A highlight of our stay in Cartagena - For anyone staying in Cartagena I would highly recommend spending a day on this guided visit to San Basilio de Palenque - the centre of Palenque language, culture, music and dance. Orika was our guide for the day and translator. We learnt so much from her, both about Palenque culture and history but also about the relationship between Cartagena and Palenque. We even learnt about the different kinds of local fruit, which we wouldn’t have tried later on, without Orika’s enthusiasm/ knowledge ( our favourite is guama and Orika was right - it’s kind of like candy floss fruit !). At San Basilio de Palenque, Orika introduced us to Viktor, and they jointly spent the day with us taking us to the community dance and music school where the students and teachers gave a stunning performance ; to the music rehearsal rooms of a contemporary Palenque music collective and learning some of the Palenque language itself. There was so much more to the day than I can do justice to in this review. ( street art, medicine, the history of the founding of Palenque….) And so many relaxed, fun and interesting conversations with Viktor and Orika. And we now know the Palenque for “ love” ( Ngongoroko) ! We also wanted to give a mention to the lunch we had as part of the tour. Usually, the food on guided tours can be unremarkable but we had some beautifully cooked / fried local fish in a fresh sauce with rice and fried plantain with a refreshing Agua de Panela to drink. I’d wanted to try Agua de Panela since beginning our travels in Colombia. Many thanks to the cook who made this delicious meal. That’s it (!) - hope this encourages people to take up the opportunity for this experience.

A tour not to be missed - Our tour guide Eric was very knowledgeable on the history and culture and he seemed to have no problem speaking three languages. The people of Palenque were very warm. I be willing to would go back on the tour for the food alone!

Incredible - I had an amazing experience with Jesús and Silvia, they were super knowledgeable and gave me lots of insights about Palenque and its history. Absolutly loved my experience

Black history at its finest! - Beat up, hot town with incredible history a long hour from Cartagena. The first runaway slave settlement in all the Americas. Part of Colombian mythology and music. Cute and really simple museum in the middle of town. If i returned, i would contact some of the guides to know when a musical or dance rehearsal was on. Our cabbie Walter 57-310-702 7112 had the guides phone number in Cartagena.

Visit two Countries in one day - The trip to Palenque was a special experience. Hard to imagine that you are in Africa even though you are in Colombia. But this is Palenque, a historic village with a touching history. The tour was well organized and all guides were extremely friendly. I was even introduced to boxing here. Strengthened with a delicious lunch and with many new impressions of the diversity of Colombia, we started our way home. I highly recommend this cultural experience!

A great day to discover the culture and history of the region!! - This tour was great, I really loved it! I learned a lot about the history of the region, from Palenque and Cartagena, through the very precise explanations of our guide, Victor, who was adorable. He taught us a few words in the language stashera, made us taste cocadas, took us to a traditional house used as a museum, as well as to the traditional doctors of the village who explained to us which plants they used for what ailments. We also had a delicious meal (the best fish of my life!) with the traditional coconut arroz. We were also able to enjoy the Good Mood that prevailed that weekend, a festival day, and tasted the local beer to the sound of champea. This experience was really amazing, because after that day I felt like I really knew this area better, after having been there for several weeks already. There is a real sense of pride and belonging to a very strong culture, and it is really beautiful to discover. I recommend!!

Afro-Colombian realism! - The town is located an hour from Cartagena de Indias. San Basilio de Palenque has been proclaimed an intangible cultural heritage site of mankind as the first free city in colonial America. The town was founded in the 16th century by escaped slaves from Cartagena de Indias. In Palenka, African traditions, language, food, dance and culture continue to be preserved. The inhabitants live by principles, just as their distant ancestors did centuries ago. I recommend history and culture buffs. And to those who want to learn something new and unusual. And I suggest you take a guide to better understand the history and traditions of this town.

