Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [36]
There’s good kitesurfing on the Caribbean coast, where the winds are best from January to April. Good spots include La Boquilla just outside Cartagena, Cabo de la Vela, Tolú and San Andrés Click here.
The casual traveler will find the learning curve for windsurfing much shorter than for kitesurfing; it’s also a fair bit cheaper. Prices vary considerably. Expect to pay roughly COP$40,000 per hour for windsurfing instruction and COP$50,000 to COP$80,000 per hour for kitesurf instruction. Rentals go for around COP$40,000 to COP$50,000 per hour. If you’ve got your own gear, you’ll pay COP$20,000 to COP$30,000 for each water entrance.
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PARAGLIDING
Colombia’s varied mountain terrain means there are lots of great thermals to ride if you want to go paragliding (parapente). The country’s paragliding capital is arguably Bucaramanga, which attracts paragliders from around the world. Tandem flights are cheap – a mere COP$50,000 – which elsewhere in the country go for up to COP$80,000. You can also enroll in a 10-day paragliding course for COP$1 million and become an internationally accredited paragliding pilot.
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Brazil is famous for its jungle, Chile for the Andes, Venezuela for Los Llanos, Mexico for the Caribbean coast, Costa Rica for its surfing – Colombia has them all.
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Other popular spots for paragliding include nearby San Gil and Parque Nacional del Chicamocha; urban paragliders can test their wings on the outskirts of Medellín, where a number of schools offer tandem flights and instruction.
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DIVING & SNORKELING
Colombia’s Caribbean coast offers scuba diving at budget prices. San Andrés Click here and Providencia offer classic Caribbean diving, with excellent visibility, fine coral reefs and a variety of marine life. There are even two sunken ships you can visit.
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WHALE-WATCHING
Every year whales living near Chile’s Antarctica waters make the 8000km journey to Colombia’s Pacific coast to give birth and raise their young. These are humpback whales (yubartas, sometimes called jorobadas), and more than 800 have been recorded off the Colombian coast. They grow to 18m long and weigh up to 25 tons; there are few things cuter than spotting a ballenato (baby whale) already the size of a small truck, nosing its way through the surface.
The best whale-watching is from June through to November. Whales can be seen all along the Pacific coast, and there are comfortable resorts where you can relax before and after a boat tour. Sometimes whales come so close to shore they can be seen from the beach, or lookouts in the hills.
Popular spots to go whale-watching include Bahía Solano, El Valle, Nuquí, Guachalito, and Parque Nacional Natural (PNN) Ensenada de Utría in the Chocó. Buenaventura and Ladrilleros are also great whale-watching spots, and at nearby Isla Gorgona it’s also possible to go scuba diving with the whales. Most whale-watching tours last 1½ to two hours and cost around COP$30,000 to COP$40,000 per person (although these prices can vary widely depending on the operator). Here we’ve detailed a few top spots to take a tour.
El Cantil The most luxurious hotel in Guachalito, near Nuquí, El Cantil has six duplex cabins, and is surrounded by papaya plants and coconut palms. A small hydroelectric plant produces power for the restaurant and bar; the cabins are entirely without electricity. Candles are provided, or bring your flashlight. The restaurant (which is famous for its food) sits a short walk up the hill, giving you a great spot from which to spot whales in season. It can organize whale-watching and diving expeditions, and has surfing guides who can show you where the best spots are. It runs the ‘Surfing the Jungle’ (www.nuquilatinprocolombia.com) surfing competition in November.
Nearest town: Nuquí (Click here)
Whale-watching package tour: COP$700,000 to COP$1 million
Information: 57 4 252 0707; www.elcantil.com
El Almejal