Investing in Capurganà: the last paradise in the Caribbean By Franco Russo
Capurganà is the best kept secret of the Caribbean, a small town in Colombia counting only 3000 inhabitants, an easy-going, pleasant and efficient people, and located 10 kilometers from the Panamanian border and only 250 kilometers from the capitol, which is becoming an established reality within the most sought-after tourism. The ease in reaching it—only 50 minutes from the center of Panama City with a bi-motor airplane and 20 minutes by boat, or 1 hour of flight from Medellin (Colombia)—contrasts with the naturalistic privacy and integrity that the local population has managed to maintain through a careful management of the territory. In fact, at Capurganà they have been able to conciliate the opportunities of developing an eco-tolerant tourism with landscape protection. The town’s tranquility and quiet are guaranteed by prohibiting the use of motorcycles and cars, which is substituted by the use of characteristic local taxis that are none other than carriages pulled by mules or horses. This clever management has created a mixture of contrasts between modernity and tradition; for example, the store-keepers have overcome the absence of ATMs with credit card circuits that offer the same service. The nights in Capurganà are very lively and the tourists usually join in with the local people, dancing and chatting and tasting some good rum in the bars along the seashore until very late at night. The first foreigners begin presenting themselves: Alberto, a pleasant Tuscan and his girlfriend from Cartagena have just inaugurated the bar Geco and begin by giving a European touch to the Caribbean nights. The presence of hotels of a good category and boarding houses, together with the naturalistic beauties is attracting a select tourism, which underlines its positive influence through the opening of new bars and restaurants, where it is possible to sample various types of fish caught only a few hours earlier. The marine depths are a true unexplored paradise for scuba and snorkeling fans, while the surrounding jungle offers walking-tour lovers numerous routes and pathways to follow on foot or by horse. The nearness to the Panamanian archipelago of San Blas, 360 islands inhabited by the Kuna Indi and administered autonomously as an indigenous reserve, offers other possibilities for excursions and explorations. Wild islands, scarce possibilities of lodging and infrastructures (investments by the non-indigenous are prohibited) make Capurganà è perfect bridge between “civilization” and the archaic indigenous life. While Panama has chosen to isolate the indigenous county of Kunayala for preserving nature and the ancestral culture, in Capurganà they have been able to obtain a happy union between a simple life emerged in nature and the supply of services that have become essential at this point such as electrical lights, water, telephone and internet. Capurganà’s economy is going through an out and out financial boom and even though numerous hotels are under construction, it’s not unusual to find young tourists sleeping at night on the white-sanded beaches of the seashore during the months of the high season, because of the actual lack of bed space.Ocean front plots are available starting from 25.000 USDand building is very affordable. A rapid growth such as this is sustained by Colombia’s financial indexes which have had a strong development in the last few years: 4.7% in 2004, 5.2% in 2005, 6.8% in 2006, 7.5% in 2007 other than the nearness to Panama, obviously, whose economy continues to be that with the highest growth index of the entire continent. Colombia is presently open to foreign investments and there are no particular requisites for the purchase of properties by non residents, with the exclusion of a few zones on the border which are considered important for the national security. However, this impediment is easily resolved by acquiring through a Colombian company. While in Panama the prices of seafront properties go from €80.00 to €250.00 per square meter and it’s impossible to find small lots, in Capurganà it’s still possible to find properties that overlook the Caribbean Sea, from 800 mt2 at about 25 euro per square meter. Just think that for about €20,000.00 you can purchase your terrace on paradise, and still remain connected through internet to the inferno that we live daily in the big cities.
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