An Adventure in Southern Colombia: Our Team Trip to Pasto and Surroundings

Four days full of adventure, fun, and teamwork — our IT team put the code aside for a while to take on new challenges during the annual team event.

Arrival and Kick-off

It’s Wednesday, 11 a.m., at El Dorado Airport in Bogotá. Sebastian, our CEO, waits for our two software developers, Daniel and Bazz. It’s been a year since they last saw each other. The joy of reunion is immense — as are the surprises over some changes. Daniel has bulked up. He spent the last few months training hard for our annual Tuix sports challenge and tells Sebastian about his workout plan. The task is either 10 pull-ups or one muscle-up, with an extra bonus at stake. That’s enough motivation for even the most committed software engineer to swap the keyboard for a pull-up bar.

After a quick lunch, we check in and board a flight to Pasto, a town in the southeastern part of Colombia where some of our team members live. The landing makes us a little nervous — the airport sits at 1,800 meters with a short runway. Phew, we’re lucky. A soft landing brings us safely to our destination. Oscar and his girlfriend pick us up at the small airport, which has just a modest arrival hall. After a short local meal called Arepas, we drive 45 minutes toward the city. There we meet our colleague Carlos for dinner. It’s traditional grilled chicken, and we try the local drink “Hervidos” — a hot fruit juice with a splash of alcohol, popular in this cool region of Colombia. The first night is spent true to Colombian hospitality — with our colleagues and their families.

A Visit to Las Lajas Cathedral

The next day, a van takes us to Las Lajas, a famous cathedral majestically emerging from a gorge and seemingly embedded in a mountain.

An astonishing structure built on the site of a reported miracle. The church is about 1.5 hours from Pasto, near the border with Ecuador. We admire the cathedral’s architecture, and some of us enter the church for a moment of reflection. We continue to the museum for a guided tour through the history of the cathedral and its culture — fascinating.

After taking some photos, we climb the steep stairs from the gorge to a small town where we buy a few souvenirs. The bus takes us further to our next stop — the town of Cumbal, near the volcano of the same name. During the 1.5-hour ride, we chat, laugh, tell stories, and are surprised to learn that three of our developers — Jhonathan, Diego, and Donovan — attended university together in Pasto and were already a strong team back then. When we arrive, a pickup truck brings us to our rural lodge where we’ll spend the night.

Mountain Hiking Challenges

Climbing the Cumbal Volcano

It’s 9 a.m., 4,764 meters above sea level, dense fog, heavy legs, and the cold wind whistles around us. A team of 10 software developers on the summit of the Cumbal volcano in southern Colombia — after five hours of ascent. But let’s rewind:

It’s Friday, 2 a.m. The alarm tears us from our sleep. The night was freezing, but the plastic Coke bottles filled with hot water that served as makeshift hot water bottles were very helpful. After a hearty breakfast of rice, eggs, and bread, we’re equipped with hiking poles and set off at 2:30 a.m.

The ascent is tough — pitch black, with only our flashlights lighting the path. Our guide, José Maria, tells us the darkness is perfect for the climb: you lose your sense of time and focus entirely on one step at a time. Time really does fly. Around 6:00 a.m., it begins to brighten. Just 2.5 hours to go. If our four-legged companion can do it, so can we.

José Maria shares how he used to make this climb three times a week to collect sulfur and sell it in town. Now that's some extra motivation…

We hike in single file when suddenly there’s a shout. A small accident with the hiking poles — our colleague Jhonathan slips and accidentally hits Donovan in the groin with his pole. “Good thing he already has a kid,” someone jokes. After a burst of laughter, we take a 20-minute break so he can recover, and we all catch our breath. Spirits are lifted, and for a moment, we forget the challenge ahead.

The closer we get to the summit, the colder it becomes. It’s daylight now, the sun is up, but the thick fog still surrounds us. Visibility is down to about 3 meters, the terrain more barren and rocky. At over 3,000 meters, we’re well past the tree line. No more plants, only dry vegetation. At 4,000 meters, we’re surrounded by sulfur rock, and the sharp smell of rotten eggs fills the air.

We can already see the summit — our final stop. Some of us are exhausted, but only 100 meters remain. The wind is ice-cold. We find shelter between the rocks. José Maria pulls out filled plastic bottles and slides them into steaming volcanic crevices to heat them up. He uses the volcanic steam to warm them. We sip “Hervidos” again. It helps. We’re warmed and ready for the final meters.

We continue up. The path grows steeper and sandier, the ground turning yellow-green — like we’re on another planet. With no visibility, we press on through fog, icy wind, and rain, trusting we’ll make it together. Just a few meters more… we did it.

Happy, relieved, and exhausted, we savor a moment of triumph. “This must be what the Himalayas feel like,” thinks our CEO, Sebastian. After five minutes, we begin the descent — it’s too cold to stay. At various volcanic vents, we warm our hands. Further down, we admire the unique ecosystem with its typical frailejones plants.

By noon, we’re back in the valley where our host — José’s wife, Maria — awaits us with a delicious and well-earned trout meal. After lunch, we return to Pasto.

Climbing and Culinary Adventures

The next day the plan was to go climbing. We met our guides at an agreed meeting point and set off together on a 30-minute hike to the climbing site. There was a mixture of anticipation and nervousness in the air: for some of us it was the first time we had attempted this kind of adventure.

Finally, we arrived at the base of the rocks. After a short introduction, we’re divided into groups of three and take on the climbing wall. Our CEO Sebastian, an experienced climber, leads on more difficult routes. We still feel yesterday’s hike in our bones, and some wish they could just lie in the park. But we rally for this shared activity.

In the evening, a local delicacy awaits — “Cuy,” guinea pig grilled on a spit, typically eaten during celebrations. Despite its unusual appearance, we’re curious and enjoy the special dish. After dinner, we head to the park to try the sports challenge. Diego manages 10 pull-ups and is cheered on by the whole team. Unfortunately, Daniel dislocates his shoulder attempting a muscle-up. Luckily, a physiotherapist happens to be nearby and helps put it back in place. We end the evening with board games and a great mood.

Relaxing Farewell at La Cocha Lake

It’s the last day. At 9 a.m., we set off for our final destination: La Cocha Lagoon, about 20 minutes from Pasto. On the way, we stop at a viewpoint and take in the scenery. At our destination — a charming village with wooden houses — our colleagues receive Tuix hoodies and other Christmas gifts. We take the chance to snap some last group and solo photos before lunch at a lakeside restaurant, followed by the return to Pasto.

Back in town, we gather at Oscar’s place, where each team member presents their current project in a short PowerPoint presentation. We wrap up with a retro.