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Ciénaga de la Caimanera is a huge mangrove system surrounding a large coastal lagoon near Coveñas, Colombia. It’s a popular place to take tours.

 

Introduction to Ciénaga de la Caimanera

The Ciénaga de la Caimanera is a great place to get in touch with nature and learn about life in the mangroves. It’s named for the caimans that once thrived there. Unfortunately, most were killed off for their meat and skin, and very few remain. It’s rare nowadays to spot one, but our guide said they can be found in more remote areas of the mangroves.

The Ciénaga de la Caimanera is worth a stop if you’re passing through the area. We had a short but very enjoyable tour through a beautiful ecosystem.


 

Visiting Ciénaga de la Caimanera

We booked a tour with a local guide through our hotel in Coveñas. It costs COP$40,000 per person (as of February 2024) for a full tour including entrance to the aquarium, and lasted about two hours. There are shorter tours to a few tunnels through the mangroves or to the lagoon in the center as well. Each tour has a different price. The prices in the photo below are from June 2019.

2019 price list
2019 price list

Our guide met us at 8am at the hotel and took us to the entrance to the ciénaga by public bus. He then walked us down to an area full of canoes and we got onto one of them.

Entrance to Ciénaga de la Caimanera
Entrance to Ciénaga de la Caimanera
Canoes at Ciénaga de la Caimanera
Canoes

 

Entertain the Mangroves

First, we paddled down a wide canal surrounded by mangroves on both sides. We were able to spot several birds along the way.

Main canal at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Main canal

We then turned into a narrow tunnel system through the mangroves in which we would spend the next half hour. The guide took us through four different tunnels in all, telling us stories about growing up around Ciénaga de la Caimanera and how the locals lived off the ecosystem.

The first tunnel we entered was the Tunnel of Love (Túnel del Amor). It may sound romantic, but there’s a grim story behind the name. Apparently, locals found the bodies of a couple in the tunnel. They died in the act of making love.

Tunnel of Love
Tunnel of Love

Next, we went through the Heron Tunnel (Túnel del Garzal), which is named for the herons that live and feed in the mangroves. A sign listed the four types of herons found there. We saw a few herons during the tour, but not in the tunnels.

Heron Tunnel
Heron Tunnel
Heron Tunnel at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Heron Tunnel

The third tunnel was the Crab Tunnel (Túnel del Cangrejal), named for the thousands of small crabs that live in the mangroves. You can see them climbing up and down the roots as you make your way through the tunnels.

Crab Tunnel
Crab Tunnel

The fourth and final tunnel was the Conquistador Tunnel (Túnel del Conquistador). To be honest, it looked like all the rest of the tunnels.

Conquistador Tunnel at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Conquistador Tunnel


 

Lagoon at Ciénaga de la Caimanera

After cruising through the tunnels, we came to an opening and entered the lagoon. It’s a huge lake that can get quite deep in parts.

Entering the lagoon at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Entering the lagoon
Lagoon at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Lagoon
Tourists on the lagoon at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Tourists on the lagoon

In the northern part of the lagoon is the Floating House (Casa Flotante), where visitors can stop and buy souvenirs, snacks, and drinks. We rested there for a few minutes and continued on our way.

Floating House at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Floating House
Floating House at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Floating House
On the Floating House
On the Floating House

 

Aquarium

Our final stop was at an aquarium, where we were greeted by a friendly raccoon at the dock. We followed a short dirt path to a place where rescued animals are rehabilitated before being released into the wild once again.

Raccoon
Raccoon
Path to the aquarium
Path to the aquarium

Animals in the aquarium include caimans and tortoises. Most of them were confiscated by police from animal traffickers or locals who kept them as pets illegally in their homes.

Caimans
Caimans
Caimans at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Caimans
Tortoises
Tortoises
Large caiman
Large caiman

A larger tank contains tarpons as well as sea turtles. When we finished at the aquarium, our guide took us back to the entrance and hailed down a couple mototaxis to get us back to our hotel.

Large tank
Large tank
Sea turtles at Ciénaga de la Caimanera in Coveñas, Sucre, Colombia
Sea turtles

 

Map with the Ciénaga de la Caimanera

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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