7 Reasons Why Colombia’s Pacific Coast is The Most Underrated Place in Colombia
‘I’m planning a trip to Colombia’s very isolated Pacific Coast. The place is pure magic. Here you still find kilometers of deserted beaches alongside dense jungle. The only way to reach it is by taking a mini-plane. There is no wifi, no signal. I want to buy a piece of land there because I’m in love with the place. Do you want to come with me?’
This message I received sometime in March from my Colombian amigo and fellow digital nomad Jose. I knew he wasn’t big on typical tourist destinations and wouldn’t want to spent his hard earned cash on places that wouldn’t inspire him. I also was curious what ‘buying a piece of land’ in such a place would entail, so I signed up for it, instantly.
Three weeks later we boarded this little plane, taking a low level flight over the dense jungle of Colombia’s isolated Choco region, the poorest in the country and still largely uninhabited, to arrive at Nuqui ‘airport’ 45 minutes later.
Airport in quotation marks, yes, because it mainly consisted of a chunk of asphalt just big enough to park a handful of tiny planes. Apart from us there were only two others exiting the plane: two long haired, die hard surfer dudes on slippers on the hunt for ‘the best waves’. They reminded me of the characters from Netflix documentary Under the Arctic Sky.
Upon exiting the airport we weren’t getting harassed by aggressive taxi drivers, given there is no simply road access. The only way to get to the region is by plane or by boat. Nor were there shiny information desks handing out glossy touristy leaflets.
There was however a whole-in-the-wall type of place which represented the local supermarket. ‘It is your only opportunity to buy food’, our host said. So we stocked up on the groceries they had on offer for the next four days, before hopping on a taxi boat.
For 45 minutes we blasted along the coast in a boat huge motors along the fisherman’s bungalows built on poles and still ocean water without seeing a single soul, to get dropped off at a completely empty beach. The emptiness wasn’t because it was privately owned by a Hollywood millionaire, but because of the remoteness of the area. Here was a little wooden bungalow: our home for the coming days.
In the days that followed we one afternoon wandered around for hours searching for lunch, got stuck on a rock under a pitstop dark sky while our iPhone torchlights were dead and walked around permanently with wet clothes, because of the humidity. But despite the little discomforts this trip was easily the highlight of my stay in Colombia. Here’s why:
1. Power of simplicity
The Pacific coast is all about simplicity. It was a stark reminder how fulfilling this simplicity can be. At the beaches around Termales, the nearest one road ‘village’ to our bungalow, groups of locals were sitting and listening to reggaeton all day, kids spent their days surfing and there was a discotheque called La Bomba. Life here is simple. People live with the tides. They eat what’s caught that day, don’t own cars and wifi doesn’t exist. The poverty is striking. A consumerist society far away. But people are happy and smile all day. ‘Living in a city? I tried it for a bit but it drove me crazy. I’m happy here’, a local with white flickering, misaligned teeth said.
2. No wifi no problems
Although the area around Nuqui isn’t branding itself as a digital detox retreat, it in fact is. Here unplugging is the only option — quite liberating for someone whose income is dependent on being connected. Despite all the perks of living the digital nomad life, it can be stressful because you always feel you have to login or else your ship will sink. But here, I had let go, which allowed me to actually mop the floor in my head and free up headspace. It allowed for clarity, insights and outbursts of sudden creativity. It also made me realize how much extra time ‘suddenly’ appears when you can’t plug in/(browse mindlessly on Instagram).
3. You’ll meet Linsey Rankin
Linsey (32) is a great, radiant and funny British-born world traveler who, despite her upbringing as an expat girl and university education, decided to go and live on an island in a treehouse-formed pirate ship along the Pacific Coast. You can only reach the treehouse if the tide is low and if you’re fit enough to climb 300 steps to the top the mountain where the house is located. If you are, you’ll reach a place which is pure magic with 360 views over the area. Here Linsey organizes all kinds of ecclectic retreats, varying from Man Day Weekends, Hoola Hoop getaways and yoga retreats. She does this together with her jungle boyfriend Chiri who is able to turn his freshly caught tuna into sushi within a flip of a second and cut coconuts like we poor water into a glass. Besides a spacious terrace perfect for morning yoga sessions or nightly rave parties, there are also plenty of rooms where you can stay if you want. Don’t worry about having to search for hours for some lunch, like we did, chez Linsey all meals are included. Even though the supplies are limited and dependent on ‘the catch of the day’, she’s knows how to turn everything into a food fest. More information @ Prana Pacifico. PS: This is not sponsored.
4. You’ll come back fully fit
Given the region is so remote and there are no paved roads, locals don’t ride motorbikes or drive cars. Everywhere you go, you go by foot. At least a quarter of the day we spent walking. Not to work out, but just to get from a to b. And to find lunch. Then there were the 250 steps of the stairs of Linsey’s treehouse and there was Linsey’s fishing boat that had to be dragged on the shore. ‘You’ll get fit just by living here’, she said. And that’s the way it is.
5. You’ll lunch like an old school hunter-gatherer
The Chocó region has one of the world’s most biologically and culturally diverse eco-systems, so there are plenty of birds, plants and fruits to spot when walking. Some of these fruits you can eat. So when we were looking for a place to have lunch but got turned down several times because the restaurant owners told us ‘no catch, no lunch’, we cured ourselves with the fruits we found along the way, including star fruit and coconuts.
6. You can go whale watching
Every year between July and October, it’s whale watching season and the area gets more touristy because of that. I haven’t seen any because we weren’t there during those months, but Linsey — mentioned above — says she goes swimming with whales every morning during these months. *Oh life*
7. You can take a warm bath in the middle of the jungle
For those seeking an actual tourist attraction, activity or some luxury: you can bath in the middle of the jungle by visiting the hot springs in Termales.
These are just a few reasons why the rugged coast is something different. So whoever is adventuruous, likes nature, is not too stuck to his/her comfort zone, and is into (self) discovery: go there. It’s magic. But be warned: falling in love is easy and leaving is hard. Que te disfrutas!
