Outside vendors question

Booking this weekend for a cruise in three weeks. Need help finding non cruise line vendors. What did you do / are you doing in this area? Thanks!

Ports of Call: Cartagena, Colombia,

We booked a private tour (just the two of us) with Jacinto Jimenez (J.J.) Taborda. He created a tour for us based on what I told him we wanted to see (La Popa, Forteza, Walled City) and what we did not want to see (no shopping). It was a highlight of our Panama Canal cruise.

J.J. can be reached at jacinto-200@hotmail.com.

We did Dora's city tour, though our guide was named Mercedes. I'd highly recommend her!

We enjoyed our tour with Claudia Vidal.

You might also check with Lee Miles. Email: leland at misteremerald dot com

Cartagena is a really easy city to get around by taxi if you speak a tiny bit of Spanish.

The view from La Popa monastery is quite a sight. This is perhaps the only place to have your taxi driver wait for you. Figure about 50,000 COP (US$28.50) for the taxi round trip, including wait time, for up to three passengers. Entry to the monastery is cheap and there are many guides waiting there to give tours (a few are bilingual). This is the most expensive stop in Cartagena!

Have the taxi driver drop you at the Casitllo de San Felipe de Barajas after your visit to La Popa. Again entry is cheap and guides are waiting.

Hail a taxi for a short and cheap (8,000 COP = US$4.50) taxi ride to el Torre Reloj (Clock Tower) at the entrance to the old walled city. You can do a bit of shopping, tour the gold museum (free entry!), and dine at a sidewalk cafe in one of the courtyards.

Just hail a taxi back to the ship from the old city (8,000 COP) once you are done! Taxi fares, guides, and entry to the sites for about US$50 for three people.

We used Lee Miles and were exceptionally happy since we got the famous Claudia as a guide (she does runs for him when she's not booked)..

Review here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1508966

I would just book at taxi. When you first go outside the gate don't stop to talk with the people trying to sell you tours. Instead proceed outside where there will be someone who speaks good english who you can speak with about a taxi and you can arrange places to see and a set length of the tour and lock in the price. We did this our last time around earlier this year and it worked out perfectly for us.

Keith

I would just book at taxi. When you first go outside the gate don't stop to talk with the people trying to sell you tours. Instead proceed outside where there will be someone who speaks good english who you can speak with about a taxi and you can arrange places to see and a set length of the tour and lock in the price. We did this our last time around earlier this year and it worked out perfectly for us.

 

Keith

I agree 100%. Research (here or youtube) the things you want to see and get a cab. Dont settle on the 1st drivers who are overbearing; go to the polite driver who stands by their cars and are respectfull. Tell them you itenerary, the time you want to hire them for, and ask a price. Negotiate as needed or go to another driver.

By the way, check out the mud volcano: