BAHÍA MÁLAGA
Bahía Málaga is indisputably a magical place acknowledged for its exuberant biodiversity. Located in the department of Valle del Cauca, this bay has marvelous beaches to relax and disconnect from the world. It is also possible to witness the migration of humpback whales arriving in this bay between July and October. Because of this, throughout this post we will share any information you may know to make the most of this place.
👉 If you are interested in taking this tour, you can click here.
IN THIS POST, YOU ARE GOING TO FIND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
- Interesting facts about Bahía Málaga
- Where is located Bahía Málaga?
- How to get to Bahía Málaga?
- What are you going to find in Bahía Málaga?
- Tours to Bahía Málaga.
- Lodgings near to Bahía Málaga.
- Hiking routes in these beaches.
Having said this, ¡Let’s begin with the adventure ⛰!
[ See this post in English version 🇨🇴]
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT BAHÍA MÁLAGA:
Uramba Bahía Málaga National Natural Park is characterized by its innumerable wildlife. It is also situated in the department of Valle del Cauca, particularly in the coastal area of the Colombian Pacific coast. By the way, we are going to share some information you may not know and it will arouse interest in this tourist destination.
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This bay is known all over the world as one of the seasonal migratory destinations of the humpback whale population. Also, it is popular for its warm and calm waters that it makes so perfect for the reproduction of whales 🐳, and for breeding purposes.
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Being this place of great importance in terms of fauna and biodiversity. On August 4, 2010 the Uramba Bahía Málaga Natural National Park was created, the word Uramba is an African term that means ‘’union’’.
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Another interesting fact about the geomorphology of this protected-area is that, the outermost part of the bay is bordered to the north by relatively wide sandy beaches such as Juanchaco, Ladrilleros, La Barra and Puerto España Miramar. These beaches are formed by the accumulation of sand of continental origin, displaced by rivers and accumulated in the North Point because of the hydrodynamic nature of the area.
¿DÓNDE QUEDA BAHÍA MÁLAGA?
Bahia Málaga is situated in the department of Valle del Cauca approximately 1 hour by boat from el puerto de Buenaventura, and 3 hours from the city of Cali. This bay is surrounded by a dense tropical jungle that makes warm weather with constant rainfalls the majority of the year. This place is recognized by the being the migratory destination of humpback whales, which arrive from July to the beginning of September.
Inside Uramba Bahía Málaga National Natural Park you can find around 6 communities, each of them has a community council who works alongside Natural Parks to the conservation of their habitats.
HOW TO GET TO BAHÍA MÁLAGA 🚍 ?
You're probably wondering, how do you get to Bahia Málaga?. To arrive at this amazing tourist place located in the Colombian Pacific, the easiest way is to depart from the city of Cali. Also, before describing how to get to Bahía Málaga, we will mention how to get to Cali from some main cities in Colombia.
FROM BOGOTÁ TO CALÍ
The distance between Bogotá and Cali via land is around 322.4 miles. To cover this distance, it takes approximately 11 hours. The bus companies which provide this service are:
- Empresa Bolivariana: The ticket fee is $105,000 COP per person. The departure times from Monday to Sunday are: from 5:00, then, the remaining times are 6:00, 9:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00, 197:00, 20:00, 21:00, and 23:00.
📞 To confirm buses departure times, you may contact the available WhatsApp line 3214560000 from Monday to Sunday between 6:00 and 23:30. Besides, you can go to the website www.bolivariano.com.co
- Empresa Expreso Palmira: The ticket fee is $100.000 COP per person. The departure times of this bus company from Monday to Sunday are: 9:00, 10:30, 11:45 ,13:15, 15:00, 16:30, 18:00, 19:45, 22:00 and 23:00.
📞 To confirm buses departure times, you may contact the following available phone numbers 3105452791 or 3112730419 from Monday to Sunday between 6:00 and 23:00. Besides, you can go to the website see website here
FROM MEDELLÍN TO CALI
On average, the trip from Medellin to Cali takes about eight hours. This is the time to cover 204.4 miles. The bus companies that provide the service are:
- Empresa Arauca: The ticket fee is $90.000 COP per person. The departure times of this bus company are: 5:30, 8:00, 10:30, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00 and 23:00.
