Visit Necocli travel guide: the other face of the Caribbean coast

Necocli, a small village-like town in the north-west of Colombia, with its feet in the Uraba Gulf on the Caribbean Sea. You might say! Wow, turquoise water, palm trees and white sand! Well, no.

Necoclí breaks with stereotypes to offer us an experience that many travellers long for: the famous authenticity. If there’s a buzzword these days to promote a tourist destination, it’s authenticity, isn’t it?

This utopian quest for a destination where the traveler feels sufficiently immersed in local life to avoid the “TOURIST” label that sticks to the skin of the first short/backpack combo that comes along.

So don’t look for this utopia, it doesn’t exist. The label, unfortunately, is on your forehead, painted in neon pink. But is it really that important?

In Necocli, we discovered a destination far removed from the Colombian MUST DOs. Colombia is fast becoming THE fashionable destination. So it’s time to find a little green hole where a river sings. And Necoclí will certainly be that oasis of tranquility you’ve been looking for to avoid the crowds.

Why Necocli?

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

It’s a nice story, but it won’t be yours, but it will have enabled me to introduce you to the area and make you want to go there.

First of all, our plan was to return to Capurgana. I happen to have a good friend there, Victoria, who runs the Bohemia Hostal. So to get to Capurgana, the idea was to find a different route to the one I’d taken in 2013 (back then, I’d taken a lancha from the town of Turbo after a long journey from Cartagena). After making a few enquiries, I confirmed that Necocli was the ideal alternative to Capurgana: the town is nicer than Turbo, safer and the lancha journey is shorter! What more could you ask for?

This was Necocli’s advantage, but also, as we’ll learn later, its biggest problem.

But Necocli was also home to the indigenous Guna Dule community (known in the West as the Kunas) and their splendid “molas” handicrafts. Angélica, a great lover of molas, also had first-hand information: a friend who put us in touch with Eylin, an employee at the Necocli town hall. And that’s how, in conversation with Eylin, we realized that we absolutely had to stay a few days here in Necocli.

Community-based tourism in Necocli

What to do in Necocli

The first thing to understand is that the Necocli region has long been a war zone. So here, the peace process takes on its full meaning: it’s a blessing, a chance, a dream of a new life! And tourism has an important part to play in this process.

When you arrive in Necocli, the first thing you’ll be asked is whether you’re leaving for Capurgana the following morning. As we explained earlier, this is Necocli’s biggest problem. This is a real challenge for the town, and we need to work hard on developing tourism to retain overnight visitors and show them that Necocli has a lot to offer.

This is the aim of the Necocli Tiene Magia project, an initiative by our friend Eylin and other young people from Necocli, which seeks to showcase the wealth of the village and its region.

Today, the tourist offer is growing and many possibilities are presented to the benevolent tourist in search of discovery: archaeological walks, discovery of the Kuna Tule (Guna Dule) culture, observation of the laying of sea turtles, a freetour to understand the history of Necocli, mountain bike rides, excursions to the mud volcano, etc.

Archaeological walk to the roots of history

What to do in Necocli

Colombia is a country of history, and you can discover this in many parts of the country. We were lucky enough to discover local history with a capital H thanks to a guided walk we took with a fantastic association: Pedazos de nuestra historia, a historical and archaeological investigation group. An association led by Camilo, who decided to take the archaeological destiny of his village, San Sebastian de Uraba, near Necocli, into his own hands. Camilo has brought together 25 young people from the village, aged from 7 to 60, in a bid to identify, protect and showcase the wealth of local heritage.

Why San Sebastian de Uraba

Two histories are intertwined here: firstly, that of the indigenous people, whose documented presence goes back thousands of years, with ceramics, places of worship and cemeteries being discovered here all the time.

On the other hand, it was here, in San Sebastian, that the Spaniards first set foot on the South American continent. It was the very first Spanish colony on the South American continent, established in 1509!
A crossroads offascinating stories told to us during a superb walk organized by Pedazos de nuestra historia.

We listened to an old man from the village tell us about the myths and legends of San Sebastian, then we discovered the richness of nature with Lazaro, the botanist musician, and finally we listened to this wonderful story based on archaeological discoveries with Camilo, a passionate and exciting young man, the bearer of a human, educational and social project!

Camilo, we wish your association every success, the support it deserves, and a growing awareness among the local population so that the riches of your heritage are protected and promoted as they should be!

Free Tour

What to do in Necocli

Necocli hides a story to tellin every corner… This initiative was born from the desire of the young people of Necocli, young people full of hope, eager to show off their municipality and to see tourism as an opportunity to share with the world the richness of this land, their land.

They roamed the streets to gather stories, experience and memories from the elders. They share with us this oral tradition filled with anecdotes that transport us to a time when everything was mountain and jungle..

In Necocli, every street corner is a story told by those who inhabit the urban space, people always ready to share with passers-by.

The tour, of course, tells the story of Necocli over 2000 years ago, with the natives who inhabited and still inhabit the territory, or 510 years ago, when the Spaniards first arrived in continental America. But it’s also the Necocli of 40 years ago, which has evolved from a small municipality with wooden houses to a tourist municipality that exalts its natural and cultural wealth.

Indigenous Kuna culture (Tule)

What to do in Necocli

Another highlight of our stay in Necocli was meeting Don Milton’s family and learning about the culture of the indigenous Tule Kuna (or Guna Dule, better known by their westernized name Kunas).

The Guna Dule (Tule Kuna) are the descendants of natives already present at the time of the Spanish conquest around the Gulf of Uraba in Colombia, as well as in Panama around the San Blas islands. One of the distinctive features of their tradition is the manufacture of molas, colorful embroidered fabrics used as adornments by women.

