City Sights and Beachfront Paradise in Cartagena

Welcome to Cartagena, a Colombian city that features the best of urban living and beautiful beaches. Known for its nightlife and diverse art, this city begs to be explored, and on this trip, you’ll have the time to see it all! Get checked in at the hotel and wander around the Bocagrande area, known for its gorgeous beaches, stellar food options, and boutique shopping for souvenirs. Grab an authentic Colombian meal and let the fun begin!

Good morning and welcome to your first full day in this vibrant city! Today, we’ll start our exploration with a street art and graffiti tour through the Getsemaní barrio. This area boasts individuality and free-spirited energy, as you’ll see within the paintings that tell the story of the area and its people. We’ll start at the Cartagena Clock Tower and make our way through the streets of the neighborhood. Along the way, we will learn about the history of Cartagena and Colombian antiquity. We’ll end the tour in Puerto Duro where we can grab food with the group and reflect on all we’ve learned.

After lunch, we’ll meet back up with the group and walk the streets of Cartagena with a local guide who will tell us the history of the city, as we cover all the important landmarks in the area. We’ll visit locations such as the Clock Tower, Plaza de Bolivar, the Gold Museum, the Palace of Inquisition, and finish up at Las Bóvedas, the old dungeons attached to the city wall which now contain a bustling market. After a day filled with learning about Colombian culture, grab a bite to eat with the group and enjoy a night on the town before heading away from the city in the morning.

Rise and shine! After breakfast, we’ll make our way to Isla Grande by boat, one of Colombia’s beautiful islands that was made for rest and relaxation. We’ll check into the eco-friendly hostel and enjoy the beach front access to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. When the sun sets, we’ll take a boat ride through the mangroves and experience the beauty of bioluminescence, made possible by the plankton in the water. Discover a new aspect of nature, learn about the science behind this magical wonder, and enjoy a swim in the glowing water. When we return, we’ll have a traditional Colombian meal and toast to a great day.

We hope you slept well, as today features a day filled with adventure! We’ll start with a snorkeling tour led by local guides who will help us explore the coral reefs, the natural wildlife, and the colorful fish in the crystal-clear waters off the Colombian shore. Spend a few hours floating around this tropical paradise and learn about the local flora and fauna in the process.

After lunch, we’ll head to Orika Village to meet with the native community to learn about their culture. We’ll chat with some of the fishermen and learn how they catch their fish, we’ll meet the women of the village, and we’ll have the pleasure of trying homemade Caballito de Papayuela, a sweet papaya treat made from a generational recipe.

We’ve traveled from the city to a remote island and back, exploring everything we could along the way. Now, it’s time to pack up and head back home, taking a boat back to the city and a car to the airport. We hope you had a blast and will travel with us again soon!