A photo somewhere on the Internet was enough reason to check it out ourselves: the Amagá railroad bridge, south of Medellín. Like in other South American countries, once flourishing railroad systems have made way for road networks and railroads have fallen into disrepair.
The Amagá railroad bridge was used to transport, among other things, coffee and sugarcane, and connected Cali with Medellín until about 36 years ago.
From colonial times on, Antioquia has exploited its mountains rich in gold, coal and iron core. Amagá was one of those many mining towns.
Blog posts about Colombia
- The Border Crossing of San Miguel (Ecuador – Colombia)
- Reasons to Visit Cali, Colombia – Sightseeing & Street Life
- Renault 4s in Colombia – Colombia’s ‘Faithful Friend’ (Amigo Fiel)
- Having Fun on the Road – The Amagá Railroad Bridge (Colombia)
- Taking Risks? – A Road Trip to Chocó Region in Colombia
- 5 Awesome Off-the-Beaten-Track Road Trips in Colombia
- Traversing Los Llanos in Colombia
- Colombia Travel Guide – Travel Information for your Road Trip
- Accommodation & Overland Camping in Colombia
Nowadays Amagá is more characterized by furniture shops than anything else. An almost invisible turn-off brought us to an unpaved track, which was once part of the Amagá railroad system.
Over the years all sleepers have been taken out and on this forested
Alongside the track we visit one of those handicraft/furnitureshops. The place is stacked with sleepers. Some are in good condition, others have starting to rot but the holes and cracks in wood can serve artistic purposes, as Sebastian, one of furniture and handicraft makers, points out.
A little down the road we have to wait until a truck has unloaded stacks of wooden planks.
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Across the Amagá Railroad Bridge
And then, there it is: the spectacular Amagá railroad viaduct, spanning an about 40-meter-high gorge.
Initially I chicken out but after we’ve walked back and forth a couple of times we both feel we can drive across. Coen is searching for angles to photograph the Land Cruiser. I follow so I can hit the button at the exact right spot while he maneuvers the Land Cruiser across the bridge. But of course Coen wants to take his own photos as well.
Check it out: the Landcruising Adventure Sticker, Magnet & Pin Collection
Fuel Up
Thank you to those who bought us a couple of liters of diesel to support our journey and/or website.
Would you like to do the same?
I can’t find any info online on how to access this route, how do you get here from the Amagá main town?
I can’t remember and we don’t keep tracks of where we have been. Sorry. If you ask around downtown Amagá I imagine somebody must be able to point it out. I do remember that at the time we did some searching ourselves before we found it – it wasn’t indicated with signs.
Uuuf that does look sketchy, defo won’t fit across in my Silverado!
Hahaha, yup the Land Cruiser is a narrow truck.