Pasto is a city in Colombia. It is the first/last big city on the way to Ecuador to the south.
Contents
Hitchhiking out
North towards Popayan
Make your way to the gas station in the neighborhood of Morasurco in the northwest of town. There's two gas stations next to each other, one before and one after a bridge. The first one is Texaco (gmaps) and the second one Esso. In July 2017 Mind of a Hitchhiker found a ride from the Esso in five minutes to Daza, which used to be a toll (peaje) plaza and is about 25 minutes in the direction of Popayán. Ask people only to bring you to Daza and you'll find a ride quickly - all the way to Popayán is quite a commitment. From the Daza toll plaza you can easily find further rides. If things are difficult, ask for a ride to the next (real) toll plaza called Peaje Cano, another 25 minutes away. At that one all cars will have to stop.
South towards Ipiales, Ecuador
Take bus E5 (06/2019: 1,700 COP) or any other bus going towards Catambuco and ask the bus driver to leave you on the main road when entering Catambuco. Here walk along the road for another ten minutes (900m) until you see an Esso gas station on your right-hand side (01°09′39.5″N 77°17′48.86″W). This is where you can start hitchhiking and asking people for a ride.
Places to stay
The fire department (gmaps) accepts travellers overnight. They let you use their bathroom and kitchen too. They are very central, so staying there is highly recommended.