Puerto Colombia

I spent Saturday visiting the town of Puerto Colombia with my friends Camilo and Ramón. Although Barranquilla is located on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, the city doesn’t have easy access to the sea. Puerto Colombia is a town about 15 kilometers from Barranquilla and is home to the area’s former shipping pier. Built in 1888, the muelle (wharf) extends one kilometer out into the water and is now falling into disrepair.


When the pier was closed and the shipping businesses moved to Barranquilla and the Magdalena River, the town lost its primary livelihood. The area continues to be well used, though, by men who sit on the muelle catching fish for their families, beach goers who rent small cabañas on the shore, and kids who dive into the waves over and over.


Camilo, Ramón and I spent over two hours walking to the end of the pier, chatting with the divers and the fishermen, taking photos, and leaving our mark.


Although Puerto Colombia is still a popular destination for visitors and community members, it doesn’t feel as touristy as Cartagena. There was something precious about spending a simple Saturday afternoon on the Colombian coast, walking above the waves and feeling the salty spray of the water on our legs.