Córdoba is a department situated in Colombia’s popular Costa Caribe region. It is home to easygoing coastal towns, tropical islands and cities featuring colonial landmarks. Córdoba stretches from the Caribbean Coast across sprawling savannahs to an undulating mountainous zone. Prior to the arrival of Spanish explorers in Colombia, the region was a thriving center for the Zenú indigenous people.
Many visitors to Córdoba make a beeline for the department’s wild coastline. Spend time at the beautiful Playa Blanca in San Antero and go hiking in the nearby mangrove forests. Swim in the crystalline water at San Bernardo del Viento and stay at the ecolodge on Isla Fuerte. Reach the unspoiled Isla Tortuguilla on a boat trip from Puerto Escondido where, in June, you can experience the Festival of Bullerengue, a celebration of typical Caribbean music and dance.
Travel inland to Montería, a riverside city that showcases influences of the Zenú people, Spanish colonists and Arab immigrants. Find shade from the hot sun at Simon Bolívar Park and spot iguanas while strolling along the waterfront promenade, Ronda del Sinú. Admire the pretty Colonial Cathedral of St. Jerome and see examples of tribal art at the Zenú Museum of Modern Art.
Lorica is another city worth visiting. It has a historic center framed by Arab and Spanish architecture, such as the Church of Santa Cruz de Lorica. In Momil, experience the Zenú way of life and watch artisans make a braided cane hat called the sombrero vueltiao. Walk amid a lush forest and paddle on a boating lake at Ecoparque Zenú, in Montelibano.
Córdoba sits just east of the Colombia-Panama border, between the Antioquia and Sucre departments. Fly to Montería’s Los Garzones Airport from Bogotá, Baranquilla, Cartagena, Mendellín and Panama City. The tourism infrastructure here is less developed than other areas of the Costa Caribe so consider getting around via a private taxi.