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Discover Cartagena’s rich contrasts with your local host on a five-day private tour. Explore colonial history, vibrant neighborhoods, afro-Colombian cuisine, and daily life in authentic barrios. From salsa dancing to secluded beaches, this experience blends luxury with raw local charm.
Beyond the walled city
Experience Cartagena’s vibrant contrasts on this 5-day private journey led by your local host and fixer. From the colonial charm of the walled city to the authentic barrios where Colombians live today, you’ll uncover the layers of this storied port city. Walk through tunnels and fortresses, visit bustling local markets, and savor Afro-Colombian cuisine.
Step off the beaten path to explore the island of Tierra Bomba, where life remains untouched by mass tourism. Connect with locals through home-cooked meals, salsa dancing, and authentic encounters that blend Cartagena’s rich history with its modern vibrancy.
Relax in 5-star accommodations, unwind on pristine beaches, and venture down dusty roads on moto taxis as you immerse yourself in a fusion of luxury and local life. This is Cartagena as few get to experience it—real, raw, and unforgettable.
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For the duration of this tour you will be accompanied by Cartagena local and former fashion model, Mercelys. With a background in tourism and experience with some of Colombia’s most iconic brands (Águila, Patprimo, Dolce & Gabbana), Mercelys is equally comfortable walking barefoot on the unpaved streets of Bocachica as she is modeling on a catwalk in the fashion shows of Bogotá. Knowing Cartagena means being able to move between high-end restaurants
After checking in at your hotel in a former Spanish colonial mansion you’ll meet your local host, Mercelys, in the late afternoon. Together you’ll venture out into the historical center and meet a local expert for a guided tour of the walled city, including the house of the inquisition, Bolivar park, and the ramparts built to defend the port from corsairs like Francis Drake.
You’ll watch the sunset on the impressive, coral stone walls before enjoying an authentic Colombian meal with gourmet local dishes and specialty cocktails.
Walking: 2 hours
Accompanied by Mercelys and a local guide, this morning you’ll take a van outside of the walled city to the Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa. From its position atop a hill in the center of the city you’ll enjoy a panoramic view of the city as you learn about daily contradictions and racial conflicts of colonial life as well as the strategic importance and defensive fortifications that protected the departing point for Spanish galleons carrying treasure to Spain.
Considering history from the perspective of a local Cartegenan, you'll take in the view from the lookout at La Popa before heading back down to sea level to the star-shaped fortress of San Felipe–the 500-year-old stronghold that was the main defensive fortification for the city and port during colonial rule.
Your morning considerations of the wealth, power, and poverty of colonialism will conclude with a lunch in the colorful and bustling local market of Bazurto where you’ll try one of the famous rice dishes cooked in large pots. After a delicious local meal and a tour of the market you’ll return to the hotel to rest or join your local host for an introduction to some of the local artisans at las bóvedas in the walled city.
You’ll be free in the evening to further explore the walled city or to venture to the nearby neighborhood of Getsemaní for cocktails and dancing.
Walking: ~4 hours
After breakfast Mercelys will meet at your colonial hotel and you’ll check out before catching the locals’ shuttle boat to Tierra Bomba island. Here you’ll get to see a piece of the real Cartagena, still untouched by mass tourism and the place that local boat captains, restaurant workers, and cleaning personnel call home.
You’ll get special access to the tunnels of the fort and observe the daily life of locals as you explore this community. Your local host will invite you to a cooking lesson and a typical lunch in her home and introduce you to friends and neighbors. You may decide to play checkers next door or take the moto taxis around the town before checking into your beach hotel on the west side of the island. You’ll be free to relax this evening.
Boat time: 30 mins
Walking: ~1 hour
Today's activities are dedicated to the Colombian art of ocio (focused leisure) as you lounge on the beach outside your hotel, snorkel through the warm Caribbean, or take an optional three-hour scuba diving lesson. In the afternoon you’ll have the option to meet up with your local host again and explore the countryside and secret beaches of the island. Between motorbike rides, Mercelys will show you the normal daily lives of Colombians and tell you the stories of her childhood growing up on Tierra Bomba.
In the evening you’ll have a private salsa lesson with Bocachica locals.
Walking: ~1 hour
After checking out of your beach hotel you’ll take the shuttle boat back to the port where a car will transfer you to the airport. Your local host will be available to coordinate transportation and arrival to the airport or the next leg of your Colombian adventure whether you're carrying on to Santa Marta and the Ciudad Perdida, Bogota, or Medellín. You’ll leave this city having learned about history, socio-economic complexities, and made local connections. You won’t leave this place without already planning to return.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
For further questions don't hesitate to reach out to us directly.
