The Pacific island known as Isla Gorgona is a 26 square kilometres of verdant tropical nature park about 35 kms (1.5 hours by speed boat) off the Colombian Pacific coast. It is a National Park – above and below water – and paradise for nature lovers. And between June and October you’ll find leaping humpback whales.Here’s some photos and explanation, and a info on how to visit. Enjoy!
Isla Gorgona on a sunny day…it can also get rainy here too! The island is a National Park and can only be visited with the PNN Concession called Concesion PNN Gorgona . See the info section at the end of this post.
Humpback whales come here to mate and breed from June to October, and can be seen from boats or from the shore. Underwater, you’ll here them singing. These huge beasties travel from Antartica to enjoy the warm shallow waters of Gorgona.
Here’s a female humpback whale close to the shore with its baby (4m long!) . Isla Gorgona is one of the best places to view them.
Isla Gorgona has some beautiful wild beaches. These are visited as part of a tour with park guides and other visitors (usually around 30 people) and involve some walking through the jungle.
The island is also home to a penal colony – Colombia’s ‘Devil Island’ – that closed in 1985, and the ruins are now ovrergrown and full of snakes. Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro named the island ‘Gorgona’ from the medusa legend after many of his troops were bitten by serpents there in the 1500s.
A small museum houses exhibits from the Penal Colony on Isla Gorgona, and the spooky ruins (right)
Diving is another popular pastime, there is a PADI Scuba centre on the island and you can buy a special dive package, or just do the odd dive (costs around US$50 per immersion with all kit included). the reef is healthy and there are plenty of fish, sometimes turtles and sharks too. This is my 12 year old daughter doing her first ever dive. There is also good snorkelling on the eastern (sheltered) side of the island.
The rocky northern tip of Isla Gorgona is home to boobies and frigate birds. There is good diving here too.
Live-aboard dive boats also visit Isla Gorgona from Buenaventura port (a short bus ride from Cali). these boats sometimes go on to Isla Malpelo, Colombia’s ‘Galapagos island’.
Basilisk lizards and capuchin monkeys also live on Isla Gorgona, and are easy to approach.
Isla Gorgona ticks most boxes as an island paradise. But it can get rainy here too.
Most activities include a boat ride, and you’ll always see whales or (if you’re lucky) spinner dolphins.
Isla Gorgona has muddy trails, but you’ll get loaned a pair of rubber boots on arrival. Also prevents snake bite. The main visitor centre, right.
Getting to Isla Gorgona: you need to fly from Cali to Guapi with SATENA airline, it’s a 40 minute flight. The Vive Gorgona tour company will meet at the airport in Guapi and take you by speed boat to Isla Gorgona (1.5 hours on good conditions). Change into beach clothes at the airport as the boat ride can get splashy. But keep your camera ready in the whale season (June to October) as you will see whales on the way. Best to have your dry clothes and valuable prepacked in plastic bags to keep dry. NOTE: Vive Gorgona can also help with the SATENA booking from Cali to Guapi and back.
ORGANISING A VISIT: Isla Gorgona is not easy or cheap to visit. From Bogotá it requires two flights to get to Guapí. The good news is once you reach Guapí, everything is taken care of,such as the boat trip to Isla Gorgona.
Vive Gorogona has an english option on the website and you can pay by credit card for packages.
Visits are usually five days/ four nights which gives three whole days on the island and two travelling days. You can combine the visit with an overnight stop in Guapí, for fascinating Colombian pacific culture, or a visit to Cali.
Vive Gorgona offer diving packages too, or you can just book dives after arriving on the island with the PADI centre, and maybe even do a course. During the whale season (June to October) you can book a tour that includes 2 whale viewing trips.
What to take: beach clothes, lycra and a warm/waterproof top or poncho. Sandals, sunhat, sunblock, insect repellent. Camera with good lens (for whales), waterproof bag (for rain and boat trips). There is a small snack shop on the island. All food and rubber boots are provided.
On the water front in Guapí, the Pacific coastal town where you leave for Isla Gorgona. Guapí is very off the tourist trail, and rather a conflict area, but the town itself is safe and the ´people very friendly, and seafood delicious. Some people visiting Gorgona also overnight here to get to know this forgotten corner of Colombia.
Chilling on the beach in Isla Gorgona.
Isla Gorgona’s ‘poblado’ or visitor accommodation area, there is also a police and army barracks, a small swimming pool.
Food is based on fish (very fresh) but chicken and beef options are also available. Accommodation on Isla Gorgona is basic and clean. It can get cool at night, there is a fan, and mosquito netting on the windows. Bring repellent (DEET) though there are generally few mossies. You should have had a yellow fever vaccination to visit this part of lowland Colombia (if there has been recent yellow fever cases you might be asked for the certificate).
Another view of Isla Gorgona’s accommodation block.
Costs…yes Jon, it is quite expensive, since you need to fly to Guapi from Cali (tickets vary but budget US$150 for the return flight). From there, the packet is ‘all included’ with Vive Gorgona, the only tour operator, which is supposedly partly owned by local Pacific communities. For the five day package was around US$470/person, not cheap, but we saw this as a ‘one off’ experience. There are cheaper ways to experience the whales and Pacific coast, for example from Buenaventura port (3 hours by bus from Cali) and local boats to some national parks nearby. Tumaco, further south, is also reachable by road but a conflict area and not really open for tourism , though some people do go there.
09:01
really fantastic!! Great place to visit!!
11:04
I would be interested in visiting Gorgona. But I have heard it is quite expensive compared to the rest of Colombia. Do you have any cost estimates?
20:15
Costs…yes Jon, it is quite expensive, since you need to fly to Guapi from Cali (tickets vary but budget US$150 for the return flight). From there, the packet is ‘all included’ with Vive Gorgona, the only tour operator, which is supposedly partly owned by local Pacific communities. For the five day package was around US$470/person, not cheap, but we saw this as a ‘one off’ experience. There are cheaper ways to experience the whales and Pacific coast, for example from Buenaventura port (3 hours by bus from Cali) and local boats to some national parks nearby. Tumaco, further south, is also reachable by road but a conflict area and not really open for tourism , though some people do go there.