Located on the Pacific coast in northwestern Nariño Department, Parque Nacional Sanquianga contains 30 percent of Colombia's Pacific mangrove forests. This 80,000-hectare park protects a complex estuary delta system formed by the Sanquianga, Patía, La Tola, Aguacatal and Tapaje Rivers. The ecosystem also includes 60 kilometers of sandy beaches, swamps and guandal (giant bamboo) forests. A great diversity of marine species lives within the shelter of the red mangrove: sponges, mollusks, crabs and piangua. This sanctuary has the highest concentration of shore and seabirds on the Colombian Pacific coast and is a primary nesting ground for brown woodrail (Aramides Wolfi), gull-billed tern (Sterna nilotica), Sporophila insulata and neotropical cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), as well as for Caguama sea turtles. Other fauna include sloths, iguanas, babillas and rodents. The labyrinths of Sanquianga additionally harbors small indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, with a total population of about 11,000.

Canoeing through the mangroves, you can observe the flora and fauna diversity Parque Nacional Sanquianga contains and experience one of the best preserved mangroves. Interpretive trails at El Secadero and El Carboncillo, and to Lagunas de Mulatos and de Amarales allow you to penetrate the forest. On Playas Guascama, Barrera, Tasquita, Mulatos, Amarales and Vigía, you may swim, and play soccer or beach volleyball. Cultural activities also await you in the villages tucked into the filagree of this coast.

Location:
Tumaco, Colombia

National Park

Getting There
From Tumaco, check at the various boating companies located on the pier at the end of Calle de la Merced, near Calle del Comercio for launches to the National Park; the trip takes four hours.

Sanquianga is also accessible by boat from Buenaventura (12 h

Relative price: High End

Travel Skills: beginner/easy.

You Need to Bring: Be vaccinated against yellow fever, typhoid and tetanus; medication for diarrhea, amoebas and seasickness.

Camping equipment, food, water and flashlight.

Light-weight cotton clothing, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, tennis shoes, rubber boots, bathing suit and hat. Sunscreen and insect repellent.

By Lorraine Caputo

Upon re-declaring her independence at age 29, Lorraine Caputo packed her trusty Rocinante (so her knapsack's called) and began traipsing throughout...

Created: 31 Oct 2007

Updated: 18 May 2009

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