San Cipriano

There is no road into San Cipriano. What there is instead is a railway line, and the community built brujitas - wooden platforms running on the rails, propelled by a motorcycle held against one rail with its rear wheel driving, which carries passengers the seven kilometres in from Cordoba at a decent speed with the forest closing over the track. That is the transport and it is also the reason most people come. The village sits on the San Cipriano river inside a nature reserve, and the water is exceptionally clear because the catchment is protected forest - swimming and floating downstream in tubes is what people do. The Choco rainforest here is among the wettest places on earth. The community manages the reserve and the transport.

What you actually see

• Brujitas on the railway - wooden platforms pushed by motorcycles.
• Seven kilometres in with no road - the only way to arrive.
• An exceptionally clear river - from a protected forest catchment.
• Choco rainforest - among the wettest country anywhere.

When to go

December to March is drier, but rain is a constant. A full day.

Honest expectations

The brujita is not a formal railway service and safety is what the operators make it. Rain is heavy and frequent whatever the season. Facilities are basic. Weekends bring crowds from Cali and the river gets busy.

Nearby

Buenaventura is west; Cali is east up the mountain.