Capurgana is a small town in the northwest of Colombia in South America. It is in the Chocó region, which is one of Colombia’s most isolated and underdeveloped regions due to its mountainous terrain and hot, humid climate which both make it quite inaccessible.
I have said before that being in Capurgana feels like standing on the edge of the world. I guess this is partly because it’s at the very top of a very large continent, and when I arrived in Colombia my journey ahead felt vast and somewhat unimaginable. There’s also a sense of movement in Capurgana, because of the large number of immigrants that pass through each year on their way to the Darien Gap, trying to make their way from Colombia into Panama and beyond.
I arrived in Capurgana by boat after spending four days in the stunning San Blas Islands. I have plenty more to say about that trip so I’ll be publishing more about the San Blas Islands soon, if you want to read more about this trip and how to get from Panama to Colombia by boat!
Read more about Colombia: How to get from Capurgana to Medellin
Capurgana: The Practical Stuff
Capurgana is a small town in the very northeast of Colombia. It’s about as close as you can get to the Colombia-Panama border, and there are a few very small towns in this area, most of which you have to travel to by boat.
There are no cars in Capurgana or the surrounding villages, which is why it’s so common to get around by boat. It is possible to hike from one to another on trails, but with being so close to the Darien Gap I’m not sure how safe it is to get around this way. Follow my life motto: if in doubt, ask a local! There are motorbikes in Capurgana, which do kind of get in the way of the otherwise calm and beachy feel of the town.
If you travelled here from Panama or the San Blas Islands, be aware that you can’t spend US dollars here like you can in Panama and other parts of Central America. There’s also no cash machine in Capurgana, so it’s important to take plenty with you. When I arrived in Capurgana I exchanged US dollars for Colombian pesos in a corner shop that you’re basically looking directly at if you turn right straight off the pier. The exchange rate isn’t great, but it’s more or less your only option. If you’re travelling to Capurgana from elsewhere in Colombia, make sure to bring plenty of cash with you.
There are plenty of shops in Capurgana to buy just about whatever you need; clothes, shoes, food, toiletries, electronics. It did feel quite off-the-grid here, however, because we had very limited phone signal (my WhatsApp messages would send once in a blue moon, but I usually had to wait for wifi), and there was very little electricity or wifi due to power outages. Because it’s such a remote area, power outages in Capurgana are very common. When we were there only 1 out of 4 generators was working so we had electricity for about six hours per day, for three hours in the evening and then three hours overnight.
The high season here is the dry season, AKA December to April. Capurgana is especially popular amongst Columbians around Christmas time, so you can expect hotels and hostels to sell out, and for prices to go up around this time. There isn’t really a low season per se, because the climate is tropical year-round, but from May to November it is generally a bit less busy.
How to get to Capurgana, Colombia
When I was in other parts of Colombia and the locals asked me where I’d been so far, they always said “ohh, how lovely” when I said I’d been to Capurgana. A lot of Colombians seem to see Capurgana as an idyllic tourist destination, even though it is difficult to get to. We did hear that there used to be flights to Capurgana from Medellin, so I suppose this could be why, but you can no longer fly from Medellin to Capurgana. There are some flights that go to Acandi, which is close by, but they don’t operate frequently (twice a week, and only during the high season), and the only way to get between Acandi and Capurgana is by boat, anyway.
You can fly to a number of other small airports in this region, but they all require you to then take a boat to Capurgana, and often the schedule doesn’t match, so you have to stay overnight in between the plane and the boat. Can you see why I was surprised at the number of people who have been there?!
In my experience, the most common way to get to and from Capurgana was the boat and bus combination. Practically everyone that had been on the boat tour I did in the San Blas Islands moved on this way. (We arrived in Capurgana directly from Panama.) The speed boat ferry between Capurgana and Necocli is 1.5-2 hours, and then you can take the bus straight from Necocli to various other locations, including Medellin and Cartagena. I personally went to Medellin, but a lot of our group took the transfer to Cartagena and made it in one piece.
