Utría Park is best known for its beautiful whale watching trips that arrive between the months of June and November. This area of the Colombian Pacific, is a place of fantasy in which the diverse vegetation and fauna in contact with the waters of the sea create a perfect landscape.
In the Utría National Natural Park, four ecosystems coexist, such as coral reefs, tropical rainforest, rocky coasts and mangroves.
Humpback whale in Solano Bay
HOW TO GET TO UTRÍA PARK?
Utría National Natural Park is located in the department of Chocó in the municipalities of Bahía Solano and Nuquí. To reach Utría Park, first you must arrive at one of the two municipalities that have jurisdiction over the park, i.e., Nuquí or Bahía Solano. From these municipalities, you must take a boat ride to the park; there is a wide range of transportation available since the park is a popular tourist destination.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE IN UTRÍA PARK
Utría Park has 54,380 hectares, and despite this the park is located between 0 and 1,400 meters above sea level, managing a hot – humid climate with temperatures between 23 and 30°C. For your visit to Utría Park it is recommended to bring comfortable clothing for hot weather, swimming suit, sunscreen and insect repellent.
ATTRACTIONS IN UTRÍA PARK
One of the biggest attractions in Utría Park is whale watching, this is a unique event, because in addition to whales there is a variety of fauna and flora within the park. This park is a small paradise of exuberant landscapes and biological and environmental richness.
The park has a visitor’s center which offers different services such as lodging and ecotourism services.
WHAT TO DO IN UTRÍA PARK?
If you are going to visit Utría Park and you still don’t know what activities you can do, because there are a variety of plans, the first thing you should do is a long ecological walk where you will have a direct encounter with nature and the variety of ecosystems that live in this great area of the country.
It is important to say that humpback whales arrive at Utría Park during the months of June to November, so if you come to visit Utría Park especially to see the whales, it is preferable to do so during these dates; however, if you come in other months you will be able to see a variety of animals such as bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, sperm whales, killer whales and pilot whales.
Mangroves
In addition, the variety of flora confirms why it is exotic, species such as the cohiba and ceiba adorn the entire region covered by the park with a wonderful green. The park offers other options such as hiking, diving, face painting, and canoeing.
You can visit the waterfalls of Chadó and Tigre that are located in the village of El Valle; also visit Playa Blanca and Playa Almejal. In short, Utría Park is a very complete tourist destination that will offer you wonderful experiences in the middle of forests and jungles that will leave you wanting to return.
GASTRONOMY IN UTRÍA PARK
Utría Natural Park has a restaurant on its facilities where you will be served typical dishes from the Colombian Pacific region, a variety of fish, sancocho, shampoos and atollado rice. The Yubarta restaurant has a capacity for 40 people.
WHERE TO STAY IN UTRÍA PARK?
Parque Utría is so complete that it also has a lodging center called Jaibaná that has rooms for 30 people in three cabins. A total of 8 rooms and a cabin for 8 people. It has bathrooms, sinks, electricity and drinking water.
Website: www.hoteljaibananuqui.com
E-mail: jaibananuqui@gmail.com
Telephone: 314 882 85 7 – (4) 614 60 08
Nuquimar Hotel is located 0.4 kilometers from the park on Calle la Playa – Avenida del Mar. This hotel has a restaurant, free parking, breakfast included and air conditioning.
Contact: (4) 6091074
COSTS
In order to enter the Utría National Natural Park you need to acquire a passport which has the following costs:
National or foreign resident in Colombia over 5 years and up to 25: $ 9.500 COP
National or foreign resident in Colombia over 25 years old: $ 17.500 COP
Non-resident foreigner in Colombia: $ 46.500 COP
CAUTIONS FOR VISITING THE UTRIA PARK
For your visit to the Utría National Natural Park you should be aware that you must be vaccinated against Tetanus and Yellow Fever. It is recommended that the vaccinations are given 10 days before the visit to the park.
If you do not know where you can buy the vaccines, you can go in Bogotá to the transport terminal of the Salitre or in the department of port health in the international airport El Dorado, there you can be vaccinated to prepare correctly for your visit to the natural wonder Utría.
