A colourful wooden bus with onboard musicians and cheering people just drove past you? "What WAS that?" you ask in a daze of noise and lights.
That, my friend, was a Chiva; Colombia's public transport of old, turned to good use shuttling tourists and revelers around the city in the most warmly Cartageneran way possible.
There's two main ways to chiva (yes, I've made it a verb): the afternoon chiva tour that takes you to all the key sites around the city and the night time party chiva.
That, my friend, was a Chiva; Colombia's public transport of old, turned to good use shuttling tourists and revelers around the city in the most warmly Cartageneran way possible.
There's two main ways to chiva (yes, I've made it a verb): the afternoon chiva tour that takes you to all the key sites around the city and the night time party chiva.
CHIVA TOURIST TOUR
Four hours on a bus might seem a little overwhelming, but I recommend the Chiva Afternoon historical tours as the best-value way to see the main tourist attractions of Cartagena including the San Felipe Fort, the monastery at La Popa, the giant boots, the bays of Bocagrande and Manga and the grand houses of El Cabrero.
The tour includes entry to all the attractions and bi-lingual guided information (it's a fairly acceptable level of English.. not incredible). Considering the entry price to La Popa and the San Felipe fort is about 25,000 pesos alone, and the minimum cost of getting a taxi to La Popa is 20,000 pesos.. then you'll appreciate the 55,000 peso ticket price is very good value.
This is a great way to get all the tourist "should-dos" out of the way. As the bus snakes its way around Cartagena, you will get a better understanding of the different areas of the city to help orientate you for the rest of your stay. But it is hot. And it is long. So if money is no object, you might prefer springing the extra cash for a private tour in an air-conditioned van.
Meeting point/Pick-up
1. If you are hosted in Boca Grande or Laguito, they can pick you up directly with the chiva bus because that is where the Chiva tour is starting from. We would need the name of your hotel/building and room/flat number.
2. If you are hosted in the Old Town, Getsemani or anywhere else in Cartagena:
You can choose to meet in Laguito neighborhood (on the modern city side) at 1.30pm in front of the Subway restaurant across from the POSEIDON building. From the city center, it takes about 10-15 minutes by cab and the fare is 7,000 pesos MAXIMUM. Taxi drivers know Laguito really well as it is the most touristy area. Tell the driver to: "Por favor, llevenos a Barrio Laguito, frente al Poseidon".
Helmer or Erv will be waiting for you in front of the Subway Restaurant across from Poseidon tower. He's easy to recognize: tall, Caribbean looking, and funky hair.
Interested in booking in for a Chiva Afternoon Tourist Attractions Tour? Send an email. Be sure to specify you want the afternoon tourist tour and also tell us which hotel you are staying in, how many people and which meeting point you'd like. We'll then put you in touch with Helmer and Erv to arrange everything.
The tour includes entry to all the attractions and bi-lingual guided information (it's a fairly acceptable level of English.. not incredible). Considering the entry price to La Popa and the San Felipe fort is about 25,000 pesos alone, and the minimum cost of getting a taxi to La Popa is 20,000 pesos.. then you'll appreciate the 55,000 peso ticket price is very good value.
This is a great way to get all the tourist "should-dos" out of the way. As the bus snakes its way around Cartagena, you will get a better understanding of the different areas of the city to help orientate you for the rest of your stay. But it is hot. And it is long. So if money is no object, you might prefer springing the extra cash for a private tour in an air-conditioned van.
Meeting point/Pick-up
1. If you are hosted in Boca Grande or Laguito, they can pick you up directly with the chiva bus because that is where the Chiva tour is starting from. We would need the name of your hotel/building and room/flat number.
2. If you are hosted in the Old Town, Getsemani or anywhere else in Cartagena:
You can choose to meet in Laguito neighborhood (on the modern city side) at 1.30pm in front of the Subway restaurant across from the POSEIDON building. From the city center, it takes about 10-15 minutes by cab and the fare is 7,000 pesos MAXIMUM. Taxi drivers know Laguito really well as it is the most touristy area. Tell the driver to: "Por favor, llevenos a Barrio Laguito, frente al Poseidon".
Helmer or Erv will be waiting for you in front of the Subway Restaurant across from Poseidon tower. He's easy to recognize: tall, Caribbean looking, and funky hair.
