4x4 vehicles for the Boyacá highlands, the Llanos and the coffee region
Compare campervan and motorhome rental companies à Bogota to find the best price, and book at the price shown, mandatory fees included.
Hiring a campervan in Bogotá means setting off from a capital perched at about 2,600 metres, on a high Andean plateau where you keep a jumper handy all year round. Around the city, the savanna leads to the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, the sacred Lake Guatavita and the colonial villages of Boyacá; further away, the road plunges down to the plains of the Llanos or crosses the Central Cordillera to the coffee plantations. Our partner company, Karakoles 4x4 Rentals, offers off-road vehicles suited to these mountain roads and country tracks.
The exact vehicle handover location in Bogotá is given in your booking confirmation.
Public ratings collected on October 28, 2026 from independent review sites.
To the north, the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá is carved into the galleries of a former mine, an hour from the capital. Via Ubaté and its dairy pastures, you reach Ráquira, a village of potters, then Villa de Leyva and its huge cobbled square. The way back passes the Boyacá Bridge, an independence battlefield, the climbing cliffs of Suesca and Lake Guatavita, linked to the legend of El Dorado.
To the east, the Villavicencio road tumbles down the Eastern Cordillera to the Llanos, vast plains where a few hours take you from the cold of the plateau to tropical heat. Beyond lie Puerto López and its obelisk, which marks the geographical centre of the country, then the banks of the Meta River and the large cattle ranches, where capybaras, herons and sunsets replace the mountains.
Heading west, you drop into the Magdalena valley via Girardot, climb back up to Ibagué and cross the Central Cordillera through the La Línea Tunnel. On the other side lies the coffee cultural landscape: Salento and its colourful houses, the Cocora Valley planted with giant wax palms, then the village of Filandia. The Cauca valley finally leads to Cali, another departure city of our partners.
August and September are the driest months in Bogotá, and skies are often clear over the savanna and around Villa de Leyva: the best window for tracks and hikes. In August, a steady wind sweeps the plateau, so much so that it is kite month in the city's parks.
Colombians call this dry season “verano” (summer). December and January coincide with the long holidays and the festive season: the capital empties, but the roads to Girardot, the Llanos and Villa de Leyva, which hosts a festival of lights in early December, are very busy. Clear nights sometimes bring ground frost to the savanna.
Two rainy seasons frame the year, with showers mostly in the afternoon; March, April and November are the wettest months. Temperatures barely change, but landslides cut mountain roads more often, especially the Villavicencio road. Drive in the morning and keep a spare day in your schedule.
Most pleasant months: May to October, December to February.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 °C | 9 °C | 58 mm | 11 h/day |
| Feb | 20 °C | 10 °C | 84 mm | 11 h/day |
| Mar | 19 °C | 10 °C | 127 mm | 10 h/day |
| Apr | 19 °C | 10 °C | 123 mm | 10 h/day |
| May | 18 °C | 10 °C | 89 mm | 10 h/day |
| Jun | 18 °C | 9 °C | 61 mm | 11 h/day |
| Jul | 18 °C | 9 °C | 45 mm | 11 h/day |
| Aug | 19 °C | 9 °C | 28 mm | 11 h/day |
| Sep | 20 °C | 9 °C | 31 mm | 11 h/day |
| Oct | 19 °C | 9 °C | 79 mm | 10 h/day |
| Nov | 19 °C | 9 °C | 129 mm | 10 h/day |
| Dec | 19 °C | 9 °C | 64 mm | 11 h/day |
Averages 2016–2025 computed from Open-Meteo data (ERA5 reanalysis).
Karakoles 4x4 Rentals hands over its vehicles in Bogotá, at the place stated in the confirmation. Crossing the city is slow: for Boyacá, leave via the Autopista Norte; for Girardot and the coffee region, via the Autopista Sur and Soacha; for the Llanos, via the Villavicencio road to the south-east. Set off at dawn to beat the traffic jams.
Bogotá restricts private car traffic on weekdays according to the last digit of the number plate: this is the pico y placa, whose rules change regularly. Ask the rental company whether your vehicle is affected. A regional pico y placa sometimes also applies to traffic returning to the capital at the end of long weekends, which are frequent in Colombia.
Colombian national roads are dotted with tolls, often close together: keep pesos in cash, or ask the rental company whether the vehicle has an electronic toll tag. At the pump, diesel is called ACPM or diésel, petrol corriente or extra: check your 4x4's fuel type before the first fill-up.
