Puerto Colombia

The Cuban engineer Francisco Javier Cisneros built the pier here between 1888 and 1893 to give Barranquilla an ocean-going port before the Magdalena river mouth was made navigable - it ran about 1,250 metres out to deep water with a railway along it, and was at the time among the longest piers in the world. Ships tied up alongside and the town boomed. Then Bocas de Ceniza was dredged in the 1930s and shipping went directly up the river instead; Puerto Colombia lost its purpose within a decade. The pier decayed and collapsed progressively, badly damaged by storms in 2009 and after; a partial restoration has rebuilt a section. The town is now a beach and weekend destination for Barranquilla.

What you'll find

• A pier from 1893 - once among the world's longest, now partly gone.
• A partially rebuilt section - after storm collapses.
• A town that lost its purpose - when the river mouth was dredged.
• Beaches used by Barranquilla - at weekends.

When to go

December to April. Half a day.

Before you go

Most of the original pier is gone - what stands is a fraction, partly rebuilt. Beaches are municipal and not pristine. Weekend crowds come from Barranquilla. There is limited tourist infrastructure.

Nearby

Barranquilla is east; Salgar castle is along the coast.

Key facts