Interested in booking in for a Chiva Afternoon Tourist Attractions Tour? Send an email. Be sure to specify you want the afternoon tourist tour and also tell us which hotel you are staying in, how many people and which meeting point you'd like. We'll then put you in touch with Helmer and Erv to arrange everything.
CHIVA NIGHT RUMBA TOUR
Putting the RUM into RUMba, the night Chiva tours are a distinctly Colombian affair with live musicians playing Vallenato, an open bar with local liquor and plenty of opportunity for fun. You'll tour around the city of Cartagena (which looks even more romantic and captivating at night!) and make new friends while you chair-dance your heart out. They are definitely tacky.. and there is almost no English spoken.. but with the right group they can also be a lot of fun if you come armed with the right attitude.
The night chiva tours run for 3-4 hours, include your booze and some snacks plus entry to a club afterwards. All for the bargain price of 45,000 pesos.
Here's the info:
The Night Chiva Tour costs 45,000 cop per person and includes
- a night tour of Cartagena on a traditional chiva bus
- live band onboard
- unlimited white rhum and Cola
- typical Caribbean finger food at one of the pit stops
- cover entrance to a night club at the end of the tour.
The tour starts from Barrio Laguito at around 8.30pm and ends at 12am.
Meeting point/Pick-up
1. If you are hosted in Boca Grande or Laguito, they can pick you up directly with the chiva bus because that is where the Chiva tour is starting from. We would need the name of your hotel/building and room/flat number.
2. If you are hosted in the Old Town, Getsemani or anywhere else in Cartagena:
You can choose to meet in Laguito neighborhood (on the modern city side) at 8.15pm in front of the Subway restaurant across from the POSEIDON building. From the city center, it takes about 10-15 minutes by cab and the fare is 7,000 pesos MAXIMUM. Taxi drivers know Laguito really well as it is the most touristy area. Tell the driver to: "Por favor, llevenos a Barrio Laguito, frente al Poseidon".
Helmer or Erv will be waiting for you in front of the Subway Restaurant across from Poseidon tower. He's easy to recognize: tall, Caribbean looking, and funky hair.
If you are really primed to party, you should be aware that the Chiva usually doesn't hand out the rum until all the passengers have been picked up.. so maybe bring along a little sumthin sumthin if you're feeling too "thirsty" to wait.
Interested in booking in for a Chiva Night Tour? Send an email. Tell us Chiva Night Tour and we also need to know how many people, where you're staying, and which meeting option you'd prefer.
The night chiva tours run for 3-4 hours, include your booze and some snacks plus entry to a club afterwards. All for the bargain price of 45,000 pesos.
Here's the info:
The Night Chiva Tour costs 45,000 cop per person and includes
- a night tour of Cartagena on a traditional chiva bus
- live band onboard
- unlimited white rhum and Cola
- typical Caribbean finger food at one of the pit stops
- cover entrance to a night club at the end of the tour.
The tour starts from Barrio Laguito at around 8.30pm and ends at 12am.
Meeting point/Pick-up
1. If you are hosted in Boca Grande or Laguito, they can pick you up directly with the chiva bus because that is where the Chiva tour is starting from. We would need the name of your hotel/building and room/flat number.
2. If you are hosted in the Old Town, Getsemani or anywhere else in Cartagena:
You can choose to meet in Laguito neighborhood (on the modern city side) at 8.15pm in front of the Subway restaurant across from the POSEIDON building. From the city center, it takes about 10-15 minutes by cab and the fare is 7,000 pesos MAXIMUM. Taxi drivers know Laguito really well as it is the most touristy area. Tell the driver to: "Por favor, llevenos a Barrio Laguito, frente al Poseidon".
Helmer or Erv will be waiting for you in front of the Subway Restaurant across from Poseidon tower. He's easy to recognize: tall, Caribbean looking, and funky hair.
If you are really primed to party, you should be aware that the Chiva usually doesn't hand out the rum until all the passengers have been picked up.. so maybe bring along a little sumthin sumthin if you're feeling too "thirsty" to wait.
Interested in booking in for a Chiva Night Tour? Send an email. Tell us Chiva Night Tour and we also need to know how many people, where you're staying, and which meeting option you'd prefer.