📞 To confirm huses departure times, you may contact the following available lines 313 649 0376 or 313 649 0359 from Monday to Sunday between 6:00 and 23:00. Besides, you can go to the website href="https://www.empresaarauca.com.co/oficinas-y-puntos-de-atencion-2/"> see website here
- Empresa Flota Magdalena: The ticket fee is $95.000 COP per person. The departure times of this bus company are: 5:30, 8:00, 10:30, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 19:00, 21:00, 22:00 and 23:00.
📞 To confirm buses departure times, you may contact directly with the phone number 42309452 from Monday to Sunday between 6:00 and 23:00. Besides, you can go to the website href="https:////www.flotamagdalena.com/"> see website here
FROM PEREIRA TO CALI
On average, the trip from Pereira to Cali takes about 3 hours and 45 minutes. This is the time to cover 110.6 miles. The bus companies which provide the service are:
- Expreso Palmira: The ticket fee is $47000 COP per person. Take into account that the bus departure times from Pereira to Cali are: 5:00, 5:20, 5:45, 6:30, 7:15, 8:oo. It means that all the buses depart every 45 minutes approximately, and the last one departs at 20:30.
📞 To confirm buses departure times, you may contact to the available phone number 314 7909074 from Monday to Sunday between 6:00 and 21:30. Besides, you can go to the website href="https://expresopalmira.com.co/"> see website here
- Empresa Tax Central: The ticket fee is $48.000 COP per person. Remember that this bus company provides the services every hour and the first bus departs from Pereira to Cali at 6:00, and the last one departs at 19:00
📞 To confirm buses departure times, you may contact the available lines 317 5385882 or 318 463 6440 from Monday to Sunday between 6:00 and 19:00. Besides, you can go to the website see website here
RECOMMENDATION: Some cities such as Pereira, you might find non-stop trips to Buenaventura, which saves you money and time. We therefore simply recommend that you check directly with the Terminal de Transporte de Pereira before purchasing your tickets.
FROM CALI TO BUENAVENTURA
Once you arrive in Cali, more precisely at the Buenaventura Terminal, you need to take a bus to get to El Puerto de Buenaventura. The trip lasts approximately 3 hours, and the ticket costs $40,000 COP per person.
When you arrive at the Buenaventura Bus Terminal, you may walk for 15 to 20 minutes to reach the tourist pier. This platform is located a few squares from the Terminal where we met with the local guide of the agency we had previously booked.
Important information: Unless you go to a tour agency, you may first check what tours the boat does since some of those boats get to certain areas. And, there have been cases that travelers have booked their lodgings in wrong places, and they are charged more than they bring for the tour 🥲.
¿WHAT TO FIND IN BAHÍA MÁLAGA?
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TOURS TO BAHÍA MÁLAGA 🧳
As you may know,National Parks of Colombia have become an amazing tourist attraction for colombians as well as foreigners who come to those places daily. Places like Uramba Bahía Málaga Natural Park definitely should be included in your travel list.
So, if you are planning to take this tour, and enjoy those wonderful landscapes,mangroves, big rainforest; now, we will share all the information related to Tours to Bahía Málaga and, we will give you some recommendations to choose the best option which fits better to your budget.
The first thing you might know is that the tour begins at the tourist pier of Buenaventura, so you will have to come to this point. The tour to Bahía Mála costs approximately $650.000 COP per person.
The 3 dayan and 2 nights tour cinludes:
- 🥨 Breakfast
- 🛌 Lodgings
- 🍝 Lunch
- 🚣 Tour by boat
- 👨 Local guide, and medical insurance.
RECOMMENDATION: When it is high season, you could find this tour available all the days. By contrast with low season, the tour will be available when all the spots are complete. Remember that there are only 6 spots for each trip.
Keep in mind that if you want to do Humpback Whale-watching, you should take the tour between July and September
Para más información del tour, clic aquí 👈 .
LODGINGS IN BAHÍA MÁLAGA 🛌
Once you arrive at Uramba Bahía Málaga National Natural Park, you could lodge in towns or villages near to Natural Parks; that is why, we are going to share some available lodgings in this area.
LODGINGS AT LA LOMA DE CHUCHEROS YANEISY
This lodging is located in a location known as La Loma de Chucheros. This place has an exceptional view by being on a little cliff 🌊, on the entire front of it, you could see Juanchaco and Ladrilleros.
This location is mostly hosted by a family member and local residents who will make you feel at home.
