Mompox
The charming sleepy town of the Magdalena
This remote enchanting town has been lost in time, preserved beautifully with white washed colonial buildings still in perfect condition along side the Magdalena River, (some compare it with the Mississippi). Wander aimlessly through atmospheric streets where locals while the serene afternoons away perched on rocking chairs.
Mompox, rich in heritage was recognized in 1995 by UNESCO whom named Mompox as a World Heritage Site for its historical centre.
Although a lot more difficult to get to, arriving to Mompox (pronounced as Mompos) you will see an era that once was, but to the naked eye still exists.
During the Spanish colonization, this town was created with beautiful colonial architecture alongside the thick vegetated and muddy Magdalena River. It bloomed as an important trading port with merchandise from Cartagena, whom often had families fleeing to Mompox during pirate invasions. Although trading later changed to a different branch of the river ending the prosperity of Mompox, very little within the town has changed.
The atmospheric streets has prompted the likes of the respected and Colombia’s very own Gabriel García Márquez to write his book Chronicle of a Death Foretold set in Mompox, not to mention that it is often used for Colombian movies or soap opera sets.
Mompox has a couple of museums to visit; the Casa de la Cultura hosting items of the town’s history and the Museo Cultural where Simon Bolivar once lived for some time. The museum shows some of this particular history along with a selection of art.
Whilst strolling around the streets there are a number of beautiful colonial churches to see, some of these consist of Iglesia de San Francisco, Iglesia de San Agustin, Iglesia de la Concepcion and Iglesia de Santa Barbara. There is also a quaint botanical garden (Jardín Botánico) that is pretty to visit and an interesting cemetery with many old tombstones. A market place is located alongside the waterfront and there are boat trips available which you can embark on to explore the Magdalena River.
Shopping - Famous nationwide for its two traditional handy crafts their rocking chairs have been made by the town folk for years, which is evident throughout the Mompox’ streets, however Mompox is also largely renowned for its incredible filigree gold work, making beautiful works of jewelry and nowadays using silver as well.
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Destination Map
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The average temperature is 28 °C making it a hot destination to visit through out the year however a special time to be in Mompox is during the Holy week between March and April, where you can see a very interesting mix of both Catholic and magical pagan processions and devotions.
One procession Serenata a los difuntos (Serenade to the dead) that takes place on Good Wednesday is when the locals go to the cemetery at night and sit with lit candles by their dearly deceased until the morning, listening to music.
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Related activities
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How to get there
By Bus and Boat – Leaving from Cartagena or Bucaramanga you need to take both a bus, a boat or ferry to arrive to Mompox. Mompox is situated 248km to the south of Cartagena; however time to arrive to Mompox is about 6 hours and 30 minutes. The journey is time consuming no matter which route you take although fairly easy to manage.
By land within the town - The best way to get around is by bicycle, which can be rented from the town or by foot.
Dress code - Weather is warm and there may be a few mosquitoes around at certain times so dress accordingly with good walking shoes and plenty of mosquito repellent and sun screen.
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