3.8403° N, 76.8980° W
WAY OFF IN JUNGLE OF COASTAL COLOMBIA SITS THE FASCINATING AND BEAUTIFUL TOWN OF SAN CIPRIANO. HERE IS EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO ADVENTURE AND EXPLORE IT.
Located deep in the cloud forest of western Colombia is a town famous for its utterly crystal clear river - and toucans, can't forget the toucans.
San Cipriano - which translates from Italian and Spanish to Saint Cyprian - feels very different than many other towns we have explored in South America. It is small - around 300 people - but it also just feels incredibly remote, which we guess it kind of is. There is one road in town, though we don't know if it actually really goes anywhere. Therefore the only way to reach San Cipriano is by something called a "brujita" (but more on that later).
In the words of our Colombian friend in Salento (who has visited San Cipriano a handful of times) the town is very much in "deep Colombia." Meaning you likely will see no other travelers, especially no Western travelers, and you will only be able to speak Spanish. Oh and there is no cell phone service or internet, so good luck using your translator.
If you are like us and are looking to get totally off-the-beaten-path, then definitely add San Cipriano to your travel list. Below is everything you need to know.
EXPLORING SAN CIPRIANO, COLOMBIA
\\ How Do You Get to San Cipriano?
One of the neatest things about San Cipriano is the fact that it is relatively difficult to reach. Besides one narrow dirt road - used mostly by construction workers to get to an aqueduct (from what we surmised) - the only way to reach the town is by riding the “brujita.” Below is more information on the crazy brujita as well as more information on actually reaching the towns of Zaragosa and Cordoba, where you will get on the brujita itself.
INSIDER TIP: while we say the town of Zaragosa, in truth, there isn’t much of a town there. At least from what we saw of Zaragosa there was really only the brujita station and one or two stores and restaurants.
THE BRUJITA
The “brujita” - which means little witch in Spanish - is an incredibly ingenious form of transportation. Due to San Cipriano’s location between the bustling port of Buenaventura and the major city of Cali, there was once a railroad that ran along the Danubio River (Rio Danubio). But some time ago the trains stopped running and the railroad sat abandoned. Eventually, someone came up with the idea to use the old railroad tracks for a new form of transportation - enter the brujita.
Instead of trains you now sit on a wooden platform with benches along one side and a lone motorcycle on the other. A driver then sits on the motorcycle and uses the motor to power the platform forward. The brujita can reach pretty crazy speeds - which can be a bit nerve-wracking for the travelers sitting on the benches where of course there are no seatbelts.
From what we gathered, the brujita is only used to get between the towns of Zaragosa and Cordoba, both of which sit along the major highway that runs between Buenaventura and Buga. We rode the brujita to and from Zaragosa and both ways took around 25 minutes.
DETAILS
| COST: it cost us 72000 COP for 4 people to ride the brujita to and from San Cipriano from Zaragosa. So 72000 / 4 people = 18000 COP per person to go from Zaragosa to San Cipriano and then back again (18000 COP = $4.50).
| FREQUENCY: we didn’t find a super clear schedule for the brujita but we were told when we bought the tickets that the last one was at 5 PM. We’d expect the first one leaves the towns at around 7 AM (but maybe earlier).
| SAFETY: this is totally debatable. We actually felt pretty safe on the brujita but we could totally imagine some people feeling like their life was flashing before their eyes. To feel safer we suggest putting your bags in the middle of the platform instead of on your back and straddling the bench instead of sitting with your legs off the side (we rode both ways and definitely preferred the first).
| EXTRA TIPS: since San Cipriano is located in a cloud forest expect to get a bit wet while riding the brujita. Luckily, the temperature is usually quite warm so even in the rain you should still be relatively comfortable. If you have a rain jacket or poncho definitely bring it (and maybe a trash bag for your backpack).
EXPLORE MORE | THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BUS TRAVEL IN COLOMBIA
REACHING ZARAGOSA AND CORDOBA
Before you even get on the brujita you first need to reach either the town of Zaragosa or Cordoba (both have brujita stations).
Luckily, both towns sit right along the busy Highway 40 which runs from Buenaventura (on the Pacific Coast) to Buga. Both towns will have major bus stations so you can very likely catch a bus from anywhere in Colombia and reach either city.
GOOD TO KNOW: Buga sits along Highway 25 which runs between the cities of Medellin and Cali/Palmira. Therefore you should very easily be able to get a bus heading to either city and hop off at Buga.
Below was our itinerary from Salento to San Cipriano:
\\ Bus from Salento to Armenia (bus terminal) → 5300 COP per person, 45 minutes to an hour
\\ Armenia to Buga → 25000 COP per person, around 2 hours
\\ Buga to Darien/Lago de Calima → we decided to stay here for a night to check the town out, more information coming in a later post.
\\ Buga to Zaragosa → 25000 COP per person, around 1.5 hours (there isn’t a bus stop in Zaragosa so you have to flag down a bus or tell the bus driver to let you off)
\\ Zaragosa to San Cipriano → 18000