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Revel in Colombia’s Barranquilla Carnival

Revel_in_Colombias_Barranquilla_carnival

Enjoy the spectacle or join in the fun at Barranquilla's extravagant carnival, a riot of passion and colour. 

The UNESCO-listed Carnival of Barranquilla, held annually over four days leading up to Ash Wednesday, is reputedly the second largest fiesta of its type after Rio de Janeiro’s.  Extravagant, exuberant, entertaining and exotic, it shows off the diversity and flamboyance of Colombian culture as a whole and that of the Caribbean region in particular.

This colourful spectacle fuses elements of both African pagan ceremonies and Catholic rituals, touched with inspirations from indigenous traditions. The result is an over-the-top display of music genres and dance, with participants dressed up in lavish costumes. The carnival was once considered a holiday for slaves of African origin, but now it has been embraced by many Colombians and foreign visitors as an opportunity to celebrate these traditions in a massively ebullient way.

Choose between a one day experience or dive in for the whole four day period of delirium, attended by over 1.5 million people watching or taking part.

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  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

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    Maggie Wilson - Travel Expert

    Maggie visited Latin America on her first backpacking trip when she was 19. Since then, she has taken every opportunity to travel, and has managed to explore a lot of the region in subsequent trips.

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    After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.

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    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

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    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

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