BEATS, BEERS & BLESSINGS

The remote San Bernardo archipelago goes all out for the feast day of the patron saint of sailors, the Virgen del Carmen

The tiny coral islets of the San Bernardo archipelago are characterised by mangrove lagoons, sucrose beaches and a sleepy, castaway vibe — all except one. Santa

Cruz del Islote, a fleck of land the size of two football fields, is home to some 1,200 Afro-Colombian fishermen and their families. It’s considered one of the most densely populated islands in the world; its mere existence is an architectural and social marvel. Islanders don’t have much, but, in true Caribbean style, they’re partial to a good fiesta.

The mother of all parties is held for the Virgen del Carmen (the invocation of the Virgin Mary that’s most venerated by Catholics across Colombia), whose feast day falls on 16 July. Speakers are set up in the little plaza the night before and, champeta (a folk and dance music subculture) and dancehall beats are blasted out from dusk until dawn. The elderly sit in doorways playing dominos; beers and rum cocktails are sold from the windows of pastel-hued shacks; and the young dance in any space available — near the speakers, down the winding alleys or along the waterfront.

When the rigged-up electric lights fail, the party continues by starlight. International travellers are welcomed with open arms, and any contributions by way of drink purchases, guided tours or ferry tickets are welcome.

In the morning, a statue of the Virgen del Carmen is paraded shoulder-high from Santa Cruz’s diminutive church and loaded onto a motorboat. Islanders pile into their fishing vessels and follow the idol as it tours the turquoise waters of the archipelago, blessing them for sailors in the year ahead. To join the procession or to visit Santa Cruz del

Islote, you’ll need to arrange a boat via your guesthouse; tourist accommodation in the archipelago can be found on the neighbouring islets of Múcura and Tintipán.

Múcura Island