Cartagena: Food Tour, Mud Volcano & Sunset Boat Party Combo

Cartagena old city food tour mud volcano soak and party cruise

You’ll taste your way through Cartagena’s Old City with a local guide before floating in El Totumo’s surreal mud baths (bring small bills!). End your day dancing on a sunset boat cruise across Cartagena Bay with new friends and free drinks. This is for travelers who want to feel sweaty, salty, happy, not just check boxes.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Cartagena Old Town3h
2. Totumo Mud Volcano3h

Day 1: Explore Old City and Caribbean Food

• Start with empanada welcome snack
• Historical talk at Clock Tower rooftop
• Taste sweets at Portal de Los Dulces
• Visit museums and churches
• Enjoy fruit drink, ice cream, and coffee tasting
• Explore Getsemaní graffiti art
• Chocolate tasting and rum shot at distillery

Day 2: Mud Bath at El Totumo Volcano

• Travel by air-conditioned transport
• Descend into mineral-rich mud bath
• Relax for 15-20 minutes in mud
• Pay entrance and rinse-off fees on-site

Day 3: Sunset Party Cruise and Nightlife

• Board speedboat for sunset cruise
• Enjoy Colombian music and dancing
• Optional after-party at Historic Center rooftop
• Guided walk through Getsemaní street art
• Free welcome shot at local bar
• End night at popular nightclub

The experience

“Here, we say the walls have ears. Every stone has a story,” our guide Luis grinned as we leaned over the Clock Tower rooftop, biting into hot empanadas that left oil on my fingers. I wasn’t sure what I expected from a Cartagena food tour, but the way Luis described pirate raids and whispered about independence heroes while handing us sweets at Portal de Los Dulces made history taste like sugar and salt at once. The fruit juice was tangy and cold. I still remember how the air smelled faintly of mangoes and exhaust. There were kids chasing pigeons in Plaza San Pedro, and someone selling tiny coffees from a battered thermos: “tinto,” Luis called it, pressing a cup into my palm before we wandered toward Getsemaní’s graffiti walls.

The next morning was all about El Totumo Mud Volcano. The drive out of Cartagena took maybe an hour: windows down, music low, everyone half awake. When we got there, it looked smaller than I’d imagined (honestly, it’s more like a muddy hill), but climbing up barefoot felt weirdly thrilling. Sinking into that warm mud was stranger still. You just float there with strangers laughing nervously beside you. A local woman scrubbed my arms with practiced hands. She said something in Spanish I didn’t catch but smiled so wide I laughed back anyway. Afterward, rinsing off in the lagoon felt shockingly cold and real. Bring cash for tips. Everyone works hard here.

By sunset we were back in Cartagena Bay for the boat tour: music thumping right away, people dancing even before we left the dock. It’s not fancy (plastic cups everywhere), but watching the city light up while someone handed me a rum shot felt just right after all that mud. Our guide Ana kept shouting “¡Vamos!” over the speakers. She somehow knew everyone’s name by the end. We spilled out into Getsemaní again for an after-party crawl: more street art, another quick drink at some rooftop bar where you could see church domes glowing orange against blue dusk. Honestly? My shoes were covered in dust by then and I didn’t care at all.

What’s included

• Your day includes roundtrip transport to El Totumo Mud Volcano with local guides providing context along the way.
• tastings of empanadas, sweets, fruit drinks, ice cream and coffee during your Old Town Cartagena food walk.
• plus your boat pass for a two-hour sunset cruise with optional free after-party including welcome drinks and guided stops through Getsemaní nightlife before heading back late at night if you’re up for it.

Options for this experience

2 options

City Food TourGuide in English · 14:00Lasts 3 hours and covers architecture, plazas, museums, churches, graffiti and history, with a variety of food and drink tastings. Note: Comfortable shoes are recommended. Starting point: El Pasquín de Joaco, 130001, Calle Portocarrero #34-09, El Centro, Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar, Colombia

Totumo Mud VolcanoGuide in English or Spanish · 10:00Takes 3 to 3.5 hours and includes round-trip van or bus transport plus supervision and translation by a tour guide. Note: Entrance and rinse-off fees ($7) are not included. Starting point: Monumento Santander, Centro, Cartagena, Bolivar, Colombia

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 14:00

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Under 18: can't be booked

GroupUp to 50

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by COCOCARTAGENA

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

In English, at 10:00 and 14:00. In Spanish, at 10:00.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long does the Cartagena food tour last?

The city food tour lasts about 3 hours, either 10:30 AM–1:30 PM or 2:00 PM–5:00 PM.

Is transportation included to El Totumo Mud Volcano?

Yes, roundtrip van or bus transport is included from Cartagena for the mud volcano tour.

Do I need to bring cash to El Totumo Mud Volcano?

Yes, bring Colombian Pesos for entrance (about COP $10,000) and rinse-off fees (about COP $5,000).

Are drinks included on the sunset party boat?

A complimentary drink is included at the after-party. You can bring your own liquor on board.

Is there a dress code for the after-party?

Men must wear pants and closed shoes for club entry during the after-party crawl.

Does this combo include pickup from my hotel?

The mud volcano tour includes roundtrip transportation. Other tours start at central meeting points.

Are museum entries included on the city food tour?

No museum entries are included. Only previews from outside are part of the route.