May 2. Leaving Jardín, we retraced our steps—down the hill, along the river, then back up a long climb to reach the toll road. The original plan was to head straight to Salento to explore the wax palms, then continue on to Calima Lake for a week of kiting. But as we looked at the map, we made a last-minute decision to reverse the order and head to the lake first, planning to swing back up to Salento afterward.

Even though it’s rainy season, we’ve heard there’s always wind there. Driving down Highway 25, we racked up more toll charges—small amounts each time, but they were definitely starting to add up. Along the way, we learned about a Colombian Overlanding meet happening just off our route, so we decided to check it out.

As expected, we stood out—easily double the size (and many times the value) of most other rigs. I quickly realized this wasn’t our scene and tried to retreat to the truck, hoping for a quick getaway. But instead, a crowd gathered around. Everyone wanted to shake hands, ask about our vehicle, and hear our story. An hour or more slipped by before we could ease our way back onto the road.

Everyone we met recommended we head up the other side of the highway to see the massive statue of Christ—reportedly the second largest in South America. So off we went, climbing a series of narrow, steep roads. Locals on motorbikes gave us the classic “WT# are you doing here?” look. Times like these make me wish we were in a vehicle half the size with double the power.

We followed the ridge line, passing farm after farm growing plantains, bananas, and other crops destined for market.

Cristo Rey

May 3. Perched on the ridge at the edge of town, the statue loomed above us. We stopped briefly to snap a photo, again drawing attention and fielding questions from curious onlookers—as we more or less blocked the narrow road.

By now, it was getting late, and we needed to find a place to camp. Flat, level ground was nonexistent in these mountains, so we ended up driving further than we wanted to spend the night we’d found, marked as safe on iO, on a quiet street in a neighbourhood of high-rise apartment blocks on the outskirts of Pereira.

The next morning, I wasn’t feeling great—some indigestion and a touch of an upset stomach. Pushing on, driving four more hours down to Calima Lake, another man-made hydro reservoir.

Our first view of the lake was of the high-end side. luxurious homes, manicured gardens, perfect docks with boats moored neatly in place. Passing by to the far end, the other side, where we found Calima Kite Club. It ticked all our boxes… except for one: the wind forecast didn’t look great.

Through the gates, we saw a large grassy area with kites pumped and ready, cars parked to the side, and a restaurant blasting great music, it’s an energizing, ready-to-ride atmosphere.

After introductions and a little negotiating, we were welcomed to camp free of charge since we’d be taking lessons. Perfect.

Kiteboarding on Calima Lake

This is a full service club where the crew handles everything. They pump our kites, run the lines, rig, launch, land and wrap up our kites! How nice to be spoiled! The launch here is very technical though, with the lake being 20 meters below, houses and trees interrupt the wind. All we had to do was gear up and walk down to the lake’s edge with our boards. There’s even a rescue dinghy standing by in case anyone gets into trouble. At home we have to pay $75 CAD for a rescue, here they just charge $5.

The owner, Esteban, and his sister—both in their early 30s—lease the land and run the restaurant and kite school. Esteban was Jaxon’s instructor and was eager to get him out on the water right away. And when the wind is blowing, ya just gotta go. Lessons were incredibly good value at just $85 USD each, per hour. AND… the clock doesn’t start until the boys are in the water ready to kite! For that price, both Jaxon and Klass had their own certified instructor and a dedicated support dinghy with a third staff member onboard. Three professionals for two students—safe, focused, and hands-on. We were genuinely impressed, just can’t get this kind of service back home without it costing $200+ p/hr.

They were taken upwind by dinghy and set up with an 8m kite in light conditions. About 90 minutes later, the boys returned grinning ear to ear. Even though the wind wasn’t strong enough for a proper session, they learned the essentials of how to “self-rescue”.

Sick Days and Windy Afternoons

That night, I still wasn’t feeling well. At midnight I barely made it to the bathroom before violently throwing up. Tim couldn’t help without feeling the urge to barf himself. Feeling better afterwards but was up four more times during the night. My last round was at 9 a.m., after that I spent the entire day in bed, completely drained. Must’ve been something I ate…

Bouncing back the next day. I managed to pump the SUP and paddle out on the lake. In the afternoon, the wind finally came up. Tim, Charley, and I got a solid session on the water while Jaxon had his second lesson—again thrilled with his progress.

The next couple of days were windless so Mario and Wenke left for Armenia. It was pouring, heavy rain through the night and much of the day. Now I’m grateful for the size of the truck, we’re dry inside. The upside of this weather is that the kids got heaps of schoolwork done, Charley with a 3 day math marathon. With Tim as her teacher, they had a few multi-hour tutoring sessions, no such thing as 20 min learning blocks! But, with just four weeks left in the school year, the pressure is now on to get everything completed.

May 9th. On our last day, we waited and hoped for wind that never came. Teased with blue sky and distant clouds we were hopeful. As 12, then1, then at 2pm we called it and began to pack everything up. Of course at 3:30 with the truck fully loaded, the wind picked up! Jaxie was chomping to get out onto the lake, so he used the school equipment and went out for one final lesson. He’s now staying up wind and taking his first jumps! Success!! Yes, he’s beyond excited—already asking about how to jump higher, he’s set on beating his sister.

For now, it’s back to Pereira…