How safe is cartegena columbia?

[SteveCathy1]

My DW and I have never been to Columbia and are stopping in cartegena on our Panama Cruise with NCL PEARL Apr. 18, 2014. We Would like to know if it is better to take a tour with the Pearl or venture out on our own to shop or hit a beach. Any help would be appreciated.

[Kamloops50]

My DW and I have never been to Columbia and are stopping in cartegena on our Panama Cruise with NCL PEARL Apr. 18, 2014. We Would like to know if it is better to take a tour with the Pearl or venture out on our own to shop or hit a beach. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Personally I would take a ship's tour . Local excursion companies can be a bit on the sketchy side . Going on your can be problematic. I've heard horror stores from people who went on there own or used a local tour company. They setup in such a way that they had to pay extra to get back to the ship. Some have tours where they went from store to store where the owner was a family member of the tour guide .

[SteveCathy1]

Thanks Kamloops. Sounds like a excursion with the ship is in order.:)

[DiamondDiva]

We were just in Cartagena with the Coral Princess on Mar 11th of this year. We went with a private tour of 7, gaining 4 people from our roll call, with Claudia Vidal. It was nice to only have 7 people and we got to see some extra things in the same time as the ship's tour. We had a very nice tour, and walked extensively in the Old Town area, but visited many other sites. Two other tour people used by some on this same recent trip are Lee Miles and Dora. Do a search for them here and see other posts. A check on Trip Advisor for all 3 tour companies will also give you some good opinions.

 

We were never worried about safety at all, but there are lots of panhandlers and those who approach you to buy things on the street everywhere. It is a fact of life there. A simple "No, Gracias" and keep on going helps. Do not stop. And the driving is terrible-some areas have few stop signs or lights, even for large, wide roads.

 

But Cartagena is a gorgeous, ;arge city, with a wealth of Hispano-American history to see.

[swedish weave]

Thanks Kamloops. Sounds like a excursion with the ship is in order.:)

 

I don't doubt that Kamloops has heard horror stories. We all have heard them about most of the ports.

 

However ---- I have made several cruise ship stops in Cartagena and have taken local private tours almost every time I have been there, and have had ZERO bad experiences. They are less expensive than the ships tours, and include many things the ships tours don't do. You need to do your homework, and that is go through all the tour brochures you can find -- Write down the things that interest you -- Present the list to a taxi driver or tour guide and ask how much of the list you can do , how much it will cost, and how long it will take. Also ask the driver or guide to show you what he likes about his city.

 

It works for me, and I have never felt the slightest bit of fear or danger.

[SteveCathy1]

Thanks very much for another propective. We like to do things on our own with a hired tour driver. Safety was our big concern.

[Keith1010]

Cartagena is really fine.

 

You can see it on a tour of with a taxi driver.

 

I would visit the fort which is known as the Fort San Felipe de Barajas.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jw2bgRQGXJc/UQFybcVt3fI/AAAAAAAAX2o/A-8RCkwTrWA/s640/DSC_4944.jpg

 

Also visit the La Popa Monastery which is at the highest point of the city.

You will get these views from the Monastery.

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-z_e2Esj0thY/UQFvjG47cnI/AAAAAAAAX0U/UAJiEoE72Es/s640/DSC_4934.jpg

 

Then visit the walled and colonial cities.

 

Keith

[messengerc21]

We will also be in Cartagena in April off the Pearl. I have been there twice and have had no problems there! I plan on taking a cab to the Old City and walk around and enjoy the day! There is nothing wrong with the guides mentioned in here or in Traveladvisors.com. You can just as easily join others off the ship and hire someone to show you the City! There is by far more dangerous places!

[PatriciaF]

We were just in Cartagena on the Coral Princess (3/21) and used a private guide, MareIvy, who is a top rated guide on tripadvisor.

 

Excellent tour. Very safe.

 

I didn't think that the sellers were very aggressive--but there were 3 ships in port. Perhaps so many tourists that we outnumbered the sellers. Note that because there were so many ships in port and so many excursions the top rated private guides were booked quickly. Our tablemates all were on different ship's shore excursions and all 3 couples complained about the poor English of their guides.

 

When I was there in the mid-90s with my dad and two kids, we saw the "federales" hanging out with AK-47s that are/were pretty common in Mexico.

 

I thought it was safe as most ports. Use common sense--don't get drunk and wander around alone in alleys.

[Keith1010]

We have traveled to most places around the world and I can say with each passing year that Cartagena gets better each year.

 

It is a great place to visit.

 

Keith

[PCWalton1]

We were just in Cartagena with the Coral Princess on Mar 11th of this year. We went with a private tour of 7, gaining 4 people from our roll call, with Claudia Vidal. It was nice to only have 7 people and we got to see some extra things in the same time as the ship's tour. We had a very nice tour, and walked extensively in the Old Town area, but visited many other sites. Two other tour people used by some on this same recent trip are Lee Miles and Dora. Do a search for them here and see other posts. A check on Trip Advisor for all 3 tour companies will also give you some good opinions.