Traditionally, the men “write” (draw) the figures and the women weave the molas, which evoke the 5 elements (earth, water, fire, air, spirit) and the Tule Kuna cosmovision of nature and life. The geometric designs on the molas serve as protection and are particularly important during the rite of passage from childhood to adolescence for girls, when the first menstrual periods appear.

The bright colors of the molas are a symbol of joy and represent the spirit of the Guna Dule culture, whose educational pillars are silence, listening, observation and weaving.

A large proportion of the Guna Dule live apart from society, in the mountains, where it’s very difficult to meet them. we felt very lucky to be able to meet this family living in Caiman Nuevo (Ibgigundiwala), near Necocli.

At the end of the meeting, after having told us the story of their people and their traditions for over 2 hours, the Molas displayed on the ground were not there just to look pretty. First of all, we love the Molas and had planned to take some home with us, but in any case it seemed the least we could do to thank them by buying their production, a craft of great quality and, from our point of view, of great beauty. As with the Wayuu or Arahuaca mochilas, if you find yourself in direct contact with these communities and their crafts, buy without haggling, at the price on offer.

Today, tourism is organized in Necocli, and to discover the Tule Kuna culture you can call on Tuminel, which manages the local Tule Kuna crafts association and offers organized tours with the Caiman nuevo reserve.

Sea turtle protection project

What to do in Necocli

A few kilometers from Necocli lies the small village of Lechugal, where the local community, although particularly isolated, is developing an extraordinary community-based tourism project.

ACAETUR (Association de conservation ambientale et écotouristique) is responsible for the conservation of the sea turtles that come to breed on the surrounding beaches, and will accompany you to try and observe these magical creatures in their natural environment.

At the same time, you can discover the local flora and fauna on a walk through the Cerro del Aguila forest, with the chance of spotting the famous howler monkeys, and why not climb to the summit and remarkable viewpoint over the Gulf of Uraba.

In 2018, we returned to Necocli for the second time, to see our friends again and discover new community-based tourism initiatives. For the occasion we were lucky enough to go and meet the ACAETUR association.

We shared this experience with 3 readers of our travel blog, Sarah, Nathan and Pierre, who had followed our advice and whom we met by chance at the Punta Caribana hotel... Internet magic!

After a chaotic but sublime hour’s drive in an old Waz 4×4 packed to the brim with 12 people, we arrived at the end of a path that we had to finish on foot to reach Bobalito beach.

Orlando and his team welcome us to their “platform” as they call it: a wooden house recently built on the beach to accommodate volunteers and tourists passing through. Small terrace, kitchen, meeting room and dormitory… all the rudimentary comforts to spend the night feverishly hoping to see turtles coming to lay their eggs in the sand.

We spend the late afternoon talking to Orlando about the birth of the sea turtle conservation project. Until recently, turtles were on the menu of the poorest coastal populations. It was from this observation that the desire to change local mentalities arose, and to begin a process of awareness-raising through participation in this project.

The ACAETUR association is made up of a team of volunteers who make daily nightly rounds during the sea turtle nesting and hatching seasons. The aim of these rounds is to count specimens, prevent poaching and protect nests from predators.

Over the years, some founding members have received specialized training from experts in Costa Rica. Today, the work carried out at Lechugal by ACAETUR is recognized by scientists on a national scale.

There are 4 main species of sea turtle that give birth to their babies on Bobalito beach in the Lechugal area near Necocli. The best-known of these is the Cana turtle, a giant turtle that is currently under threat.

After a superb sunset and a hearty meal, we set off on a kilometre-long walk along the beach in the dark of night, in the hope of spotting a sea turtle laying its eggs in the sand. End of suspense: we didn’t see one!

The next day, Sarah, Nathan and Pierre set off into the forest in search of howler monkeys… with a swim in a waterfall on the agenda… enough to make us regret having had to leave early in the morning to catch up on our itinerary!

What remains is the unique experience of meeting these everyday heroes who, deep in the heart of Colombia, in a completely remote area, are helping to preserve our planet… and that’s saying something.

Necocli, the pearl of responsible tourism

BETWEEN NATURE AND HISTORY

So forget for a moment the association “Caribbean = Beach paradise” and imagine yourself instead at an ecological, historical and cultural crossroads of unfathomable richness: that’s Necocli.

Necocli and its region have been inhabited by Indians for thousands of years, and their culture is still strong and alive today.

Necocli and its region is history with a capital H, for it was here that the Spanish established their first colony on the South American continent, no less! And there are young enthusiasts here to help you discover this incredible history.

Necocli is a place of unspoilt flora and fauna: in fact, turtles have chosen it as their nesting ground!

And Necocli is life on the Colombian “costa ” as it can be discovered in its purest simplicity, not to say… authenticity.

During our stay we were lucky enough to meet some superb people. People who were not only very interesting, but also fabulously kind: Camilo, Lazaro, Don Milton, Orlando..

Necocli Tiene Magia

We owe these encounters to Eylin and her dedication to making Necocli a different kind of tourist destination. With its Necocli Tiene Magia project and dynamic young people full of ideas, Necocli holds its future in its hands. A future based on tourism that highlights the region’s cultural and natural wealth, and includes as many local people as possible to make them more aware of their territory’s potential.

A special mention to Cruz and Wilberto, Eylin’s parents, who run the Punta Caribana hotel, a small hotel where we stay every time we visit Necocli, and which we can only recommend. There’s a family spirit here, and Angélica, who fell ill at exactly the wrong moment, can testify to the kindness of the whole family. When you leave with a bunch of bananas from the garden specially cut for you… how can you resist?

Here in Necoclí, life is simply flowing, and all you have to do is watch it go by to try and grasp its essence. And that alone should be enough to convince you.