- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Today, arrive in Bahia Solano, where you will anchor offshore and be brought to land by local tender or Zodiac. Bahía Solano is located in splendid isolation; connected to the outside world by a single, small local airport. Tucked inside a beautiful bay, the small Columbian town is lined by the Pacific Ocean on one side and thick, impenetrable jungle on the other. The majority of the 10,000 residents work in local industries, which are predominantly fishing, agriculture and eco-tourism.
If you select the Bahia Solano Town Tour with your own local guide, the tour begins at the local secondary school, where you will be welcomed by the children who will sing the Colombian national anthem. Afterwards, take a relaxed walk through the community, wandering the streets with their array of different shops and businesses, visiting the main church, the primary school and library, before visiting the small fishing port where there will be a small display of the locally caught fish, which are flown out daily to the main cities of Colombia. The tour ends on the “malecon” or seafront, with a performance of Afro-Pacific and Indigenous Colombian dance, a gastronomic display with the opportunity to taste local dishes and an artisans’ market where handicrafts will be available for sale. If you wish to take your adventure up a notch, there will also be the opportunity to take a short “chiva” ride to the local waterfalls and take a short, but steep, walk up the hill for a bird’s eye of view of Bahía Solano.
Alternatively guests can choose to go on the Botanical Gardens of the Pacific. Departing from the ship the Zodiac will cross the Bay of Solano to a natural reserve, known as the Botanical Gardens. Landing on the beach the guests will be welcomed with a fresh coconut juice before boarding launches for a short ride through the mangroves to the tropical rain forest. The Botanical Garden is a 170-acre reserve, which is dedicated to the protection and conservation of the local wildlife through education and recovery. One of the most interesting projects of the reserve is the development of a seed bank and a reforestation project. During the walk the guides will point out the amazing variety of flora and fauna, the reforestation project and will also explain the relationship between the indigenous culture and the plant and animal life, showing how trees can be used for communicating and fungus used as medicines. After 2 hours in the rainforest the walk ends with a gentle stroll along the beach and refreshment before re-boarding the Zodiacs for the ride back to the ship.
During lunch Silver Explorer will relocate to Utría National Natural Park.
Your explorations of the Colombian Pacific coast continue with a visit to Utria National Natural Park. From coral reefs and mangroves to the marine environment, tropical rainforest and rocky beaches where sea turtles come to lay their eggs, few places in the world encompass the diversity of Utría’s ecosystems. The Expedition Team will offer a choice of trail hikes. As for flora, the park has several species of timber trees, notably the area’s beloved Cohiba tree and the Oquendo tree, which is used in the creation of local art and handicrafts.