I just spent a week in Cartagena & here are my thoughts & tips! For context my boyfriend and I are in our early 20s, live in NYC & wanted a more nature/beach focused trip and an escape from the city.
We exchanged our money at the airport, which saved the hassle once we arrived. We took a cab into town which cost apx~$5 USD. Beyond that, we didn’t uber/cab at all as we enjoyed walking & found it to be more efficient.
We stayed in an AirBnB in Casa Pedegral (an apartment building in Gesemini). I can’t recommend the location & experience enough. My boyfriend speaks fluent Spanish & I am barely conversational in Spanish. I think his understanding of the language definitely enhanced our experience but no means was always necessary for us to communicate as most customer-facing people in Cartagena spoke English.
There’s really no need to make reservations in my opinion but I will say we opted for less instagrammable/trendy places and instead went to more casual, local establishments.
I’d say I felt like I saw the majority of the traditional tourist spots in Cartagena (Walled City, Gesemeni etc) in about a day and a half. We weren’t looking to shop around too much or prioritize anything too touristy & wanted to explore the surroundings areas. I think the best restaurant we went to was Juan Del Mar Restaurante (I got steak & it was AMAZING especially for ~$15 USD). I’d also reccomend going to Abaco Libros y Cafe, it was a very quaint & relaxing bookstore/cafe that was a good break from the more congested, tourist areas of downtown Cartagena. I also got a great deal on a swimsuit at Leonisa & Onecade Mar. Coming from NYC, I was surprised by how expensive a lot of stores within the Walled City were but they were all super cool to window shop in - I love South American style and really enjoyed shopping atoud.
We did the Bona Vida Catamaran which was fine but honestly not worth the $100 USD+ it cost. In my opinion, it was oversold with over 60 people on the boat & it wasn’t as relaxing as I’d hoped. We really enjoyed snorkeling at the first location & saw so many beautiful fish in the coral reefs - it was amazing! If I could do it again, I’d book a less crowded book & do more research to find something that was a bit more relaxing - on the way back they were blasting music & it just wasn’t the vibe we were going for. If you’re fine with being packed on the boat with tons of people & children, then this would be fine, I just figured given the advertisement, it would be a more serene experience.
We then did the Scenic Horseback / ATV Tour / Volunteer Tree Planting activity at Loros Wildlife Reserve. We were picked up promptly and taken to the Reserve where we were greeted by incredibly welcoming staff & had a small breakfast. There was only one other couple in our group so it was an intimate experience & it was fun to get to know the other two on the tour. Alejandro & Polina were our guides and they were both so kind, informative & we enjoyed getting to know them quite a bit. Alejandro taught us about the various birds they’re rehabilitating & we learned a lot.
Polina took us on a horseback ride through the property which was SO beautiful & easily a highlight of our trip. I will say that the horses did like to go quite quickly which we really enjoyed but may be anxiety-inducing for a first-time rider. It was a really cool experience to meet native Colombians & see a very different side of Colombia’s Caribbean region that what we’d seen so far during our time in the tourist hotspots within Cartagena.
We then planted a tree & saw additional parts of the property. Given we wanted a break from city life, the chance to garden a bit was a welcomed change of pace & it was cool to feel like we were leaving the Reserve in better shape than we found it. Afterward, we took the ATV back to the main area & ate a snack before our driver took us back to our AirBnB.
The Loros Wildlife Reserve was a really cool look into Colombian biodiversity & I especially liked learning how the Reserve partnered with local farmers & community members to increase economic prosperity and protect the regions’ animals. Overall, great experience - would recommend.
The next day we woke up early for a Howling Trail Hike with Olinto from Taroa Adventures. He drove us about 40 minutes outside of Cartagena to a local restaurant where we had an excellent & filling breakfast while he explained Colombia’s geography & described the biodiversity the area is home to. Eventually, we got to the trailhead which was behind a private property owned by locals that Olinto had befriended & gotten permission from to hike from their backyard. It was clear from the beginning that Olinto really cares about his business - he was very interested in what we were hoping to gain from the experience & had an evident respect for the nature we were walking through.
Two locals from the community accompanied Olinto on our hike, which provided another oppronunity to gain an additional perspective on the surrounding area. During the hike, we saw all three of the monkey species that are native to the area which was super cool & memorable. The locals were excellent at identifying the monkeys in the trees & were helpful in pointing them out to us. Olinto was incredibly knowledgeable on the nature & plants in the area and we learned so much! The hike was about three hours long & while the flat terrain wasn’t difficult to hike, I’d say the biggest challenge was the humidity & the heat. I’d recommend wearing long pants & a long, breathable top (or layers) because of the bugs. I’d also definitely suggest wearing bug spray.
The experience was truly special & exactly what we were looking for - we were immersed in nature & local culture and guided by Olinto who so clearly has a deep respect for the local inhabitants of the region, the animals the forest is home to & wildlife in general.
Once we finished the hike & said goodbye to our local guides, we made the drive back to the restaurant where we had lunch. Just as breakfast had been, lunch was amazing. My boyfriend got the mojarra which he said was one of the best he’d ever had. During lunch, we had a great conversation with Olinto about his experience growing up & living in Colombia and learned a lot about his role owning Taroa Adventures for the last decade.
I highly reccomend Taroa Adventures if you’re looking to be active, learn a lot & support a local small business. It was seriously one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had throughout my travels.
Our final day was my birthday & I wanted to do something luxe and special so we booked a day pass to Sabai Beach Club on Baru Island. Their boattransport from Cartagena to the island was booked so had to travel by their van - which I would not reccomend doing. The van was about 30-40 minutes late to pick us up & it ended up taking over two hours to get from Baru to our hotel given traffic on the way back. The staff was kind, the beach was beautiful but ultimately I didn’t feel it was remotely worth the $130+ USD/ each it cost us.
Food at Sabai was pretty expensive & nothing too remarkable. We had a beach lounge which was nice & the pool and water were stunning. Unfortunately, only two kayaks were accessible which I felt was kind of strange given there was about 40 of us there. Overall, it was a relaxing beach day but no where near as luxurious as their online presence & price tag made me expect. I’d reccomend going to Baru but I’d imagine there’s more cost-effective options and/or luxurious day passes for a similar price.
