Mud Volcano

Hi!

We are interested in going to the mud volcano while in Columbia. Has anyone don't this? Is it worth it? Who should we book with? We will be arriving at 7am and departing at 4pm. Is this enough time?

Thank you!

Lauren

We went to the mud volcano 3 years ago and had a blast. There were 4 of us, and we just got a taxi at the port for $180 for the whole day. I think the normal price was $200, but they gave us a discount. The drive to the volcano was about 1.5 hours. We got to see a lot of the city as well as the countryside. We drove past 2 or 3 military check points, and had to stop once. The cab driver had to fill out some paperwork and pay a fee. I think it was for transporting passengers from one state to another, but not sure. At no point did we feel unsafe. In fact the check points made us feel safer.

We were the only tourists at the volcano. Our cab driver knew the people there, and they were very friendly. We got some food and drinks and used the facilities before going up to the volcano itself.

Being in the mud was lots of fun. The mud is heavier than you, so you don't sink. If you stand up, you'll sink to waist level. If you lay flat, you'll float. So you can actually swim around in the mud, which was at ambient temperature. Sometimes gas bubbles would break through the surface, but there was no foul smell. The mud is supposed to make your skin look younger. They told us the people there were over 100 years old, but they didn't look a day over 40 ;-)

There were 3 men in the mud with us and they gave us massages. Since we were floating, they were able to reach the top and the bottom sides without turning us over. This was probably a better spa experience than on the ship. Certainly more unique. Afterwards, we walked down to a nearby lake where some women helped wash the mud off. There was a boy there who took our cameras and took pictures of everything.

There was a nominal entry fee (I think $5), and no prices posted for any of the services. At the end of the visit, you just tip them what you feel is appropriate. Most of the people there didn't speak much English, so it would be helpful if you knew some Spanish. Total time there was about 2 hours. As we were leaving, a minivan pulled up with a group of about 8 European tourists. We felt fortunate that we didn't have to share our masseuses with so many people :-)

When we got back to Cartagena, we still had a couple hours left. So our driver took us to the old town area, walked around with us to the major sites, and even stopped at a couple of stores. He then drove us to the fort, but we didn't go in because the entry fee was a little high and we didn't have much time. We got back to the pier in plenty of time, though. Actually did more shopping at the cruise terminal.

Our cab didn't have air conditioning, but it was okay because it wasn't a hot day. If that's important, you can always ask for another cab before you get in. There were lots of them waiting in a holding area. Also, negotiate the price before you get in. And one last advice: bring ear plugs. I kept finding mud in my ears for a few weeks after the cruise.

I think this is the only mud volcano in the world that you can bathe in, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Definitely worth going!

Thank you so much your reply was very helpful! Did you arrange to have a cab or did you just find one at the port?

We just walked out of the port area and got a cab. There was a guy right outside the gates that organized them. He asked what we wanted and called the next cab in from the staging area. I just read that if you go across the street you may be able to get cabs for less, but we didn't know that at the time.

It's not a really popular destination, so make sure you get a driver that knows how to get there. If you don't speak Spanish, you may want to write down the name for the driver. It's Volcan de Lodo El Totumo, located in Santa Catalina.

Also, may I suggest trying to get other people from your roll call to join you. That's what we did. It made the cab fare cheaper and added to the fun.

Enjoy your trip!

We were just in Cartagena again several weeks ago. Didn't go to the mud volcano, because the people I was with didn't want to get dirty. But I can give you an update on taxi prices.

We walked out of the port complex and onto the street. The taxi to Old Town was $10 for 3 of us. If we had taken a taxi right in front of the terminal, the price was $20 for the same trip. We asked the driver how much he would charge to go to the mud volcano, and he said $130. So you can save a lot of money by just walking an extra 5 minutes out to the street. There were several taxis waiting there, so you can even choose one you like. But make sure you agree on a price before you get in.

Enjoy.

Thank you so much! We will def walk the extra 5 min to get a better price!

Thank you so much! We will def walk the extra 5 min to get a better price!

The mud volcano is a must see. Definitely walk outside past the initial taxi stand to the road. The cabbies will not want to take you to the mud volcano because it is so far, so just keep walking. Eventually someone will agree to take you.

The funny thing is that the cab drivers must get kickbacks from the stores because, like an earlier post said, they still take you to the old town, the newer shopping area, and the emerald place

I guarantee you will return to the ship saying WOW.

We did this one with Shore Excursioneer and liked the fact that they include a back to ship guarantee...it's just a thing less to worry about, and a big one LOL