The Port of Buenaventura is Colombia’s main port on the Pacific Ocean. On Cascajal Island where the Dagua River meets Buenaventura Bay, Buenaventura exports coffee and sugar from the Cauca River valley, wood from southwest Colombia’s coastal forests, and gold and platinum from the north. It receives oil by pipeline from Puerto Berrio, and it is served by the Puerto Berrio-Popayan railroad.

Most of the city has a rural atmosphere, and it is essentially a collection of villages. It lies a few miles west of the Andes range and about 78 kilometers northwest of Colombia’s capital, Cali. Getting from six to seven thousand millimeters of rain a year, it is one of the world’s rainiest cities. In 2007, over 300 thousand people lived in the Port of Buenaventura.

Originally founded in the mid-16th Century, the first site for the Port of Buenaventura had been destroyed by indigenous peoples before 1600. For most of its history, it was a small village with a hot humid climate and few dependable transportation routes. After the Panama Canal was opened in 1914, it began to grow and prosper as a port.

During the 1930s, the modern port was built and an airport was constructed, bringing new prosperity to the Port of Buenaventura. Today, the port is important not only for exports but for imports of raw materials for distribution to nearby areas.

Still the most important port in Colombia, the modern Port of Buenaventura is a hotbed of violence where drug traffickers, guerillas, and paramilitary groups struggle for dominance.

The Sociedad Portuaria Regional de Buenaventura SA was formed in 1993, replacing the former state-owned operation, to manage and administer the Port of Buenaventura. The Port of Buenaventura handles a wide range of cargoes, including containers and solid and liquid bulks. The container terminal has docks of 2000 meters which can serve vessels of up to 100 DWT. Terminal storage has capacity for handling 10.5 thousand containers per day.

Facilities for solid bulks include silos with capacity for storing 160 thousand tons and handling 5.5 thousand tons per day. The solid bulk terminals include sheds covering almost 35 thousand square meters and warehouse of about 58 thousand meters. It also has covered parking for 300 vehicles.

In 2007, the Port of Buenaventura imported almost 2.9 million tons of solid bulk cargoes, over 577 thousand tons of general cargo, and 278 thousand tons of liquid cargo. The Port of Buenaventura exported over 519 thousand tons of coal, more than 136 thousand tons of general cargo, and about 70 thousand tons of solid bulk. Over 1200 vessels moved through the Port of Buenaventura including 843 container vessels, 166 vessels carrying bulk cargoes, 106 with general cargoes, 102 carrying roll-on/roll-off cargoes, and 67 tankers. Handling over 457 thousand TEUs (8.9 million tons) of containerized cargo in 2007, almost 183 TEUs (6.6 million tons were imports, over 180 thousand TEUs (2.3 million tons) were exports.

The Port of Buenaventura is a relatively small city plagued by crime. However, there are beautiful beaches and the resort areas of Juanchaco and Ladrilleros to the north where visitors can enjoy the sun and surf and, perhaps, catch a glimpse of migrating humpback whales.

In August 2008, the US Department of State issued a warning to American travelers outlining the dangers of traveling to Colombia. Noting that the level of violence in the Port or Buenaventura is higher than other parts of the country, narco-terrorists continue to kidnap people and common crimes are frequent. US government employees in Colombia are allowed to travel by air only and are not permitted to use bus transportation or travel by road at night in rural areas. Travelers who must go to Colombia should check the State Department’s website for more recent updates.