Mompós Transportation Tips by richiecdisc

Getting to Mompos is part of the fun

Getting to Mompos is part of the fun. It is not on any conventional tourist route. In fact, it is not on any kind of typical transit route either. We had come especially far as we'd done it from San Gil. Many make a stopover in Bucamaranga which breaks the journey up but we found it easier to not have to go into Bucamaranga proper and just go from their bus terminal which is very modern and easy enough to kill even six hours in!

From Bucamaranga, you buy a ticket to El Banco. This is best done as an overnight trip as when you arrive in El Banco, it is hard to get a ride to Mompos after midday. They wanted 110,000 COP for two tickets but we bargained them down to a more reasonable 45000 COP ($22.50) each. The trip is only about 5 hours if done in the middle of the night due to there not being any traffic. Not that there is likely all that much traffic during the day either but surely a bit more.

The bus was comfortable enough but you get there at what feels like the middle of the night. We were in a dead sleep and it was a bit daunting having to deal with the touts for the 4x4 vehicles that you need to take for the rest of the trip. I had the whole haggling deal down pat the night before but on arriving half asleep I forgot what I was negotiating for and that never bodes well. It should cost 20,000 COP ($10) for a ride in the back of a modern 4x4 and 25,000 ($12.50) for the inside of an air-conditioned one, generally up front with the driver. Someone offered the upper price range and we just jumped on it, not even checking out the vehicle first. It turned out to be an old one and though we were inside, it was in the back with a young Colombian couple and their small child, who surely paid less. As it turned out, the A/C was not a factor as it was actually quite cool for most of the trip. The small boy was very cute and clutched onto the front seat along with us on the bumpy road where dust was more a problem than heat.

It was quite scenic and must say it would be worth hiring your own 4x4 and paying more for the driver to make timely stops. There were quite a few great photographic opportunities that I still see in my head to this day. Very conveniently, the drivers of the 4x4s will drop you off wherever you like and ours did just that at La Casa Amarilla.

Mode: TO

Type: Other

the "road" to Cartagena

The trip from Mompos to Cartagena is a lot easier and more straight forward than to Bucamaranga and many travelers just go round trip from there to avoid the hardships but must say I am glad we did it from Bucamaranga as it was an interesting and very scenic trip. It also is a nice easing in to the coastal life if you are coming from the mountain regions of Colombia to the Caribbean for the first time.

We paid 40,000 COP ($20) for the bus which leaves around 6 AM from just the “Brasilia terminal,” just out front of La Casa Amarilla. The bus uses a ferry in Marangue where you can pick up some food from vendors at the make-shift market. You can evidently do the trip piecemeal quicker and more cheaply but at this point, we didn't care about saving a couple dollars and wanted the convenience of not having to move our backpacks from one mode of transport to another! The most interesting part of this journey was the ferry and was glad we didn't have to do it both directions. The whole ordeal took about six hours but with such an early start, you arrive in Cartagena around lunch.

Mode: TO

Type: Bus