Buenaventura
Buenaventura is the largest city at the Pacific side of the country and busiest port of Colombia. More than 60% of all legal exports pass through this port. On the other hand, the city is extremely poor, underdeveloped and full of violence in the poor part of the city. Most illegal export passes here too.
So, the city itself is not really worth a visit, but there are some nice areas around who definitely are!
Easiest way to get to Buenaventura is from Cali by bus. This will take about 2 to 3 hours.
What to do
Playa de Ladrilleros is located in a national park at the Pacific Coast. The only way to get there is taking the boat for 1,5 hours from Buenaventura. Once out of the port, the scenery is just beautiful!
Buy your ticket at one of the many travel companies on the pier at the tourist port. Make sure to buy a two way ticket! Tickets are around 15/20 EUR for a comfortable seat in the speed boat. You can fill in the return date yourself.
The area is known for its nature and special beaches. Although it is located in a national park, you’ll see a lot of trash at some beaches. Some hostels organize clean up days, but unfortunately, the trash keeps coming.
Despite that, the area is definitely worth visiting. It is even a popular holiday destination for Colombians. The park has many waterfalls, small lakes and beautiful forests.
One of the hostels at the beach is Hostel Casa Azul. This hostel is far away from all the others. If you need a break from civilization, this is the place to be. It is the perfect spot to chill, surf, read a book. If you want to use the wifi, you’ll have to pay for it, a good reason to do a small detox.
The sunsets are incredible and the beach has amazing cliffs!
From July to October, Playa de Ladrilleros is the place to be for whale watching.
Note: Make sure to bring enough cash! There is no ATM around.
Read about San Cipriano after the photos.
San Cipriano is a small, Afro-Colombian town in between Cali and Buenaventura. It is known for its jungle hikes.
You can only reach the town coming from Cordoba, located right next to the highway. To get to San Cipriano, you have to use one of the most unique transportation systems in the world. Small, wooden train carts, called ‘brujitas’ will take you through the jungle to the town, powered by motorbikes. How? The front of the bike is fixed to the brujita, the back wheel is put on one of the rails.
There is only one train rail, so when you want to cross another brujita, someone has to take his cart off the rails so the other one can pass.
Once you arrive in San Cipriano, people will ask you if they can be your guide of the day. You can always book something in advance, but I like to see what’s going on on the spot itself. A full day jungle hike tour including lunch, tubing and drink after the hike will not cost more than 80 000 COP, less than 20 euro.
During the jungle hike, you will hike through rivers and across jungle bridges. It is an amazing experience, being far away from everything. Cascada La Ventiadora, a waterfall, is one of the highlights of the tour. The hike ends with tubing on the river back to the beginning of the trail.
Note: bring two pairs of clothes, your swimsuit and a towel. You’ll get wet. If you want to bring your camera and or phone during the hike, it is recommended to put them in a waterproof bag. Also, like always, bring enough cash.
From Cali it will take you 2 to 3 hours to get to Cordoba. Take the bus to Buenaventura and tell the driver to stop at Cordoba. He will probably forget so pay attention where you have to get off.
To get back to Cali, just wait at the road for a collectivo or similar bus to stop and tell them you want to go to Cali.
From Buenaventura it is only a 40 min drive. Take a taxi or a collectivo to Cordoba.
