Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [228]
To/From Panama
It is possible to travel onward to Panama from here (six to 10 hours). Boats run infrequently north to Jaqué, Panama, when full (per person COP$150,0000, six to 10 passengers). A captain recommended to us in Bahía Solano is ‘Profesor’ Justino. Ask around town or at your hotel to seek him out. If he’s in town, and is willing and able and feeling so inclined, he may take you up the coast.
Be sure to stamp out of Colombia at the DAS office in Bahía Solano before leaving town. To enter Panama you’ll need a yellow fever vaccination and enough cash to prove you can travel onwards (a minimum of US$500). Once you reach Jaqué and stamp in to Panama, there are flights for around US$85 to Panama City, usually Tuesday and Thursday. Copa and Air Panama offer the route, but were flying out of the nearby Piñas private airfield as the Jaqué airfield was under renovation.
The boat trip is long, rough journey but sailors tell us the voyage – which passes through the Archipélago Las Perlas in Panama – is beautiful, especially during whale season.
To/from El Valle
Jeeps leave opposite the school when full, usually late morning (COP$10,000, 15km), or take a motorcycle (COP$20,000). The road is slowly being paved from both ends, but the middle is a cesspool of monster-sized craters. The jeeps jolt over and through; motorcycles go around them.
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AROUND BAHÍA SOLANO
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Punta Huína
A 15-minute (COP$50,000) boat ride takes you to this pretty beach with a mixture of gold and black sand. It’s lined with coconut palms and several modest resorts. A small indigenous community lives here, along with descendants of African slaves. All the following hotels offer package deals, including the flights from Medellín, boat transfers from Bahía Solano, three meals per day, and usually some activities. There was no cell-phone signal here when we visited, but a small Compartel ( 8 522 4621) office offers satellite phone calls.
There are several short jungle walks you can do in the vicinity, including to Playa de los Deseos, Cascada El Tigre and Playa Cocalito. It’s possible to walk here from Bahía Solano (four hours). A guide (COP$50,000) is recommended.
SLEEPING
Cabañas Brisas Del Mar ( in Medellín 269 5150; r per person COP$50,000) Your best budget option on Punta Huína. There are five rooms with meter-high gaps between the walls and the ceiling (expect to hear your neighbor snoring at night, or worse). There are great views of the ocean from the top floor. The owner has his own boat and scuba tanks and can take you out whale-watching or scuba diving. It’s next door to Playa Oro.
Posada Los Delfines ( 320 626 3174, 314 728 4498; piedaddelfines@hotmail.com; r per person all-inclusive COP$70,000) This small posada is also the only bakery on Playa Huína. The baker and posada owner produces yummy guava donuts, empanadas and pastries. The rooms are basic, and there’s no sea view, but a front and back balcony face a heliconia-filled garden.
Playa de Oro Lodge ( in Medellín 682 7481, toll free 1 800 091 4151; www.hotelesdecostaacosta.com; r per person COP$70,000, r per person all-inclusive COP$100,000) This family-oriented resort is right on the beach, and surrounds a small garden and playground for the kids. The rooms are simple and have black-and-white linoleum floors. Each has a small wooden patio with its own hammock, and 2nd floor rooms have good views of the sea. A games room has a ping-pong table and board games. A big bar area boasts a view of the sea and a loud satellite TV.
El Refugio de Mr Jerry Ecolodge ( in Cali 2 330 9562, in Bahía Solano 4 682 7233; www.mrjerrybahiasolano.com; s/d/tr per person COP$115,000/110,000/110,000, cabin per person COP$120,000) Mr Jerry is a chain-smoking, bearded Dutchman who’s spent decades on this coast. His colorfully painted hotel sits at the north end of the beach, and offers 30 basic rooms decorated