Private City Tour of Cartagena

Viewing the Old Town District.was a highlight. Vito was very educated in the history of Cartagena which was very interesting. We loved our tour.

Fortunately, because of the pandemic it was a private tour with the owner. We saw the largest for in the americas.

For new comers to Cartagena, this is a great tour to do at the beginning of your trip in order to get a full understanding of the city's historical and touristy parts. My husband and I did the afternoon tour with Nico who brought us to see the entrance to el reloj, walk through the graffiti streets of Getsemani, and the major attractions like the convent of la Popa and el castillo de san felipe. Nico also drove us around the city explaining parts of the city like manga, bocagrande and the bovedas. Nico was a very good guide, My husband (who is not a spanish speaker) was able to understand him both in english and spanish since he spoke slowly enough in spanish. Nico's car was clean, air conditioned and he was very good about offering us water throughout the afternoon. Nico was a seasoned vet in the art of Cartagena tours and was able to get us to surpass the long line at el Castillo de San Felipe. We were very grateful for that since the sun was strong and the vendors looked relentless. The only reason we took away one star away was because I didn't appreciate the the forced viewing of emeralds in the Bovedas. My parents are colombian I've had people selling me "colombian gold and emeralds" since I can remember and I think if Nico tours other people he should really ask is people are even interested to go shopping in the bovedas. It made me uncomfortable and I am sure other tourists would feel the same in the future. Otherwise great tour and door to door service.

Tour was filled with a stops outside the walled city (in front of the famous Cartagena Reloj), a walk through Getsemani, La Popoa, the forts and the tour of the castle of San Felipe. Nico was our tour guide who drove us around the city explaining the history and background of these famous landmarks. Nico did a fine job of explaining each spot (in english) so we understood the importance of each landmark. Nico was great about letting us take pictures and of taking fun pictures at the castle of San Felipe. He concluded the tour at Plaza de Las Bóvedas. The only thing I did not appreciate about the tour was the forced connection of the shop in the bovedas. I would have preferred to make my own choice as where to shop for emeralds (being my family is colombian) and yet we were introduced to his nephew and the lady who was selling emeralds who most likely sold to us at a more higher price because we are americans.

Excellent tour, Niko was very knowledgeable about Cartagena. Highly recommend! It provided a good overview of the city.

My husband and I took this excursion through Viator. I have to say that the Viator salesperson was amazing in helping me set this up. I originally did it on line and later that day I realized I had entered the wrong day that our ship was arriving in Caragena. The salesperson was wonderful. He fixed it immediately and emailed me the confirmation with our correct arrival date for March 7, 2020. A big thank you to him. The excursion was everything we hoped for and more. Our tour started right outside the gate of the port with a delightful walk through a treed bird sanctuary with so many colourful birds and no cages, even monkeys in the trees. Our tour guide, Martha Cabarcas, Sion Tours, spoke perfect English and was so informative about the history of Cartagena. Our driver, Galarcio, patiently waited by the car at our first stop. We strolled along the cobble stone walkways of Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas with Martha. She regaled us with delightful stories of the history of the fort as we ventured from the outside turrets to the hidden cavernous hallways below. The next stop began with a tree-lined drive up the mountain to visit La Popa Monastery with a vista of ocean and cities from atop of the most beautiful monastery we had ever seen. We later drove down to the narrow streets of the walled city of Cartagena where Martha led us on a marvellous walking tour from Getsemani to the famous Clock tower, pointing out the charming, yet intriguing, highlights of this beautiful city. We even got a little shopping in for an emerald, which is what Cartagena is also famous for. We returned to the ship at 2:30 pm. We loved this tour and a huge thank you to Martha and Galarcio, we will never forget you and the amazing day we spent together.

Alvaro (Al) Ramirez was a fantastic tour guide! He has a wealth of knowledge about the city and its history and told me about daily life there. Our driver, Luis, drove us to many areas of the city, and being in a car meant that we didn’t get stuck in traffic as much as a tour bus might. I could get a feel for Cartagena’s various areas during the drive, then we went to the wonderful 17th century La Popa convent on top of a mountain - gorgeous chapel and views! We also went to the Castillo fort, and Al’s stories of its construction and battles brought that history to life. Finally, we had a shopping stop in a lovely historic area - lots of local items for sale, but no pressure to buy anything. Al went out of his way to tell me about interesting aspects of the city and ensure that my one day in Cartagena would be remembered for a lifetime! I can’t say enough good things about this tour 😃

My wife and I enjoyed the tour. It has a little something for everybody. It also takes you on the outskirts of the city to see places you probably would not see on your own. It’s a great way to get a feel for Cartagena. Obviously a private tour costs more than a group tour, but you get what you pay for. It’s nice to be able to hear, ask questions, and not have to keep up with a group. Also easier to skip things that don’t interest you and linger when something does. We certainly thought the tour was worth doing.

It was just my wife & myself & we had a great driver, Issac & Guide, Francia. Very knowledgeable & did a great job explaining things.

We visited Cartagena on January 3, 2020. Sion Tours and our tour guide K-I-K-E (pronounced "KeeKay") was the best. After booking, they sent us a detailed email with a map as to where to meet their designated representative. The representative met us at the exact location without any difficulty.She walked us through the area right to where K-i-k-e picked us up in his air-conditioned car. He provided us with a wonderful and informative tour but was flexible enough to take us to a couple of places we wanted to go such as the umbrella street and a local hotel lobby that we wanted to see. K-i-k-e took many wonderful photos for us and even carried my wife's backpack for part of the time. K-i-k-e is a very friendly, pleasant and caring tour guide. His smile is infectious. THANK YOU K-I-K-E FOR AN AMAZING DAY TOUR IN CARTAGENA. You made our vacation great!