Barranquilla’s Carnaval is the second largest in the world after Rio de Janeiro. Since it was happening while we were in Colombia we could not afford not to go. We packed our bags, my in-laws and off we went.
We drove from Medellín to Montería and spent the night there with some relatives. The next day we arrived in Barranquilla, we are staying at Marcela cousin’s house. We spent the next three days enjoying Barranquilla’s Carnaval, it was great to be part of it; although the heat was hitting us hard!
We attended all the parades and have to admit that most of the participants are very well prepared and the show is impressive! However if you ever get a chance to go to the carnaval, we will recommend you only go to the parade on day one and then try to get tickets for the big concert that is organized every year.
We then drove to Mompox, a town recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage. We stayed at a small hotel where we were accepted almost as family.
We spent the next couple of days walking around the town, going to see the sunset on the river and visiting the local cheese factory.
On our way to Cartagena we decided to take the old access way to Mompox… via ferry. Up until a few months ago Mompox did not have road access, one had to take a ferry to cross the Magdalena River in order to get to Mompox. Currently there is one bridge in operation and the second one under construction and it is expected to open in just over a year.
We drove the car on the ferry together with more than 20 other vehicles including transport trucks and off we went cruising along the river. It took just over an hour to reach Magangue; from there it took us a few hours to reach Cartagena.
From Cartagena we visited Barú, an island nearby. The beach is beautiful, comparable to the beaches in Maldives or Bora Bora. We have never been here but were impressed with how touristic this place is and the amount of ilegal hostels they have built on the beach and the amount of restaurants. We also witnessed how pushy locals can be with the tourists, it was not nice!
In Cartagena we are staying at Marcela aunt’s house. We spent time visiting the Old City and the San Felipe Castle. We had not been to Cartagena in years and we loved it. The old city is very organized and the architecture of the city is just magnificent. While there we also attended the baptism of Marcela cousin’s son.
It was an excellent trip to the north of Colombia, where we knew some places but had not been there for many years.