Best Tours in Cartagena: Old City, Islands, Mud Volcanoes & More

Free Walking Tours

Several operators run tip-based walking tours through the Old City and Getsemaní. They last 2 to 3 hours, cover the major landmarks (clock tower, Plaza Santo Domingo, San Pedro Claver, the walls), and the quality depends entirely on the guide you get. The good ones are passionate history teachers. The mediocre ones are reading from a script.

Paid Walking Tours (Private & Small Group)

If you want a deeper experience — fewer people, flexible pace, and the option to detour into Getsemaní's street art or San Diego's quieter streets — paid private tours are worth the upgrade. Expect 3 to 4 hours with a guide who can adjust the route to your interests. The best guides are licensed and registered with Colombia's National Tourism Registry.

Rosario Islands Day Trip

The classic. A speedboat or catamaran takes you to one of the Rosario Islands (about 45 minutes from the harbor) for a day of swimming, snorkeling, and lunch. Most tours include transport, a basic lunch, and beach access. What varies wildly is the quality of the boat, how crowded it is, and whether "snorkeling" means actual reef or murky water with a few sad fish.

For a deeper breakdown of island options, see our Cartagena island tours guide.

Playa Blanca (Barú)

The most photographed beach near Cartagena. White sand, clear water, palm trees — it looks exactly like the photos. The catch: it's popular, and on weekends or holidays the beach fills with vendors, music, and crowds. Weekday visits are dramatically more pleasant. You can reach Playa Blanca by boat tour (often combined with Rosario Islands) or by land via a 1-hour drive from Cartagena.

Street Food Tours

Most street food tours start in Getsemaní or the Bazurto Market area, hitting 6 to 10 stops over 3 to 4 hours. You'll try arepas de huevo (the Cartagena version is different from the rest of Colombia), carimañolas, butifarras, tropical fruit you've never seen before, and whatever the guide's personal favorite discovery is. The market tours have the best food but the roughest environments — wear shoes you don't love.

Cooking Classes

Several operators run hands-on Caribbean Colombian cooking classes. You'll hit the market with the chef to buy ingredients, then spend 2 to 3 hours learning to make dishes like arroz con coco, ceviche, or patacones. These tend to be small-group experiences (4–8 people) and almost always include a generous lunch with everything you've cooked, plus cocktails. One of the higher-rated tour formats in the city.

Sunset Sailing

Catamaran or sailboat cruises along the Cartagena bay at golden hour. Drinks are usually included (rum punch is standard), and some tours add snacks or a DJ. The experience is more about the atmosphere than the sailing — you're watching the Old City walls light up gold from the water while nursing a cocktail. Consistently one of the highest-rated tour formats in Cartagena across all platforms.

Volcán del Totumo

About 45 minutes northeast of Cartagena. You climb a small "volcano" (more like a large mud mound), lower yourself into a crater of warm, dense mud, and float. Locals inside the crater will push you around and offer massages. Afterward, you rinse off in a nearby lagoon. The whole mud-in-crater part takes about 20 minutes. The rest of the tour is travel time.

San Basilio de Palenque Day Trip

An hour south of Cartagena, San Basilio de Palenque was the first free African settlement in the Americas — founded by escaped enslaved people in the 17th century. It's a UNESCO Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage, and visiting with a knowledgeable guide is one of the most meaningful cultural experiences available from Cartagena. Tours typically include music and dance performances, history walks, and a traditional lunch. Book through operators who work directly with the Palenque community.

Castillo San Felipe & Walls Tour

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is the largest colonial-era fortress in the Americas and genuinely impressive in scale. You can visit independently (COP 33,000 entry for foreigners), but a guided tour adds the military history context — the tunnels, the strategic design, the failed sieges — that makes the fortress more than just thick walls. Combined tours that include the fortress plus a walk along the city walls are the best value.