, passing a large cliff above a waterfall. As Camillo and Daniel prepare our lunches, our fearless guide Manuel leads up back to the large cliff above the waterfall. And tells us “Pueden saltar” - you can jump.
“Huh?” we say. “From here??”
“Si”
“Nooooo way. Let’s see you do it first”
“No no, yo no salto desde aqui, yo salto desde alla”, pointing at a lower spot.
“What! We’re not jumping from here if you’re not!”
Before we finish our protest, Manuel has wordlessly launched himself off the 10m rock, sailing down to the eddy below.
“Oh damn, guess I have to do this now” I think to myself, before I take 3 deep breathes. 3. 2. 1....and then walk away. I definitely need to think further about this.
5 minutes later, this happens:
After safely landing in the water, the next step is to get down the waterfall. Even though it’s only a few meters of waterfall, the powerful current really sucks you down and spits you out; let’s just say I left this adventure with a new level of respect for mother nature.
Post challenge #1, we eat a delicious lunch of bread, avocado, tomato, chicken & honey (aka Colombia’s culinary gift to the world), and chocolates.
And then the adventure continues! For the next 5 hours, we’re jumping off cliffs, sliding down natural rock slides, swimming, climbing, and encouraging each other to conquer our fears. After each jump, I look back to see the sun's’ rays illuminating the lush trees canopying the beautiful flow of water, and I think to myself “I am SO lucky”.
After a round of high fives, we head back to town where it’s time to fiiiieeessstttaaaa. Good times are had by all, and that is all I am legally allowed to say. You’ll have to come here yourself to see what I mean by fiiiiieeessssttttaaaa. You won’t be disappointed.
Moral of the story: If you’ve come to South America to step outside your comfort zone, grow, learn, and challenge yourself, #SpanishAdventure is the place for you. You’ll work hard. You’ll curse at the Spanish gods for inventing so many tenses. You’ll hit your knee on a rock. But, overshadowing all of those moments will be the sense of accomplishment you feel when you can talk in Spanish to the local tienda owner. The sense of camaraderie you’ll feel from your new #SpanishAdventure family. The memories you will always retain of your crazy South American adventures.
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