Lighthouses of Colombia

The mainland of Colombia has two coastlines, one facing northwest on the Caribbean and another facing west on the Pacific. Colombia also administers the territory of San Andrés y Providencia, which includes a scattering of islands and banks in the southwestern corner of the Caribbean Sea, north of Panama and east of Nicaragua.

Aids to navigation in Colombia are owned by the Autoridad Marítima Colombia and maintained by the Dirección General Marítima (DIMAR). There are a number of lighthouses, but almost no information is available about them. The U.S. NGA lists for Colombia are sketchy and out of date, and DIMAR's web site has very little information about the nature of the light towers. This listing includes only those sites where it is certain or probable that a lighthouse exists. I am sure there are other lighthouses, and we need information about them.

One historical note is needed. The Serranilla, Serrana, Bajo Nuevo, and Roncador Banks were formerly claimed and occupied by the United States. The U.S. gae up its claims to the Serrana and Roncador Banks in a 1981 treaty with Colombia. It appears that the U.S. claims to Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo Banks are still in force. All four islands are also claimed by Nicaragua, and Bajo Nuevo, at least, is claimed by Jamaica.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. On the Atlantic coast, Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals and U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110; on the Pacific coast the Admiralty numbers are from volume G and the NGA numbers from Publication 111.

General Sources
División Señalización Marítima
Web site of the navigational aids division of DIMAR.
Online List of Lights - Colombia
Photos by Capt. Peter Mosselberger, posted by Alexander Trabas.

Faro de Cartagena
Faro de Castillo Grande, Cartagena, September 2006
Creative Commons photo by Nihaar Gupta

