Mompox (often spelt Mompos) is a friendly, sleepy town on an island on the Magdalena river, which thrived during colonial times as it was the main resting port for ships travelling up the Magdalena from Cartagena to Honda. It has beautiful colonial architecture which rivals Villa de Leyva_fs.
Few Colombians, however, seem to know about this place, and being on an island without any bridges reaching it makes it rather inaccessible; as a result very few tourists come here except during Christmas and Holy Week. The mayor is keen on promoting tourism here, and a bridge is being constructed at El Banco, meaning it will soon be within easy-ish reach of the Bogota-Santa Marta road. This will greatly facilitate access to Mompox. It also seems that this little town is about to undertake an irreversible transformation with the imminent arrival of hordes of tourists.
From/to Valledupar or Maicao, there are some early morning buses which take the ferry straight to Mompox with Cotracegua (6 hours from Valledupar, 30,000 COP).
From/to Medellin, you need to travel to Magangue via Sincelejo. Then take a chalupa across the river, and take the short trip to Mompox.
From/ to Cartagena, you can catch the Unitransco bus that come directly from Cartagena to Mompox and includes the ferry trip or you can opt for a later bus to Magangue and then do the chalupa and taxi combo from there. The Unitransco bus leaves Mompox for Cartagena at around 6am and you need to confirm the day before if indeed it is leaving at all!
From/to Bogota and Bucaramanga, the best route is probably via El Banco. Then from El Banco catch a 4x4 to mompox.
I_fve also heard that it_fs possible to go by boat upriver all the way from Barranquilla, but have no idea about how this can be arranged.
It_fs also possible to fly to Mompox if you have a private plane.
Mompox is small. Mototaxis take passengers to any point with the town for 600 COP. Note that they may take several passengers to different places at the same time, so they are unlikely to take you directly to your destination.
There are various colonial churches, of which the Iglesia de Santa Barbara is probably the most famous as it appears on many representative photos of Mompox. It is unusual in that it has a Moorish-style tower with a balcony. Most of the churches only open for mass, which is unfortunate. The best time to take photos of most of the churches is in the morning, as their facades are not in the shade.
Walk around the streets of the Colonial centre and along the river front, which are all very beautiful. If it_fs too hot, you can arrange an hour_fs tour of Mompox on a mototaxi (10,000 COP); it_fs also a good way to get your bearings and if you_fre lucky, learn some of the local history.
Strike up conversations on the street with the friendly locals, and they may let you peek into their colonial mansions.
Try the local wine at ViniMompox (Cra 3 No. 20-34), where they sell various wines made of banana, guayaba, mamon, orange and tamarindo.
Buy silver jewellery at various workshops around the Calle Real del Medio. Gold jewellery is also produced, but is less common.
The so-called _gZona Rosa_h has several bars along the riverfront, quite a pleasant place to have a drink in the evening.
(Note: all the prices quoted here increase substantially during the Christmas vacation and Holy Week). Mompox is hot, and you may want to consider staying in a room with air-conditioning.