Tag Archives: Hiking

Hiking Mont Mokoto

For the past month we have been hiding out in the smaller motus due to the quarantine.  Which has been good in that we have more liberties and no people.  But they are super small and do not offer many opportunities to walk, let alone hike.  Mangareva offers the best hiking in the Gambiers.  There are two mountains, Mont Duff and Mont Mokoto.  Last year we hiked Mont Duff.  We decided to hike Mont Mokoto this year with our friends on HooDoo.

Mont Duff is 441 meters tall and Mont Mokoto is supposedly 423 meters tall.  I say “supposedly” because two of our devices showed it at 430 meters.  So, your guess is as good as mine.  You start out taking the same route for both hikes.  The hike up is about 2.5 miles to the top.  At about 1.5 miles there is a split off where you have to decide which Mont you want to ascend. 

First you hike to the top of the saddle on a paved road under the intense sun.  Then at the turn off you go straight up but you are in the blessed shade of the trees.  Our young friends (under 30) and my goat of a husband attacked the hill with great speed.  I was a bit tamer and slower.  They kindly waited for me several times.

Mont Mokoto’s Trail

This is an example of the path we hiked through the trees in the shade.  There were some areas with boulders and rocks to climb over, but for the most part it was straight up on a nice cleared path.  Half way to the top we had a pretty view of the bay.

Yanell was kind enough to grab a few photos of the photographer. The first is in the midst of the trees

At the top of one of the mountains we could see the view of the top of Mont Mokoto.  In the shot below you can see Missy and Yanell in the foreground.  If you zoom in, you can see Matt almost at the crest of Mont Mokoto.  He is a small speck on the left side almost to the top.

Me trailing behind again, but still on the move!  Almost to the summit and I am so ready to be there already.

Bird Population

There are tons of birds in the Gambiers.  Just before the summit there was a sign explaining a little bit about them.  The four main birds are the white-tailed tropic bird, brown noddy, white, tern, Herald Petrel.  The Herald Petrel is slowly going extinct on the island.  There are less than 50 in the area and only one chick is produced per brood.  They are seen primarily between May and September which is the breeding season.  Their greatest enemies are the rats, cats, dogs, and goats.

View from the Top of Mont Mokoto

We had arresting views at the top of Mont Mokoto.  You could see Rikitea bay (left bay with boats) and the opposite bay which is home to several pearl farms.

Being at the top gave us great views of several other islands in the Gambiers.  First is a photo of Taravai (large island on right) and Agakauitai (smaller on left).

This is a photo of the three “rocks.”  Kamaka is the main island in the center where you can anchor.  The others are either not suitable for anchoring or only suitable for a day stop.

Three rock island

Three rock island

This is Bernard’s island or Aukena.

Aukena Island

Aukena Island

And of course, a photo of the four of us at the top of Mont Mokoto.

Overall, I walked 7.9 miles and over 19,000 steps today.  I made two runs to all the markets and put in extra miles before the hike.  Let’s just say that I was exhausted by the time we got back to the boat.  I showered and crashed on the couch.

Me slipping down a little waterfall.

Rio Sidra Adventure: Waterfalls, rapdis, hiking, swimming

Our friends on “Freya” helped us organize a river tour on the Rio Sidra with Master Mola Maker Lisa.  Originally, we were going to have 12 people:  2 from Sugar Shack, 6 from “Itchy Foot” and 4 from “Wandering Rose.” But “Itchy Foot” had to head West so it was just 6 of us plus 4 girls from a different charter.  Lisa and her helper, Fernando picked us all up before 0900 and we had an hour panga ride to the river opening.  It was a bit wet, bumpy, and uncomfortable.  Our bums were hurting from the wood planks we were sitting on, but we endured.

Image: Top is panga (with “Wandering Rose” and 4 guests from another charter) coming to pick up Sugar Shack, middle is “Wandering Rose” and Sugar Shack; and bottom is an image of the charter girls.

Panga ride to River Sidra Tour

Panga ride to River Sidra Tour

It quickly shallowed as we entered Rio Sidra so our guides had to lift the outboard and paddle the panga to get through.  It was very lovely and serene as we paddled up the river with low overhanging trees, birds chirping, and the soft lapping of the water on the boat.  The Rio Cedra means mermaid river in Kuna.  Which is so appropriate as I bought a mola from Lisa with a mermaid on it several weeks ago.  Lisa is in the top left corner and doesn’t look as scary as the photo (just a bad photo with the wind catching her hair funny).

Traveling along the river Sidra.

Traveling along the river Sidra.

At one point, our guides actually got out into the water and took our panga for a walk.

