baRranquilla, CO

I read in an old dusty backpacking guide to Colombia that I found in a hostel once that Barranquilla is an entirely worthless place to visit, except for one reason, the two weeks of Carnival. That is about the best way that I can describe Barranquilla. If you aren’t here for Carnival, no need to come to Barranquilla. I simply drove through and I will never go back. Barranquilla is absolutely massive though. There are 1.2 million people that live here. There are so many cities like this in Colombia that you have never heard of and have over 1 million people. Welcome to South America. Its massive and populous. Barranquilla though is a place that you might have heard of. Its famous for two things. First, it’s the birthplace of Shakira. Second, it’s the home of Colombia’s Carnival. Every year in February, cut from the same chord as the more famous Carnival in Rio, Brazil. I would say practically every traveler and backpacker that I met was heading towards Barranquilla for the festivities. So much so that the hostels were over $50 a night. A story not dissimilar to the same event in Rio. The Carnival event is amazing and lively and a real display of Colombian culture. Its one of the best things you can do in Colombia from a culture perspective and if you are lucky enough to be there during the carnival dates I would say go for sure. If however, you aren’t there in mid to early February, don’t go.