Colombia · SAN BASILIO DE PALENQUE TOURS
Prices, running times and who each one suits — the 15 san basilio de palenque tours below are laid out so the decision takes minutes rather than an evening. Start at the top.
Visit San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena for local history, music, dance, rum tasting, and a traditional lunch with hotel pickup.
“What a wonderful tour! I really felt immersed and welcome. Highly recommend!”
Review of the San Basilio de Palenque tour from Cartagena, with cultural sites, music, lunch, transport, costs, and practical tips.
“This was an amazing experience, one I will always remember. I recommend doing your research first to see if this resonates with you- it’s not Disney. It’s real, authentic, primitive and simply amazing.”
Visit San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena for music, food, language, and the powerful story of the first free people of the Americas.
“The people of Palenque were friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious 😋. The music and dance show they put on for us was AWESOME! I danced with them as they sang Happy Birthday to me. That was so much fun! Romeo was knowledgeable and friendly. He did really good at translating and speaking the language. I would recommend him to everyone. Thank you for this experience. I really enjoyed myself.”
Review of Cartagena’s Mud Volcano and Palenque tour, with early access, local culture, lunch, transport, costs, tips, and practical advice.
“I traveled solo to the area and had the best time. My guide Miguel was more than friendly, he was knowledgeable of the area and treated me like family. It was a long day doing both activities but it was so worth it and I recommend that everyone experience this!”
Explore San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena through history, music, medicine, boxing, murals, language, and a traditional lunch.
“Overall, I am pleased with the services. However, I did not get the sense this group were official tour guides. I understand this was a tour with a “local” but I expected more of seasoned/well versed tour guide. I will probably visit the community again, with a larger tour operator.”
Review of the six-hour San Basilio de Palenque tour from Cartagena, with local guides, Afro-Colombian history, music, lunch, and practical tips.
“The trip was amazing, 10/10 would recommend, very enlightening and educational. To see the town of Palengue and hear their stories of triumph and perseverance was beyond words. The people are so welcoming and they all know their history. Book it you won’t regret it and the food was delicious. My only remaining words for this beautiful little town is “Ata uto bega”.”
Review of the San Basilio de Palenque tour from Cartagena, with local guides, music, lunch, culture, pricing, timing, and practical tips.
“Definitely Recommend! The BEST tour! The tour guide was Great in communicating & in giving the history of the Village”
Explore San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena with a private guide, drum show, cooking class, sweets, boxing, and local history.
“Highly recommend the day tour to San Basilio de Cartagena to learn about the history and culture of this important place in African history in the Americas. Sofia is a terrific guide. A knowledgeable and proud representative of the town.”
Visit San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena for local history, music, food, boxing, herbal medicine, and a personal tour with a native guide.
“This was a highly enjoyable and informative tour of the UNESCO heritage site the village of Palenque. This fascinating African settlement about 1.5 hours from Cartagena is a remarkable cultural treasure and our tour featured traditional dancing, a discussion of African natural medicine, African inspired foods and the strong history of celebrated boxers who were from this area. Our tour guide Victor spoke excellent English and was a wealth of knowledge about his hometown. Our driver was skilled and brought us to Palenque efficiently. In addition, we were served a delicious lunch of fresh grilled fish. I highly recommend this tour for those who love learning about history and culture.”
Review of Cartagena’s Palenque African Roots Day Tour, with culture, food, music, history, transport, value, drawbacks, and booking advice.
“Today I got the chance to see some black history! Palenque was founded in 1603 and recognized independent by Spaniards in 1713. It is the first black (African) territory in the Americas to be free‼️That’s almost a 100 years before the Haitian (Revolt) Revolution ended‼️Just like in most areas in the Americas, African people were brought in from different parts of West Africa; Senegal, Ghana, and etc. Some of those people were brought to Cartagena, Colombia to work for free as slaves. A man named Benkos Bioho the founder of Palenque led a revolt in Cartagena with about 40 other slaves. They fled Cartagena and settled in an area in…”
Visit San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena for history, music, local food, dancing, and a small-group cultural experience.
“Great history tour with Sofia and the homemade lunch was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS 😋 I'd book this tour again to have that homemade meal again. Book It!”
Explore San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena with a local guide, music, food, boxing, history, hotel transport, and practical tips.
“The explanations were kinda vague and the questions were brushed off The food was very good though”
Explore San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena with music, history, traditional medicine, lunch, Ñeque, and a bilingual local guide.
“Tour guide was friendly and nice but Seemed like the tour was cut short. It ended very abruptly and we hardly had time to explore. Wish we could have seen more!”
Review of Cartagena’s Mud Volcano and Palenque tour, with a volcanic mud bath, Afro-Colombian culture, lunch, guides, and practical tips.
“This was an amazing trip from start to finish. Miguel is a wonderful guide who does it all. He picked us up from our hotel and took us to the mud volcano earlier than anyone else so we had the whole place to ourselves. He advised us on exactly what was to happen there including all the info you need for tipping the locals for various services they offer. The mud volcano is a once in a lifetime experience. You float in mud that’s 7,000ft deep. In the mud you receive a massage from one of the locals. Then they walk you down to the river where another local washes…”
Explore San Basilio de Palenque from Cartagena with local guides, Afro-Colombian culture, music, food, history, and a homemade lunch.
“Amazing experience. Our guide Escarli and driver Rafael were great. Escarli was very knowledgeable”
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