Riosucio, Chocó, rests on the Atrato’s banks – a lumber town and gateway to the untouched beauty of Los Katíos National Park. Years ago, when I journeyed to the Darien Gap, Riosucio counted on a single red jeep for its 10,000 Afro-Colombian residents. Today, it remains a humble yet vital community, bound to Colombia by the majestic flow of the Atrato.
This river isn’t just a waterway; it’s a lifeline, winding from the Andes through lush Pacific lowlands, connecting the heart of Colombia to the Caribbean. Navigable for over 500 kilometers, the Atrato carries more than water – it carries life itself, transporting wooden riverboats laden with goods from remote Afro-Colombian communities to bustling ports along the Caribbean coast. Its journey from the southern Andes to the Urabá Gulf ties Colombia’s western Caribbean with its Pacific shores, a testament to nature’s power to connect, nourish, and endure.
