"Guapí" a Guapí Travel Page by MalenaN

Guapí is a town and municipality in the Department of Cauca. The town is situated near the Pacific coast by Rio Guapí. The town was founded in 1772 and today the municipality has got about 30 000 inhabitants. The main economical activities in the area are agriculture, fishing and mining. Being on the pacific coast Guapí has got a hot and humid climate year round. No roads are leading to Guapí, but the town can be reached by daily flights from Cali (there are also flights from Popayan, but I don’t think they leave daily). And there is a boat going between Buenaventura and Guapí.

I visited Guapí on my way to, and from, Isla Gorgona. Before going to Isla Gorgona we had to wait for the boat to leave, and meanwhile we took a walk through the small town with a local guy who was also going to Isla Gorgona. Coming back from Isla Gorgona I stayed a day and a night in Guapí. When I booked my Isla Gorgona tour I had been told that there were no flights back to Cali the day I wanted to leave. I thought it was too expensive to stay on Isla Gorgona for another day and thought it could be interesting to stay in Guapí, which is very different from other parts of Colombia that I have visited.

It was nice to hang around here for a day, walk around or sit at a café. The town feels colourful and lively, but with a relaxed atmosphere. There is the main street with shops and panadeías, a main square and then there is the street near the river where the market is. On the steps down to the river women are doing the laundry and on the river the traffic is busier than on the streets. There are no cars in the town, well at least only a few and some motorbikes.

I enjoyed my stay and think it is absolutely worth staying the night here on your way back from Isla Gorgona.