Santa Cruz de Mompox

In addition to being designated a Colombian national monument in 1959, Mompox's historic center was named a World Heritage Site in 1995. This magnificent location is near San Fernando and Pinillos in the Bolivar department. Mompox is currently referred to as Santa Cruz de Mompox's Special, Tourist, Historical, and Cultural District.

On Isla Margarita, Mompox is around 6 hours' drive from Cartagena. This tourism location is accessible by land or river. The simplest route is by road; there are direct buses to Mompox from Bogota, Cartagena, and Barranquilla.

Despite being incredibly difficult to get to—the trip necessitates a mix of buses and boats due to Mompox's location on an island in the Magdalena river—this undiscovered colonial gem is well worth the trouble. Fans of Garca Márquez will delight in the fact that his work was greatly influenced by the once-thriving port town of Mompox, which also served as the location for "Chronicle of a Death Foretold."

• Location: northern Colombia