Tourism in Sucre — Sincelejo, Mompox and Zenú Culture

Sucre is a Colombian Caribbean department with two clearly different faces: the livestock-raising interior and Zenú culture of its capital Sincelejo, and the Gulf of Morrosquillo on the coast with its calm beaches, the San Bernardo archipelago and the relaxed beach atmosphere of Tolú and Coveñas. San Bernardo Island —particularly Múcura Island— is one of the most exclusive Caribbean beach destinations in Colombia, with coral reefs and virgin beaches.

Sucre has 26 municipalities and a cultural identity rooted in Zenú tradition: the vueltiao hat (shared with Córdoba), porro music and the burro festivities of San Pelayo. Mompox, although administratively belonging to Bolívar, is accessible from Sucre and shares with the department the Magdalena river tourism. The colonial architecture of Mompox (UNESCO World Heritage 1995) and the Morrosquillo beaches are the two great tourist magnets of the area.

Main Tourist Attractions

Attraction	Type	Description
Múcura Island and San Bernardo Archipelago	Beach / Nature	The San Bernardo archipelago has 10 coral islands in the Gulf of Morrosquillo. Múcura Island is the most touristy: white sand beaches, coral reefs, crystal-clear turquoise waters. Snorkeling, diving and Santa Cruz de Isla Grande (with a luxury hotel facing the Caribbean).
Tolú and Coveñas	Beach / Recreation	The most visited Caribbean resorts in Sucre. Tolú (60 km from Sincelejo) with its boardwalk and fish restaurants. Coveñas with clear sand beaches, beachfront hotels and Colombian coastal family tourism. Boats to Múcura Island depart from Tolú.
Sincelejo and Zenú Culture	City / Culture	Capital of Sucre, an inland coastal city. The Crafts Center (Zenú crafts in caña flecha, vueltiao hats), San Francisco de Asís Cathedral and Baseball Park (baseball is Sincelejo's popular sport due to Caribbean heritage). January 20th Festival.
Caimanera Marsh	Nature / Ecotourism	The most important marsh in Sucre, habitat of the Antillean manatee and caimans. Dawn canoe tour through mangroves to spot manatees, pink herons, pelicans and otters. 25 km from Tolú.
Colosó and San Jacinto Mountain Range	Nature / Adventure	The San Jacinto mountain range, in northern Sucre, is a dry tropical forest range with howler monkeys, macaws, wax palms and waterfalls. The municipality of Colosó is the entry point. Ecotourism in one of the best-preserved dry forests in the Colombian Caribbean.
San Benito Abad and Magdalena Wetlands	Nature / Fishing	San Benito Abad has the highest concentration of wetlands in southern Sucre, with interconnected marshes that shelter caimans, manatees and Magdalena fish. Artisanal fishing and water bird watching.

Typical Cuisine

Sucre cuisine is coastal and inland. Mote de queso (yam soup with coastal cheese) is the most representative dish. Bocachico sancocho with yuca and plantain, clean corn bollo, coconut rice pudding, butifarra (Sucre pork sausage, different from Catalan), hogao as the base of coastal cooking and peeled corn arepas are the flavors of the department. In Tolú: lobster, red snapper and shrimp from the Gulf of Morrosquillo.

Adventure and Outdoor Activities

Diving and snorkeling in the San Bernardo Archipelago (coral reefs with colorful fish at 3-15 meters depth), manatee watching in Caimanera Marsh, kayaking in the Tolú mangroves, hiking in the San Jacinto mountain range and sport fishing in the Magdalena wetlands complete the adventure offering.

How to Get There

Sincelejo has Las Brujas Airport (CZU) with flights from Bogotá (1 hour 20 minutes) and Medellín (1 hour). By land from Bogotá: 16 hours via the Troncal de Occidente. From Cartagena to Sincelejo: 3 hours by bus. To Tolú: 1 hour from Sincelejo by shared van. To Múcura Island: boat from Tolú (1.5 hours).

Where to Stay

In Sincelejo: 3-star hotels downtown. In Tolú: beachfront hotels, lodges and apartments. On Múcura Island: Punta Faro boutique hotel (all-inclusive, one of the best in the Colombian Caribbean). In Coveñas: chain hotels and budget apartment-hotels. High season: Easter and December-January (prices triple on the coast).

Festivities and Events

National Porro Festival in San Pelayo (June, the most important porro festival, although San Pelayo is in Córdoba, it is the cultural festival of both departments), Sincelejo January 20th Festival (corralejas and patron saint festivities), Tolú Nautical Festival (August).

Also check the climate of Sucre, the list of municipalities of Sucre and the complete guide to Colombian festivities.