Once we got to our destination where the panga ride ends and the hike begins, we all hopped out and started the walk in the jungle. Before we started on our hike, Lisa informed us that we can take pictures of everything except when there are Kuna present.  And we would not be able to take photos at the cemetery if a ceremony was taking place.  As luck would have it, there was no ceremony at the cemetery.

After about 20 minutes we came to the first cemetery used by the Kuna community.  Kuna have very strong cultural beliefs when it comes to the burial of their people.  They are buried in hammocks just below ground level (not deep like in the U.S.)  Lisa informed us that the first burial site was for children.  The Kuna had brought several children to Panama City for simple ailments like asthma and yet they perished in those hospitals.  So the Kuna no longer send their kids to Panama City.  Very sad.

Kuna burial site.

Kuna burial site.

Along the way, Lisa pointed out one of the special trees used for creating their dugouts (pangas or Ulu).  It is an immense tree and so very beautiful.  The one she showed us is protected because of its location by the cemetery.

The Ulus are made from these massive giant trees.

The Ulus are made from these massive giant trees.

We continued on our journey through the jungle as Lisa pointed out plants, the Kuna mountain, and a few animals.  She is very informative and speaks English pretty well!

Kuna jungle hike up to the waterfalls.

Kuna jungle hike up to the waterfalls.

Ten minutes after we walked through the cemetery, we had the good fortune to pass a medicine woman, or “Shamen” or “Nele” as they are called.  She was accompanied by a male helper who was also a medicine man, but lower in status, in training.  He was not her husband, but a assistant.  The Nele was lovely, pleasant, and courteous.  She stopped and looked us all in the eye as she shook our hands.  She also gave Lisa a Kuna cross to protect us from any dangers on our adventure.  We were not allowed to take any photos of her which is a shame as she was beautiful.

As we continued to walk along the path, a beautiful, majestic mountain peaked out between the clouds and fog.  Lisa told us that this was the border between the Kuna land and the Panamanian land.  She said that the Kuna believe there ancestors hid precious stones, gold, and silver in those mountains from the conquistadors during the revolution.  Their treasures are protected by giant animals including pumas and serpents.  The Kuna Indians do not go to this mountain at all.  The mountain was covered in a dense fog and did not come out well in my photo.

Lisa and her guide found local flowers and handed one to every female guest.  We proceeded to put them in our mouth for a fabulous photo op.  Left to right: Lisa, me, Karen, Laurel (charter), Mary, Jen, Anita, and Bonnie (last 3 charter).

Marilyn Monroe lips for the ladies

Marilyn Monroe lips for the ladies

The entire hike took about 90 minutes to walk up to the Rio Sidra waterfalls, not but because it was a hard hike.  Rather because we were enjoying the scenery and commentary.  When we arrived at the Rio Sidra waterfalls, our guide showed us how to jump off the 12’ cliff into the very deep, fresh water pool.  After his demonstration we all ate lunch and decided who was going to hike back the way we came or who was going to swim and hike back along the river.  Only 2 of the charter guests decided to hike back the way we came – everyone else jumped in and did the river route.

It was brisk, but refreshing – especially after our hike through the jungle.  There were two rocks you could leap off of into the Rio Sidra pool just past the small waterfalls.  One was higher than the other and you had to navigate a really slippery edge, leap over rocks below before landing in the water.  The other was closer to the water, not slippery and went straight down. Guess which one I took and which one Matt took?

Matt leaping off the cliff with the GoPro.

Matt leaping off the cliff with the GoPro.

Our guide surprised us by swimming under a rock and popped up on the rapid side (going against the current).  It was a huge rock.  He then repeated the process going with the current.  Pretty remarkable.  Mary and Dave followed behind him, but the rest of us just admired.  Evidently, you had to swim down about 3-4’ below the rock, open your eyes and swim on through.

After a relaxing swim, we decided to head back.  Two of the charter guests walked back with one guide and all of our belongings that needed to stay dry.  The remaining 8 of us followed Lisa down the river.  We each had really tall walking sticks to assist us across the rocks, stones, logs, and small rapids.  The journey was a combination of walking over rocks and boulders, swimming, and hiking.

Fifteen minutes in to our swim/hike we came to a waterfall.  Lisa proceeded to pitch all of our walking sticks down the river and told us to follow her as she jumped off a rock.  WTF!  She didn’t tell us this was in the plan.  I pointed to shorter walks and she said “no” and pointed to where she just was.  Crimey!  This time, I weaseled my way to the front to jump before the charter guests as they made me nervous with their hemming and hawing.  I looked once, plugged my nose, and took a giant leap off the rock.  Whew!  Exhilarating and terrifying all at once!

Down the Rio Sidra river, we came to a small rapid and Lisa showed us how to go down them.  Not around them, but down them.  She laid down, put her arms across her chest, head down and let the water taker her down to the next pool.  We all followed and it was thrilling!  You are gently carried along with the water until you go over and then you are plunged into the deep water before popping up.