Of course, there is also the way I went: on the boat from the San Blas Islands. However, if you’re looking to go to Capurgana, I wouldn’t suggest this as a “way to get there”. If you’re already planning a trip to Kuna Yala (San Blas), Capurgana could be an ideal landing spot in Colombia. Otherwise, if you want to go there from elsewhere in Colombia, this is probably not the best way to do it. Remember if you’re leaving or entering Colombia you will need to get your passport stamped at the immigration office.
What is there to do in Capurgana, Colombia?
La Miel
La Miel is a beach in Panama, just across the border. Yep, you have to cross the border into Panama to get there! Because it’s so close to Colombia and you don’t officially enter Panama through immigration, you don’t have to get your passport stamped, but you do have to take ID with you. Personally, I would take my passport in case they won’t recognise a foreign drivers licence or ID card.
To get there you have to either hike (4km) or take the boat to Sapzurro, which is the next town over from Capurgana. It’s the closest town to Panama and it is actually the first place I went to in Colombia. I always say that it’s Capurgana because that’s where we went through Colombian immigration and spent the night, but we did actually spend a few hours on the beach in Sapzurro first.
La Miel is one of the best beaches in this area, and it’s for this reason that it’s one of the most popular things to do when you visit Capurgana. Once you’ve arrived in Sapzurro, either by hiking or by boat, you then have to walk for another 45 minutes (up and then back down again) to get to La Miel beach in Panama. You will find that prices of things go up here, because you are officially in Panama, but you can still pay in Colombian pesos.
Puerto Obaldia
Further around the coast there is Puerto Obaldia, which is a small, run-down Panamanian town. There isn’t much to see here and it isn’t particularly safe, either; I’m mostly mentioning it here because I saw it mentioned a lot online, and I don’t want you to think it’s a place you should turn up on a whim. A few hikes and boat tours leave from here, including some tours of the stunning San Blas Islands. The hikes from Puerto Obaldia are supposed to be amazing, but you must take a local guide and don’t try to go by yourself. Remember you are in the Darien Gap!
Bahia El Aguacate
A 1-1.5 hour hike from Capurgana (through the jungle, so don’t forget supplies and lots of water!) you’ll find Bahia El Aguacate, a tranquil lagoon tucked away from the often choppy ocean of the Caribbean. Here you’ll find crystal clear waters, and natural pools formed along the shoreline. Bahia El Aguacate is definitely worth visiting if you want to go swimming or snorkelling thanks to the clear, still waters and interesting rock formations. You’ll find a few restaurants and a couple of accommodation options around here, but not much else.
Where to Stay in Capurgana
Hotel Katamaran
When I was in Capurgana, I stayed here in Hotel Katamaran. It’s advertised as a hotel and hostel, however we were only allowed to book a shared room for one night. When I booked, via Whatsapp, the person I was talking to knew before I told them that I was arriving on a San Blas Adventures boat, and he told me I could only book a shared room for the first night of my arrival in Capurgana. So, I think that the “hostel” part is only available to SBA arrivees. However, I’m not totally sure. Either way, I really liked this hotel. The manager was friendly, the rooms were clean, you get an incredible view and the bar downstairs is really nice, too.
Hostal La Bohemia
A couple of friends stayed in Hostal La Bohemia and had good things to say about it. Again, although it’s called a hostel, there were no shared rooms as far as we could tell! My friends did say that it had a social, hostel-like vibe to it though, and because it’s called a hostel I imagine it attracts a lot of backpackers and solo travellers.
Cabañas Los Almendros
Cabañas Los Almendros was the only place I heard about that was actually a hostel, and it also came with glowing reviews. It has a bit more of an outdoorsy vibe, as the beds are in cabins rather than full buildings. It seems like a great place to stay and great place to meet people if you’re a solo traveller, and as it is a proper hostel it’s the cheapest of all the accommodation options I’ve recommended.