Holidays with Downtown

Day 1: Cartagena

Upon arrival at Cartagena airport you’ll be welcomed by you guide who will provide a private transfer to your selected hotel in Cartagena for check-in and overnight.

Day 2: Cartagena

This tour is for those travelers who want to experience the culture in an authentic and non-touristic way, get to know the social reality of the city, taste fruits and typical food, learn about the traditions and beliefs of the natives, their music and their way of life. It is a complete immersion in the local culture. The whole adventure will be guided by a local bilingual guide who has been in charge of showing the visitors the social reality of the city and the authentic way of life of the cartageneros, without adaptations for tourism. We will meet Alex, who has a foundation bearing his name and is in charge of teaching English to children in underprivileged neighborhoods. We start in Getsemaní, an ancestral and colorful neighborhood where its residents know how to enjoy life. Then we head to the Bazurto market, the heart of the city, a place where partying, food and work all combine to create an atmosphere full of life and flavors with countless exotic fruits and typical preparations. [B]

Day 3: Cartagena (Fishing with the natives of La Boquilla)

Every morning, 365 days a year, the people of the village La Boquilla, get up to go fishing. La Boquilla is the home to many families with African origins whose principal source of income is fishing. There are two big lagoons: the Cienaga de Juan Polo and the Cienaga de la Virgen. Different species of fish can be caught in these lagoons and the fishermen use their own traditional technique of fishing. They catch sea bass (róbalo), shad (sábalo), common two-banded sea bream (mojarra), ocean-bass (pargo negro), mullet (lebranche), as well as sea snails, clams, shrimp, crawfish and lobster. Three common techniques are generally used: fishing line, nets and traps. The fishermen will wait for us in La Boquilla, early morning, to take us to the lagoon in their canoes. The tour guide will help us communicate with the fishermen. For about 2-3 hours, we will fish in the lagoon (don’t forget to bring a hat, sunscreen and mosquito repellent!). The fishermen will explain how to use the fishing line, how to throw the fishing net and how to position the traps in order to catch shrimp and crawfish. If you wish to eat the fish and crabs you have caught, keep your catch because we go to one of the fishermen’s houses to cook and have lunch together!  In the afternoon visit the project DAMARTES (Damas y Madres del Arte – ‘Women and Mothers of Art’) an association composed of seven women that, nowadays, produce jewelry, containers, vases, belts and accessories and are the first economically independent women of La Boquilla. All of them are mothers and most of them already grandmothers with interesting life stories that they like to share with us. You are invited to a nice rustic restaurant right on the beach for a very special workshop where you’ll learn how to make your own souvenir out of coconut. It is possible to craft bracelets, keychains, earrings or necklaces. Return to the hotel for overnight. [B/L/S]

Day 4: Cartagena, USA

The colorful streets of Cartagena are made for a walk, explore the walled city with your personal guide who will tell you about Cartagena’s past and present when visiting monuments such as the Clock Tower or Don Pedro de Heredia´s statue, the city’s founder, as well as other less visited parts of the historic center. During the walk, you may notice many influences – Romanesque, Moorish, colonial, military, Arabic, Spanish and North American that have given shape to Cartagena. You’ll also pass by Parque Bolivar, facing the Palace of the Inquisition, which is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, and San Pedro Claver Square, dedicated to the Spanish-born monk known as “Slave of the Slaves” for his life spent ministering African slaves brought to the Spanish colonies. At the appointed time you’ll be picked up for your transfer to the airport to board your connecting flight back home. [B]

[B] = Breakfast | [B/L] = Breakfast and Lunch | [B/L/S] = Breakfast, Lunch and Snack