The Arenosa

Colombia has just over forty-three million people, it is the third most populated country in Latin America. It is a country full of secrets, past, tradition and future. One of its jewels is the city of Barranquilla.

Barranquilla is much more than the capital of the department of Atlántico. This beautiful city has a privileged location. It is located between the Magdalena River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the main economic center of the Caribbean Region of Colombia.

The city

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

The city receives everyone with a tropical landscape and more than thirty degrees. This city is flavor, heat, environment, hips, tasty, sea, beach, art and passion.

There are many things to say about Barranquilla, too much to discover. We hope that some of the information we write here will serve and do justice to La Puerta de Oro.

Barranquilla is one of the beautiful places in the Caribbean Sea basin. It has generated such an impact that people have decided to give it many names. Many know it as La Puerta de Oro de Colombia (Golden Gate of Colombia). It received this name because since its establishment it was the first fluvial and maritime port in the country.

Others know her as “Curramba La Bella”. This name refers to the festive atmosphere and the warm welcome of the Barranquilleros. It is also called La Arenosa.

Another curious fact that we learned was that during our stay in the city was that the former president of the Republic of New Granada, Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, was the one who named it La Arenosa.

A lot of history

Barranquilla has a lot of history. It was established in the third decade of the seventeenth century, at which time the sectors bordering the Magdalena River began to populate around grants granted by the Spanish Crown.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

In the second half of the nineteenth century it acquired strategic and economic importance at the beginning of steam navigation on the Magdalena River, which allowed it to become the main export center of the country until the first half of the 20th century.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

From the late nineteenth century until the 1930s, Barranquilla was the main entry point for immigrants to the country.

Barranquilla is home to one of the most important folkloric and cultural festivities in Colombia, the Carnival of Barranquilla.

It was declared Cultural Patrimony of the Nation by the Congress of Colombia in 2001 and Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco in 2003.

The city was designated as the American Capital of Culture in 2013.

Here the flavor overflows and the cumbia’s catchy melodies begin to rumble. Life in Barranquilla has no rush.

Life in Barranquilla is a wiggled between music notes an the sound of water.

Its beaches and piers are refreshed by the fans created by the swaying trees. This city is a perfect blend of the metropolis and the freshness of the Caribbean.

An unmissable plan is to visit the mansions, parks and plazas. It is comforting for the spirit to walk along its boulevards tand witness the vitality that the soul reinvents itself.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

In Barranquilla life is a delight and senses overload. The only thing left to do is walk on one of its avenues and squares to immediately feel the magic that the Atlantic exerts on its inhabitants and especially on its visitors.

Barranquilla is a wonderful city that we must visit, its charms for tourism are innumerable.

The Magdalena River and the sea are its main attractions for water sports, ecological tourism and adventure.

Barranquilla, has everything that someone can look for in an unforgettable vacation. There the Caribbean culture is present everywhere.

It is a city for all tastes. You just have to visit its streets with colonial treasures, enjoy its exquisite cuisine and feel the party in each corner.

Life in Barranquilla is a wiggled between music notes and the sound of water.

– Mehmet Murat ildan –

Enjoying outdoor parties on the beach has no comparison. Nights illuminated by torches while dancing to the sound of the waves. Those are the memories you have to keep for a lifetime.

Cultural activities are intensely promoted

Throughout the year, several cultural activities are developed. Barranquilla is host to various cultural events such as artistic exhibitions, exhibitions, literary workshops, philosophical talks, plays, poetry days, dances, exhibitions, concerts and festivals. Since 1957, the Concert of the Month has been held, a space for the dissemination of classical music.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

In the city, there are various folkloric manifestations such as dances, songs, games, legends, stories and superstitions, among others, many of which reach their maximum expression during the Carnival. They are all featured during this massive festivity.

On the other hand, sport in the capital of the Atlantic are intense. Since the beginning of the 20th century, football, baseball and boxing have been practiced in the city.

Some recognized athletes are: Álex Cujavante (Skating), Nelson Soto (Cycling), María Paulina Pérez (Tennis), María Fernanda Herazo (Tennis). This list also includes Helmut Bellingrot (Sooting Sports), Teófilo Gutiérrez (Soccer) and Iván Rene Valenciano (Soccer) amongst others.

Going into detail, the city has been home to the Colombian national soccer team during the World Cup qualifiers in Italy 1990, United States 1994, France 1998, Germany 2006, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018. In addition, the city hosted the World Cup. The V Central American and Caribbean Games in 1946, IV Bolivarian Games in 1961, XIV National Games in 1992, Inauguration and matches of group A of the Copa América 2001, Central American and Caribbean Games 2006 (subsede), the inauguration and 5 games of the U-20 Soccer World Cup 2011 (four games for Group E and one round of 16) and the XXIII Central American and Caribbean Games in 2018.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

Some touristic sites

It has tourist sites such as: bocas de cenizas, (mouths of ashes, where the Magdalena River and the Caribbean Sea, is beautiful), the zoo (the first zoo that opened in Latin America), the Pumarejo bridge (the longest in Colombia), the metropolitan stadium (the largest in Colombia), the pier of Puerto Colombia (when it opened in 1888 was the second longest in the world), volcano del totumo (located 45 minutes from Barranquilla), Amira de la Rosa theater and the romantic museum to name a few.

