Cartagena Colombia

[The Odd Couple]

I've read the reviews for the ship's excursions in Cartagena, but most reviewers have been negative about what they saw and how they spent their time. Is there anybody out there who came away with a positive experience who could give me some recommendations, please? Thanks for your help.

[jillorpy]

Have been to Cartagena in Spain and found it vey easy to get around by ourselves. A great city.

[Keith1010]

Cartagena, Colombia is a beautiful area which gets better with each passing year.

 

Places to visit include:

 

Walled City

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-N1ePHVXcSz0/UQF1J7JXq-I/AAAAAAAAX4o/MJroIvHcJGs/s1600/DSC_4955.jpg

 

a Popa Monastery (High a top the city)

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0HJMXlLX-bY/UQFvjUr_QvI/AAAAAAAAX0Y/RR6om_TcQt8/s1600/DSC_4936.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGNepZ62E6k/UQFvodQfJdI/AAAAAAAAX0k/p5k1dq97Ddw/s1600/DSC_4935.jpg

 

Fort San Felipe de Barajas

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jw2bgRQGXJc/UQFybcVt3fI/AAAAAAAAX2o/A-8RCkwTrWA/s1600/DSC_4944.jpg

 

Old City

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8wlRCVbq9Y/UQF2h0pyurI/AAAAAAAAX5Y/PjoYotNYGII/s1600/DSC_4963.jpg

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ht_8nwfjQKE/UQF2ZC8RSgI/AAAAAAAAX40/I963leyEQVQ/s1600/DSC_4962.jpg

 

Consider a private tour and check out the Ports Of Call Section of Cruise Critic and also Trip Advisor to find tours.

 

Keith

[jtl513]

Seven years ago we took a ship's excursion that visited the fort, the monastery, and the old city, and enjoyed it all. There were a bunch of street peddlers at the fort, but by staying in the middle of the tour group they were easy to ignore.

.

Edited December 14, 2015 by jtl513

[kazu]

Loved it there. A beautiful spot. You need transportation to see everyting though.

 

We did a private tour there with Marlevy Pena (wonderful ratings on tripadvisor and well deserved). And thanks to her, we had an enjoyable time. She took us to the spots when the tour buses weren't there so it wasn't crowded nor hectic. My only regret was that we did not have more time in that port.

 

The area that you walk through at the dock is truly lovely with flamingos, birds, wildlife and very picturesque.

 

Definitely worth a visit. Can't comment on the ships' tours though, sorry.

[bcd2010]

3 years ago, we took a private tour from Mr. Emerald, an ex-pat who trains tour guides - one of the best tours and best tour guides ever! See my Cartagena blog post for photos, narrative and info on how to contact him.

Edited December 14, 2015 by bcd2010

[pbnjrockette]

Loved it there. A beautiful spot. You need transportation to see everyting though.

 

We did a private tour there with Marlevy Pena (wonderful ratings on tripadvisor and well deserved). And thanks to her, we had an enjoyable time. She took us to the spots when the tour buses weren't there so it wasn't crowded nor hectic. My only regret was that we did not have more time in that port.

 

The area that you walk through at the dock is truly lovely with flamingos, birds, wildlife and very picturesque.

 

Definitely worth a visit. Can't comment on the ships' tours though, sorry.

 

Another vote for Marlevy Pena's tour! She did a marvelous commentary and avoided the heavily crowded areas. Be sure to save time on your way back to the ship to visit the birds and wildlife as mentioned above!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been to the Cartagena in Columbia several times.

The first time we were there we went to the fort, monastery and the old city.

We did the ship's excursion. There were vendors outside the fort but we ignored them.

If you have trouble walking there is a free shuttle to take you from the ship (and back) to the area near where the bus tours begin.

[The Odd Couple]

Thanks so much everyone for your very positive comments, which are a great help in deciding what to do in the limited time we are in Cartagena. Thanks folks!!

[kelleherdl]

Personally think Cartegna deserves a longer port call. It is a beautiful Spanish colonial city. I would really like to have 8 to 10 hours there to really do more.

 

Dennis

[vakamalua]

3 years ago, we took a private tour from Mr. Emerald, an ex-pat who trains tour guides - one of the best tours and best tour guides ever! See my Cartagena blog post for photos, narrative and info on how to contact him.

 

Another big Thumbs Up for Mr Emerald! We did a private tour with one of his guides and had a wonderful time. We left as soon as the ship docked and stayed one step ahead of the large ship groups all day. He took us to all the major sites and some of the smaller sites in the old city that the groups don't go. I told our guide that I only wanted to buy a hat so he recommended a local vendor and kept all the other vendors away from us to prey on the big groups. Great Experience; Beautiful City!

[Seafoam Green]

Personally think Cartegna deserves a longer port call. It is a beautiful Spanish colonial city. I would really like to have 8 to 10 hours there to really do more.