If you are reading this BOOK THE TOUR! A MUST DO. Professional Company and the host Paula (POW-LA) is amazing! - When I came across this tour. I did some research on the town and noticed there was a festival the weekend I wanted to book. I didn't want to do the standard tour because I knew the festival would be an all day event that I wanted to be a part of and the standard tour didn't accommodate that. So I reached out to the company via email and received an immediate response. I asked if they could customize a tour for me. That would accommodate the festival activities. They advised they would have to check and get back to me. They responded the next day advising it wouldn't be an issue to do a private tour to attend the festival. So I immediately booked with them. The communication was great and well detailed. They arrived at our hotel on time for pick-up. Our guide was POOOW-LA (Paula) inside joke. She says her name with a strong accent and I didn't realize she was saying Paula. But I looked like a fool but it was funny none the less. Delphi who was a local from San Basilio also joined us for the ride. Along with other team members from the company. Along the way Paula filled us in on some history of the area and town and translated for us with Delphi. With any questions we had during the ride. It was about an hour and half ride to the town. I have to say Paula is so professional and truly made this trip amazing. Along with the other team members that joined the private tour as well. We arrive to the town at noon and you immediately feel the lively energy from the festival. We walk to a local home/restaurant for lunch. Was so happy we ate first because we were starving. They served amazing fried fish with rice and veggies. Served on a huge leaf and a piece of coconut shell carved like a tiny spoon. To use while eating. Everything was so natural and fresh. The food was absolutely amazing. After eating they let us go into the home and backyard to see how the food was prepared. Once done. One of the locals that conducts the tour of the area arrived to begin our tour and show us the amazing town. So much knowledge and information provided about the culture. We walked through the streets meeting locals along the way. Stopping at homes and meeting some of the influential people of the town. As you walk through the town and listen to the history there. You can get to see and experience the local way of living and culture. The guide even provided us with some great locally made alcohol to enjoy while on the tour. Had a very similar taste to moon shine but not as strong. After the tour of the town. Delphi took us to her home to meet her mom, sister and other family members. We sat on there porch for about 30 minutes talking and just taking it all in. I promise you no other tour had this personable experience. Her family was so welcoming. After that we did some shopping from the local vendors. Then we went to the main stage area of the festival to watch some of the performances. We got to take pictures with a lot of the local performers. Who were dressed up in costumes and looked amazing. We were truly treated like VIPs the entire day. After that we grabbed some chairs and sat along the street and just listened to the amazing music and people watched. The vibe there was so amazing. People dancing in the streets and just having a great time. We got to enjoy some of their local beer from the towns small liquor store. After relaxing there we went back to the stage area and danced the night away! Words can't even describe the feeling we got from this trip and how amazing Cartagena Insider staff were. They never rushed us not once and basically let us enjoy the entire festival at our leisure. Before we knew it. It was 9pm and we had been there since 12 noon. We literally lost track of time and honestly never even checked until we started to get tired from all the dancing. Once we were ready to leave we let them know and we all walked back to the van to depart home. Paula was truly amazing and so professional. You can tell that she loves what she does. Her energy and personality is just contagious. This trip would not have been what it was if it wasn't for her. The Cartagena staff that joined also was an added bonus. Everyone was so amazing and truly made this trip the best. This was the highlight of our time in Cartagena. Nothing else compared to it. Don't even question it just book it. Im sure it's a little slower without the festival but just the experience of the culture and the tour alone. Is absolutely amazing because you get to truly experience it as if you were a local. I truly hope Cartagena Insider knows the gem that they have, by having Paula apart of their team. I could go on and on but I will spare making this review even longer than it is lol. This trip wouldn't have been the same without her. JUST BOOK IT! You won't regret it, I promise.

Amazing tour. Lots of history; great... - <p>Amazing tour. Lots of history; great translators.</p>

PRIVATE tour to Palenque -Cruise Ship traveller - We,5 adults, arrived in Columbia on the Emerald Princess Cruise Ship.We visted Columbia on a previous cruise and had done sightseeing of the sites and beaches in the city so we wanted to have a different experience this time. Before our departure we had booked a private tour to visit San Basilio de Palenque with Donald who was given excellent reviews online. This village is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We comminicated with him via Whatsapp +573017051167 and after we agreed on the contents of the Tour and the price, we made all the arrangements to meet when the Princess docked. Donald met us in the gas station outside the port and our fantastic tour began there. The journey to Palenque was approximately 45 minutes drive from the port and Donald kept us well informed about not only the places of interest along the way and went into detail about what to expect in Palenque. His immense knowledge of the island, and his charming personality and the fact that he spoke English and Spanish fluently, added to the experience. Palenque was an awesome experience. We were taken to homes of prominent members of the village, were treated to live entertainment by the local music ensamble, we interacted with members of the community and had the priviledge of being escorted through the village by a local tour guide. A wonderful experience. Thank you Donald