The Best Day Trips to Take From Cartagena
While Cartagena has many attractions, including San Felipe Castle, museums, beaches, water sports, as well as various restaurants and cafés, there are also seven great day trips to discover new and unique experiences.
San Basilio de Palenque
San Basilio de Palenque (declared a site of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO) is a village located 35 miles (56 kilometers), or approximately one hour, southeast of the city and can be reached by car or bus from the city. The village was one of the first freed slave cities in the Americas and still holds its indigenous traditions, culture, and language (Palenquero). The village has played an important part in Colombia’s history, being the birthplace of various musicians and genres including palenque and champeta.
Mercado de Bazurto
Tierra Bomba Island
Tierra Bomba Island is a large island with an area of over 4905 acres (1,985 hectares) located opposite Bocagrande. The island can be seen from the shores of Cartagena but is rarely visited, and it’s home to over 9,000 people. The island can be reached by boat and has relaxing white sandy beaches, locally cooked traditional dishes, and a relaxing environment for a day trip away from the busy city.
La Boquilla and Mangrove Swamps
La Boquilla is a small fishing village between the sea and the swamp. Cartagena’s fishermen have historically constructed vast canal networks to allow fishermen to get from their village to the ocean. These canals stretch far and wide throughout the previous unexplored grassland, but today, these canals can be experienced by paddling down with canoes and discovering the ecosystem, extensive wildlife, and crab plants.
Usiacurí
Usiacurí is a small, picturesque colonial village approximately 52 miles (83 kilometers), or 1 hour 40 minutes, from Cartagena. The town is one of the oldest on Colombia’s Atlantic coast, discovered in 1533 by Spaniard Francisco César. Today, the village remains relatively unchanged with Spanish-style colonial buildings, artisanal products, and a population of 9,000. The village thrives off artisan crafts produced with iraca (a type of plant) to create a variety of handmade items, including weavings.
Volcan del Totumo
The Volcan del Totumo—35 miles (55 kilometers), 1 hour, north of Cartagena—is a 49-foot-tall (15-meter) active mud volcano mound; 10–15 people can climb the steps up the side the top of the volcano and climb in. The dense, warm mud is relaxing and is believed to have healing qualities. Visitors can receive personal massages and then bathe in a nearby lagoon to wash off the excess mud.
1. Rosario Islands
Villa
The Rosario Islands are a collection of 27 small islands located within the National Park Reserve area 62 miles (100 kilometers) off the coast of Cartagena. Most of the islands are uninhabited, but a small number contain eco hotels, where visitors can stay or visit for a day trip. Day trips to the islands involve a short boat ride to the chosen island, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to relax on the island with a home-cooked traditional Caribbean-style dish. These day trips are great for undertaking water sports activities, relaxing, or just taking in the island life.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
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