Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [229]
To the north of Bahía Solano are several beaches with hotels.
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Playa Potés
Marlin Azul ( in Medellín 310 461 0917, 316 742 1040; r per person all-inclusive COP$150,000) The ‘Blue Marlin’ caters principally to sport fishermen. Rooms are basic – mattresses are of thin, sagging foam – and there’s no mosquito nets. There’s several triples and two doubles with private bath. Set a little way back from the beach, there are good views of the ocean and during whale season you may catch sight of one. Fishing trips can also be organized. A few native huts next door also rent cheap rooms. It will cost COP$200,000 minimum for boat rental here.
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Playa de Paridera
Mapara Crab Beach Hotel ( 682 7525, 313 681 4001; www.maparacrab.com; cabaña per person all-inclusive COP$104,000) The cabañas of this secluded resort line the beach, just 5m from the water. There are good box-spring mattresses and mosquito screens (but no nets). The patios all have hammocks facing the sea. A new bar-restaurant was being built when we were there. The beach is often covered in the tiny crabs, typical of this area. The hotel is managed by the owners of Rocas de Cabo Marzo in Bahía Solano. Price includes three meals and transport by boat.
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EL VALLE
4 / pop 3500
On the southern side of the peninsula from Bahía Solano sits its smaller neighbor, El Valle. At the west end of town is the pleasant Playa Almejal, with two good resorts. El Valle is a more pleasant spot than Bahía Solano, and is a good jumping off point to visit Ensenada de Utría. It’s also a good place to spot turtles during nesting season (September to December) on Playa Almejal or at Estación Septiembre.
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Orientation
El Valle is a one-street town. The road from Bahía Solano runs through the center, becomes Calle Valle and dead-ends at the beach. At Tío Tigre a footbridge crosses the Río Valle and a path wends through cabins to the shore. There are no taxis or public transport in El Valle.
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Information
El Valle businesses offer tourist information through the Tío Tigre Asociación ( 682 7907; www.tiotigre-ecoturismo.com). The association can help you with information about the region, organize tours, and also rent bikes (COP$12,000 per day) plus a five-man tent (COP$20,000) near a shower block. The owners of the Bahía Solano branch of internet cafe Bahía.com were planning to open an internet cafe in El Valle at the time of research.
Apuestos Unidades del Chocó ( 094 682 7960; 8am-noon & 2-8pm) Receive domestic wire transfers here.
Hospital El Valle ( 24hr) There’s one doctor and one nurse in this rudimentary facility.
National parks office (Parques Nacionales de Colombia; 422 0883, in Medellín 422 0884; parqueutria@yahoo.com) The national parks office is devoid of information.
Police ( 682 7952)
Servientrega ( 682 7835)
Telecom ( 682 7902; 7:30am-9pm Mon-Sat, 8am-noon & 4-9pm Sun) One computer with dial-up internet (per hr COP$2400).
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Sights & Activities
TURTLE WATCHING
On Playa Cuevita, 4.8km south of El Valle along the coast, is the turtle-nesting sanctuary of Estación Septiembre ( in Bogotá 1 245 5700; Colombians/foreigners COP$16,000/COP$20,000). From September to December sea turtles arrive to lay eggs. The best time to see them is at night. There are cabins here you can stay in (hammock COP$20,000, rooms per person COP$40,000).
The beach here is too steep to land a boat. You can walk here from El Valle (two hours) or ride a bike (30 minutes). If you have a lot of luggage you’ll need to organize horses or mules Contact Estación de Septiembre in advance to organize this. You can also organize a nighttime guided walk from El Valle (COP$20,000 per person) to see the turtles. Ask at your