Continuing with our Colombia experience we visited the Utria Natioanl Park. This 54,000 hectares of rain forest and Andean forest is the home of around 11,000 people and three Embera native communities, but mostly is a territory influenced by the afro-descendants.
We had a great start in the morning visiting Playa Blanca where we were able to see some of the unique marine fauna of the region while snorkeling, and we enjoyed again the kindness and joy of Colombian people. Kids were surrounding us curious about us and our ship, singing and talking to us, meanwhile we were enjoying the crystalline and warm waters of Playa Blanca.
Meanwhile, another group went exploring by Zodiac. The pristine landscape is almost untouched by human hands. It was close to what the conquistadors led by Pizarro probably saw hundreds of years before us.
After lunch we had the opportunity to get to know a little bit more about the community and the efforts to develop tourism in a sustainable way while protecting nature and the intangible patrimony of their culture.
We were able to walk a footbridge built on top of the mangrove, which allowed us to enter this unique place without damaging or disturbing the flora and fauna. The beauty of the trail, surrounded by forest, where birds, flowers, and incredible trees gave us such a unique experience of nature—at moments it was so moving that it was almost overwhelming.
Then we were able to witness some of the music and dancing of the afro-descendants, fascinated by their rhythms and incredible A capella singing.
We witnessed the efforts of this small community to integrate tourism and preserve their natural and cultural resources. In the spirit of exploration we are opening new routes that will be followed by others, so we contribute our experience to the opening of a new trail in Colombia, and we leave Utria with the confidence that others will follow our steps.