We consider that one of the best plans is to have lunch near the water. And, this can be done on the Magdalena River. Las Flores is a neighborhood where a long time ago there are several typical fish and seafood restaurants.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

A mandatory activity for all those people who like to eat is to try the arepas rellenas (filled arepas).

Then, you should find a train that takes you to Bocas de Ceniza, where the Magdalena River joins the Caribbean Sea, it is highly recommended. The truth is that you will not regret it.

In Barranquilla, parks are widely used by everyone. Specifically, I recommend Parque Venezuela, where many characters meet and interact. You can find constant athletes and skaters practicing all day.

Going back to the city, it’s time to take a tour of the Center. There is the Paseo Bolivar, the avenue where Barranquilla emerged and expanded. A historical place is the Plaza and the church of San Nicolás, another transcendental point for the development of the city. Remember, if you do not have a way to go to the Center, you can take advantage of the Transmetro, the public service system based on the famous Transmilenio – with fewer protests and more heat.

Some places worth visiting can be:

Teatro Amira de la Rosa: is in the El Prado neighborhood. It is the most important cultural institution in the entire city. He was baptized in honor of the dramatist and writer Amira de la Rosa, author of the lyrics of the Barranquilla anthem. The curtain is of several colors since it represents the legend of the Cayman Man.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

Museum of the Caribbean: it was cataloged as the first regional museum of the country, the theme of which is the Colombian Caribbean. It has about 6 rooms, in which it talks about the roots of the region, both Colombian and Caribbean. It is a space for the strengthening of identity and the reconstruction of an imaginary of the region.

Antigua Aduana de Barranquilla (old customs office): s a group of republican eificicaiones considered as the main cultural center of the entire city, and one of the most important in the country. It is integrated by the Historical Archive of the Department of the Atlantic, the Pilot Library of the Caribbean, the Infantile Pilot Library of the Caribbean and the Musical Documentation Center Hans Federico Neuman.

Romantic Museum: the museum is located in an old republican style mansion. Of the things that most caught my attention is that this mansion was donated by Carmen Freud, daughter of Julios Freud, a German American Jew arrived in Barranquilla.

El Paseo Bolívar: located in the historic center of the city, like the Old Customs Building, the Caribbean Cultural Center and the old Fedecafé building.

Plaza de la Paz: One of the most important squares of Barranquilla, is in front of the Barranquilla Cathedral and the Portal del Prado Commercial Center. One of the characteristics of this square is, in addition to being the seat of several public events, the spectacle of pigeons that often circle the square. You can reach it from any point of the city thanks to the TransMetro System, using a route that stops at the station ‘La Catedral’.

One of the best activities is to attend Barranquijazz. It is the most important jazz and latin jazz festival in Colombia and the Caribbean.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

The Metropolitan Stadium Roberto Melendez: It is considered to be the regular headquarters of the Football Club ‘Atlético Junior’ and the Colombian National Soccer Team.

There are many excursions to do. Perhaps the most interesting are those that will lead us directly to the most important cities of the Colombian Caribbean, such as Cartagena de Indias (100 kilometers away) or Santa Marta (93 kilometers away).

Another essential excursion is the Totumo Mud Volcano. It is located only 40 kilometers from Barranquilla, on the shores of the Totumo swamp. This volcano is actually an active mud volcano. It is popular for its alleged healing mud bath.

Falling in love with life

It is a city capable of making you happy just by greeting people. Those people who make the important part of their city because they have an unparalleled talent that makes them protagonists of an incalculable heritage.

Jairo Guzmán © Solkes

Barranquilla has a mild climate of 29 ° C under the shade, in the winter months the sun is not hidden as in the big cities. In Barranquilla, winter means rain and torrential downpours that flood the city. People do not know what it is to hiberante, I think a Barranquillero would have depression if he did.

An incredible architectural beauty with its colonial treasures, surrounded by beautiful natural landscapes, its streets gilded by sun and sand, the spontaneity and joy of the people of the Caribbean … these are things, moments and spaces that can not be ignored or ignore.

Falling in love with life is inevitable when you are under the barranquillero sun, how can you not? When you leave it, even for a short time, you miss it, you need it. In the Arenosa there are a thousand things to do and live. This city is joy, colorful and open arms.

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