Málaga Overview

By Lorraine Caputo

The carretera central, the favored route of truck drivers to Cúcuta, continues north 35 kilometers (21 miles) from Capitanejo to Málaga. The road is paved but has potholes and is subject to landslides. The east side affords views of the cordillera.

Málaga is home to several small universities and to a growing adventure and agro-tourism industry. You can opt to stay in one of the very reasonably priced hotels or in a granja (working farm). Embraced by mountains and páramo (tundra plains) carved by waterfalls and caves, the traveler looking for some excitement in practicing spelunking or torrestismo (rappelling in waterfalls) will not be amiss in spending a few days here. There are also enjoyable hikes to lagoons and small villages. At the end of the outing, take a refreshing dip in a balneario's pool. The surrounding mountains are also home to many duendes (elves)--or so legends say.

Departing from Málaga, you have two choices for your North-bound journey: the narrow carretera central, which sharply curves down to Pamplona, where it then joins the main highway to Cúcuta; or another, partially paved road that wends through San Andrés and Guacas before joining the major north-south highway to Bucaramanga. Both highways are prone to landslides and have several military checkpoints.

(Altitude: 1400 meters/4564 feet, Population: 15,182, City Code: 7)