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CITY GUIDE / 26 discovery ideas
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Barranquilla.
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Search this city by topic →Spot flamingos at Ciénaga de Mallorquín
Walk the new boardwalk over the Ciénaga de Mallorquín wetlands where flamingos and herons feed among the mangroves, and photograph a bird before it lifts off.
Stand under the Cristo of the Metropolitan Cathedral
Step into the modernist Catedral María Reina and look up at the enormous suspended Christ by Rodrigo Arenas, and photograph the concrete and light.
Wander the mansions of Barrio El Prado
Walk Barrio El Prado, the 1920s neighbourhood of grand republican mansions built when Barranquilla was Colombia's golden port, and photograph the finest facade.
Cool off with a raspao
In the Barranquilla heat, find a raspao cart shaving a block of ice into a cup and drowning it in bright fruit syrup and condensed milk, and photograph the rainbow before it melts.
Try a costeño classic: sancocho or friche
Find a local kitchen serving sancocho de guandú or friche, the deep Caribbean-coast dishes barranquilleros grew up on, and photograph the bowl.
Feel a picó verbena
Find a neighbourhood verbena where a giant hand-painted picó sound system blasts champeta and cumbia into the street, dance with the barrio, and photograph the painted speakers.
Ride the Ferris wheel over the Magdalena
On the Gran Malecón, ride La Gran Rueda at dusk and look down on the vast brown Magdalena river meeting the city lights, and photograph the view from the top.
Snack on mango biche with salt and lime
Buy a bag of mango biche, tart green mango cut and dusted with salt, lime and a little pepper from a street cart, and photograph the bright green slices.
Trace the city's story at the Museo Romantico
In an old republican mansion, the Museo Romantico keeps Barranquilla's carnival costumes, old photos and the typewriter of García Márquez. Wander the rooms and photograph a costume up close.
Take the little train to Bocas de Ceniza
Ride the rickety wooden train along the tajamar breakwater out to Bocas de Ceniza, where the mighty Magdalena finally pours into the sea, eat fresh fried fish at the end, and photograph the two waters meeting.
Learn the history of the carnival at the Casa del Carnaval
Learn the story of the UNESCO-heritage Barranquilla Carnival year-round through costumes, masks and dance traditions at the carnival center — and photograph it.
Join the Barranquilla Carnival (February, UNESCO)
Join the street parades with cumbia and garabato dances at one of the world's largest carnivals after Rio — and photograph it.
Find a Marimonda in the city
The Marimonda — a floppy-nosed, big-eared carnival clown — is Barranquilla's own invention. Find one on a mural, a shop, or a costume, and photograph its goofy grin.
Find the most alive cumbia mural in Barrio Abajo
Barrio Abajo's walls are painted with dancers, drummers and carnival kings. Find the mural that looks like it is about to move, and photograph it.
Photograph a picó's painted face
The giant picó sound systems are hand-painted like carnival floats — leopards, warriors, spaceships. Find one parked or playing and photograph its wild artwork.
Catch the river sunset on the Gran Malecon
Walk out on the Gran Malecon del Rio at dusk, find a spot where the Magdalena turns gold, buy nothing, and photograph the widest river you have ever seen going to sleep.
Frame the Ventana del Mundo
The Ventana del Mundo, a giant colorful window-sculpture, is Barranquilla's newest icon. Find the angle where the city frames itself inside it, and photograph it.
Catch a minute of street cumbia
Somewhere in the city a gaita flute and a tambor drum are playing cumbia for no one in particular. Find them, stand and listen, and photograph the hands on the drum.
Caribbean street food: arepa de huevo and butifarra
Try arepa de huevo (corn cake fried with an egg inside), butifarra (spiced sausage) and bollo at a street stall — and photograph it.
Tour Caribbean culture and García Márquez at the Museo del Caribe
See the museum in the Parque Cultural del Caribe covering the region's nature, music and the hall dedicated to Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez — and photograph it.
Cumbia and murals in the colorful streets of Barrio Abajo
Discover carnival-themed murals and live cumbia culture in Barrio Abajo, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods — and photograph it.
Take a cumbia or mapalé dance lesson
Learn the rhythm of the carnival with live music at a dance school; try cumbia and Afro-Caribbean mapalé steps — and photograph it.
Walk the Magdalena riverside on the Gran Malecón del Río
Walk the modern riverfront promenade along the Magdalena, South America's great river; take in the evening lights and river views — and photograph it.
Stand before Shakira's giant statue in her hometown
Pose at the 6 m bronze statue raised on the Malecón for Barranquilla-born Shakira; feel the city's musical heritage — and photograph it.
See where the river meets the sea at Bocas de Ceniza
Ride a little train along the breakwater to stand at the dramatic point where the Magdalena River merges into the Caribbean Sea — and photograph it.
Watch a Junior match or a national-team game at the Estadio Metropolitano
Experience the passionate stands of Junior de Barranquilla fans at the stadium where the Colombian national team also plays — and photograph it.
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