Cartagena, Colombia
Indulge in the sights, sounds, and colors of Colombia's majestic Pacific coast
The Pacific Coast of Colombia is deeply linked to the Caribbean. Back in the day, the Spaniards used it as the main port to ship all the riches they found throughout Latin America back to Spain.
It was also a key port for bringing in African slaves. This beautiful, colonial walled city has quite the past and is built to be a fortress. It’s no wonder that it’s designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site for it’s important role in history.
Walking through Cartagena is like walking through a rainbow. Every building is a different color bumping with its own soundtrack. This makes the city pulse vibrantly. It also makes it a major destination for weddings and party goers who revel into the nightlife enjoying the rhythms of salsa, meringue, bachata, champeta, cumbia, and reggaeton - just to name a few.
Even if you’re not into dancing, Cartagena has so much to offer by way of food, history, and gorgeous beaches. A warning that it’s pretty much always VERY hot and humid so come prepared to swelter.
Cartagena is also a series of islands linked together. While the greater city is home to 1,000,000, much of what you’d want to see and experience as a tourist is concentrated around the historic walled city and Getsemani, which is adjacent and about a 10 minute walk.
Here are my highlights that I would 100% recommend: