A Day in Cartagena, Colombia
As much as I would have loved to spend more time in Cartagena, I ended up only getting 24 hours, arriving around 4pm by bus on one day and flying out at 4pm the next. Obviously, my tourism was limited by both time and travel exhaustion, as this was the end of my trip, but I still managed to see some cool stuff.
Centro Histórico
This is by far the most touristy part of town, but, like most touristy places, there’s a reason so many people flock to it. The narrow streets, colorful buildings, and flower-covered balconies are simply gorgeous. Ironically, it ended up looking remarkably similar to Old San Juan, the town I was flying back to the very next day. It’s a good thing I never tire of adorable balconies.
One thing I really didn’t like about this area was that it was completely overrun with people pedaling goods. Every two steps someone was shoving a bracelet or hat in my face, refusing to take no for an answer. The cramped streets made it both difficult to avoid them as well as a little nerve-wracking to protect my belongings. All I wanted to do was leisurely stroll and take photos of the narrow alleyways and charming balconies, but sometimes I choose to miss the photo op so I wouldn’t have to hold up my phone in a crowded area.
Of course, if you are looking for some cheap souvenirs and feel like haggling, you’ll have a grand old time here. The salesmen swarm like sharks to chum in this place, so you’ll have no shortage of options. Beware of insanely inflated prices, though. My friend Jorge took a liking to an admittedly adorable instrument shaped like a fish. The salesman originally quoted the price at a whopping $70,000 pesos (about $22 USD) but after some quick haggling, the price went down to only $20,000 (about $6 USD).
You can also walk along the Muralla de Cartagena de Indias, which is a wall built back in the 1600s after the attack by Sir Francis Drake. It’s incredibly well-preserved and offers some beautiful views over the water.
Sunset view from Muralla de Cartagena
This area is gorgeous and definitely worth seeing, but prepare yourself for crowds and head to a different part of town when you get hungry so you can avoid overpriced restaurants.
Getsemaní
Centro Histórico may have charming architecture, but Getsemaní has all the great street art. The area is quite small, so just start at the edge and weave your way through the narrow alleys and you are sure to find some pretty impressive artwork. Even though this area is a 5 minute walk from Centro Histórico, you’ll find it has a much more relaxed atmosphere, free of desperate salesmen. The streets are so narrow that sometimes you pretty much have to press yourself against a building as cars pass by, but everyone drives slowly and gives you little warning honks to let you know they are approaching. I walked the whole area in under an hour, though avid photographers might want to spend a bit longer, as the street art and tiny streets make for some gorgeous photos.
Parque del Centenario
This park is conveniently located right between the Centro Histórico and Getsemaní. Honestly, calling it a park is a bit generous, as it’s probably more concrete and dirt than anything else. Nonetheless, it’s totally worth exploring. For whatever reason, some entrances are locked, seemingly at random, so if you encounter a locked gate just keep walking around the perimeter until you find one that is open. The entrance I walked through had some guys lurking around, blocking the entrance in a way that made it seem like you had to pay to enter. I assure you, the entrance is free, so just walk through with confidence.
The entrance I walked through put me right on a path of used book vendors. The pop-up shops seemed pretty established and there were no signs about it being a special event, so I assume they are always there. Once again, you will encounter some seriously aggressive salesmen, so browsing can be a bit difficult, but if you are looking for books in Spanish, the selection is actually quite good. I walked away with a Gabriel Garcia Marquez book for less than $4.
Books are awesome, but the real reason I went to this “park” was to see the wildlife. I really don’t understand how some trees in a block of concrete attract wild monkeys and sloths, but they do! You’ll also find some fiery-red squirrels along with some not-so-cute screeching black birds and huge iguanas. But seriously guys. Sloths and monkeys. In the city. All you have to do is keep looking up, or better yet, look around for someone pointing up at a tree. Within a minute of entering the park I found some adorable monkeys swinging on the branches, and slightly scary but still kind of cute squirrels nibbling on snacks. The sloths were harder to find, but I was pretty determined so I eventually found them lounging high up in a tree.
I split all of these activities between 1 afternoon and the morning before I caught my flight, but they would fit very nicely into 1 day. Beware: Cartagena is hot and sunny, so load up on the sunscreen and take breaks to drink water and perhaps sit in an air-conditioned restaurant.
