El TOTUMO (MUD VOLCANO)
PRICES/SCHEDULE
Volcano only morning: 8am - 12noon 120,000 pesos pp
Volcano only afternoon: 1.30pm-5pm 120,000 pesos pp
Mangroves only 100,000 pesos
Volcano + Pink Sea Tour (Volcano, Lunch , Visit Galerazamba) : 8am -4pm 120,000 pesos pp
Volcano + Mangroves (Volcano, Lunch, Galerazamba, Mangroves) 8am- 5pm 200,000 pesos
Also available as a private tour with 6 or more people - volcano only 120,000 pesos pp, volcano with lunch 140,000 pesos
All tours include airconditioned transport to and from your hotel and an English-speaking guide.
Pick up times may vary depending upon the part of the city they are picking you up from but should be between 8am-8.30am
To make a reservation: Please provide your name, number of people, address for pickup and which tour option you would like. And email [email protected] You pay direct on the day in pesos. And remember to bring 15,000 pesos in tips for the Volcano services.
*ALL TOURS ARE AVAILABLE AS PRIVATE TOURS - ASK FOR A QUOTE *
ABOUT
When I first arrived to Cartagena I asked my friend, who had visited previously, whether the mud volcano was worth going to. Her very honest description kindof put me off for a full year (Angie, this is you!). After telling me it wasn't to her taste, she described it as a bunch of people swimming in mud, other people pushing you around in the mud, then you paying someone else to wash the mud off. This is all completely true. Somehow it is also a completely surreal and enjoyable experience. This is what you can expect:
Ok. First of all. It IS pretty touristy. This is to be expected because any single guidebook, list of things to do, info-about-Cartagena you will pick up or refer to, lists the Volcano on a pretty short list (3? 4?) of tourist attractions in Cartagena. There's a few different tour groups that go there. They are all pretty much the same. I feel the one I recommend has the advantage because a) they have English speaking guides and b) they have a private house at the Volcano which allows you to change and shower in more comfort than on a bus. You can also refresh yourself with a well-priced cold cerveza afterwards. So it's touristy (and I mean tourists from all over Latin America and the world) but they manage it all really well... despite the masses the site attracts.
So anyway, you arrive at the Volcano after an interesting drive through the countryside just outside Cartagena. Look out the window and take in the local villages and daily life. Your guide will tell you about the Volcano: How it is one of two types of Volcano in Colombia (mud v lava), how it is bottomless (cool!), the size, the supposed medicinal properties and incredible mineral content of the mud, and how tourism is supporting the economy of the tiny village of the Volcano. There are 3 services you pay the local residents for providing. Each service costs 5,000 pesos. This isn't subject to bargaining. It is a flat rate. The three services are 1) guy who takes your photos while you are in the mud (note: he is actually awesome! he takes establishing shots, closeups, panoramas etc) 2) guy who massages you while you are in the mud (this is so those super helpful properties of the mud can get working on your skin and body and what ails you).. and 3) the ladies who wash you in the river. So you're looking at a 15,000 pesos package each person, payable at the end.
Next you change into your swimwear, then feel awkward and exposed as you climb up the stairs to the mouth of the Volcano. You look into the pit and see it filled with people covered in mud. "Interesting", you think to yourself. "All of us willingly paying for the privilege of looking like creatures from the bog of eternal stench". Nevertheless, you descend the stairs while guy number 1 takes your photo and guy number 2 meets you and barks the 3 or so phrases in English he had learned in order to communicate with foreigners; one more! (take another step down), lie down, sit up.
The mud feels bizarre! It's cool and warm and thick. Everyone says the same thing. Oh! It feels so strange! After your in-mud massage you will be pushed, like muddy cattle, into another corner with the rest of the muddied-up folk. There you will attempt to sit upright. You will probably flounder about a bit like an up-ended turtle. You'll hang out in the mud. Become accustomed to the sensation. Chat with your fellow mud men, and feel like a veteran when the next newbie enters the pit. Don't forget to look up - guy number 1 is taking your photo! The mud gives you a feeling of weightlessness, keeping you suspended at the surface like a bobbing apple. It's actually a lot of fun!
