Cartagena Local Market Tour and Cooking Class

Badge of Excellence

Cartagena, Colombia

5 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Learn how to prepare a traditional Colombian meal in Cartagena from a local chef during this cooking class. Before hitting the kitchen, visit the local market of Bazurto to explore the regional produce and to purchase ingredients for the meal. From there, you’ll head to a family home to prepare the Colombian dishes.

Take home authentic Colombian cooking skills
Learn about Colombian food and culture as you explore the market
Enjoy a traditional meal in a local family’s home
Hotel pickup from certain areas is included

Sample Menu

Starter

plantain cups with guacamole

Main

coconut rice or bean rice, fish, salad and fried plantain

What's Included

Local tour guide
Hotel pickup (bocagrande, laguito, castillo grande, centro)
tasting
Lunch
drink

personal expenses

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Meeting point

Monumento Torre del Reloj
Boca del Puente, El Centro, Cartagena de Indias, Bolívar, Colombia
in the middle arc of the clock tower

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Cartagena Caribbean Tours

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible

This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Lewis_B

This was an incredible experience! Eusebio was a fantastic guide through the market. We would never have been able to visit there on our own. He shared his experiences and helped us select all the ingredients for the delicious meal we would make together. At the kitchen, Andris was a talented chef and teacher. Every item was absolutely delicious and it was a very memorable day.

Reviews

4.4

based on 17 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Home cooking

Keith_S, Nov 2024

The market was hugh, well worth the trip. Cooking real food in someone's home made it extra special. Thanks.

Ok but may consider other options in the future

JaeNetta_E, Jan 2024

A rough start. Our trip’s reservation time was changed three times. Five hours later, our tour began. Due to the delay in start time, majority of the market was closed by the time we got there. It also smelled really bad throughout. Nevertheless, we were able to make some amazing fish, salad and coconut rice in a restaurant on the beach. All smiles when it was over.

Highly recommend

Lewis_B, Dec 2023

DO NOT BOOK THIS

Dominique_S, Nov 2023

This was the worst experience ever! Do not book. They tried to cancel 1 hour before start. Then sent rude staff that wouldn't talk, introduce themselves, or answer questions. I was terrified and asked to be returned to my hotel before it started. I was not issued a refund. This is a total scam!

Spring Break

Carlan_M, Apr 2023

Kevin is AMAZING truly Picked us up from our hotel and we took a yellow cab to the market!! Wow talk about richness in culture. The market is the real deal cultural experience. Kevin is a wiz working through knowing exactly what to get and how much. It was amazing to see him work with the local vendors. He asks for our input to enjoy that we made what we wanted After the market we were driven to the most beautiful beach house and greeted. We ate the fruit we shopped for earlier which the cooking stations were set up. After we joined Kevin and Andris and cooked The lunch was nothing less than superb. It was delicious and knowing we had a hand in it was amazing! We were sent in a cab back to the hotel! It was an amazing experience highly recommend

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thanks you so much for your review! We appreciate your feedback and are glad you are satisfied with our service.

Wonderful experience-...

Robert_O, Dec 2022

Wonderful experience- amazing meal and conversation. Thank you, Sr. Duran, for inviting us into your home and making it such a memorable experience. One if the best for sure.

Do It!

Karina_S, Jan 2020

The best thing we did in Cartagena. The market was interesting and our guide was very helpful even stopped to buy our bottles of beer for us so that we wouldn't pay too much. The lunch was great and have even made some of the things we helped prepare once we got back home.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you so much for your comment

A true local experience

BrianRPaddler, Nov 2019

Get a feeling for the daily lives for the majority of people in Cartagena through this tour. Food and all that is required to obtain, prepare and consume it speaks to a culture. The family who runs this tour are warm and sharing. The food was excellent. The experience fun.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

thank you so much for your comment

Local food experience

Cheryl_K, Jun 2019

We were met at our airbnb in Getsameni by the tour guide who went with us in a taxi to the market for the poor of Cartagena. The market is massive, chaotic, aromatic, and astounding. It has no comparison to an American farmers market, and we were appreciative to see how the locals secure produce and meats. Then we took another taxi with the tour director to his home on the beach. Again, it was interesting to see how the local families live in a very tight-knit community. The tour leader's girlfriend prepares the meal with explanations to us and opportunities to help with chopping and some other kitchen tasks. Two young men assist with directions and clean up. The meal was a typical Colombian lunch, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The only odd thing was that this meal is in the tour leader's home, so he was present in the home but did not interact during the meal preparation. The experience would be enhanced if he were involved more throughout as it countered our expectations to have him there but lounging. After the completion of the meal, we were provided transportation in the car of a friend of the tour leader. Additional expense was incurred in tipping the boys and chef and the local driver. Overall, it was a great experience and we would recommend it.

Cartagena Local Market Tour and Cooking Class

Luann_S, Mar 2019

If you have toured around Cartagena before and are in for a taste of local experience, this tour is really the top pick. My husband and I were met outside our ship by a tour representative who brought us to our guide. Our guide was very knowledgeable and spoke impeccable English. It was great to be around someone who lives and loves his city and told us the scoop on people, government, food and sites. We walked all over the market pace to select the ingredients for our meal later. He knew the local vendors well and as a result, we got to taste some of the fruits and vegetables right off the farmer stands before buying. We selected local sea bass and char for the main course, a selection of vegetables for a nice salad, a whole coconut to crack open and shred for our rice, plantains, a variety of fruits including mangoes as well as local grapes to boil and chill later as our lunch beverage. The market was fascinating and stimulated each and every sense from sounds, sites, smells, touch and taste to a general pleasing feeling to be part of this amazing shopping experience! We ventured to the guide's lovely and colorful cabana on the beach after shopping and prepared our lunch meal with his wife, young adult nephew and nephew's friend Everyone worked together in blissful harmony to chop, shred and cut up all this "freshness" then season and cook together. We sat at the table with the family and enjoyed a most delectable meal, surrounded by the warmth and friendliness of this wonderful family. The food, transportation and tips for the drivers were all included in the cost of the tour. We would certainly do this again when we return to this spectacular city!

Amazing experience truly unforgettable!

joditegeler, Oct 2018

This tour was one of the most amazing things I've done while traveling. Cartagena is a magnificent city but I love to see how all walks of life live when traveling. The market tour was one of the most raw and exciting things I've ever done while traveling. If you want to take pretty pictures and be a typical tourist this is not the tour for you. This tour shows how so many people live in this beautiful country and I am so thankful for this experience. The cooking lesson was wonderful as welll! We did our cooking at their beach cabana and it was a completely wonderful change of pace from the beaches in the city. Highly recommend!!