Andes, Amazon, and Herpetology: Capurganá

From the town of Armenia, near the farm I stayed at, I took a bus up to Medellín. I was hoping to see what Pablo Escobar's hometown is like. Turns out it is a large, sprawling city. In my two days there I refused to adapt to the big city hustle and bustle. My mind was still set in the tranquil Zona Cafetera. I am sure I could have had some fun, but instead I focused on planning out the rest of my trip.

My next stop was recommended to me by Jefry, my good friend back at the farm. He said that the little town of Capurganá was worth a visit. He lived there in the past and had nothing but good things to say about it. I took his advice, but without looking at a map I had absolutely no idea where I was headed. Turns out Capurganá is located in a very unique part of Colombia, in the northern Choco department. This portion of the country actually juts up into Panama quite a bit, making it geographically more in Central America than South America by my visual estimation. It also borders the Caribbean Sea.

To get to Capurganá I had to get a bus up to the worst-smelling town on our planet Earth, called Turbo, and then a little boat across the Golfo de Urabá. Nope, no roads to my destination. After a mighty bumpy 2.5-hour boat journey I found myself in the sleepy coastal town of Capurganá.

I could honestly go on and on about that place. I arrived there with what I thought to be realistic expectations. My plan was to leave in a couple days. Well, I ended up staying for 6 nights! Jefry's buddy Carlos gave me a friendly welcoming, and provided me all of his local knowhow about beaches, hiking, and snorkling spots, which made my stay extra rewarding. Picture a place where the ocean is at your fingertips, and the palm trees give way to dense jungle. There are few tourists, and the locals are a relaxed group that play daily soccer matches, drink Aguila (Colombian beer) and chicha de arroz (best drink ever) all day long, and make delicious fruit juices and donuts. There are no cars, only motorcycles and horse drawn carts. If not for the blaring music emanating from the bars at all hours, this place would have constituted absolute paradise for me. I will try to keep my description brief, so here are the highlights...

First, the Bahía Aguacate (Avocado Bay) was a superb spot to snorkle in. The water is still and surprisingly clear, with a large span of coral reef close to shore. Before my trip I bought a durable camera that claims to be waterproof down to 10 meters. Up to this point I had never put it to the test, for fear of breaking it. Well, I gave it a go, and the pictures turned out decent. More important than the pictures themselves were the subjects of them: various colorful corals, and dozens of vibrant fish. I saw a puffer fish, several angel fish, a sparkly fish, and others (my fish knowledge is pathetic). It was tons of fun to chase fish around for an hour or two. I had no mouthpiece thing with my snorkle mask, which meant looking at fish and taking pictures all had to happen while holding my breath. I do not advise this method for anyone hoping to get good underwater fish photos! I went to other snorkling spots as well, but Bahía Aguacate reigned supreme.

Next on the list, the beaches. I enjoyed many a beach, since there were many to choose from. One day I hiked with my hosts to Sapzurro near the Panama border, while most other days I went to the small beach right by the Capurganá dock for lack of a reason to search for somewhere better. The sand was warm and the people were few and far between for most hours of the day. Caribbean perfection.

The final aspect of this place, and my absolute favorite, was the jungle. I went on a number of hikes, mostly in and near the El Cielo reserve. The trail there crisscrosses a river until reaching wading pools and waterfalls at the reserve's entrance. As I tramped along I saw tons of lightning-quick lizards, as well as my favorite poison dart frog ever (see picture). One of the lizards I continued to see was especially fast, and eventually I witnessed one run ACROSS the river. A BASILISK! I got really excited. When I went out to the same area at night I found a big one sleeping on a palm frond. I snuck up, caefully lowered the branch, and as the basilisk braced for a leap to freedom I snagged it. Somehow I avoided getting scratched or bitten - neither of which would have felt too great. I marveled at what I was holding, trying to imagine how it could possibly run across the river in front of me. Such a neat animal. Other animals I found included three snakes in one night, about a billion big toads, truly massive frogs, many scuttling crabs, and some hilarious little frogs that completely inflate when they call. In the branches above I saw lots of woodpeckers, a toucan, and a group of chattering black and white monkeys. Hiking in the jungle here was exciting because every time I could count on seeing something new and fascinating.

So that is my recap of Capurganá. A really great place to visit, and a huge surprise for me. It barely even makes it into most guide books. I hope it stays that way. I loved taking a detour from the normal tourist track through Colombia.

I would like to extend a big thank you to the people I stayed with. They were very hospitable, especially Antonio, who was always keen to talk to me about global issues. Even if a few things were lost in translation, his friendliness still shined through. And Carlos was a great guide for me on things to do in the area, so a big thanks to him as well. It was difficult for me to leave, but I had already overstayed by 3 days. Lots more of Colombia to see, and with limited time to do it! Next stop: Cartagena.