When you've had your fill, you climb the ladder (this is when all the mud you've accumulated on your body plops all over the people still lurking below.. eliciting shouts of displeasure) and make your way to the top. One more pose for Photo Guy, then down the stairs on the side of the Volcano.
Now go down the slope towards the river, enviously eyeing all the clean people who are already on their way back. The ladies give you a thorough cleaning (yup, they will probably remove your swimwear.. by now you're probably feeling completely unabashed and won't mind). To be honest, if you don't mind annoying the ladies of the river by denying them the 3,000 pesos, you can probably do a passable job of cleaning yourself.
So how do you feel? Nice! Your skin feels soft and smooth. And you have that pleasant, slightly dopey feeling you get after a spa treatment.
It's actually not just tourists that go. Locals believe so strongly in the beneficial properties of the mud, they make regular visits to the Volcano and even purchase giant bottles of the mud to take away for home use (my roommate uses it religiously as a facial mask).
So, if you book the option with lunch or full day option, the next place you go is a delightful restaurant on a secluded beach in Manzanillo where you can enjoy a swim (and wash off some of that extra mud) while your lunch is prepared by a lovely local family.
After lunch you can return to Cartagena, or visit the "pink sea" or tour the mangroves.
Volcano only morning: 8am - 12noon 120,000 pesos pp
Volcano only afternoon: 1.30pm-5pm 120,000 pesos pp
Mangroves only 100,000 pesos
Volcano + Pink Sea Tour (Volcano, Lunch , Visit Galerazamba) : 8am -4pm 120,000 pesos pp
Volcano + Mangroves (Volcano, Lunch, Galerazamba, Mangroves) 8am- 5pm 200,000 pesos
Also available as a private tour with 6 or more people - volcano only 120,000 pesos pp, volcano with lunch 140,000 pesos
All tours include airconditioned transport to and from your hotel and an English-speaking guide.
Pick up times may vary depending upon the part of the city they are picking you up from but should be between 8am-8.30am
To make a reservation: Please provide your name, number of people, address for pickup and which tour option you would like. And email [email protected] You pay direct on the day in pesos. And remember to bring 15,000 pesos in tips for the Volcano services.
*ALL TOURS ARE AVAILABLE AS PRIVATE TOURS - ASK FOR A QUOTE *
ABOUT
When I first arrived to Cartagena I asked my friend, who had visited previously, whether the mud volcano was worth going to. Her very honest description kindof put me off for a full year (Angie, this is you!). After telling me it wasn't to her taste, she described it as a bunch of people swimming in mud, other people pushing you around in the mud, then you paying someone else to wash the mud off. This is all completely true. Somehow it is also a completely surreal and enjoyable experience. This is what you can expect:
Ok. First of all. It IS pretty touristy. This is to be expected because any single guidebook, list of things to do, info-about-Cartagena you will pick up or refer to, lists the Volcano on a pretty short list (3? 4?) of tourist attractions in Cartagena. There's a few different tour groups that go there. They are all pretty much the same. I feel the one I recommend has the advantage because a) they have English speaking guides and b) they have a private house at the Volcano which allows you to change and shower in more comfort than on a bus. You can also refresh yourself with a well-priced cold cerveza afterwards. So it's touristy (and I mean tourists from all over Latin America and the world) but they manage it all really well... despite the masses the site attracts.
So anyway, you arrive at the Volcano after an interesting drive through the countryside just outside Cartagena. Look out the window and take in the local villages and daily life. Your guide will tell you about the Volcano: How it is one of two types of Volcano in Colombia (mud v lava), how it is bottomless (cool!), the size, the supposed medicinal properties and incredible mineral content of the mud, and how tourism is supporting the economy of the tiny village of the Volcano. There are 3 services you pay the local residents for providing. Each service costs 5,000 pesos. This isn't subject to bargaining. It is a flat rate. The three services are 1) guy who takes your photos while you are in the mud (note: he is actually awesome! he takes establishing shots, closeups, panoramas etc) 2) guy who massages you while you are in the mud (this is so those super helpful properties of the mud can get working on your skin and body and what ails you).. and 3) the ladies who wash you in the river. So you're looking at a 15,000 pesos package each person, payable at the end.
