Cartagena

Manga, Cabrero and the Old City Each one of the different styles of architecture seen in and around Cartagena was used and promoted by groups throughout the long history of the city who had the power and the money to carry out construction. This makes for the fascinating bit of history you’ll listen to during this tour of houses and other buildings which are representative of the various styles: Colonial, French Neoclassic, Republican, Moorish, military, baroque, Gothic and Neogothic, as well as Caribbean.

Beginning in the late afternoon and continuing on into the cool of dusk and eveningtime, Marelvy will take on you on a walking tour of the city’s always active main plazas, each one with its own particular character and history. From the Plaza of San Diego located between the School of Fine Arts and the building that was once the famous Convent of Santa Clara you’ll stroll through the park of Fernandez de Madrid and then proceed on to the Plaza of the Coaches, along side of the city’s watchtower, which is connected in turn to the broad Customs Plaza and the venerable Plaza of the Church of San Pedro Claver. As the warm yellow glow of lamplight grows slowly stronger in the street you will come upon the enchanting Plaza of Bolívar - with the peaceful murmur of its four fountains and the softly blown fronds of its towering palms - where

A unique glimpse at the local culture of the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. In this venture, we explore the village of La Boquilla, where people live off the sea. Once you have immersed yourselves in the community, you get a chance not only to be witness, but an active participant of the rich and powerful music and dance of our land. You take a starters class in percussion and cumbia and other dances of the Caribbean Coast of Colombia. After the workshop you can always take a deep dive in the sea. Optional: Lunch at la Boquilla

Getsemaní is one of the liveliest neighborhoods in the Old City. It is considered the coolest area in Cartagena and it is the place where lots of Cartageneros are still leaving resisting the process of gentrification which has taken over the rest of the Old City. This is also the only place in Cartagena where you can see street art. After the tour in Getsemaní we will go to a small local restaurant to taste some fritos (fried food) such as empanadas, carimañolas, patacones and the symbol of Colombian cooking: arepas. Everything accompanied by fresh fruit juice or coffee.

This tour -the road most often taken so to speak – begins with a spectacular 360º view of Cartagena and its surroundings from the summit of La Popa From there we do some sightseeing at the Fortress of San Felipe, stopping for photos and to talk about its history but not taking the arduous trek up to the top which is anti-climactic anyhow after having been to La Popa. Of course if you like to visit the fort it can be included in the tour. From there it is just a few minutes to the Old City where you will go for a relaxing stroll through its narrow streets a open plazasand windng up with some shopping

A walk in the old city to see some of the principle places that Gabriel García Márquez mentions in those of his works which are set in Cartagena, especially those places that figure prominently in his novels Love in the Time of Cholera, Of Love and other Demons, and The General in his Labyrinth, his autobiography Living to Tell the Tale but also some places related to Gabo’s life like his present-day house in Cartagena or the university where his studies to be a lawyer were shed like dead skin or the old offices of the newspaper where he commenced his career as a journalist.

The Walking Tour is essentially a morning or early afternoon version of the Crepuscule or Twilight Tour.