Tag: tubing

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to book a stay I may earn a commission at no cost to you

This little town in the jungle outside Cali is a super unique experience. To get into the town you take a makeshift train made from a motorbike that goes along train tracks called ‘La Brujita’. The little village is situated along a calm river that is great for tubing down on a warm day. It’s a bit of a trip from Cali but worth doing for the experience!

If you want some tips on visiting Cali and things to do there see my post here.

Top Tip for San Cipriano:

If you are just doing a day trip I suggest hiring a tube from a place that has lockers for you to put your stuff – you don’t want to lug all your stuff on the long walk to the head of the river and then try to keep it from getting wet while you are tubing. Best to leave it in town! Take a lock though as the rental place isn’t likely to provide one.

Where to stay:

We only did a day trip to Cali and in our opinion it only needs a day trip but if you have kids or want to spend a bit of extra time just relaxing by the river then there are a few basic places here to stay overnight. I suggest finding something through booking.com as its a really user friendly site and you get a good feel for what to expect from the property you are booking.

Getting there and away:

We visited San Cipriano on a day trip from Cali – you can also visit from Buenaventura in the other direction. You will need to bus to the entrance to San Cipriano then take ‘La Brujita’ into the jungle.

From the terminal, take a bus to Buenaventura (tell them at the bus station you are going to San Cipriano) and get dropped at the Zaragoza entrance to San Cipriano. Buses in Cali are never on time (give yourself plenty of time to get around) but the drivers are very helpful – ask them to tell you where to get off. You can only disembark from the back doors. 

Once you have been dropped off on the side of the highway, cross the road and take the suspension bridge into the village to buy a return ticket for the La Brujita (there’s an office before the suspension bridge but its closed on weekdays).

Transport out of San Cipriano ends at 5pm so if you are doing a day trip make sure to get to the edge of town for 4pm to make sure you can get ‘La Brujita’ out of town before they stop. To bus back to Cali just flag down a bus heading back in the direction of Cali and pay the fare on the bus.

Getting around:

You have to take ‘La Brujita’ into town. There is no other way in. Make sure to allow plenty of time as they break down sometimes. Also, there isn’t a lot of organisation to the experience and sometimes one of the contraptions comes the other way while you are on the tracks. One of the vehicles then needs to be lifted off the tracks while the other gets past. It takes a while…

Also make sure to be ready for the walk along the river from town to start the tubing. The walk is 30-45 mins upstream to La Platina to tube down: should result in 1-2 hours of tubing down the river. It’s a bit of a hike in the heat and difficult if you have little ones who get tired quickly. Also think about wearing trainers even though you will be in the river later. Ones that you don’t mind getting wet or can put in a dry bag.

Food:

The speciality in San Cipriano is large river prawns in coconut sauce. There are lots of basic restaurants in town serving local fare. 

What to bring with you for the day:

1. Money (There are no ATMs or eftpos facilities)
2. Water and snacks – most of the day you won’t be near the shops and restaurants.
3. Togs – you will definitely be getting wet tubing down the river
4. A rain jacket or jumper in case the weather turns
5. A dry bag if you don’t want to use the lockers or for any extra items you do want to take with you down the river like food and water.
6. Bug repellant
7. Sunscreen
8. A lock to keep your things safe.
9. A go pro if you have one or a phone with a waterproof case.
10. Trainers as it’s a lot of walking.

What to expect:

You will have a great time! Don’t expect a smooth trip though. We went in dry season so the river wasn’t very high and we kept getting stuck! It was fun but hard work. There’s also a rest stop halfway down the river at Charro Oscuro. During weekends/holidays there are snacks and cold beverages for sale here.

Erika xx