Trampolín de la Muerte — San Francisco to Mocoa
A one-lane shelf road down to the Amazon.
The Trampolín de la Muerte earned its name from the cliff-edge shelf road that drops from San Francisco, in the Sibundoy Valley, down to Mocoa on the Amazon side of the Andes. You start in cold mountain air near 7,000 feet and finish in steamy jungle under 2,000. In between, the road clings to the wall of the Mocoa River gorge with a sheer drop on one side. Cloud forest is on the other. Waterfalls pour over the roadbed, and crosses mark the places where trucks have gone over. Landslides are routine. The most famous stretch is the old narrow shelf road. Newer variante sections have bypassed or widened parts of it, so you’ll get a mix of paved sections and the original one-lane dirt.
It’s rated Moderate, and the reason is exposure, not rock. A stock high-clearance SUV handles it in the dry. After heavy rain the surface turns to greasy mud and slides can close the road, so 4WD is the smart call. Meeting a loaded bus or truck on the one-lane sections means one of you backs up to a pullout, and the uphill driver usually has priority. Best window is December to March, though this is rainforest and nothing is guaranteed. Carry fuel from Pasto or Mocoa, download offline maps, and check current road status with locals. Mocoa was hit by a deadly landslide in 2017, and the region takes its rain seriously. Drive it in daylight with a clear head. Have a dirty day.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Moderate |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | Overland Route |
| Surface | Mixed |
| Features | High Altitude, Scenic, Water Crossings |
| Length (miles) | 43 mi / 69.2 km |
| Duration | 3-4 hours |
| Max elevation (ft) | 7000 ft |
| Best season | December-March |
| Minimum vehicle | Stock high-clearance SUV (4WD preferred in wet weather) |
| Nearest town | Mocoa, Putumayo |
| Land manager | INVÍAS (Instituto Nacional de Vías) |
| Permit required | No |
| Cell service | Spotty |
| Water crossings | Yes |
| Dispersed camping | No |
| Official sources | INVÍAS national roads authority |
| Verified | |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
| Copy both for Google Maps directionsClick to copy the directions URL · or open it directly in a new tab | |
| Find on Google | Search on Google → |
Location
Trail Conditions
No recent condition reports. Be the first to post one.
Frequently asked questions
Can a stock SUV with decent clearance drive the Trampolín de la Muerte?
Yes. A stock high-clearance SUV handles it in dry weather, and 4WD is preferred when it's wet. Width and nerve matter more than clearance here, because the road is one lane with long drop-offs, so good tires and working brakes are the real requirements.
When is the best time to drive it, and what happens in the rainy season?
December through March is the best window. In heavy rain the shelf turns to mud, waterfalls across the road get deeper, and landslides can close sections for hours or days. Start early either way, since afternoon fog and rain roll in over the Andean slope.
Do I need a permit or pay a fee to drive it?
No special permit is needed, because it's a public road managed by INVÍAS. Carry your license, vehicle registration, and valid SOAT insurance for police and military checkpoints, and check INVÍAS for current road status and closures before you go.
What's the hardest part of the drive?
The exposed shelf sections, where there are sheer unguarded drop-offs, one lane of width, and waterfalls running across the surface. Oncoming buses and trucks are the real challenge. Expect to back up to a pullout, and the usual courtesy is that downhill traffic yields to uphill.
Where do I fuel up, and can I camp along the route?
Fill up before you start, in Sibundoy, San Francisco, or Mocoa. The 43 miles is well within any vehicle's range, but cell service is spotty and there is no fuel on the shelf. There's nowhere safe to camp on the narrow road, so plan to sleep in Mocoa or the Sibundoy Valley.
Trail track
No GPX track for this trail yet. If you've driven it and have a track, contribute below.
Log in to contribute a GPX track.