The trip from Quito into Columbia made for a long day but was fairly uneventful with the exception of a little confusion at the Ecuadorean border. Since we originally crossed into Ecuador at a fairly “rustic” crossing where all of the paperwork was done by hand, we were never entered into the computer database. Thankfully, after an hour of running around - obtaining photocopies of our passports, original entry stamps etc., and getting in and out of line-ups - we were set.
Entrance into Columbia though, was a snap. A quick scan of the passport and we were in - evidently US technology (and money) at work.
Other than a few military groups stationed along the road - no official checkpoints - and a sign spray-painted on a wall in Spanish saying “para-militaries are killing people”, it felt like entering other SA country.
It was only after we arrived in Popayan, Columbia (about five hours inside the border) and checked our emails that we found a message from the Canadian Government regarding travel leaving Ecuador through the Cachi Province which was our exact route…
Regional Warning
Avoid all travel
OFFICIAL WARNING: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against all travel to the areas immediately bordering Colombia (namely both provinces of Carchi and Sucumbíos, with the exception of the city of Tulcán), and the town of San Lorenzo, located in the north of Esmeraldas province. Travel to and within these areas is dangerous due to the presence of drug traffickers, criminal organizations and refugees from Colombia, and to the risk of violence, including during demonstrations, kidnappings, armed assaults, and extortion.
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