Tumaco

[Brazilophile]

Yesterday evening I flipped through channels and found that National Geographic was available as part of a week-end free trial.  The program that was on was a documentary about Colombian military looking for submarines used by narco traffickers off Colombia's Pacific coast.

One segment was about an informant who claimed there was a submarine being loaded with cocaine in a river near Tumaco.  I seem to remember that 5 or 6 years ago a poster here dated a lady whose family lived in or near Tumaco.

I am curious if anyone else has first-hand experience about Tumaco.  The stuff the military filmed was amazing.  The jungle was pristine and extremely beautiful.  Yet people, lots of people, were living there in VERY primitive conditions.  They showed how the cocaine cookers lived in the jungle and it was almost pre-historic.  All trappings of civilization were kept to a minimum to avoid attracting attention. 

Still, the helicopter shots of the jungle and natural life was breath-taking.  If there was reliable electricity and paved roads, the area would be fantastic.

[JimD]

That was the poster from the Halcyon Days on PL who called himself Hoda. I haven´t been to Tumaco but I would like to in order to go to Parque Nacional Natural Sanquianga which lies outside. Yes there is still plenty of jungle, more or less pristine along the Pacific coast from Nariño Department up through Chocó Department but there is no shortage of threats from the drug trade to illegal gold mining to impending investments in infrastructure (railroads and highways) by the Chinese. If you want to see the coastal jungle but prefer to skip encounters with the Rastrojos, FARC and paras go to Nuquí in Chocó.

[Brazilophile]

That was the poster from the Halcyon Days on PL who called himself Hoda. I haven´t been to Tumaco but I would like to in order to go to Parque Nacional Natural Sanquianga which lies outside. Yes there is still plenty of jungle, more or less pristine along the Pacific coast from Nariño Department up through Chocó Department but there is no shortage of threats from the drug trade to illegal gold mining to impending investments in infrastructure (railroads and highways) by the Chinese. If you want to see the coastal jungle but prefer to skip encounters with the Rastrojos, FARC and paras go to Nuquí in Chocó.

I think you are right, it was Hoda.  I remember him.  I met him briefly in Cali at the old Latin Love before he married his wife.  He moderated here for a while too, I think.  I hope he can reply.  He made a post a few weeks ago so he still reads the forum.

Nuqui seems interesting.  I saw someone's pictures who had vacationed there and went onto Google maps.  It seems there is a somewhat vibrant eco-tourism industry there.  There is also an extensive beach area.  Though it is close to Medellin, I am suspect there is little direct transportation to the Nuqui.

[JimD]

The first time I went Nuquí it was only a thirty minute flight from Medellin but current scheduling requires a stop in the capital of Chocó, Quibdó. That´s ok though because you can easily kill a couple of hours wandering around El Centro or watching a high school performance on the malecon. Both times I´ve been I´ve stayed at the Pidrapiedra lodge. After landing at the airstrip at Nuquí you take a fouty five minute ride in an outboard along the coast to get to the lodge. Also both times I´ve gone we were the only guests so if you want jungle and beach all to yourself that´s the place to go. There is already a good road from Medellin to Quibdó and a road from there to Nuquí and the coast is in the works That will definatly change the  character of the place but is still years away.