Top Cartagena Boat Hire

Tour guide, Carlos Moro, was an absolute delight. His knowledge of Cartagena history was astounding and he brought the past into life as he shared incredible stories about some of the most famous landmarks in this UNESCO world heritage site. We arrived at port and went through the Oasis gardens (give yourself time to check out all the tropical birds, sloths and turtles). We were met by Carlos and a driver. We were asked if there was anything specific we wanted to do- and we said we would like to go to La Cevicheria- a favorite restaurant of Anthony Bourdain. We drove to several historical sites, walked around as Carlos was providing the narrative and importance of each site. His presentation was so vivid, and he also used an iPad / map to help us visualize where we were in relation to the site. We went to the old town for our ceviche (absolutely worth the hype) and really enjoyed looking at the architecture of the homes. Stopped at Emerald Station where I purchased a beautiful band. Cesar, our driver, was amazing as he navigated the traffic. He often rolled down the window if we passed a colorful scene, so I could snap a few photos. We even passed a wedding. We always felt safe and were so impressed with our Viator experience. We will be talking about our excellent day in Cartagena for years. History buffs will especially love this tour. Bravo.

Hiring a private boat is a must. Otherwise, you are in a horrible cattle call with the other operators. It was worth every penny. You will be greeted by someone that gets you to the boat and then you are out on the boat all day. You can customize where you want to go and how long to stay. It was safe. My only complaint is that the beach club where we ate lunch they asked us if we wanted to provide lunch for the boat crew of two people. We felt pressured to do this. Why wouldn’t the boat crew bring their own lunch? It’s one thing if they were sitting there with us, of course we would buy them lunch, but they were attending to the boat. It just seems like they should pack their own lunch. We felt obligated so we did send them the lunch and we were surprised it was more expensive than we were expecting. This just reduce the amount we gave them as a tip at the end. I think it’s a scam with the restaurant so maybe it should be made very clear multiple times while we are still on the boat not to fall for the scam at the beach club. It was included in the pre-departure information, but it was in the fine print and not highlighted. Seems like the boat operators would not allow this to happen. Or they should have given us a printed out piece of paper in English that clearly says we have our own lunch. Do not buy us a lunch but we appreciate your tips.

Great driver. Cool van. Abundance of cultural and relevant information. Bring a fan and a hat as there are periods of standing in the sun. For us Americans it was hot and humid. Eduardo was personable and passionate about Cartagena the historical, religious, and cultural highlights of the area. Due to our short time in port, didn't have time to stop for a cervesa, which was a bummer.