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Private excursions in Cartegena


pamrose228
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  • 4 weeks later...
Many people have used Dora De Zubiria in Cartagena and have not been disappointed - her tour company is top notch.

 

Just off the Coral Princess yesterday and booked a tour with Dora.

 

She led the tour herself and did an excellent job. We were also able to to go La Popa monastery (a real highlight)

that was not open to the larger buses, the day we were in port.

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Just back from visiting Cartagena on the Reflection. Took a tour through Dora Tours - Will was our guide. We enjoyed the tour - and were really surprised how beautiful it was there. I had been there in the 70's - what a change!

If you like to shop go to the dungeons in the old city - all kinds of beautiful cotton embroidered shirts and dresses. Also got molas. Be sure to bargain.

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  • 4 months later...
Go through the terminal building and out the walkway to the taxi and van area. Take a list of the things you want to see and negotiate a deal with one of the tour sellers in that area.

 

Price should be around 20 to 30 dollars pp if you have enough people to fill a vehicle.

 

I might have to pick your brain about Cartagena 'Swedish'. We're doing a Panama Canal cruise in November

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Just off Celebrity Panama Canal Cruise - so glad that we booked with Dora. She was fantastic, her assistant tour guide, Josie, was a gem and her driver was great! We were a group of 7 - learned so much and enjoyed Cartegena because of the pride and informed way in which Dora conducts her tour. It was the perfect way to spend our time in Columbia ;)

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Just attempted to book Dora on our trip for October 15tg. She is booked. Does anyone have a suggestion as to who else is a good tour operator?

 

Not sure if you are interested in doing it on your own. They do give a map with information. We made a friend who lives in Cartegena and this is what he had sent me about doing the trip on our own since we are not in port very long. We also wanted to have time to explore the animals at the port before getting back on the ship.

 

 

The port is only about 10 - 15 minutes from the port so it is easy to get to the Old Town and back without worry of missing the ship. The Old Town is a must see in Cartagena. You can do your own tour and take in the majority of what you want to see and do and be able to do it at your own pace and more cheaply. There are taxis at the port which are authorized and safe. Here are some ideas:

• As you enter the port terminal, there will be someone giving out maps of the city and answering questions. They will give you free maps that are great for getting around the Old Town.

• Walk through the store (the big yellow old house) (visit it in more detail when you return)

• When you get outside the front of the store follow the signs to the taxi area.

• There will be guides that hound you to go on a tour. Even when you say that you want a taxi they will try to take you on a tour.

• Tell the taxi you want to be taken to the Old Town with a stop on the way to take pictures of the fort. To visit the Fort takes a fair amount of time and can be quite hot to climb. Most everyone stops in front to be able to take pictures. Ask the taxi driver how much and there should be a sign saying $20 to the Old Town. Agree before you go and tell him it is a one way fare. Don’t’ let them try to sell you some tour or that they’ll drive you around and also bring you back. The normal fare downtown is about $3 but since they’re inside the port they charge a lot more.

• You can have him drop you off at the clock tower which is one of the main entrances to the Old Town. From there you can do your own walking tour using the map. It has descriptions of the sights on the map. You can do a big loop and see the majority of the sights.

• Along the way you can get a snack, or something to drink as there are many places. There are also several shops if you want to shop any.

• You can come back. Either get any yellow taxi inside the Old Town or by going out the clock tower where you came in and going across the street to in front of the Convention Center. Just tell them that you're going back to the port and that you'll pay $5. They'll want more but if they don't accept it, look for another taxi. It will take on 10 - 15 minutes to get back to the port. As you return, you will go through Manga and there are many beautiful old colonial houses to see.

• When you get back, they will drop you off in front of the port store and it's nice to look around the park and see the birds and other animals. The people in the store are very nice and the prices are fixed (except for the jewelry) and they take credit cards. There is a simulated emerald museum that also has a nice display of emeralds (not for sale.)

• In the Old Town there will be many tourists and, like any place with tourists, watch your belongings. There are tourist police all around and it is very safe. Also lots of people want to sell you things and can be very pushy. Just say no and ignore them. The taxis will also try to take you to shopping places and show you other things but there’s always a charge or they have some connection to make money.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On ‎10‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 6:13 PM, HopeO said:

Just attempted to book Dora on our trip for October 15tg. She is booked. Does anyone have a suggestion as to who else is a good tour operator?