Next you change into your swimwear, then feel awkward and exposed as you climb up the stairs to the mouth of the Volcano. You look into the pit and see it filled with people covered in mud. "Interesting", you think to yourself. "All of us willingly paying for the privilege of looking like creatures from the bog of eternal stench". Nevertheless, you descend the stairs while guy number 1 takes your photo and guy number 2 meets you and barks the 3 or so phrases in English he had learned in order to communicate with foreigners; one more! (take another step down), lie down, sit up.
The mud feels bizarre! It's cool and warm and thick. Everyone says the same thing. Oh! It feels so strange! After your in-mud massage you will be pushed, like muddy cattle, into another corner with the rest of the muddied-up folk. There you will attempt to sit upright. You will probably flounder about a bit like an up-ended turtle. You'll hang out in the mud. Become accustomed to the sensation. Chat with your fellow mud men, and feel like a veteran when the next newbie enters the pit. Don't forget to look up - guy number 1 is taking your photo! The mud gives you a feeling of weightlessness, keeping you suspended at the surface like a bobbing apple. It's actually a lot of fun!
When you've had your fill, you climb the ladder (this is when all the mud you've accumulated on your body plops all over the people still lurking below.. eliciting shouts of displeasure) and make your way to the top. One more pose for Photo Guy, then down the stairs on the side of the Volcano.
Now go down the slope towards the river, enviously eyeing all the clean people who are already on their way back. The ladies give you a thorough cleaning (yup, they will probably remove your swimwear.. by now you're probably feeling completely unabashed and won't mind). To be honest, if you don't mind annoying the ladies of the river by denying them the 3,000 pesos, you can probably do a passable job of cleaning yourself.
So how do you feel? Nice! Your skin feels soft and smooth. And you have that pleasant, slightly dopey feeling you get after a spa treatment.
It's actually not just tourists that go. Locals believe so strongly in the beneficial properties of the mud, they make regular visits to the Volcano and even purchase giant bottles of the mud to take away for home use (my roommate uses it religiously as a facial mask).
So, if you book the option with lunch or full day option, the next place you go is a delightful restaurant on a secluded beach in Manzanillo where you can enjoy a swim (and wash off some of that extra mud) while your lunch is prepared by a lovely local family.
After lunch you can return to Cartagena, or visit the "pink sea" or tour the mangroves.
GALERAZAMBA "PINK SEA"
Visit as part of full-day tour including Volcano, Lunch in La Boquilla, Visit Galerazamba : 8am -4pm 120,000 pesos pp
Private options available for groups of 6 or more
Galerazamba aka "The Pink Sea" became an instagram/tiktok sensation a couple of years back and suddenly everyone wanted to visit.
The pinkness is due to the saltiness of the waters and the existence of a type of algae called mugwort. Sounds Harry Potterish, right? It's also not really a sea. It is more like a lake, created to process the mining of salt via evaporation of the salty waters.
Galerazamba is located about 1 hour drive from Cartagena heading towards Barranquilla. Visiting the Salinas has become a super popular activity as a day trip. The landscape is pretty spectacular with the rosy waters, blue sky and unbroken horizon. There isn't really so much of a tour.. more of a photo op.
If you want to visit you can arrive via hire car, private driver or easiest of all, book a specific tour. There is a tour that combines the mud volcano with Galerazamba (only available during the months the sea is actually pink) or if you have 6 people you can opt to have the galerazamba visit on its own.
The best time to visit is January to March when the water is at its pinkest. Rainy season tends to dilute and muddy the colours. At time of booking we'll give as accurate assessment as possible as to current pinkness levels.
Send a booking request to [email protected] with your names, ID number, nationality, pick up hotel, contact number (preferably whatsapp) date of reservation, how many people and any questions you might have.
Private options available for groups of 6 or more
Galerazamba aka "The Pink Sea" became an instagram/tiktok sensation a couple of years back and suddenly everyone wanted to visit.
