Adrenaline day

Adventure in San Gil

Around 40 minutes by road: rafting on the Fonce, caves, paragliding and a park draped in Spanish moss.

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Notebook illustration

At a glance

Type: Regional adventure-sports day trip
Duration: Full dayDepends on the activity and how you travel; add the round trip.
Effort: Demanding
Terrain: River, muddy and wet caves, or air — varies a lot by activity.
Best time: All day

Adventure
Nature

What’s on offer

San Gil is the region’s adventure base: rafting, caving, canyoning, rappelling and paragliding.

The classic rafting run is on the Río Fonce, which flows through town, with moderate rapids. The Río Suárez, further out, has class IV–V rapids — for experienced paddlers only.

A gentler option

Parque El Gallineral is a four-hectare island between two arms of the Curití stream just before it meets the Fonce, its trees hung with Spanish moss.

Paragliding takes off near Curití, about 10 minutes from San Gil, and the La Antigua cave lies on the road to San Gil.

Choose your operator carefully

Book with formal operators: ask about their tourism registration (RNT), safety gear, certified guides and insurance. We don’t recommend any particular operator.

Planning note Give it a whole day and don’t pair it with the Camino Real.

Getting there and back

San Gil is about 24 km from Barichara, roughly 40–45 minutes by road.
Buses run between Barichara and San Gil, and taxis are available; check times and fares locally.

Safety

Always wear a helmet and life jacket on the river.
Tell the operator if you can’t swim or have a health condition.
Check river levels — heavy rain changes them a lot.

An independent activity

Fancy it?

This is an independent activity — Tinto doesn't run or sell it, but we're happy to share tips at the hostel.

Message us and we’ll tell you what we know — or add it to your day and we’ll help you sort it out.