Orlando, Florida to Barranquilla, Colombia from $298

🌍 About Barranquilla, Colombia

Barranquilla throws the world's second-biggest carnival after Rio's — four days before Lent, recognized by UNESCO, and a genuine street party rather than a stadium show: parades of cumbia and the marimonda (a clown in a long-nosed elephant mask invented here as a jab at the elite). It's also Shakira's hometown. The dish to find is arroz de lisa, rice cooked with smoked mullet from the river mouths and served in a bijao leaf with a cassava bun; for a quick bite, butifarra sausage with lime. Skip the beach expectations — the river, not the sea, defines the city. Come for Carnival in February if you can, but book months out and expect packed prices; the rest of the December–March dry season is warm and far cheaper. Avoid the wet September–November stretch.