A Trip to Paradise - The Colombian Pacific

If you're looking for real life Jurassic Park, minus the dinosaurs (sorry), I have the perfect location for you.

If you catch a three hour bus from Cali to Buenaventura in Colombia, you'll arrive at the bus terminal. Walk about ten minutes, and you can catch a 30 minute to one hour boat ride (depending on the weather conditions) to a cute little place called Pacific Hostel. There, the fun begins.

Though you'll be swimming in the Pacific, this is not the Pacific all of us Americans are used to. The water is a beautiful teal color, and it's WARM! With barely any waves, it's a perfect place to swim, wade, and just enjoy the amazing scenery around you.

The plants are just amazing, and the birds you might spot are, too! Andrés even saw a toucan! Colombia is the second most biodiverse country in the world, and this is an excellent place to see some of its wonders.

A couple of years ago we were there in July, and it was sunny every day with rain every night. It was also whale spotting season, so we were able to go out on a boat and see whales with their babies! Super cute!

This time we went in October, which is apparently rainy season. It stormed almost every day and night, but that didn't stop us from any of what we had planned, and to be honest, it kind of made the atmosphere even cooler.

We decided on a waterfall tour, which took us to some amazing natural pools, and two awesome waterfalls! The water wasn't too cold, so even though it was raining, we were able to swim and enjoy the beautiful sights - jumping off of little cliffs, sliding down natural waterslides, and finding hidden treasures behind giant waterfalls.

There are two lodging options. In July, we stayed in the hostel cabins, which fit four people and don't have a private bathroom. While this was okay, getting up in the middle of the night to walk through the rain to bathroom wasn't awesome. Especially if you have to pee three times every night. This time we opted for the private room with an ensuite bathroom and a swimming pool! Only downside? It's on the other side of a river that connects to the ocean. So while there is a man who can take you across in a boat, he's not super reliable. Often, we just swam across ourselves!

The hostel serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the options are varied, always including a vegetarian dish. I thought the food was really tasty, but I was disappointed in their lack of snack or dessert choices!

The only thing that might make people uncomfortable (it did me!) is the intense humidity. Nothing dries - and I mean nothing. You will definitely feel sticky and damp your entire stay, but that's all part of the experience!

All in all, the prices were very reasonable. The lodging was about $40 a person for two nights, and each meal at the hostel was between $3.50 and $8. The tour cost us $20 each and was around 4 hours - well worth it! The boat ticket to get us to the hostel and back cost us around $35 a person.

If you're looking for an affordable, immersive experience, this is the place for you. Experience the beauty of Colombia's natural wonders, and don't forget to take a million pictures!