Monument in The Caribbean Coast and Islands

By Lorraine Caputo

The Caribbean coast and islands isn’t just about white sand beaches and scuba diving. You can delve the depths of colonial and Independence history, in such cities as Cartagena and Santa Marta, tracing the steps of Spanish explorers and Simón Bolívar. Many astounding national parks and reserves, like Tayrona, Los Flamencos, Ciénaga and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, provide opportunities to witness sea turtles breeding and spectacular bird watching. Let your footfalls echo through the ancestral ruins of Ciudad Perdida and El Pueblito. Aracataca, Gabriel García Márquez’ hometown, is the ultimate Macondo. But along this coast, every village is a Macondo, with strange festivals to celebrate with the locals, from the caiman in Ciénaga to the donkey pageant in Sincelejo. Of course, don’t forget to join the big parties here, drinking whiskey with Valledupar at the Vallenato music festival and dancing traditional cumbia in Barranquilla’s Carnaval. The visual arts are not neglected, with world-class art museums in the major cities and Cartagena’s film festival. San Andrés is the most exotic of the Colombian Caribbean jewels, with an English-based culture and the best of (yes) beaches and scuba diving.