I’m always on the lookout for little, undiscovered beach towns. Something like Bahia Solano, Nuqui,  Mendehuace or a Palomino (the way Palomino was 10 years ago).  Usually, these little towns turn out to be a bust -  boring little pueblos near the beach with no services for visitors and little to do. But sometimes I get lucky and find a real gem.

Recenty on my way to Capurgana the boat made an unexpected stop at the little village to Trigana on Trigana Bay. A young foreign couple get off the boat and were enthusiastically met on the dock by another foreigner.  Then I remember several years ago on my way to Capurgana the same thing happened - a lone tourist got off at the same dock.

Now I was curious and had to see what laid beyond the Trigana's dock and beach. So, after a few days in Capurga's I packed my bags and bought a ticket to Trigana.

I found a hostel on Google maps and booked a place called Hostel al Viento  just outside of town.  The boat pulled up to the docks at Trigana and I got off and stopped at a restaurant/bar. The two German/Colombia owners told me the hostel I was looking for was in San Francisco and pointed to a cluster of buildings across the bay.  It was a 45 mintue walk along the beach they said. But with back packs I imagined it would take more. They called a boy on the beach who had a small skiff and took us across the bay.  He dropped us off on the beach by the docks in San Francisco.

Sometimes when travelling the best discoveries are made by mistake.

Our hotel was a short walk up the hill.  A rustic building made of wood. We were warmly greeted by owner, Cesar, who showed us a nice room on the second floor with large open picture window overlooking the docks and the bay.

It was a Sunday. We walked around town’s dirt pathways. The village was a delight - peaceful and clean. We were struck at once by how friendly and chill the people were. We watched a football match between 10-year-olds, and it seemed half the village had turned out to watch. 

 We met a German expat who had been living in the countryside near San Francisco for more than 20 years and said she didn’t regret a day of it.  She was grazing her two donkeys on the strips of grass down by the main plaza and public beach.

We fell in love with the place and our two-day visit and ended up becoming a week’s stay. And upon leaving I knew I would be returning to this place many more times to come – ‘Si dios quiere, - God willing.

San Francisco is a small town and like Capurgana belongs to the municipality of Acandi. It is situated on a beach backed up by the mountains of the Darien Gap  which plunge into the Atlantic waters of the Gulf of Uraba. It is a gateway to the Darien rainforest near Colombia’s border with Panama. Situated between the towns of Turbo and Capurgana, San Francisco can only be reached by boats coming from one town or the other – an hour ride or more in either direction.

The jungles and mangroves around the town are teeming with howler and capuchin monkeys, sloths, anteaters, snakes, caimans, sea turtles, toucans and parrots. 

The mountains and jungles meet the emerald, green seas with waves that gnaw at the beach carrying driftwood. The temperature of the air and waters here is perfect.

Cesar offered to take us out fishing, but during out stay the seas were a little rough for his small boat.

Our stay at the Hostal al Viento was very enjoyable. Cesar was very friendly and a great conversationalist making sure we had something to do everyday.  He had come to San  Franciso from Medellin when he was 18 and stayed.

His wife Carolina, also an expat form Medellin, had studied to be a chef in Medellin and made us delicious food everyday - breakfast and lunch.  There aren’t any restaurants in town so most of the hostels provide in-house meals. Carolina whipped up some delicious egg-free breakfasts and lunches with fish and vegetarian options – not an easy feat since fruits and vegetables are often hard to find in these small towns and mostly have to come from farmers in the jungle or from the port of Turbo.

We went on a morning tour with a local guide into the jungle, up the mountains behind the village, to see El Bosque de los Gigantes or the Giant’s Forest. Here there are a number of impressive, giant Sampan trees. It’s a 3–4-hour hike and the guide, who is very talkative and knowledgable, only charged for 40,000 COP for the tour.

In and around San Fracisco there is a vibrant ex-pat community, mostly Europeans, who have built their homes in the middle of nowhere.  In sync with the village they are friendly and engaging. They have all come in search of tranquility, the sea, jungle and the freedom to take time for themselves, to disengage from the modern world and live with the rhythm of nature.

The people of San Francisco and the Acandi municipality have endured Colombia’s armed conflict in the past and the area is just opening up to tourism. The local council says the people of San Francisco are people of the sea, traditional fishermen who know the reefs and islets. They are farmers who work small farms in the jungle producing fruits and vegetables.   They know that they live in a beautiful place and are blessed with rivers of fresh water and a variety of natural attractions. They say anyone who arrives here is welcome. They are learning to live with tourism and want to offer a responsible tourist experience that respects their culture and ecosystems.

After a week’s stay I San Francisco Cesar accompanied us to the docks where we caught a boat to Turbo.  As the boat motored out to sea, Cesar waved at us from the San Francisco docks and we knew we would be back.

For more on Hostal al Viento you can check them out of Facebook.

For more information contact Carolina Cuervo at cell. 3225439905 carocuervo16@gmail.com or

Cesar Velez - cel. 3216403156 at cesarflora516@gmail.com

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