 

We were never worried about safety at all, but there are lots of panhandlers and those who approach you to buy things on the street everywhere. It is a fact of life there. A simple "No, Gracias" and keep on going helps. Do not stop. And the driving is terrible-some areas have few stop signs or lights, even for large, wide roads.

 

But Cartagena is a gorgeous, ;arge city, with a wealth of Hispano-American history to see.

 

Thank you for the positive review for Claudia. Eight of us have her booked for this coming November on Legend.

 

Bill

[ROCruiser]

When we cruised through Panama a few years back, Cartegena was one of the stops. Originally, we wanted to just stay on the ship because of all the horror stories coming out from that country. Once we got there, we decided to explore out and got a private tour for the 11 of us right at the port. We had a wonderful day at this beautiful city. So glad we did not skip it because I don't know if we will ever visit it again.

[Busybean]

Hi

I have been reeading the comments above with interest. My husband & I will be visiting Cartegena via cruise ship in early December. It appears that it is easy to either pick up a tour or take a taxi into the city from the cruise port without pre booking. Can you just confirm that I am correct. Is there any way of checking that the taxis are registererd to ensure the safety aspect please?

[DiamondDiva]

I do not know about the availability/safety of tours or taxis that are not pre-booked. We arranged our tour by email ahead of time with Claudia, who was very prompt in all responses, and she met us at the bottom of the ship gangway.

 

Also you will have to probably leave the pier area to get any non-booked tours or taxis-for the Coral Princess, at least, only their tour buses and some of the private tour vans were allowed inside the pier area. Others had to walk a distance to get outside the secure area to make other arrangements. Did not talk to anyone else who did not use a ship tour or pre-booked tour with Claudia, Lee Miles, or Dora.

 

Sorry I could not be of more help with this.

[jmwg49]

We have just returned from our cruise on the Carnival Miracle thru the Panama Canal and our first stop was Cartagena. It was beautiful! Do not pass up the opportunity to get off the ship and see it! We toured with Dora (check her out on Trip Advisor, in fact one of her other guides) and we had a fabulous time. Contact her and she will give you all the details you need. We did not feel intimidated or frightened at any time. We walked thru the old city with our guide Mercedes and felt totally safe. Yes, there are alot of agressive panhandlers, but as others said, a simple NO and keep walking. I am so glad we contacted Dora and booked her for our group (the larger your group, the price comes down).

[Hydrokitty]

we're on Celebrity Infinity next week and also stopping in Cartagena. What is there to see that would be within walking distance of the ship? I have trouble walking, especially on cobblestones and uneven surfaces so I am hesitant about some of the tours since they say you should be able to climb stairs (I can) and walk long distances over uneven surfaces. Any advice from people who have been? especially ones with trouble walking.

[Keith1010]

There is nothing that you could see that is outside the terminal area but if you just stay in the terminal area there are some shops within walking distance of the dock and there is an area with some birds and some other animals.

 

Keith

[mcmarya]

My husband speaks Spanish so we walked outside the port area and took a taxi to the fort for $6. The fort now costs $10 pp. The tour operators must get a deal for just walking their participants up to the top for pictures but we felt it was worth the fee for touring it. We did not explore the tunnels too much because one I ventured down had bats in it. On the sunny side there were tons of iguanas and there were great views. We got there early which meant we avoided the vendors and it was not too hot.

 

After touring the fort, we walked to the walled city with no difficulty. We walked quickly and acted like we knew where we were going. There were a few homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk. My husband greeted some folks with no response--not a friendly city.

 

At the walled part of the city we got a tourist map and did the walking tour. We would have gotten more out of it had we hired a guide. But, we did not have much time in this port and preferred to be on our own. When we had seen what we needed to see, we got a taxi back to the port for $10. This time it was one of the blue shirted drivers who normally charge more. But, I think he was anxious to get back to the port since another ship had just arrived.

 

So, we went out on our own and enjoyed the port immensely. We never felt in danger and look forward to returning in the future. With more time in port we would visit La Popa. Our taxi driver offered us a 2 hour tour for $25 for both of us but we declined this time.

[kati89]

I currently live in a pueblo just outside of Cartagena (I am a volunteer here teaching English). I am a young woman and I frequently go into Cartagena by myself. I have done a lot of traveling and I do not believe there is any more of a safety risk in Cartagena than in any other tourist port in Latin America/Caribbean. If you are smart (keep your purse close to your body, don't flash around valuables, pay with small bills, etc) you are fine to explore any of the tourist areas on your own. Cabs are safe and if you are unsure, write down the plate number before you get in. Cartagena is a beautiful and historic city with lots to see that unfortunately is still trying to shake a bad rap with tourists!