Five Days in Cartagena with Kids

We decided on Colombia because 1. JetBlue had an amazing deal, $75 each way 2. The flight wasn’t that long, under 3hrs and 3. Colombia is pretty inexpensive as far as accommodations, food and tours. I found this deal on Skyscanner, download there free app here, it’s amazing!

Landing in Cartagena

We arrived in Cartagena from Ft. Lauderdale, FL and gained 1hr due to the time difference. You de-board on the tarmac, having to walk down the stairs on the side of the plane. You’ll need to be able to carry everything you have on your own so be consider that when choosing to carry-on or check bags. We gate checked my daughters stroller but they sent it to baggage claim upon arrival. Depending on the age of your child you may want to use a carrier if they can’t walk down the stair. Be sure to put them in the carrier prior exiting the plane.

Where We Stayed in Cartagena

We booked our Cartagena Airbnb within the “walled city”. Just 10mins from the airport it was a $5-$7USD taxi ride.  Sign up for Airbnb here and save $40 on your first stay. Nervous about using Airbnb? Here are 8 Tips to Guarantee a Great Airbnb Experience.

What We Did in Cartagena

We got settled in and headed to Boca Grande for dinner, the South Beach of Colombia.  We asked the cab driver to drop us to a good restaurant and he did, but unfortunately writing down the name slipped my mind, sorry!

When deciding where to stay in Cartagena we were contemplating between Boca Grande and the Walled City. Let’s just say I was very happy we chose the later. Boca Grande was okay, just not my scene for this trip. There are tons of casinos but to me there didn’t seem to be much else other than night life.

Day Two: Totumo Volcano Tour

Thursday morning we were booked for the Totumo Volcano Tour. The tour cost $30USD per person and included lunch, grilled chicken or fried fish and coco rice. We took my 23 month old daughter on the tour and she was free of charge. Prior to booking the trip I asked about bringing my 10 week old and they said she was welcome but there was really no place to at the volcano to keep her out of the sun. My mom stayed in Cartagena with her as she wasn’t interested in going in the Volcano.

The tour picked us up from our Airbnb and made a few other pickups before we headed to Totumo, about a 2hr drive. When you arrive there is a covered room with lockers to put your belongings. Each group is assigned a photographer. You give him your phone or camera and he takes about 50 pictures of you before, during, and after your descent down the volcano. With so many people I was unsure he would use the correct camera but he did a great job.

You leave your shoes at the bottom of the volcano and walk up the wooden stairs barefoot. When you get to the top you see how steep the climb down is. I started thinking to myself this might not be such a great idea because I am terrified of heights. There isn’t much space while waiting at the top and there is no security railings to prevent you from falling off the side. I didn’t feel comfortable holding my daughter in my arms to climb down so my dad. There was another lady with a toddler and she also didn’t feel comfortable. She was alone so she didn’t have anyone to help her but one of the employees carried her son down for her.

Once in the volcano you are given a 5min massage. I read about this and had decided before I didn’t want one but they don’t really give you an option. They say you can’t sink and I have to say you do just seem to automatically float in the mud. I held my head up as to not get my hair filled with mud and my daughter laid/sat on top of me and I still didn’t sink. The climb up is much scarier than the climb down as this ladder is filled with mud from everyone who has climbed before you.

After you get down from the Volcano you walk over to a lake area where there are women to wash you off. I hope you aren’t shy because they dig ALL in your swimsuit to get every bit of dirt out. I definitely know some people saw my boobs, I’m still shamefully wondering if one of them was my dad….

When you go back to get your belongings the staff that gave you the massage and cleaned you up come up for their payment. Bring small bills and coins because they DO NOT give change. The tour company provided watermelon for a snack and then we were off to lunch at the beach.

In hindsight my mom could of came along and just not went in the Volcano. There was actually a lady on our tour who did just that. When I inquired about the tour they said it would be really hot and no place for her to sit while we were at the Volcano. That proved to be untrue as there is the covered area where the lockers and snack shop were.

We took this day to walk around the walled city with no real agenda besides dinner reservations.  All the colorful houses and buildings are just so beautiful and eye captivating and we enjoyed just seeing those. There are many squares in the walled city with people performing traditional dances and other acts and we caught a few.

We looked through shops, checked out the viewpoints overlooking the ocean and did the tour at the Emerald Tour at JC Emeralds. They didn’t try to pressure us into buying anything at all which I really liked.

We headed to Carmen for dinner, supposedly one of the best restaurants in Cartagena. When I made the reservation online, they give you the option of requesting an area of the restaurant, of course I requested the roof.  The roof is very small and can only seat about 6-8 people so we had it all to ourselves! Bring a portable speaker to enjoy music of your choice. The sunset from the roof is breathtaking so make a reservation time to catch it. The food was really good but I still think it’s a little overpriced in comparison to all the other restaurants we dined at.

Prior to heading to Colombia I did research on the tours and read nothing but horror stories on the fast boats that do the island tours. From what I read I didn’t think I would want to go that route if it was just me so I definitely wasn’t going to make that decision with kids in tow. Instead I booked this tour where you drive to the beach instead, an hour drive away.

We chose to go on Monday to avoid the busy weekend that’s filled with both tourists and locals. We were in an air-conditioned van and it was the 5 of us and one other person. When we arrived at the beach our “tour guide” met us to walk us to their section of the beach and asked us what we wanted for lunch and what time we wanted to eat. They had a full bar, tables and chairs, lounge chairs, and hammocks (in the shade). They had restrooms right there that were clean and convenient.

You could opt to stay overnight in their little tree house type accommodations if you wished. The tour was scheduled for 12-7pm but after 3hrs we were ready to go. We asked our guide about going back with the earlier tour but the other person in our group was ready so we all left. The water was crystal clear and warm and we had a great time!

We had breakfast, walked around some more, had lunch and headed to the airport. We really enjoyed our time in Colombia and definitely recommend it. If you have any questions or need more details on something mentioned here don’t hesitate to shoot me an email!