Best Day Trips From Medellin And Cartagena, Colombia

If you’re thinking of a trip to Colombia, two great cities that you can visit on a 5 or 6-night trip would be Medellin and Cartagena. When traveling by group, having some organized tours set up beforehand would take the guesswork out of day-to-day planning. Here are two of the best day tours in Medellin and Cartagena for those that like adventure, culture, and a bit of the unexpected:

Medellin

In Medellin, SouthAmerica.travel offers the El Peñol and Guatape tour, where you can plan for  approximately an 8-hour day. The tour guide will pick you up from your hotel or Airbnb in a comfortable, air-conditioned van and escort you to the town of Guatape and explain some of the history and scenery of Medellin along the way.

The ride is around an hour and a half, but it is worth it as a natural wonder awaits: the Peñol Boulder, a 650-foot-high monolith that can be climbed by a winding staircase: a total of 740 steps. Once you reach the top, you can take in breathtaking views of the landscape: green mountains and blue lakes that house tiny islands. The tour includes a stop for lunch in the village of Guatape, where you may be serenaded by a musician while having local food. There is a famous church and colorful houses that you explore and walk off the lunch before heading back to Medellin.

Cartagena 

Wildlife fans and cultural enthusiasts will enjoy the 6-hour SouthAmerica.travel La Boquilla tour, which takes travelers on a canoe tour through the protected Juan Polo swamp. Located at the north end of The Tesca wetland, at the north-eastern limits of Cartagena, the tranquil canoe ride will traverse through lagoons, marshes, black and red mangroves, and slim canals. Bird and marinelife is plentiful, like groups of feeding White Herons, and ink black oysters that stick to the mangrove branches.

The 90-minute canoe ride goes through the natural mangrove swamp tunnels of El Chaco, El Amor y La Felicidad. The guide will tell the group about the importance of the Tesca wetland and the animals living there, such as the local fish farms, where when fish grow to 1 meter long, they are retrieved and sold at the market.

Stay and Play

The 287-room InterContinental Cartagena de Indias should be your choice of accommodations while in Cartagena. The property is decked out in modern architecture, and planted in a prime area for beach lovers, just steps away from the sand. If you want to let people know where you are on social media, you should record a video on your phone from the large windows of the sweeping rooms. There, you can catch views of the lapping waves on the beach as well as the modern skyline of Cartagena.

For those seeking some down time from the hustle and bustle of Cartagena, the Intercontinental has one of the best seats that you can take along the Bocagrande: on a lounge chair that overlooks the infinity pool with views of the beach. Hungry? Order up some diverse cuisine at the property’s Kannu Restaurant, which has everything from international to Caribbean specialties. If you want a more relaxed vibe, sip a drink inside The Oceanika Lounge, while listening bosa nova, jazz and blues.