How to get to Aracataca, Magdalena, the town of Gabriel García Márquez

Aracataca, also known by its mythological name, Macondo, is well-known for being the birthplace of Noble Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Márquez, as well as where he lived until he was eight years-old. Nonetheless, Aracataca is also famous because of the caricature artist and photographer Leo Matiz Espinosa.

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Similar to Ciénaga, this town was one of the stages that served as inspiration for some of the of their works. If you are interested on Nobel Prizes, you should look into visiting Ciénaga to take a walk around its streets, which is also one of the most beautiful towns in Colombia.

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Aracataca, in Tayrona's tongue, refers to a cold water river that runs downhill from the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta from which irrigation canals for crops have been built.

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In this article, we will tell you how to get to Aracataca, what to do, and which places to visit in the mythological Macondo of Gabriel Garcia Márquez.

How to get to Aracataca?

It is not difficult to get to Aracataca - all you have to do is catch a bus from the Bus Terminal in Santa Marta and take a bus to Aracataca using any of the transportation agencies there. The ticket costs around 12.000 COP and the trip takes about an hour.

If you are not in Santa Marta, you can also take a bus from Barranquilla to Aracataca for 17.000 COP, and the trip lasts two and a half hours.

What to visit in Aracataca?

Even if Aracataca is a town with many things to do, its main tourist attractions are based on Gabriel García Márquez's life and work. This is a town that revolves around Gabo.

Before getting to Gabo's house, the main tourist attraction, you can get to Billares de la Abuela Desalmada, known by that name (it is not the real name) for being the source of inspiration for Gabo when he wrote  "La increíble y triste historia de la cándida Eréndida y su abuela desalmada". You can then visit  San José Church, which is very well known in Aracataca, which maintains its traditional colonial facade and architecture.

The Casa del Telegrafista is where García Márquez's father, Eligio, worked, and where he met Luisa Santiaga, who would later become his wife and the mother of his children. This love inspired Gabo to write "El amor en los tiempos del cólera"

Continuing the tour, we now head to Casa Museo Gabriel García Márquez. This is not the original museum, as the original one continued to change owners until eventually getting demolished after a fire. The museum was rebuilt by Colombia's Government, and although the result was not as big as the original, the design of it was a true copy of the original and received the Nobel approval of Gabriel García Márquez shortly before his death.

Although the entrance to the House Museum is free, you have to make a donation according to your own discretion to support the museum's maintenance, as well as for the guide that gives you the tour. You have to keep in mind that the house is not open on Monday, and is only open on Sunday until 2 pm. The rest of the week it is opened until 5 pm.

Other places of interest in Aracataca

Another thing you can do is to visit the famous Train Station, which was declared as a National Historical Heritage site. It only was in use for one day: the day that the Literature Nobel Prize Winner came to the city.

Close to the train station, there is the Platform of the first Festival Vallenato, located in the of corners of the Camellón de los Almendros. It is said that the first version of the Festival Vallenato was held there, before moving it to Valledupar and being promoted by Alfonso López Michelsen, Colombia's ex-president, and by García Márquez himself.

And how could you not visit one of the first references made in 'Cien años de soledad': the Aracataca River, which runs downhill from the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta and is the perfect place to take a refreshing swim and regain strength and energies lost during the day.

The Remedios la Bella Monument, the Remedios la Bella Library, the Calle de los Turcos, and the logia masónica are other places you can visit in this magical town as well.

As you can see, you can do many things in one day visiting in Aracataca, but if you are a fan of taking a slower pace of travel, there are different hotels and hostels where you can spend the night to immerse in the macondiana culture. If possible, hire a guide for a tour of the town so it will be easier to understand its culture and history.

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