Me slipping down a little waterfall.

Me slipping down a little waterfall.

As we were walking down the river, Lisa had stopped at a large rock just above the water.  She had written the date and her name with another red rock and instructed us to write our name which we did.  Of course, this will wash off with the river water.  Sugar Shack is in the upper right corner just above the red rock we used to write our names.

Graffiti to leave our mark - using red rock on rock

Graffiti to leave our mark – using red rock on rock

We had the pleasure of going down another set rapids which were a little bigger and it was just as fun! But before we were to go down the rapids, Lisa took some red dirt and gave us each a blessing.  First the ladies,  she wiped a stripe down our noses and a mark across each cheek, then the men received a stripe down their nose.

Mary and I with the marks of our blessings on our faces.

Mary and I with the marks of our blessings on our faces.

She said that this was a blessing in Kuna culture that was washed off as you descended down the rapids.

Mary and I with the marks of our blessings on our faces.

Mary and I with the marks of our blessings on our faces.

Matt taking the GoPro for a swim down the river.

Matt taking the GoPro for a swim down the river.

Had to walk our panga back as the tide was out.

Had to walk our panga back as the tide was out.

It was an incredible day, beautiful weather, spectacular scenery, and fun adventure.  Spending most of the day in fresh water was invigorating, but the panga ride back was wet and salty.

When we returned to the boat we rinsed everything off, showered, cleaned up and had our friends from “Wandering Rose” and their guests over for sundowners.  Matt cooked up some fresh basil mozzarella pizzas for everyone, Mary brought a tasty spicy corn dish over and enjoyed libations until almost midnight.

New Experiences on the Rio Sidra:

  • Jumping off a cliff
  • Going down a rapid
  • Walking in a jungle in Kuna territory
  • Putting a wild flower in my mouth
  • Being blessed by a Kuna
  • Swimming in Rio Sidra as a mermaid
Indigenas Arthuacos

Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park is one of the many jewels of Colombia located just 34 kilometers from Santa Marta. A stunning 150 kilometers of land set in Colombia’s northern coastal region of Magdalena. Tayrona was established as a national park in 1969 and is famous for its biodiversity, varied climate, remarkable wildlife, and beautiful beaches. With over 300,000 visitors annually, it is the second most visited national park after the Rosario and San Bernando Corals Natural National Park near Cartagena.

Columbia Map showing Tayrona Park

Columbia Map showing Tayrona Park

Many indigenous groups claim Tayrona as sacred ground and they have requested that the park be closed off for ecological, environmental and spiritual healing.  They have completely closed the park in 2015 and 2017 for one month each time.  The park is not even open to employees of the park, only members of these Indigenous groups, of whom several families live permanently within the park.

Indigenas Arthuacos

Indigenas Arthuacos

Matt, Wayne, and I walked 1.5 miles to the bus stop next to the Mercado Publico in Santa Marta. The bus costs 8k COP each and leaves every 45 minutes or when it is full. We hopped on loaded with water, snacks, and breakfast arrapas, then waited for 30 minutes. Once we were on our way, the bus driver honks his horn, slows a little, and gathers more passengers along the route. Within 45 minutes, we arrived at El Zaino where most of us disembarked.

We walked to the visitor center where we presented our documents (passports) and paid 40k COP each. At the top of the path we took a bus, 5 kilometers to the main entrance, Canavereal for 3000 pesos each. It dropped us off at a muddy parking lot and we headed toward Cabo San Juan de Guia (beach).

Our plan was to walk to Cabo San Juan, 4-hour hike, then to the village of Pueblito a 2-hour hike, then back to Canavereal, 2-hour hike to catch the park bus back to El Zaino, and then the city bus to San Marta. That was the “plan.” Of course, since I lost my phone, we did not have the maps.me app downloaded nor did we have a clear map or understanding of the trails throughout the park. We were given this nebulous map at

Hand held Tayrona Map with little information.

Hand held Tayrona Map with little information.

Map at entrance of park.

Map at entrance of park.

The first part of the trail was very civilized with a beautiful wood path over the muddiest parts of the rivers.

Super nice wood trail at the beginning of the hike.

Super nice wood trail at the beginning of the hike.

Wayne enjoying a leisurely walk down the wooden path.

Wayne enjoying a leisurely walk down the wooden path.

Keep in mind that we are all in flip flops while others are in tennis shoes, hiking shoes, and crocs. At this point we are pretty happy with our decision. When not on the wood bridges, we walked the edges around the mud puddles. It wasn’t until we were a few hours in that we started to encounter really big mud puddles and were forced to remove our shoes and go into the shin deep slush.