 

Dennis

 

I definitely agree. It would be easy to fill an entire day in Cartagena. I would love to go back there.

 

I took the Princess tour 'Cartagena By Land & Sea'. We first went all around the harbor to see the city and the forts, a really great perspective and a fun boat ride. Then we did a shorter bus tour of the congested city (lots of traffic there) after visiting an emerald merchant who provided us with cold drinks and clean restrooms without any pressure to make purchases (a few in a our group did). We also did a full tour of the fort. Our guide was terrific and he made the tour interesting and fun.

 

:D

[veryseasonedtraveler]

I want to double down on Mr. Emerald. I arranged an excursion thru him and we were all pleased. He met us at the pier and turned everything over to his guide. Our tour was in a van with an English speaking driver. Loved seeing the beautiful city. The historical section is colorful, especially with the ladies parading around with fruit on their heads. Our only problem was our short stop while there.

 

We did have a stop in his Emerald shoppe with refreshments. Would you believe the HAL excursion came in as we were leaving!

 

Our son bought a lovely painting on the street for very little.

 

The port area was also nicely done with colorful birds. I would not try to do anything on our own as everything is remote. Go with his tour. Great stop.

[Lizzie68]

We loved Cartagena, it is truly beautiful and we visited some great places on our tour. Very, very hot while we were there, however, and I recommend taking neck cooler and a fan on your tour.

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

I did a similar shore excursion to what other people have mentioned. Took us to the fort and other highlights. I highly recommend it. Great city to visit full of history.

[Tarpeian Rock]

We were in Cartagena earlier this year. Liked the old city very much, but thought the fort was a colossal waste of time, and physically very challenging in the heat. Have been to many other old forts that were more interesting. Would skip the fort and spend more time walking the beautiful streets.

[iflyrc5]

We did a private tour with Claudia in Columbia earlier this year and she was outstanding. She even gave us a DVD with images of the places that she was taking us to plus other areas of the city that we did not get to see. She took us by van to many areas including the church on the hill and also a walking tour in the old city. She would modify the tour for what ever we wanted to do. You will find a lot of information on Claudia and other tour operators in the Ports of call area of the CC.

[freestyling]

Agree that private tour is the way to go. We have been 3 times now and used Mr. Emerald and Claudia. Both were very good. The 1st time we did use HAL excursion called the Taste of Cartegena which was ok. Would also strongly suggest a neck cooler and handheld fan.

[Krispie5]

We just got back Friday morning on the Zuiderdam that made a stop in Cartagena. We took a brand new tour offered by HAL to the National Aviary of Colombia. It is not yet open to the public (they are still working on building parts, but all the main structures are finished and open) and we were the second group to tour this facility. It was absolutely beautiful and filled with exotic birds and other wildlife. Some birds are out in the open and very friendly like a gold crowned heron who loved to be touched and followed everyone around. This tour was shaded by trees while walking through the Aviary and we were offered plenty of bottled water and were encouraged to take breaks. This definitely which helped with the heat. I would recommend bug repellent because everyone was getting bitten up. A must do for bird and wildlife lovers :)

[The Odd Couple]

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread. We will be in Cartagena in March and think I will see if anyone on our role call is up for a private tour.

[kazu]

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread. We will be in Cartagena in March and think I will see if anyone on our role call is up for a private tour.

 

 

I am not sure about the others, but Marlevy does let you sign onto a tour (assuming there is room) without having to have arranged your own private tour. Just in case there is not enough interest on your roll call. We did it privately, but the option is there.

 

Enjoy the lovely city :)

[Cindy]

Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread. We will be in Cartagena in March and think I will see if anyone on our role call is up for a private tour.

 

I am not sure about the others, but Marlevy does let you sign onto a tour (assuming there is room) without having to have arranged your own private tour. Just in case there is not enough interest on your roll call. We did it privately, but the option is there.

 

Enjoy the lovely city :)

 

I'm booked with Marelvy (off the Equinox) in March, and she has been just wonderful to work with. I customized her standard tour to remove some of the shopping and include more local culture, then opened it up to my roll call. We've filled three groups so far! I've found Marelvy to be very responsive and I'm really looking forward to Cartagena.

[Jade13]

We want to know where to go to see the animals and reptiles.

 

Note that Celebrity has changed their ultimate western Caribbean cruise to include an overnight here so there are two full days.

[sail7seas]

Thanks so much everyone for your very positive comments, which are a great help in deciding what to do in the limited time we are in Cartagena. Thanks folks!!

 

Speaking of enjoying tours.......

 

I see you are from Cotswolds and I so well remember wonderful tour we took to visit your corner of the world. It was very enjoyable. :)

 

[The Odd Couple]

Speaking of enjoying tours.......

 

I see you are from Cotswolds and I so well remember wonderful tour we took to visit your corner of the world. It was very enjoyable. :)

 

 

Yes, it's a lovely part of the UK. We are so lucky to live here. If you need any recommendations for a future trip, just let me know!