 
Western Caribbean Lighthouses
Banco Serranilla (2)
1977. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 33 m (108 ft) tower, including a square pyramidal skeletal tower mounted atop a 3-story concrete crew quarters. Skeletal tower painted with red and white horizontal bands; the crew quarters building is white concrete. A DIMAR photo appears at right. Located in the Caribbean Sea about 350 km (220 mi) northeast of the Honduran coast. Site and tower closed (special permission required for landing). ARLHS SAP-013; Admiralty J6024; NGA 110-15816.
Bajo Nuevo
1980. Active (?); focal plane 22 m (72 ft); two white flashes every 15 s. 21 m (69 ft) metal tower, painted white with a red top. Bajo Nuevo is a small reef far out in the Caribbean southwest of Jamaica. It is or has been claimed by the U.S., Honduras, Jamaica, and Colombia. Wolfgang Schippke's statement that it is occupied by the Honduran Coast Guard is either mistaken or obsolete. No photo available. Site and tower closed (special permission required for landing). ARLHS SAP-001; Admiralty J6020; NGA 110-15818 and 16482 (duplicate entries).
Banco Serrana
1977. Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 10 s. 25 m (82 ft) cast iron skeletal tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Concrete keeper's quarters. No photo available. The Serrana Bank is about 360 km (225 mi) east of Nicaragua. Located on Southwest Cay. Site and tower closed (special permission required for landing). ARLHS SAP-012; Admiralty J6034; NGA 110-15824.
Banco Roncador (2)
1978. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 11 s. 24 m (79 ft) tower, painted white with (NGA says) red bands. Wolfgang Schippke reports the original (U.S.?) lighthouse stands abandoned nearby. Roncador Bank is about 215 km (135 mi) northeast of San Andres. Located at the northernmost point of the reef. Site and tower closed (special permission required for landing). ARLHS SAP-010; Admiralty J6038; NGA 110-15828.
Serranilla
Faro Banco Serranilla; DIMAR photo
Cayo Palma (Isla Providencia)
1993. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); one long (1.5 s) white flash every 10 s. 25 m (82 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower, painted with horizontal red and white bands. Enzo Molinari has posted a good photo, and Juan Felipe Castaño has a 2008 closeup. Located on a reef off the northernmost point of Isla Providencia. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SAP-007; Admiralty J6041.5; NGA 110-15832.5.
Haynes Cay (Cayo Cordoba)
1990. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); yellow flash every 5 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower, painted with horizontal red and white bands. Diego Azuaga has a good 2007 photo. Located on the highest point of Haynes Cay, off the east coast of Isla San Andrés. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SAP-002; Admiralty J6043.5; NGA 110-15834.
Cayos del Este Sudeste (Courtown Cays)
1968. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 15 s. 29 m (95 ft) tower, presumably skeletal, painted orange. No photo available. Located on Cayo Bolivar, one of several small cays about 22 km (14 mi) east southeast of Isla San Andrés. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SAP-004; Admiralty J6044; NGA 110-15840.
Caribbean Coast Lighthouses
** Isla Fuerte
1968. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 35 m (115 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted with red and white horizontal bands. A good photo is available, and Alejandro Cock-Peláez has a 2008 closeup. Isla Fuerte is an island about 10 km (6 mi) off the coast at the southern entrance to the Golfo de Morrosquillo. Resorts on the island are popular with scuba divers. Located on the east side of the island. Site open, tower open for climbing. ARLHS COL-025; Admiralty J6152; NGA 110-16664.
Banco Salmedina
1978. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 10 s. 22 m (72 ft) tower, presumably skeletal, painted orange. No photo available. This light marks the beginning of the approach to Cartagena. Located on a low bank about 8 km (5 mi) off the coast and 16 km (10 mi) west of Cartagena. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS COL-012; Admiralty J6164; NGA 110-16728.
* Castillo Grande (Cartagena)
1973. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 7 s. 22 m (72 ft) unpainted concrete block tower with white lantern. Nihaar Gupta's photo appears above, another good photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Castillo Grande is an upscale neighborhood accessible to tourists. Located at the end of a peninsula sheltering the inner harbor of Cartagena. Site appears open, tower presumably closed. ARLHS COL-037; Admiralty J6167.6; NGA 110-16726.
Galerazamba (Punta Galera)
1968. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 6 s. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted orange-red, adjacent to a 1-story keeper's house. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a headland about halfway between Cartagena and Barranquilla. Site and tower closed. ARLHS COL-026; Admiralty J6176; NGA 110-16740.
Punta Hermosa
1969. Active; focal plane 134 m (440 ft); three white flashes, separated by 3 s, every 20 s. 12 m (39 ft) square pyramidal tower, painted orange, rising from or adjacent to a 1-story keeper's house. No photo available, but a Google satellite view probably shows the light station. Located on a headland near Barranquilla. Site status unknown, tower closed. ARLHS COL-045; Admiralty J6180; NGA 110-16744.
Río Magdalena (West Breakwater)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); red flash every 5 s. 22 m (72 ft) square skeletal tower, pyramidal below and cylindrical above, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo is at right, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This is the entrance light for the Magdalena estuary, which leads to the port of Barranquilla. The rubblestone west breakwater at the mouth of the estuary is nearly 8 km (5 mi) long. Located at the end of the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS COL-049; Admiralty J6188; NGA 110-16748.

