Buenaventura Colombia
Frequently Asked Questions
On Cascajal Island, deep in a bay some 15 km from the open ocean, where tropical forest runs down to the mangroves. This is where most of Colombia's Pacific maritime trade passes through.
No, cruise ships remain rare in these waters. The first, the MS Hamburg, opened the call in November 2023 on a world cruise. It is a destination still learning to receive passengers, with all the spontaneity and real local life that implies.
Organised excursions remain the simplest way to make the most of the call. Tourist infrastructure is limited and improvising is awkward: better to book on board than to arrange everything on the pier.
The bayside promenade a short walk from the docks, where locals gather at all hours. Kiosks, music, fruit juices, grilled fish: it is the best place to feel the rhythm of Colombia's Pacific coast, so different from its Caribbean one.
It is Afro-Colombian, musical, turned toward the sea and the rivers. Listen out: the marimba often accompanies late afternoons and sets the beat for coastal festivals. It bears no resemblance to the country's Caribbean ports.
Seafood cazuelas, coconut rice and estuary fish, cooked to recipes handed down in families for generations. The waterfront restaurants make them their specialty, and the food alone is worth lingering for.
Yes, between July and October. Humpback whales come up from the southern hemisphere to calve in the warm waters of Uramba Bahía Málaga national park, one of the country's best viewing sites. If your call falls in season, this outing makes the whole day.
Boats leave the waterfront for the coastal villages of Juanchaco and Ladrilleros, known for their cliffs and dark sand. The crossing gives a fine view of the scale of the bay and its forested hills.
A nature reserve reached on wooden platforms mounted on the rails of an old railway line and pushed by motorcycles: locals call them brujitas. At the end of the ride, a startlingly clear river winds through the forest, where you can swim or float on an inner tube.
Hot, humid and very wet: this coast is among the rainiest places on earth, and a downpour is part of the programme in any season. Pack light clothing, a rain jacket and quick-drying shoes rather than hoping for a fully dry day.
