Quibdó

Quibdó is in the Choco Department of Colombia.

Understand

Atardecer rio atrato

Quibdó is a product of 19th century exploration of the region as a shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that led to the discovery of gold and platinum, and of escape from adversity by freed black slaves, a demographic that makes up a considerable amount of the population to this day. Quibdó has a very wet, warm, and humid climate: it is considered one of the rainiest places in the world. These features deterred interest in colonization by the Spanish for a long time. So prepare for a steam bath ambiance if you come here.

Get in

Can be reached by car via Hwy 60 from Medellin, crossing the cordillera. It's about a 6.5 hour ride. Also, the city's

• 1 El Caraño Airport (IATA: UIB). (updated Sep 2020) is served by several national carriers with connections to other Colombian cities.

See

• 1 Tutunendo (14 km east of Quibdó). A curtain type waterfall where you can swim and splash around with all the other people visiting. (updated Sep 2020)
• 2 Malecon de Quibdo. Watch the locals bring in their catch or goods to sell, sharpen their machetes, etc. Also you can take a boat ride and almost feel like you are in the Amazon given the similar rainforest type of topography, or watch a riverine sunset. (updated Sep 2020)
• 3 Catedral San Francisco de Asis. Quibdó's own obligatory church, a basic cathedral next to the malecon that is kind of moody like the frequent cloudy skies around here. But wow, it has got some apse. (updated Sep 2020)
• 4 Parque Manuel Mosquera Garces. A plaza and meeting area where you can kind of wonder if you are really in South America or in Africa with all the shanties everywhere. (updated Sep 2020)

Do

• Fiestas de San Pacho. A major festival for the town something like Carnival that takes place from the end of September thru early October, honoring St Francis, patron saint of Quibdó, with lots of African music, color, and dancing. (updated Sep 2020)

Eat

• 1 Brisas Del Atrato Restaurante Bar, Carrera 2N #34-1. 11:00-22:00 daily. This place is a little expensive but it is a chance to eat next to a jungle river where you might be able to throw grains of rice to the piranhas or whatever is in the waters of the Atrato below, besides the 60 tons of mercury that gets dumped in there every year for mining extraction purposes. (updated Sep 2020)

Sleep

• 1 Casa Hotel Chacajo, Carrera 4 #2849, ☏ +57 313 8535419. Nice and clean, wifi, a/c, can purchase beer from booth in front. COP$ 44576-60000. (updated Sep 2020)
• 2 Hotel San Francisco De Quibdó, Calle 24 ##8-56, ☏ +57 321 4607028. Has wifi, a/c. COP$ 141158. (updated Sep 2020)

Go next

With few roads, there aren't too many places to go, other than east towards the urban areas of the Paisa like Medellin or Pereira. If you like steamy jungle beaches, you could fly west to the Pacific coastal towns of Nuqui and Bahia Solano/El Valle, where there is some limited tourism centered around surfing and whale/turtle sighting. But it is probably not a good idea to go poking around on isolated roads of the Choco too much, as paramilitary groups are still active around here extorting money from mining operations.