Río Magdalena West Breakwater Light
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger
used by permission
Morro Grande (Santa Marta) (2)
1971 (station established 1870). Active; focal plane 82 m (269 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. Approx. 24 m (80 ft) hexagonal tower on a 2-story square base; the lighthouse is built of cement blocks with a frame of reinforced concrete. Lighthouse painted gray with white trim; the lantern has red and white vertical striping. Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo is at right, another good photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a steep-sided island in the entrance to the harbor of Santa Marta. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower presumably closed. ARLHS COL-028; Admiralty J6256; NGA 110-16832.
* Riohacha (Río de la Hacha) (2)
1986. Active; focal plane 35 m (115 ft); white flash every 10 s. 30 m (98 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the waterfront on the west side of Riohacha, the capital of the department of La Guajira in the northeastern corner of Colombia. Site appears open, tower closed. ARLHS COL-050; Admiralty J6262; NGA 110-16836.
* Riohacha (Río de la Hacha) (1)
1857. Inactive at least since 1986. Light formerly mounted on the tower of the cathedral of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. A photo of the church is available. The modern light (NGA 16836) is on a 30 m (98 ft) "orange tower." Located in Riohacha, a port about 150 km (90 mi) east of Santa Marta. Site and church open, tower closed.
* [Cabo de la Vela]
1955. Active; focal plane 88 m (289 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square skeletal tower, painted red. A closeup photo is available, Emilie Baird de Vargas has posted a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Foundation ruins near the tower must be from an earlier lighthouse and/or keeper's house. Cabo de la Vela is a resort area, and tourists often hike to the lighthouse to enjoy the spectacular view. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS COL-016; Admiralty J6266; NGA 110-16844.
Punta Gallinas
1989. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) square skeletal tower, painted with horizontal red and white bands. Ajerno Dernas has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The ruined building nearby is presumably a former keeper's house. This modest tower is the northernmost lighthouse of South America, standing at latitude 12° 27.5' north. Located on the cape, about 18 km (11 mi) north of Inosu. Accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS COL-042; Admiralty J6267; NGA 110-16848.

Faro de Santa Marta
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger
used by permission
Pacific Coast Lighthouses
Punta Ardita
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 170 m (558 ft); two white flashes every 25 s. 30 m (98 ft) tower, presumably skeletal, painted with red and white horizontal bands. No photo available. In northwestern Colombia the Baudó mountains rise very steeply from the Pacific coast, and this lighthouse stands on the northernmost major promontory. Located about 8 km (5 mi) southeast of the Panamanian border. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS COL-060; NGA 111-0172.
Cabo Corrientes
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 189 m (620 ft); white flash every 10 s. 18 m (59 ft) tower, presumably skeletal, painted orange. No photo available. Located on a prominent cape roughly midway between Punta Ardita and Buenaventura. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS COL-015; Admiralty G3145; NGA 111-0182.
Isla Palmas (Isla la Palma)
Date unknown (station established 1922). Active; focal plane 46 m (151 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 39 m (128 ft) tower, presumably skeletal, painted orange. No photo available. Located on an island at the northern entrance to the Bahía de Buenaventura. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS COL-058; Admiralty G3136; NGA 111-0188.
** Parque de Buenaventura
Date unknown. Active (privately maintained?); focal plane 20 m (66 ft); yellow flash every 10 s. Approx. 15 m (50 ft) cylindrical tower, painted white with a red band at the base; lantern painted red. Shaun McRae's 2005 photo at right shows the lantern painted white, Trabas has a more recent photo showing the red lantern, Juan Esteban Arias Arévalo has a 2008 photo, and another photo is available. This lighthouse is located in a public park on the waterfront in Buenaventura, Colombia's prinicipal port on the Pacific. Site open, and the photo shows visitors on the gallery. ARLHS COL-056; NGA 111-0203.3.
Punta Coll (Isla Gorgona)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); one long (2 s) white flash every 8 s. 19 m (62 ft) tower, presumably skeletal, painted orange. No photo available. Gorgona is an island about 50 km (30 mi) off the Colombian coast halfway between Buenaventura and Tumaco. Formerly the site of a political prison, the island is now a national park with facilities for ecotourism. Located at the northern tip of the island. Site status unknown. ARLHS COL-063; Admiralty G3129; NGA 111-0210.
Faro de Buenaventura
Faro de Buenaventura, New Year's Day 2005
Creative Commons photo by Shaun McRae
Tumaco
Date unknown (station established 1922). Active; focal plane 305 ft; flash every 10 s, alternating red and white. 11 m (36 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery; a platform carrying communications gear has built over the top of the lantern. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. The lighthouse is located on a Colombian naval base. Located on an island sheltering the harbor of Tumaco on Colombia's southernmost coast. Site and tower closed (military reservation), but the lighthouse can be seen distantly from the main gate of the base. ARLHS COL-054; Admiralty G3124; NGA 111-0220.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

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Posted February 13, 2004. Checked and revised August 15, 2008. Lighthouses: 23. Site copyright 2008 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.