Ambalema

Tobacco grown on the Magdalena floodplain made Ambalema briefly one of the richest towns in the country in the middle of the nineteenth century, when Colombia's export economy ran on it and European buyers came here directly. The Calle de la Sierpe is what remains: a long street of two-storey buildings with continuous arcades on timber posts, built as warehouses and offices for the trade, using guadua bamboo and timber with clay infill rather than stone, which is the local building method. The boom ended in the 1870s when Asian tobacco undercut it and the town declined sharply, which preserved the street. Bamboo construction is still practised in the region. The Magdalena runs alongside and the town remains a fishing and farming place.

What you actually see

• The Calle de la Sierpe - a long arcaded street of trade buildings.
• Guadua bamboo and timber construction - with clay infill, the local method.
• A boom that ended in the 1870s - which preserved the fabric.
• The Magdalena alongside - still fished and farmed.

When to go

December to March. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is very hot on the river. Buildings are in mixed and sometimes poor condition. There is little tourist infrastructure. The town is quiet and off the main routes.

Nearby

Honda is north; Ibague is south-west.