Bocas de Ceniza

The Magdalena drains a large part of Colombia and arrives here carrying an enormous sediment load, which historically closed the mouth to shipping - the name refers to the ash-grey colour the discharge gives the sea. Engineering works from the 1920s built long breakwaters to channel the flow and scour the bar, opening Barranquilla to ocean vessels and effectively ending the port at Puerto Colombia. A narrow-gauge line was laid along the western breakwater to service the works, and a small open train still runs visitors out along it, some nine kilometres to the end, where the brown river water meets the Caribbean in a visible line. The breakwater is exposed with sea on one side and river on the other.

History

Rodrigo de Bastidas reached the mouth of the Magdalena on 1 April 1501, and its name, ash mouths, comes from the dusky colour the river gives the sea. River steamers began running in 1824, and the railway from Barranquilla to Puerto Colombia in 1872 and the move of the national customs to Barranquilla increased the wish to open the mouth to ocean trade; today the river reaches the sea through an artificial channel built in the 1930s (Wikipedia, Bocas de Ceniza).

What's there

• A visible line where river meets sea - brown against blue.
• A breakwater train - on rails laid for the engineering works.
• Works from the 1920s - which opened the port and closed another.
• An exposed causeway - water on both sides for nine kilometres.

When to go

December to April. Half a day.

What to expect

The train is basic and open to the weather. The breakwater is exposed with no shade. The surrounding district is poor and going independently is not generally advised. Rough seas cancel the trip.

Nearby

The Gran Malecon is south; Puerto Colombia is west along the coast.

Key facts