Here you could find the following services:
- 🛏 Comfortable rooms
- ⛺️ Camping
- 🥟 Breakfast
- 🍛 Lunch
- 🍛 Dinner
LODGINGS IN JUAN DE DIOS BEACH
This Juan de Dios Beach hotel is situated within an 80-hectare natural reservoir. Its facilities are in front of the beach which has the same name ‘’Juan de Dios beach’’. This beach is known for its cleaning, as the inhabitants constantly carry out cleaning campaigns with volunteers.
In the background, you can appreciate a cave that gives off from the top a stream of fresh water. As you walk through this cave, you will find another slightly larger cave where you can enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking the crystal clear waters of the sea.
Here you could find the following services:
- 🛏 Bed in shared-rooms 2 nights 3 days
- ⛺️ Camping
- 🏠 Private room for 2 persons
- 🏠 This lodging does not share the kitchen nearby to do cooking, as a result, you will have to eat outside.
OTHER AVAILABLE LODGINGS IN BAHÍA MÁLAGA
You can also find other accommodation options within Bahia Malaga: Juanchaco, Ladrilleros, La Barra, La Plata, Miramar and La Serpie. We could not mention the names of the hotels in each of these places because the blog would be long enough to read. These can be found on Google.
HIKING ROUTES ACROSS NEAR BEACHES 🚶♂️🏖
After lodging, it's time to start the adventure in this lovely bay. The first thing you do is unload the luggage onto our rooms for a short rest . After taking a rest, we can enjoy the stunning views over the beach and jungle that this location offers us.
There is a 2.4 mile hiking route that links with Playa de Chucheros through Juan de Dios until reaching Playa Dorada. See map
MAP OF THE BAHÍA MÁLAGA ROUTE
LOMA DE CHUCHEROS
This location located on a small cliff offers stunning sea views 🌊. And, on the entire front, you can enjoy Juanchaco, Ladrilleros, and the naval base of Bahía Malaga.
If you go along the beach line, you can go to Chucheros, where there is a waterfall with the same name. It is highly recommended to make this visit with a local guide who knows this place fairly well since the tide has gone up, it will be dangerous to return to the beach.
JUAN DE DIOS BAY
In the background, you can enjoy a cave that frees up a waterfall. While you walk through this cave, you will find another slightly bigger cave where you can enjoy a beautiful sunset overlooking the crystalline waters of the sea.
DORADA BAY
This bay is popular for having golden sand, but unfortunately in some parts of the bay you could find large piles of trash 😢.
On the map already displayed, there was a waterfall named «Cascada de Chucheros». To get to this waterfall of Loma de Chucheros, you must walk about 2.4 miles to the border of the bay. We couldn't make it that far, because the tide was rising more and more 😢 so we came back.
After a day of adventure, it was time to get some sleep.
RECOMMENDATION: For this road, don't forget to bring a windproof jacket because in this place even though it is hot, the area is very humid and there is a lot of rain. We also recommend using a long-sleeve diver to protect you from the sun and mosquitoes, all those products you can find in our online shop._
The next day it became evident the emotion of all of us, because that day we went out to see the waterfall of the Sierpe and the Tres Marías.
DAY #2
We met our guide who gave us a few tips before starting this adventure at 8:00 in the morning.
La Sierpe waterfall in Bahía Málaga: It is a 196.8-inch high waterfall that is surrounded by stunning vegetation within Uramba Bahia Málaga National Natural Park.
Foto por: @kevindavides
**Tres Marías waterfall in Bahía Málaga:**There are three consecutive waterfalls and it ends in a hole that if you jump, you will go into the sea. Keep in mind that you can only do this if you are supervised by a guide.
⚠️ Remember to bring insects repellent or even some insects repellent soaps are sold which work very well.
¿CÓMO REGRESAR DE BAHÍA MÁLAGA?
DÍA #3
It is recommended to depart in the morning while in the afternoon it is more likely that the sea itches 🌊 (this means that the sea becomes turbulent). That's why all boat departures are on hold.
You should keep in mind that all the buses departing from the Buenaventura Terminal to some destinations of the country will only depart until 14:00.
This is the end of the trip to Bahía Málaga, do not to forget to follow us on our social channels to know more places like this 👉 Instagram and Youtube.
Los precios mencionados anteriormente son aproximado y estos podrían variar.