San Cipriano
After spending a few uneventful days in Cali (read guide here) I was looking for an escape. Expecting to have stayed in the city for much longer I found myself with a newly opened calendar. The friendly hostel owner suggested heading over to San Cipriano. I had never heard of the place but being sold by the stories of crystal clear water, a community with no roads connecting to the rest of the country and the fact that I really wanted out of Cali I easily fell for the fairytale. It sounded like an adventure and the next morning I was off to see if it was everything he said it was.
How to Get There
From Cali: Catch the bus headed for Buenaventura. Ask the driver to let you off at Zaragoza 1.5 hours. $18,000 COP. ($6USD).
From Armenia: Follow the same directions as above.
From Buenaventura: Take the bus headed for Cali or Armenia. Exit at Cordoba. 30 minutes.
Moto Brujas
Once you’ve arrived in Zaragoza or Cordoba you can purchase your round trip ticket for the famous motorcycles turned railway carts. See, there are no roads leading into San Cipriano. There is only an old railway track where trains use to travel. Somewhere along the years some genius working with the materials at hand decided they were tired of walking to and from the main road. They came up with this motorcycle train cart out of necessity and thus a gringo trail favorite was born. The roundtrip ticket will cost you $12,000 COP ($4USD) with an open dated return. The 20 minutes you’ll spend riding the strange contraption will be one of the highlights of your visit.
The driver with the most passengers wins the right of way. The other has to unload the transport from the rail
What to Expect
After arriving in San Cipriano you’ll need to pay your $2,000COP (<$1USD) to enter the reserve. If you haven’t felt the humidity it should be hitting you like a ton of bricks any second. But you’ll pay no attention to it. You’ll be too busy waving and chatting with the locals. Friendly is an understatement. These guys should win some prize for friendliest people on the planet. Passing by the shops, restaurants and dodging the would-be hiking guides set out to find your hostel of choice. I recommend Hostel David for a $35,000COP (~$12USD) private room for 1-2. The staff is friendly, the restaurant is good and the check out time is a generous 2pm. Keep in mind that all accommodations in this area are basic.
Best of San Cipriano
- Waterfall Hiking – there is a hike to a nameless waterfall. As far as I know the locals just call it la cascada the Spanish word for waterfall. Everyone would have you believe a guide is necessary to access the trail but this is completely false. A guide would be best because the trail is unmarked and hard to follow. Everyone in the community knows how to get there and you can hire one of the local kids to take you there for next to nothing. Enjoy the hike and take a swim when you arrive. Don’t bring anything that you don’t want to get wet. You have to cross a handful of rivers and streams to get there.
Our hiking guide
- Tubing – this is a favorite ! Rent a tube in town for around $8,000COP (~$2.50USD). Walk up the road away from the train tracks that brought you. Tube back down the crystal clear river. If you walk to the further river entrances you’ll tube back down for around 40 minutes.
- River – done with the tubing. Hang out at the river. Take a swim, mingle with everyone else. Have a seat on the riverbank and take in all the beauty.
- Party with the Locals – for such a tiny little place San Cipriano knows how to have fun. In the evenings you can find locals and visitors slinging back beers, playing music and dancing in the streets and shops.
Where to Eat
Hostel David – I had all my meals at the restaurant on the first floor. Food is good and cheap. $8,000COP (~$2.50USD) for the daily specials.
Tips
- Camping is not really an option here. First it is way too humid to sleep comfortably in a tent. Secondly there is no hostel offering camping accommodations. Camping is not allowed on the beach. You probably wouldn’t want to camp on the hard stones anyways.
- Food, beer and water ($1 per liter) is affordably priced. No need to stock up on too much before coming.
- As a group of four we paid $12,500COP (~$4USD) per person for a tube rental, optional life jacket and tour guide to the waterfall from Hostel David.
- I stayed for 3 nights in San Cipriano mostly because I enjoyed the way of life . Although it’s possible to see everything staying only one night in the town especially with the 2pm check out time.
How to Get Out
The last motobruja leaves at 1700. Make sure to show up a bit early. If at any time before the final ride you show up and no one is available. Call the number on the back of your ticket and they will send someone. If you don’t have a phone capable of working in Colombia don’t worry one of the friendly locals will call for you.
Take the moto towards Zaragoza if heading in land towards Armenia or Cali. Take the moto towards Cordoba if heading for Buenaventura. When you arrive wait along the highway to wave down the next passing bus. Trips to Buenaventura and Cali are frequent.
Afterthoughts
I really loved this place. It was the ultimate example of a community coming together to take care of eachother. Chatting with the locals it’s clear that many of them feel as though they were forgotten by the government. It’s clear that many of them feel the Afro-Colombian communities are neglected. This community didn’t become another crumbling society. They took what they had at hand and made their lives better. It’s very impressive in my own opinion. I encourage everyone if given the chance to get over to San Cipriano to see its beauty first hand.
