Cartagena
After another day of lazing about at Hostal Kaia, I jumped on a bus to Cartagena. A stopping point for many cruise ships, and officially the most touristy place in Colombia, Cartagena is known for its beautiful colonial old town and ancient fortress.
I was staying a ten minute walk from the old city walls in the Getsemani neighbourhood, once known for being dangerous, now known for being artsy, colourful and "up and coming".
This lame old Brit needed a little time to acclimatise to the heat, so when I arrived after the 5 hour journey from Santa Marta, and bumped into an Aussie guy off to watch the football, the idea of sitting in a bar with a cool beer was more than appealing.
The next day I was up bright and early(ish) for the walking tour in the old town. It was 10am and already a scorching 30°. These days I go all in for the tour in Spanish, and our smaller group meant that at each stop we could all successful fit into the shade while our guide raconted the history of the city and the various buildings he took us to. The city really is beautiful.
I'm not ashamed to say that after the tour I spent the majority of the day hiding in air conditioned cafes, plotting my next move. The only time that air conditioning was a bother was at night in the hostel, where it was cranked up so high that everyone was shivering in their beds.
I quickly learned that the way to tackle Cartagena is by planning to do all activities either before 12pm or after 5pm. It's still a sweaty affair, but bearable, at least!
So on my second day I was up bright and early to get the famous Castilo as early as possible. Armed with water and an audioguide (love an audioguide!), I set off on my tour.
The massive fort was built by the Spaniards to defend Cartagena, but somewhat arrogantly, they believed the sheer sight of it was enough to deter invaders, much to their chagrin in 1967 when the French invaded successfully.
It seems they learned their lesson, because in 1741 the Brits had a go, and that time the Fort was held.
I spent a couple of hours following my map around the Castilo - up and around the battlements and down into the tunnels, eventually reaching the end of my tour. After lunch, and another walk around the old city, and Getsemani, I was more than ready to get on my overnight bus to Medellin. Cartagena is as beautiful as it's famed, but I was ready for the eternal springtime of Medellin!
- Cartagena: Vital Stats -
I took a bus from Santa Marta to Cartagena with Berlinastur - 36,000COP for 5 hours travel time, with only 1 stop, at Barranquilla. It's pricier than taking a bus between the main terminals in Santa Marta and Cartagena, but the main bus terminal in Cartagena is a 30 minute taxi ride from the old City, so by the time you've factored in that cost... The Berlinastur Terminal in Santa Marta was walking distance from Hostal Kaia and a short (5,000COP) ride from the old city in Cartagena. Also, the bus was reeeeally nice, with good Wifi!
Cartagena is notoriously the most expensive place in Colombia, being the most touristy. I stayed at Mistyc House Hostel, which was approximately 31,000COP a night for a 10-bed dorm.
The free walking tour is great. It runs twice a day. See here for latest details and to register: https://www.freewalkingtourcartagena.co/
The Castilo de San Felipe de Barajas is open daily from 8am-6am (go early!). At the time of writing general entrance costs 25,000COP, plus 15,000 for the audioguide (highly recommended!)
Try Espiritu Santo for good and reasonably priced local food!
I was staying a ten minute walk from the old city walls in the Getsemani neighbourhood, once known for being dangerous, now known for being artsy, colourful and "up and coming".
This lame old Brit needed a little time to acclimatise to the heat, so when I arrived after the 5 hour journey from Santa Marta, and bumped into an Aussie guy off to watch the football, the idea of sitting in a bar with a cool beer was more than appealing.
The next day I was up bright and early(ish) for the walking tour in the old town. It was 10am and already a scorching 30°. These days I go all in for the tour in Spanish, and our smaller group meant that at each stop we could all successful fit into the shade while our guide raconted the history of the city and the various buildings he took us to. The city really is beautiful.
I'm not ashamed to say that after the tour I spent the majority of the day hiding in air conditioned cafes, plotting my next move. The only time that air conditioning was a bother was at night in the hostel, where it was cranked up so high that everyone was shivering in their beds.
I quickly learned that the way to tackle Cartagena is by planning to do all activities either before 12pm or after 5pm. It's still a sweaty affair, but bearable, at least!
So on my second day I was up bright and early to get the famous Castilo as early as possible. Armed with water and an audioguide (love an audioguide!), I set off on my tour.
The massive fort was built by the Spaniards to defend Cartagena, but somewhat arrogantly, they believed the sheer sight of it was enough to deter invaders, much to their chagrin in 1967 when the French invaded successfully.
It seems they learned their lesson, because in 1741 the Brits had a go, and that time the Fort was held.
I spent a couple of hours following my map around the Castilo - up and around the battlements and down into the tunnels, eventually reaching the end of my tour. After lunch, and another walk around the old city, and Getsemani, I was more than ready to get on my overnight bus to Medellin. Cartagena is as beautiful as it's famed, but I was ready for the eternal springtime of Medellin!
- Cartagena: Vital Stats -
I took a bus from Santa Marta to Cartagena with Berlinastur - 36,000COP for 5 hours travel time, with only 1 stop, at Barranquilla. It's pricier than taking a bus between the main terminals in Santa Marta and Cartagena, but the main bus terminal in Cartagena is a 30 minute taxi ride from the old City, so by the time you've factored in that cost... The Berlinastur Terminal in Santa Marta was walking distance from Hostal Kaia and a short (5,000COP) ride from the old city in Cartagena. Also, the bus was reeeeally nice, with good Wifi!
Cartagena is notoriously the most expensive place in Colombia, being the most touristy. I stayed at Mistyc House Hostel, which was approximately 31,000COP a night for a 10-bed dorm.
The free walking tour is great. It runs twice a day. See here for latest details and to register: https://www.freewalkingtourcartagena.co/
The Castilo de San Felipe de Barajas is open daily from 8am-6am (go early!). At the time of writing general entrance costs 25,000COP, plus 15,000 for the audioguide (highly recommended!)
Try Espiritu Santo for good and reasonably priced local food!
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