The pinkness is due to the saltiness of the waters and the existence of a type of algae called mugwort. Sounds Harry Potterish, right? It's also not really a sea. It is more like a lake, created to process the mining of salt via evaporation of the salty waters.
Galerazamba is located about 1 hour drive from Cartagena heading towards Barranquilla. Visiting the Salinas has become a super popular activity as a day trip. The landscape is pretty spectacular with the rosy waters, blue sky and unbroken horizon. There isn't really so much of a tour.. more of a photo op.
If you want to visit you can arrive via hire car, private driver or easiest of all, book a specific tour. There is a tour that combines the mud volcano with Galerazamba (only available during the months the sea is actually pink) or if you have 6 people you can opt to have the galerazamba visit on its own.
The best time to visit is January to March when the water is at its pinkest. Rainy season tends to dilute and muddy the colours. At time of booking we'll give as accurate assessment as possible as to current pinkness levels.
Send a booking request to [email protected] with your names, ID number, nationality, pick up hotel, contact number (preferably whatsapp) date of reservation, how many people and any questions you might have.
MANGROVES
PRICES/SCHEDULE
Mangrove tour and birdwatching via canoa
sunrise 5.30am-8.30am OR sunset 3.30pm-6pm 100,000 pesos pp
Full day tour with volcan, lunch in la boquilla and mangrove tour
8am-4pm 200,000 pesos pp
See more Mangrove and La Boquilla tour options here
ABOUT
I love visiting the mangroves of La Boquilla. Passing serenely with only the sounds of birds and the lapping of water against your canoa you feel far removed from the chaos of the tourist zone. If you're craxing some nature time, this might be the perfect option for you to include in your Cartagena itinerary.
You can visit the mangroves on their own (here's some tour options for La Boquilla) , or if you have a group of 6 or more, you can include it as part of the day trip to the Volcano. If you are including it in the Volcan day trip; this is what you can expect:
After enjoying a perfectly delicious lunch on the rustic and non-touristy beach of La Boquilla, you will be led to the wooden canoes that will take you through the Mangroves. Your guide is great. He/She will explain all about the mangroves, the birdlife, and other fauna and flora you encounter. The guy pushing the canoe will probably do a lot of heaving to make it very clear just how hard he is working and just how much he deserves a propina (tip) at the end.
Overall, if you have time, I think it is something that is interesting and nice to do. You see and learn about the natural environment of Cartagena, and it is extremely pleasant to float along on the water close to sunset. You also learn about some of the history of the various civilizations of the region which helps to put a lot into context. You also support local communities in an ecologically sound way.
Mangrove tour and birdwatching via canoa
sunrise 5.30am-8.30am OR sunset 3.30pm-6pm 100,000 pesos pp
Full day tour with volcan, lunch in la boquilla and mangrove tour
8am-4pm 200,000 pesos pp
See more Mangrove and La Boquilla tour options here
ABOUT
I love visiting the mangroves of La Boquilla. Passing serenely with only the sounds of birds and the lapping of water against your canoa you feel far removed from the chaos of the tourist zone. If you're craxing some nature time, this might be the perfect option for you to include in your Cartagena itinerary.
You can visit the mangroves on their own (here's some tour options for La Boquilla) , or if you have a group of 6 or more, you can include it as part of the day trip to the Volcano. If you are including it in the Volcan day trip; this is what you can expect:
After enjoying a perfectly delicious lunch on the rustic and non-touristy beach of La Boquilla, you will be led to the wooden canoes that will take you through the Mangroves. Your guide is great. He/She will explain all about the mangroves, the birdlife, and other fauna and flora you encounter. The guy pushing the canoe will probably do a lot of heaving to make it very clear just how hard he is working and just how much he deserves a propina (tip) at the end.
Overall, if you have time, I think it is something that is interesting and nice to do. You see and learn about the natural environment of Cartagena, and it is extremely pleasant to float along on the water close to sunset. You also learn about some of the history of the various civilizations of the region which helps to put a lot into context. You also support local communities in an ecologically sound way.
