{"id":3936,"date":"2012-05-29T13:28:49","date_gmt":"2012-05-29T18:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=3936"},"modified":"2016-05-12T15:51:05","modified_gmt":"2016-05-12T20:51:05","slug":"vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Vive<\/a>
\u00a1Vive PAZifico!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last week we wrote about Capurgana<\/a> on Colombia\u2019s Caribbean coast in the department of the Choc\u00f3: today we are staying firmly in that department, but heading south towards the Pacific coast; one of Colombia\u2019s least visited areas, and almost certainly the least visited stretch of coastline. <\/em><\/p>\n

To start with, the Pacific coast of the Choc\u00f3 is vast: so vast in fact that to attempt to cover all of it in this one Colombia Travel Blog<\/a> post would be downright irresponsible of us! Therefore I am simply going to describe the trip I took in September last year to Playa Guachalito near Nuqui.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Nuqui's<\/a>
Nuqui’s airport – seriously, move the wrecked plane!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I land in Nuqui airport after an exhilarating light-aircraft flight from Medellin over the Choc\u00f3\u2019s largely impenetrable inland jungles, to be met with the none-too-comforting sight of an identical plane, ancient and plant-covered, and clearly destroyed. It\u2019s not the first time I\u2019ve been greeted by a sight like this at a tiny airport either \u2013 why has no-one suggested moving these planes?<\/p>\n

Anyway, I meet the boatman from the hotel where I\u2019m spending the weekend and he leads me down to Nuqui\u2019s \u2018port\u2019: zipping along through the waterways connecting the town and the ocean feels a little bit like being an unpaid extra in a Vietnam War movie \u2013 it\u2019s all sandbags and machinegun turrets, but it\u2019s all for the sake of safety, and has been largely effective in removing the threat of guerrilla violence which once made this area of coastline a no-go zone. After half an hour the boat arrives at Playa Guachalito where I will be spending the following 2 nights, staying at the fantastic El Cantil Ecolodge.<\/p>\n

\"Playa<\/a>
Playa Guachalito in the early morning<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The setting is simply stunning: a long, winding beach, fringed by palm trees and a staggering variety of orchids; behind all this lies the jungles of the Choc\u00f3, covered by their seemingly permanent veil of mist. It\u2019s all very \u2018Jurassic Park\u2019 to be honest; I half expect a scaly head to suddenly appear amongst the palm fronds, grunting in surprise at my presence. No such luck!<\/p>\n

The giants I am <\/em>here to see however certainly don\u2019t disappoint: this stretch of coast is home to breeding humpback whales from July until October, and Playa Guachalito is a fantastic base from which to go whale-watching, the purpose of my visit. El Cantil is home to a knowledgeable group of guides, and as we push off from the shore on our tiny fishing boat I\u2019m feeling pretty optimistic.<\/p>\n

\"Breaching<\/a>
Breaching humpback whale in El Choco<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As it turns out, my optimism is well founded: over the next three hours (and three more after lunch), our little group of four is treated to the majestic sight of several groups of whales breaching (when they jump out of the water), fluking (that thing they do with their tails), fin-slapping (does pretty much what it says on the tin) and generally showing exactly why so many cultures around the world have revered them for thousands of years. I have been whale-watching in many countries around the world, but I have never had a more intimate and dramatic whale-watching experience than in the Choc\u00f3 \u2013 no other boats, just our tiny little one, whales, and nothing in the background but jungle, mist and the occasional fishing village. It is certainly one of Colombia’s best natural spectacles<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rest of my trip consists of walking along the beach (watching hundreds of species of birds as I go) to reach the two waterfalls hidden in the jungle, wandering along the rocky coastline and through the forest to a group of hot-springs (the perfect way to relax after a somewhat bumpy boat journey), lying in my hammock outside my little cabana <\/em>watching a rather persistent hummingbird fighting for nectar supremacy with his equally belligerent namesake, and stuffing myself fit to bursting on El Cantil\u2019s amazing array of fish-based delicacies, all served in the turret restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean beyond. Put simply, Playa Guachalito is a paradise; one which is sadly under-visited and should become one of South America\u2019s top ecotourism destinations within the next ten years. I highly recommended visiting it whilst it remains so untouched.<\/p>\n

\"El<\/a>
El Choco from the air…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to get there: <\/strong>There are several weekly flights from Medellin to Nuqui with Satena or ADA \u2013 call ahead to check when they will be flying. Book a hotel on Playa Guachalito \u2013 I stayed at El Cantil, but there are at least 5 options for accommodation along the beach \u2013 and you will be met at the airport and taken to the beach by speedboat. Bring bug spray; they can be vicious in the early evening.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in visiting this part of Colombia or have any questions, please get in touch and we will be happy to help.<\/p>\n

Chris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week we wrote about Capurgana on Colombia\u2019s Caribbean coast in the department of the Choc\u00f3: today we are staying firmly in that department, but heading south towards the Pacific coast; one of Colombia\u2019s least visited areas, and almost certainly the least visited stretch of coastline. To start with, the Pacific coast of the Choc\u00f3 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[71,3,115,116,128,624,625,626,4,70,75,12,107,767,131],"tags":[2887,223,2875,2777,2917,2918],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3 - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last week we wrote about Capurgana on Colombia\u2019s Caribbean coast in the department of the Choc\u00f3: today we are staying firmly in that department, but heading south towards the Pacific coast; one of Colombia\u2019s least visited areas, and almost certainly the least visited stretch of coastline. To start with, the Pacific coast of the Choc\u00f3 […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-05-29T18:28:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-05-12T20:51:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/381-1024x698.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"description\":\"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/381-1024x698.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/381-1024x698.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/\",\"name\":\"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3 - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-05-29T18:28:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-05-12T20:51:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\",\"name\":\"Chris\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris\"},\"description\":\"I'm Chris and I'm the Colombia Travel Blog's resident Colombia travel expert and our editor. In nearly 4 years in the country, I have visited 31 of Colombia's 32 departments, and that last 1 is on the way! Colombia has been my home for years and I'm still not bored of exploring its diversity and magic, and getting to know its wonderful people. You can follow more of my adventures on Facebook @ChrisBellTravel and Instagram @ChrisBellColombia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/chris\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3 - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3","og_description":"Last week we wrote about Capurgana on Colombia\u2019s Caribbean coast in the department of the Choc\u00f3: today we are staying firmly in that department, but heading south towards the Pacific coast; one of Colombia\u2019s least visited areas, and almost certainly the least visited stretch of coastline. To start with, the Pacific coast of the Choc\u00f3 […]","og_url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/","og_site_name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","article_published_time":"2012-05-29T18:28:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-05-12T20:51:05+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/381-1024x698.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chris","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/","name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","description":"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/381-1024x698.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/381-1024x698.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/","name":"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3 - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2012-05-29T18:28:49+00:00","dateModified":"2016-05-12T20:51:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/05\/vive-pazifico-travel-in-colombia-off-the-beaten-track-in-el-choco\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u00a1Vive PAZifico!: Travel in Colombia off the beaten track in El Choc\u00f3"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc","name":"Chris","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Chris"},"description":"I'm Chris and I'm the Colombia Travel Blog's resident Colombia travel expert and our editor. In nearly 4 years in the country, I have visited 31 of Colombia's 32 departments, and that last 1 is on the way! Colombia has been my home for years and I'm still not bored of exploring its diversity and magic, and getting to know its wonderful people. You can follow more of my adventures on Facebook @ChrisBellTravel and Instagram @ChrisBellColombia","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/chris\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3936"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22757,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3936\/revisions\/22757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}