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 Direccíon 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 The U.S. NGA lists for Colombia are sketchy and out of date, and DIMAR's web site has very little information about the nature of the light towers.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 Serrana and Roncador Banks were formerly claimed and occupied by the U.S.; the islands reverted to Colombia in 1981 after the U.S. gave up its claims in a 1972 treaty. (The status of Serranilla Bank and Bajo Nuevo is less clear; the U.S. Department of State reiterated the American claim in December 2003, but that statement has now disappeared from the Department of the Interior's web site.) All these 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 numers are from volume G and the NGA numbers from Publication 111.

General Sources
Direccíon General Marítima
DIMAR's web site has charts indicating the location of the light towers, but only one or two photos.
Online List of Lights - Colombia
Photos posted by Alexander Trabas.


Faro de Castillo Grande, Cartagena; DIMAR photo
 
Western Caribbean Lighthouses
Banco Serranilla (2)
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; crew quarters building is white concrete. A photo appears at right. Located in the Caribbean about 350 km (220 mi) northeast of the Honduran coast. Site status unknown. ARLHS SAP-013; Admiralty J6024; NGA 110-15816.
Bajo Nuevo
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 status unknown. ARLHS SAP-001; Admiralty J6020; NGA 110-15818 and 16482 (duplicate entries).
Banco Serrana
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.

Faro Banco Serranilla; DIMAR photo
Cayo Palma
Date unknown. 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. 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.
Caribbean Coast Lighthouses
*** Isla Fuerte
Date unknown. 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. 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. Admiralty J6152; NGA 110-16664.
* Castillo Grande (Cartagena)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); white flash every 7 s. 22 m (72 ft) unpainted concrete block tower with white lantern. A photo appears above; another good photo is available. Castillo Grande is an upscale neighborhood accessible to tourists. Located at the end of a peninsula sheltering the inner harbor of Cartagena; Google has a satellite view. Site appears open, tower presumably closed. ARLHS COL-037; Admiralty J6167.6; NGA 110-16726.
Galerazamba (Punta Galera)
Date unknown. 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
Date unknown. 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, adjacent to 1-story keeper's house. No photo available. 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. 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.
Morro Grande (Santa Marta)
Date unknown, but recent (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. A DIMAR photo is at right, and another good photo is available. Located on a steep-sided island in the entrance to the harbor of Santa Marta; Google has a satellite view. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower presumably closed. ARLHS COL-028; Admiralty J6256; NGA 110-16832.

Faro de Santa Marta; DIMAR photo
* Riohacha
1857. Inactive. 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]
Date unknown. 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, and Emilie Christiane has posted a distant 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
Date unknown. 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. 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; Google has a satellite view. Accessible by 4WD. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS COL-042; Admiralty J6267; NGA 110-16848.
Pacific Coast Lighthouses
* Parque de Buenaventura
Date unknown. Active; 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. A 2005 photo appears at right, Trabas has a more recent photo showing the red lantern, 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, tower apparently closed. ARLHS COL-056; NGA 111-0203.3.
Tumaco
Date unknown. 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.

Faro de Buenaventura, New Year's Day 2005
Creative Commons photo by Shaun McRae

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Posted February 13, 2004. Checked and revised August 7, 2007. Lighthouses: 15. Site copyright 2007 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.