Cartagena

Cartagena is old in the best possible way. The walls of the historic center have been standing since the 16th century, enclosing a grid of narrow streets, baroque church facades, and balconies overflowing with bougainvillea. The reality beneath the postcard is more interesting: this was one of the most important ports in the Spanish colonial empire, the arrival point for enslaved people from West Africa and the exit point for gold leaving for Spain.

That history is not decorative here. It lives in the architecture of Getsemaní, the former enslaved quarter now home to the most vibrant street art, local restaurants, and nightlife in the city. It lives in Palenque de San Basilio, a village 70 kilometers south that was the first free Black town in the Americas, established by escaped enslaved people in the 17th century, and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005. It lives in the cooking, which blends Caribbean coastal traditions with West African ingredients in ways no other Colombian city replicates.

The Rosario Islands are a national park of 27 islands, 45 minutes by boat from the city. The water is Caribbean clear and the coral reefs are among the most accessible in Colombia. Cartagena is the Colombia most people imagine before they arrive. The surprise is how much more there is beneath the surface.