The Aracataca river — locals call it the canal — runs straight through the centre of the town and is a constant presence in García Márquez's writing. The riverside path along the southern bank is where most of the bookish circuit ends: shallow brown water, almond and mango trees, white herons in the reeds.
Walk along the channel toward the edge of town. The old wooden footbridges are recent replicas; the trees are old enough to have been there in the writer's childhood.