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Fall in love with Termales, a small village on the Colombian Pacific coast. Between sea and jungle, let’s explore this wild and preserved environment.

Termales is a small village located south of Nuqui in the department of Chocó, Colombia. More than 280 inhabitants and less than ten tourists. It is not an over-visited destination, and that’s charming! An uncrowded place to reconnect with nature.

I particularly enjoy the wild and quiet, like if I was going to finally meet Robinson (Robinson Crusoe novel by Daniel Defoe). And I did! Robinson was our guide to hike to the Quatro Encantos (see below).

Hike the tropical jungle to the Quatro Encantos

The Quatro Encantos (The Four Falls) is a series of cascades hidden in the jungle. The hike is challenging and long: 5 miles on a muddy and tropical jungle (high humidity). I enjoyed hiking in this environment, so green and crowded less compared to California.

Our skilled guide Robinson navigated the jungle like a runner with a machete. He showed us numerous animals like monkeys, toxic frogs, birds, and dangerous ants.

Cost: 35,000 Colombian pesos per person

Duration: 4 hours (5 miles)

Relax in natural hot springs

The village was named after these natural hot springs. There are two concrete pools surrounded by the tropical jungle. This warm bathing is quiet and relaxing. For a mud facial, grab a stone from the pool and scrub it against the wall 😉

Note: Massages are available before 5 pm.

Cost: for foreign tourists, it’s 15,000 Colombian pesos before 5 pm, and 20,000 Colombian pesos after 5 pm.  It’s less expensive for Colombians and locals.

Duration: 2 hours

 Discover Termales

Stroll downtown Termales to discover the village and meet locals. The main street is colorful with many murals and flowers. In addition, there are small businesses for groceries and food & beverage.

Stroll the palm trees beach and enjoy a sunset

Stroll miles of Palm trees and black sandy beach. Morning runner or sunset lover, it’s a must-do!

Experience sea sports

Surfing, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, fishing, etc., there are numerous sea sports you can practice. There is a surfing shop in Termales if you want to rent a board and/or take a surfing class. Unfortunately, the waves were not impressive during my stay.

Discover a luxuriant tropical vegetation

Go green: you are surrounded with tropical plants and palm trees. Observe this biologic diversity from the mangrove to the luxuriant jungle. It’s beautiful!

Watch out for falling coconut!

Other activities

• From July to November, you can enjoy whales migration.
• Carpe Diem 😉

How To get there

Termales is accessible by boat from Nuqui. It is approximately one hour. There is a public boat stopping alongside the coast (Termales is the fourth stop). There are also private embarkations.

Cost per person: 40,000 pesos Colombian for the public boat and 90,000 pesos for a private boat.

To plan your next trip to Termales, check my article

Sounds like a dream place?

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