Utria National Park

Utria is an inlet of the Pacific that runs several kilometres inland between steep forested ridges, so narrow and sheltered that humpback whales bring their calves into it between July and October. A wooden walkway crosses the mangroves from the visitor centre to a beach on the outer side, rock pools and coral sit at the mouth, and the forest behind is Choco rainforest, among the wettest on earth. Access is by boat from Nuqui or El Valle, both of which are reached by small aircraft, because there is no road to this coast at all and never has been.

What you actually see

• Humpback whales - mothers and calves inside the inlet from July to October.
• The mangrove walkway - a wooden path across the mangroves to the outer beach.
• Playa Blanca - a pale sand beach and rock pools near the inlet mouth.
• The Choco rainforest - forest walks on some of the wettest coast on earth.

When to go

July to October is whale season and the reason most people come, with September usually the peak for calves. Rain falls all year and heavily, so plan around it rather than for it. Boats depend on sea conditions and are cancelled often enough to lose a day. Mornings are calmer for the crossing from Nuqui or El Valle.

Honest expectations

It rains here nearly every day, often for hours, and nothing dries. Getting in means a small plane from Medellin or Quibdo plus an open boat in Pacific swell, and both are cancelled regularly. Sandflies are relentless on the beaches at dawn and dusk. Lodges are simple, all-inclusive and expensive because everything is shipped in by boat.

Nearby

Nuqui, El Valle and Bahia Solano lie along the same stretch of Pacific coast.