Capurganá - Chocó, Colombia

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On this location the soundtrack sings “Endless vacations! Endless vacations!!! or “Vamos a la playa oh oh oh!!! Here everybody seems happy, children, old people, ladies, dogs, birds… everybody. The wind blows fresh breeze all the time and the mornings are awesome.

You can see the most awesome sunrise, I must confess I always thought that the most important thing at the beach were the sunset, but I thought that because I never had seen before a sunrise at the beach, the sun appears slowly from the sea shy and beautiful and the ocean looks great with his early sunlight bath. This place has wonderful coral reefs, too many different kinds of sand (soft and bleach, gray and dull, tiny rocks, mollusc cemetery…), it is really cool to swim with mask to see the life underwater, maybe you could have a meeting with Sebastian the crab of The Little Mermaid, and sing with him “under the sea, under the sea…�?. The weekends you can go to the main square, there is a football field where people sell things and food, hang out with friends, there are some nightclubs for having drinks and dance.

To go to Capurganá just follow this route: once you’re in Colombia point yourself to Medellín, at Medellín take a bus to Turbo (this bus must be taken at night because no one go there on day time) the trip Medellín – Turbo takes around eight hours. Then, at Turbo take the speedboat to Capurganá, hold yourself strongly to the boat (sometimes the weather is bad and the waves crush so violently the boat), later enjoy the view.

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Places to stay:

The Delfin (Dolphin) Inn or Hotel (0 comments) Private rooms available.
The owner of this place, Hanibal, will likely meet you at the docks when you show up. Feels a little like you're being hustled, but go with it. Turns out his place, The Delfin (sp?), is quality. My own exposure was after a week on a tiny cargo boat, but I do believe it was both cheap and comfortable/clean. Something around 10 USD (Capurgana has no ATMs, so if you're coming Southbound from Panama, Hanibal will accept some USD, but there were some strong hints that that was a limited time deal) for a room with 3 beds and a full outfitting of fans as I recall. You can also get food in the hotel restaurant. Platos completos - usually featuring fish - were 5 USD and tasty enough.

 

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Comments

viajero123 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 18, 2008, 11:10: How safe is the road from Medellin to Turbo? Are there really no day buses? 0 funny, 0 helpful.

Peter (Moderator) (Trustee board) (Dev team) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Dec 16, 2008, 11:24: There are some good pictures here: http://poorbuthappy.com/colombia/pictures/capurgana---choco/ Poor but snappy 0 funny, 0 helpful.

allthewaytothestars (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jan 22, 2009, 13:43: Is there any other way to get there without taking a boat?? 0 funny, 0 helpful.

greg says on Mar 18, 2009, 07:16: How long is the boat ride? 0 funny, 0 helpful.

Prolijo says on May 13, 2009, 12:14: Greg, I don't know if you're still looking for the info, but maybe others would like to know. The boats from Turbo to Capurganá take about 2 hours and I don't believe there is any other easy way to get there. They leave Turbo (one block from the street where all the hotels are) around 9AM and cost about $20 (USD). I'm not sure when the overnight bus from Medellin arrives but its recommended that you try to get to the docks by about 7:30 to put your name on the passenger´s list. I'm also not sure about the departure time FROM Capurganá to Turbo but imagine the transit time and fare would be the same. Once you arrive in Capurganá they check your passport and, if you want, you can continue on by another boat to Puerto Obladia in Panama for another $10 (USD). That trip takes just under an hour. Alternatively, you can take a boat to Sapzurro, the last village in Colombia, for $2.50 (USD). That boat only takes about 10 minutes or, if you're feeling adventurous, you can hike there through the jungle to get there in about 1.5hrs. Once in Sapzurro, its about a 20 minute walk across the border to the little Panamanian village of La Miel or you can also catch a boat from Sapzurro to Puerto Obladia. Unfortunately, I don't know about any safe overland connections between Puerto Obladia and the rest of Panama. I bet that was more than you wanted to know. 0 funny, 0 helpful.

greg says on Jun 1, 2009, 08:48: Thanks for the info. I might go there in mid june 0 funny, 0 helpful.

InCTG says on Sep 9, 2009, 11:43: Any info on whether the hotels in the area have broadband internet for guests? 0 funny, 0 helpful.

soylocombiano says on Sep 15, 2009, 11:44: Maybe in the more expensive place al mar, but not in any others. There's a cafe in town, just ask, it's a small place Living well is the best revenge 0 funny, 0 helpful.

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