Barranquilla city - Atlántico

Distance from Bogotá: 948 Km.

Barranquilla is the capital city of the Atlántico.  It is a commercial and industrial center.  It presents a well designed tourist infrastructure.
The average of the temperature is 28°C.  The natural landscapes are surrounded by an enormous variety of vegetation.
Barranquilla is also called “La Puerta de Oro de Colombia” (The Golden Door of Colombia) because it was the first sea port of the country.  The port of Barranquilla has the longest constructions.

Barranquilla is surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes like Bocas de Ceniza and Puerto Colombia, this last one with beaches and a historical quay.  Other famous places are: El Viejo Prado, The ancient building of la Aduana, The Theater Amira de la Rosa, The Museum Romántico, The Museum of Modern art of Barranquilla, The Zoo and some populations where typical holidays are celebrated.

How is it possible to arrive to Barranquilla?

It is possible to arrive to Barranquilla by plane.  The International Airport Ernesto Cortissoz is one of the most important airports of Colombia (Telephone number: 9-5 334 8052-70).  It is located 7 Km. from the centre of Barranquilla and it counts with two terminals.

Also, it is possible to arrive to Barranquilla by car, by following a specific road.
To complete the information, we present distances from Barranquilla to the principal cities.

Barranquilla - Cali 1078 Km.
Barranquilla - Cartagena 110 Km.
Barranquilla - Rioacha 244 Km.
Barranquilla - Santa Marta 84 Km.
Barranquilla - Sincelejo 220 Km.
Barranquilla - Valledupar 287 Km.

Tourist attractions of Barranquilla

Bocas de Ceniza

This is one of the most beautiful places of the city thanks to the waters of the Magdalena River.  It is located 15 minutes from Barranquilla.

There are different drives on wagons to observe the beautiful landscapes.  There is a special zone plenty of flowers.  It comprehends also a library, a museum of natural history and a park.

Zoológico de Barranquilla (Zoo)

This zoo is placed in the middle of a woodland where animals from all over the world live.  There are 140 species, some of them are in danger of extinction: cóndor, eagle, manatí, flamingo, bear (oso con anteojos); besides others like lions, chimpanzees, guacamayas, reptiles and bats.

Museo romántico

An old residence with a republic style.  It contains many historical objects of the city: disguises for the carnival´s queen, the Alfonso Fuenmayor´s writing machine where Gabriel García Márquez wrote his novel “La Hojarasca”, photograps, disks, colections of ancient journals, and so on.

Puente Pumarejo

 It is placed over The Magdalena River.  It is famous thanks to its length, this is the longest bridge of the country.  Many people visit the bridge in order to obtain an exceptional panoramic view of the city.   

Cultural events

There are a lot of cultural events in Barranquilla that reflect traditions, believes and the identity of the population.  The most significant ones are: The Folkloric and Craftsmanship Fair, The Internacional Festival of Story Tellers, Barranquijazz, Cine a la calle, The Fair of Science and Creativity, Arts and Parks, and Exposhow.  The most important event is The Carnival of Barranquilla which is admired for national and international tourists.

The Carnival of Barranquilla

The most important celebration of the country where the creative and merry spirit of the participants is reflected.  The traditional events comprehend dance, disguises, comedies, cumbias and litanies.

This is one of the biggest carinvals around the world, after The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro.  It begins on the second week of February.  It was declared National Patrimony The 26 of November, 2001.  This cultural event starts with a parade of carriages, then, it continues with the “Great Parade” when neighbours dance in the streets, after that, there is a festival of orchestras and, finally, an event called the funeral of Joselito Carnaval.