Motorcycle Ride Planner · Routes · Colombia
Alto de Letras (The King of Mountain Climbs)
Colombia · Ruta Nacional 50
The mythical climb of South America. Rising over 10,400 vertical feet continuously across 50 miles, Alto de Letras is the longest continuous mountain climb on the planet. Begins in the stifling 90°F heat of the Magdalena River Valley at Mariquita and summits at a freezing 12,096 feet in the windswept volcanic páramo of Nevado del Ruiz, before descending into the coffee plantations of Manizales.
Alto de Letras (The King of Mountain Climbs) runs 52 miles between Mariquita, Tolima, Colombia and Manizales Coffee Capital, Caldas, Colombia. We count about 380 corners along it, which is consistently bendy. A hard road that rewards experience and punishes bravado.
Tank-bag quick reference
- StartMariquita, Tolima, Colombia5.1978, -74.8967
- High1,620 ft - 12,096 ft (Paso Alto de Letras)elevation range
- EndManizales Coffee Capital, Caldas, Colombia5.0689, -75.5174
T-CLOCS before you go: tyres and wheels, controls and cables, lights and electrics, oil and fluids, chassis and stand.
More in Colombia
- Trampolín de la Muerte (The Death Springboard)48 mi · 390 corners
- Cañón del Chicamocha (Chicamocha Canyon Pass)42 mi · 260 corners
Questions riders ask
- How long does Alto de Letras (The King of Mountain Climbs) take to ride?
- About 52 miles. At an unhurried pace with stops that is roughly 1 hour of riding, longer if you are stopping for photographs.
- Where does Alto de Letras (The King of Mountain Climbs) start and end?
- It runs between Mariquita, Tolima, Colombia and Manizales Coffee Capital, Caldas, Colombia. Either end works as a start; the route reads the same in both directions.
- Is Alto de Letras (The King of Mountain Climbs) a twisty road?
- We count about 380 corners across 52 miles, which is consistently bendy.
- Is there a GPX file for Alto de Letras (The King of Mountain Climbs)?
- Yes. The GPX is free, there is no account, and the planner will build a route that includes this road alongside others nearby.
Where these numbers come from
Distances and corner counts come from the route's own geometry, not from ratings or votes. Nothing here is crowdsourced and nobody paid to appear.