Plan a Visit to Colombia’s Parque Nacional Natural Utría
Halfway between Bahía Solano and Nuquí, the Parque Nacional Natural Utría (8am-5pm daily, park entrance COP$37,500 non-Colombians, COP$14,000 Colombians and residents, COP$7,500 students with ID) has a spectacular location on the edge of the jungle but close to some great beaches. It encompasses over 54,000 hectares (135,000 acres) of tropical forest, mangroves, and waters. Several nature paths await exploration, including a wooden bridge walkway over mangroves, and you can also walk to a nearby secluded beach with a guide and arrange to be picked up later. A well-marked path through the jungle leads to El Valle in about two hours. During whale-watching season, humpbacks have been known to swim into the narrow lagoon in front of the park cabins, providing exclusive shows for park guests.
Most of the excursions require a guide. However, there are some short walks you can make near the Centro de Visitantes. One of the more unusual activities at the park is searching for glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in the evening along the nature trail, which you can do on your own. Another is a walk above the mangroves on an elevated wooden walkway.
Park facilities are managed by the local community organization Mano Cambiada. The park has three beautiful wooden cabins (separated into three inviting private rooms, each with its own bathroom), with a total capacity of over 30, and there’s an open-air restaurant near the cabins. Private rooms go for about COP$192,000 per person including all meals. There is one cabin with dormitory-style accommodations. A few days at this park during the week (or off-season) when it isn’t crowded with groups could be wonderfully relaxing. If the park is crowded, however, it could become quite a social scene, especially during the long evenings. Round-trip transportation from either the Bahía Solano or Nuquí airports costs COP$300,000 per person.
Other excursions include whale-watching, from June until October (COP$87,000), a two-hour jungle hike to Playa Cocalito (COP$32,000), a boat trip to Playa Blanca for snorkeling (COP$32,000), and a boat ride to the Jurubirá community, where residents live in simple wooden houses on stilts, including a walk to some hot springs (COP$93,000). Kayaks are available for free to those staying at the park.
If you are not staying at the park, it can be visited on a day trip from El Valle, Bahía Solano, or Nuquí. But that excursion gets a failing grade from many, due to its high cost (upwards of COP$125,000 per person). The standard park visit includes a chat about the national park system, a short walk, snorkeling in the lagoon in front of the Centro de Visitantes, and a boat ride to Playa Blanca (part of the park), where you can snorkel and have a greasy lunch. Playa Blanca is a party place for locals on weekends and holidays.
It is far better to stay at the park, preferably during the week (and not during high season). Travel agency Aviatur (Av. 19 No. 4-62, Bogotá, tel. 1/587-5181 or 1/587-5182) offers package tours to PNN Utría including two nights accommodations, all meals, and transportation to and from the Nuquí airport. This costs COP$816,000 per person based on double accommodation. You can also contact Mano Cambiada (tel. 313/758-7653 or 310/348-6055).