The roads leaving the plateau string together hairpins, steep gradients and long lines of slow lorries, often in fog. Only overtake with perfect visibility, use engine braking when descending to the Llanos or the Magdalena valley, and avoid driving after nightfall, around 6 pm all year round.
Our partner company, Karakoles 4x4 Rentals, is the only one offering departures from Bogotá. The handover location and appointment time are given in the booking confirmation. Allow time for the handover: a 4x4 equipped for travel means getting to know the camping gear and how the four-wheel drive works before hitting the road.
There is no single rate: it varies with the period, especially during the December and January holidays, with the length of hire and with whether you return the 4x4 in Bogotá or in Cali. Enter your dates in the search to see real prices, mandatory fees included, along with the mileage and deposit conditions of each offer.
The main roads to Tunja, Girardot or Villavicencio are paved, but many interesting places lie at the end of dirt tracks: coffee farms, Boyacá hamlets, cattle ranches in the Llanos, roads across the páramos. Ground clearance and four-wheel drive are also reassuring when a downpour turns a track into a quagmire.
Yes, as a longer trip: allow about 330 km via Girardot and Neiva to Villavieja, gateway to the desert, which is a long day's drive. Once there, red and grey dirt tracks lead to the astronomical observatory and the campsites. It is much hotter than in Bogotá: take plenty of water and allow at least four days for the round trip.
Cali, 301 km away as the crow flies, is also a departure city of our partners, which makes a one-way trip through the coffee region possible. Enter Cali as your return city in the search: if a one-way trip is offered for your dates, any related fees are already included in the displayed price.
First rental of this type of vehicle in a professional context where the rental must take place from France to Canada. Many questions and Cooldrive (Marlène) has been a valuable support in guiding my choices. Efficiency and responsiveness beforehand, and on-site a vehicle and service that met our expectations. No complaints. Great!
Too rigid computer system
Very good customer experience with Cooldrive. I highly recommend it! Thanks to the team who were attentive and available for organizing my trip to Canada.
A valid national driving licence, shown with your passport, generally allows you to drive during a tourist stay; an international driving permit is recommended to make police checks easier, as they are frequent on national roads. Traffic drives on the right. The minimum driver age and the documents required are stated in each offer.
El Dorado International Airport lies west of Bogotá, about thirty minutes from the centre outside rush hours, much longer in the late afternoon. Official taxis and ride-hailing apps serve the whole city. After a long flight, many travellers spend a night in La Candelaria or Chapinero before collecting the vehicle.
At about 2,600 metres, many travellers feel breathless, get headaches or sleep poorly during the first days. Drink plenty, limit alcohol and keep the first day quiet before driving long distances. Nights are cold all year round, with lows of 9 to 10 °C in the city and lower on the páramos: bring warm sleeping bags.
Campsites are few but can be found near Suesca, Guatavita and Villa de Leyva, and many farms and rural guesthouses welcome vehicles for a small fee. In the city, choose a guarded parqueadero. Isolated overnight parking is not advisable: community travel apps list reliable places.
The tourist routes of Cundinamarca, Boyacá and the coffee region are very busy, but the situation varies from region to region and can change quickly. Check the official travel advice before leaving and during your trip, ask the rental company which areas to avoid, leave nothing visible inside the vehicle and park in guarded places.
Several months ahead for mid-December to mid-January, Holy Week and the June and July school holidays, when Colombian families hit the road. A specialist rental company's fleet is small, and it is our only partner in Bogotá. Outside these periods and long weekends, a few weeks is often enough.
Bogotá brings together the most varied 4x4 trips Colombia has to offer within a few days' drive. On the plateau, the climate stays spring-like all year, and the villages of Cundinamarca and Boyacá, from Zipaquirá to Villa de Leyva, keep the memory of the Muisca people and of colonial times. As soon as you descend, everything changes: the hot plains of the Llanos to the east, the Magdalena valley and the Tatacoa Desert to the south-west, the coffee hills to the west.
Karakoles 4x4 Rentals, our partner company, provides vehicles built for these climbs and tracks. The best time to go is from June to September, or from December to February if you accept the holiday crowds. And with Cali, another departure city of our partners, you can cross the cordilleras without retracing your steps.
