Palomino

At first glance, you might not think of this beach as a classic Caribbean paradise, but we promise you will be pleasantly surprised — the town's rambling urban sprawl opens up to show one of the most magnificent beaches.

Palomino has risen from an off-the-beaten-path place to a beloved visitor destination in the last five years, and for good reason: there's enough to do for active or exhausted travelers in need of some rest, from tubing down languid rivers to sunbathing on empty golden beaches. Palomino beach offers plenty of tropical privacy, thanks to the majestic Sierra Nevada foothills that guard the coastline.

The vast wildlife here, mixed with the indigenous people who continue to live traditional lives in the highlands, makes for a constantly exciting and unusual site to splash in the crystal blue waters and take up the Colombian way of life.

Location: Palomino, La Guajira, Colombia