Muddy path.

Muddy path.

But we did enjoy some beautiful beach views.

Views of beach as we crested over a mountain.

Views of beach as we crested over a mountain.

Path separating the beach and the mountains.

Path separating the beach and the mountains.

We soon came to a small beach called La Piscina that was peppered with large boulders. It was so pretty to see these harsh rocks against the sandy seascape.

La Piscina Beach entrance.

La Piscina Beach entrance.

Boulders on the beach.

Boulders on the beach.

Opposite the beach are lush green hills and marshes.

Hills across from the beach.

Hills across from the beach.

After we passed through La Piscina, we had to cross a river that was mid-thigh deep. Trying not to be “that girl”, I bunched up my Lulu Lemon shorts (which are already short) and followed the boys. Up another muddy trail, still surrounded by a small smattering of other tourists.

Fun muddy trail up the hill.

Fun muddy trail up the hill.

A lovely beach greeted us at Cabo San Juan. A top the hill is the famous Seafront Cabana with 8 hammocks.  Its a cool option to sleep in a thatched roof hut on the rocks overlooking the sea for back packers.  It is a first come, first served at a cost of 5,000 to 25,000 COP.

Seafront Cabana up on the hill with 8 hammocks.

Seafront Cabana up on the hill with 8 hammocks.

After arriving at noon, 3 hours (vs 4) later, we had no idea how to proceed to the village of Pueblito. We asked one lady who informed us it was too late and too dangerous for us to go because the trails would be all wet. Since we didn’t want to return the way we came and were looking for a new way out of the park. So, I asked another lady who told us to leave now before the afternoon rains, and we should be fine. Go with the old adage, keep asking until you get an answer you like.  She showed us the trail and we were off.

Signs had indicated our progress on the way to Cabo San Juan so we were not surprised to see signs showing our progress to Pueblito “10% to Pueblito.” However, we were surprised to see the change in terrain.

New terrain changed to a boulder hike.

New terrain changed to a boulder hike.

90 minutes later, we arrived at Pueblito. It is a very small village that is a perfect representation of the Tayrona culture.  There are several round huts, made in several different ways, a top stone terraces.  We just walked through and carried on our way. Not sure it was worth the extra hike, but it was lovely to see on our way out of the park.

Pueblito huts.

Pueblito huts.

After 30 minutes we realized that we had not seen any signs to El Zaino. Hmmm-strange. Even more perplexing was the fork in the road with no signs of which path to take.  We went right which continued to be very muddy path, up and over huge boulders, across small rivers, and down troughs where you had to waddle with one foot on either side of the river. Challenging to say the least, especially since we had already been hiking for 4 hours.

Another hiker crossed our path and told us we were on the way toward Cabo San Juan – YIKES! We wanted to go the opposite direction toward El Zaino. This is not good. It was 230p, the park closes at 5p and it would take us well over 4 hours to back track. Our best bet was to continue on and hope to get a horse or boat out of the park before 5p.

A little after 3p, we arrived at Cabo San Juan where we were able to secure three spaces on a fast panga back to Taganga a small town near Santa Marta. We just had to wait an hour for departure.

Matt took this opportunity to hike up to the hammock Seafront Cabana while Wayne and I crashed on the beach.

Images from Seafront hammock hut looking down.

Images from Seafront hammock hut looking down.

The panga wrangler told us it was a 10-minute ride to Taganga which did not surprise us as they had three 200-horse power engines. At 4p, everyone on the beach started gathering toward the water’s edge. Three boats were to return almost 75 people.

The boat was so tall that they had to use a ladder to board the passengers. Imagine how difficult it was to hold the ladder and the boat in the surf? Wish I got a photo of this for you!

Our panga had the biggest boat with the most engines and the most passengers. We thought we would beat the other two boats by a long shot! Ha! Our boat driver needed to take lessons as he was horrible. Our driver couldn’t surf the waves, crested over wakes, used 2 instead of 3 engines, and got 4 people sick.  And we arrived last almost two hours after we boarded. It was pure misery. Originally, we thought about asking him to give us a ride to Santa Marta, but we could not wait to get off the boat.

Taganga is a quaint town that we would have enjoyed had we not hiked so many miles, been soaking wet, and needed to use the facilities. We managed to hail a cab back to Santa Marta for 12,000 pesos, showered, had a quick dinner and went to bed.

SUCCESS:

• Hiked 14.2 miles
• Over 35,000 steps
• In 5.5 hours over rocky terrain, across river, & mud.

Great blogs on the park:

  1. http://seecolombia.travel/blog/2015/07/complete-guide-tayrona/
  2. http://talesofabackpacker.com/2016/12/12/practical-guide-tayrona-national-park/