Once a year, Barranquilla becomes a monumental party that gathers hundreds of thousands of people. Here is some valuable information to get to the celebration.

Where is Barranquilla

Barranquilla is the economic capital of the Caribbean region of Colombia. When you ask how to get to Barranquilla, most people would tell you that it is located one hundred and thirty kilometers away from Cartagena de Indias. Even though Barranquilla is the place where the Magdalena River (the longest river in the country) connects with the Caribbean Sea, it is an important industrial city, and it was home of renown public figures like Shakira, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Joe Arroyo, Barranquilla is not attractive for truism. Expect for that one time of the year when it becomes a Carnival. 

Barranquilla’s Carnival

Forty days before Easter, Barranquilla celebrates the second largest Carnival in Latin America: the Carnaval de Barranquilla. In 2003, Unesco proclaimed the festivity as one of the 28 “masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity”. And you understand why when you immerse yourself in the four days of parades, street parties, customs, glitter, and diversity of music genres that resonate all around the 154 square kilometers that conform the city. A time in the year when tens of thousands of people from all around the world, and different social background, fraternally gather in the Caribbean city to celebrate life.

So, how to get to Barranquilla during this prosperous celebration?

How to get to Barranquilla by plane

Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport is on the far south corner of the city. There are direct flights from Miami to Barranquilla that take less than three hours, operated by Avianca, United, and American Airlines. You can also take a direct flight from Panama, which is one hour and ten minutes away from Barranquilla. The flight is operated by Copa Airlines. Both cities work as hubs for stopovers if you are flying from other cities in the United States, Europe, or the rest of Latin America.  

 Once at the Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport, you need to find out how to get to Barranquilla (downtown). It takes around 45 minutes to get from the airport to downtown Barranquilla by car. The taxi fare is around 10 dollars. You can also take a bus that costs less than one dollar, but it would take almost two hours to get to the center of the city by bus.

How to get to Barranquilla by bus

If you are in Cartagena or Santa Marta, you can take a bus. It would take less than two hours to get to the city. There are intercity bus transportation companies like Marsol and Berlinas that operated among the three Caribbean cities. The fares oscillate between the eight and ten dollars, and buses depart every thirty minutes from their main stations.