Claudia Vidal was absolutely perfect - we just got off Sept. 24th Infinity Panama Canal and used Claudia for a group of 11. Claudia's English was perfect and very helpful. Got to see great sites and had a great day in Cartagena with Claudia. http://toursclaudiavidal.com/index.htm

 

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  • 1 month later...

I'm copying and pasting my post from another thread about Dora....

 

Just a quick note about Dora, we used her company this past Dec 11 for a driving/walking tour.
While in the walled city, at the last stop of the walking tour, my party of 3 got left behind. We were behind our group and I could see them. As we were trying to exit the church we were in, a group of people were trying to come in the exit only doors, therefore blocking us from getting out. By the time we were able to get by the blockage and outside (not a lot of time by the way - maybe a couple minuets) Tour guide and our group were no where in sight. 
We decided to wait 30 minuets before getting a taxi back to the ship, in case someone came back to the church where we were left. We stayed exactly by the exit doors where we were left. Right at the 30 minuet mark, the driver did come back.
I'm sure many of you have been on walking tours around the world, just as I have. I have never had a tour guide that didn't make sure she had everyone before proceeding to the next stop. The tour guide had no good reason why we were left. I told her we had never had a guide not keep count of her her party, she had nothing to say.
The tour could be good, and was until we were left, lol. I just advise you to make sure you stay right on the heels of your guide constantly.

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  • 11 months later...
On ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 12:19 AM, lillulu said:

 

Not sure if you are interested in doing it on your own. They do give a map with information. We made a friend who lives in Cartegena and this is what he had sent me about doing the trip on our own since we are not in port very long. We also wanted to have time to explore the animals at the port before getting back on the ship.

 

 

The port is only about 10 - 15 minutes from the port so it is easy to get to the Old Town and back without worry of missing the ship. The Old Town is a must see in Cartagena. You can do your own tour and take in the majority of what you want to see and do and be able to do it at your own pace and more cheaply. There are taxis at the port which are authorized and safe. Here are some ideas:

• As you enter the port terminal, there will be someone giving out maps of the city and answering questions. They will give you free maps that are great for getting around the Old Town.

• Walk through the store (the big yellow old house) (visit it in more detail when you return)

• When you get outside the front of the store follow the signs to the taxi area.

• There will be guides that hound you to go on a tour. Even when you say that you want a taxi they will try to take you on a tour.

• Tell the taxi you want to be taken to the Old Town with a stop on the way to take pictures of the fort. To visit the Fort takes a fair amount of time and can be quite hot to climb. Most everyone stops in front to be able to take pictures. Ask the taxi driver how much and there should be a sign saying $20 to the Old Town. Agree before you go and tell him it is a one way fare. Don’t’ let them try to sell you some tour or that they’ll drive you around and also bring you back. The normal fare downtown is about $3 but since they’re inside the port they charge a lot more.

• You can have him drop you off at the clock tower which is one of the main entrances to the Old Town. From there you can do your own walking tour using the map. It has descriptions of the sights on the map. You can do a big loop and see the majority of the sights.

• Along the way you can get a snack, or something to drink as there are many places. There are also several shops if you want to shop any.

• You can come back. Either get any yellow taxi inside the Old Town or by going out the clock tower where you came in and going across the street to in front of the Convention Center. Just tell them that you're going back to the port and that you'll pay $5. They'll want more but if they don't accept it, look for another taxi. It will take on 10 - 15 minutes to get back to the port. As you return, you will go through Manga and there are many beautiful old colonial houses to see.

• When you get back, they will drop you off in front of the port store and it's nice to look around the park and see the birds and other animals. The people in the store are very nice and the prices are fixed (except for the jewelry) and they take credit cards. There is a simulated emerald museum that also has a nice display of emeralds (not for sale.)

• In the Old Town there will be many tourists and, like any place with tourists, watch your belongings. There are tourist police all around and it is very safe. Also lots of people want to sell you things and can be very pushy. Just say no and ignore them. The taxis will also try to take you to shopping places and show you other things but there’s always a charge or they have some connection to make money.

I know this is an older post, but maybe someone will know --- is the $3 or $5 taxi to/from the Old Town per person or per taxi ride (up to 2 or 4 people)?

 

Thank you!

