The Caribe of Colombia offers a huge cultural variety. The people at the coast ‘mostly referred to as ‘costeños’, are proud of their origin, and are famous because of their celebrations and festivals. They celebrate almost everything, with the Carnival of Barranquilla as one of the best examples. But the Caribe also host the oldest cities of Colombia with Santa Marta and Cartagena. And if you are looking for pre-Hispanic history, or experiences with indigenous cultures, you are at the right destination. Close to Santa Marta we have the former Tayrona culture with archeological sites like ‘The Lost City’. The Kogui’s and Arhuacos in the Sierra ´Nevada de Santa Marta, the ´’Wayuu’ in la Guajira, and the ‘Embera’ close to the Darian, are just some examples of indigenous cultures still active nowadays. Add to this the different gastronomical options, some of the prettiest colonial coastal towns, and you have it all when looking for some culture during your stay in Colombia.
Teyuna’, or ‘Ciudad Perdida’, in English, ‘the lost city’, is an absolute highlight if you are looking for archeological sites. This former city in of the Tayrona culture was built in the middle of the jungle of the outskirts of the mountains of the ‘Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta’, Nowadays territory of the Kogui indigenous. It can be compared in importance with a site like ‘Machu Picho’ in Peru.
Party and celebration is similar to the coastal people of Colombia. If you are looking to participate in one of the festivals, this is the place to be. Carnival de Barranquilla is probably the most famous, but don’t forget to add to your list ‘El Festival de Verano’ in Santa Marta, or ‘Festival de Vallenato’ in Valledupar.
If you like to combine your adventure in Colombia with some gastronomic experiences, you find many option in the Caribe. Of course you will find a lot of fish, and the most typical preparation is to fry the fish, serving with coco rice and fired banana slices. But you also find many other preparations, and some of the best sea fruits as well. The bigger cities offer both local and international food, while Cartagena has some of the best restaurants in South America.
The Caribe region is full with small little traditional villages and towns. Some of them declared Cultural Heritage. Wandering around in towns like Mompox, Lorica, or Cienaga, is like going back hundreds of years in time, or being part of one of the books of ‘Gagriel Garcia Marquez.
Getting to know a traditional indigenous culture is relatively easy at the Caribe. It’s really amazing to see cultures like the Kogui and Arhuaco in the Sierra Nevada, so close to our western society, still conserving their culture and habits. Then again, also the Wayuu in la Guajira have conserved parts of their traditional habits.
