Getting to and away from Tumaco

Transportation

By Lorraine Caputo

Tumaco has two city bus routes:

Ruta 1 to Playa El Morro (about 30 minutes) and Ruta 2 to the airport. Fares are $0.75. The last from downtown to El Morro leaves at about 7:45 p.m., and from El Morro to town at 8 p.m.

Taxis charge $3 between Isla Tumaco and Isla El Morro.

Intercity buses have their offices on Calle 13, including: Transipiales (Tel: 2-727-2426), Cootranar (Tel: 2-727-2562) and SuperTaxis.

To Cali: Transipiales—5 a.m., 1 p.m., 7:30 p.m., $29, 15 hours Cootranar—5 a.m., 1 p.m., 8:30 p.m., $26, 14 hours.

To Pasto: Transipiales—hourly, 4 a.m.-4 p.m., $12, 6 hours Cootranar—hourly, 5:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., $10.50, 6 hours.

To Ipiales: SuperTaxis—four daily, $10.50, 5 hours.

For launches to Bocagrande and various small villages nestled in the coastal mangroves, go to Transmart on the dock (muelle) at Calle San Carlos and Calle de Comercio (Tel: 316-682-7243, cel). The puerto marítimo (sea port) is located on Isla El Morro, about one kilometer from Playa El Morro; boats to Esmeraldas, Ecuador depart from here. See the Tumaco-Esmeraldas Border Crossing article.