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Not private, but I can tell you who not to do an excursion with....Dora the Explorer and her team left us somewhere in the walled city! Didn't bother to count how many of her group were present before she took off. We were stuck behind a group and by the time we were able to get by them and out of the church the guide (Mercedes) was gone! Matter of only a couple minuets!

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2 hours ago, croosieloosie said:

Not private, but I can tell you who not to do an excursion with....Dora the Explorer and her team left us somewhere in the walled city! Didn't bother to count how many of her group were present before she took off. We were stuck behind a group and by the time we were able to get by them and out of the church the guide (Mercedes) was gone! Matter of only a couple minuets!

 

I have been on tours where people disappeared. In Iceland a couple decided to go shopping on their own and none knew were they went. We waited 45 minutes. They had gone to a grocery store and had a bag of groceries.  At a certain point the tour operator has to consider the rest of the group and in some circumstances might have to leave people behind. I might have left the couple in Iceland behind. Not saying that was the case with you but if you are on a tour you need to keep track of time.  Having read many positive reviews I am going with Dora in December .One negative review is not enough for me to not do it with Dora.

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Not at all what happened to us!! As I said, we were just minuets getting out of the church behind our group. We could see Mercedes exiting, We were definitely not oblivious to the time or buying groceries, we were blocked by a group trying to come in the exit and couldn't get through. We just couldn't get out. She had absolutely no idea we weren't there and just kept on going.

I too see the good reviews, our situation most definitely does not reflect other's experiences. Enjoy your tour.

Edited by croosieloosie
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3 hours ago, croosieloosie said:

Not at all what happened to us!! As I said, we were just minuets getting out of the church behind our group. We could see Mercedes exiting, We were definitely not oblivious to the time or buying groceries, we were blocked by a group trying to come in the exit and couldn't get through. We just couldn't get out. She had absolutely no idea we weren't there and just kept on going.

I too see the good reviews, our situation most definitely does not reflect other's experiences. Enjoy your tour.


After you posted I read back and what you said in an earlier post was that they did come back for you at the church. It sounds like you were misplaced by one of the guides not left behind. You lost the guide and the guide lost you for 30 minutes. Not a good thing to happen for sure but I don’t see for that a reason for you to keep posting over and over again many times that people should not use Dora the Explorer. Describing what happened and warning people to stay close to the guide particularly if it was Mercedes would have been enough. I have read several hundred of the Dora tour reviews and it seems like what happened was a one off happening. 

Edited by Charles4515
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6 hours ago, Charles4515 said:


After you posted I read back and what you said in an earlier post was that they did come back for you at the church. It sounds like you were misplaced by one of the guides not left behind. You lost the guide and the guide lost you for 30 minutes. Not a good thing to happen for sure but I don’t see for that a reason for you to keep posting over and over again many times that people should not use Dora the Explorer. Describing what happened and warning people to stay close to the guide particularly if it was Mercedes would have been enough. I have read several hundred of the Dora tour reviews and it seems like what happened was a one off happening. 

We stayed where we were left and the driver came back 30 minuets later, as were about to get a cab back to the ship. Thank you for your opinion and your wisdom of how to post. Enjoy your tour. Goodbye

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 11/19/2019 at 3:21 PM, croosieloosie said:

We stayed where we were left and the driver came back 30 minuets later, as were about to get a cab back to the ship. Thank you for your opinion and your wisdom of how to post. Enjoy your tour. Goodbye

We had a wonderful tour with Dora who  looked afer us from our pick up at the port until our return.

Edited by roger b
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/22/2019 at 6:12 PM, Charles4515 said:

Our tour with Dora on December 12 was excellent. Dora was our guide. I would highly recommend her for private excusions in Cartagena. 

 

http://www.cartagenatour.com

Hi Charles4515, we have Dora booked for April.  We have someone in our group with mobility issues and she is considering staying back.  Can you please. Tell me how much walking is involved in the hot humid sun?

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13 hours ago, Perky1 said:

Hi Charles4515, we have Dora booked for April.  We have someone in our group with mobility issues and she is considering staying back.  Can you please. Tell me how much walking is involved in the hot humid sun?


The walking tour part of the excursion in the old city was a major part of the excursion. It was not all walking but there was a good amount of it. It was hot but didn’t seem that humid but we could have been lucky on the humidity that day. As the previous poster suggested I would contact Dora. You might be able to arrange a custom version of the tour with less walking. 

Edited by Charles4515
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