Colombia

WALLED CITY

A unique and fascinating place, which you can travel with family, friends, couple and alone.

It is an interesting destination, not only because of its walls but also because it is a place that witnessed great historical moments such as:

• Prowess of independence
• Confrontation and looting

When you are inside you will be surprised by all the things you can see, here I leave you some of the places you can visit within the Walled City:

• La Plaza de la Aduana: You can see different historical buildings, such as the one where the founder of the city Don Pedro de Heredia lived. You can also see the statue of Christopher Columbus in the central part of the square and the House of the Marquis of the Royal Prize.

• Palace of the Inquisition: it is a place where they expose instruments that they used to torture people that they considered a danger or integrated, it was very common in that time.

• Churches: You can visit the convent of San Pedro Claver, the church La Trinidad, Santo Toribio, La Ermita del Cabrero.
  
  

NEIGHBORHOOD GETSEMANÍ

Barrio cartagena getsemaníJust go through the entrance of the clock and you find this wonderful neighborhood, full of life and color. A place where you will find a variety of inexpensive hostels and restaurants with a good atmosphere.

It is a safe neighborhood, its humble and hardworking people, many small businesses. It is a neighborhood that you fall in love with, the perfect place to soak up the life of the Cartagena people, to taste and live the true essence of Cartagena.

THE BEACHES

Depending on the area where you drive, you can go to some of these beaches as:

• The Laguito
• Large Castle
  
  

ROSARY ISLANDS

Place where you can find truly beautiful beaches, quiet and with the possibility of many activities during the day.

In Baru you can find one of the most beautiful and in Isla Grande one of the quietest. To get to these beaches you can hire a tourist package, ranging from pasadia to packages of several days. They usually include transportation (round trip), meals, accommodation in case you go for several days and tour to other islands.

As in many countries of the world you have to take certain precautions and know how to drive in certain zones and areas of the city.

Tourist areas are generally safe, but we still recommend that you keep these details in mind:

• Notify your coordinator if you are going on an excursion.
• Have your coordinator’s phone number and address handy.
• Avoid giving out information about where you are staying, the project and your fellow students.
• Avoid risk areas in every place you visit.
  Travel in austerity in your daily transfers and on your excursions.
• Avoid attracting attention with jewelry and accessories.
• If you can avoid taking your mobile phone out in public places.
• Try to use the country’s safe transport services or services such as Uber or taxis.
• Avoid walking alone on unknown streets at night.
• Never put someone you don’t know into an unknown vehicle, or someone you don’t know into yours.
• Do not drink any drink of which you do not know the origin.

1. From the moment you fill in the registration form for a program in Colombia we will save your place for 7 days.
2. To confirm your place definitively, you must pay a deposit of 150 € within 7 days, once the deposit is paid, your place will be guaranteed and you will be formally part of the family of volunteers of Adventure Volunteer.
3. As soon as you pay the program deposit, we will send you an email to confirm that your place is secure where we will provide you with the volunteer guide, your t-shirt, mandatory insurance and the volunteer agreement.
4. The rest of the payment is made one month before your incorporation to the project.

WHAT VACCINATIONS ARE NEEDED TO TRAVEL TO CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA?

At the moment there is no mandatory vaccine for people who are not from countries where yellow fever is.

IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL TO CARTAGENA?

Of course it is safe, it is a destination that receives many tourists from different countries all year round, especially Cartagena, which is a safe place, its people very friendly and treatable.

WHERE CAN I CHANGE MONEY IN CARTAGENA?

In all the tourist sector of Cartagena and in the airport you find a house of change. In the historical center (Walled City) is where you find more places. and with better offers of change.

WHERE CAN I EAT TYPICAL CARTAGENA FOOD?

Within the walled city you can go to the restaurant El Portón de San Sebastián and Az-zahr are very visited. However, you can find many other places that offer typical Colombian and economic food. There will also be Italian and fast food restaurants.

If we go to Gethsemane you will find cheaper food and places. Here you can find menus of the house for about 4 euros. Locals or restaurants are more modest, but that’s a way to interact and share with the local people of the city.

A good typical dish usually includes salad and soup and you can not miss the meat or fish with coconut rice, potatoes and beans or lentils. In addition to the delicious juices

Be sure to try the great natural fruit juices and meat skewers from the street stalls outside the walls. In the beach area you can choose between expensive restaurants or grilled fish from the beach bars. I advise you this last option.

WHERE CAN I GO OUT IN CARTAGENA?

I’ve already told you how beautiful this city is, but there are a few places to go out. The two places we can say safe to go out at night are the places within the walled city and Gethsemane.

You like salsa so Café del Mar, Café Havana is for you. For a slightly different night La Movida is an exclusive place, that is more expensive.

A place with more atmosphere in the week that is Tu Candela, the music is varied and is one of the few places that opens until late weekdays. There’s also Mister Babilla, it’s a good place to go in group, the atmosphere and the very nice people. You will listen to local music such as vallenatos, salsa, reguetón and of course the champet.