Cartagena: Cultural tour Bazurto Market Adventure

We had just taken a cruise down the Magdalena River. On disembarkation, I wanted to do something in Cartagena for a few hours before our flight home. Rodrigo of Insider Tours helped me plan an awesome excursion to Bazurto market. An English speaking guide, met us at the ship at the appointed time and took us to the real Cartagena. It was so interesting to see how people shopped, ate, and danced. It was definitely different than the beauty of the walled city. After wandering around the market for an hour or so they got us back to the ship in time to go to the airport. It was a great experience. I highly recommend.

Great experience. Marci did an excellent job.

Rodrigo was a great tour guide. Brought me to a lot of great stops in Bazurto, would definitely recommend. He knew a lot about the market and the surrounding area. Would take another tour with him as my guide. 5 stars.

I’ve lived in Cartagena for 6 months before and knew about Bazurto, but after the tour I know, I didn’t know anything! The tour covered a lot of historic background info, current difficulties the place faces, and of course a lot of Colombian food, clothing, music and medical history! You get to experience the real Colombia and are introduced to popular character within the market, making the tour even cooler!

Rodrigo was an excellent tour guide.Friendly, informative and took c are of us in what some folks would call a sketchy environment. We felt safe and informed. I would recommend him to anyone who is interested in this tour.

This tour provides a good insider's look at everyday life for those living in Cartagena. While we walked through the market with our guide, he described the various sections, took us to many vendors to have them demonstrate or show us their trade, and provided us with historical background and insights of the market. Our guide's english was good and he did a great job of entertaining our questions and focusing our tour on our interests. Similar to some other busy markets we have visited, our senses were filled with sights, sounds, and smells.

Very interesting and informative. Metal working, herbalist, local record store, a bit of dance lesson and a famous sign maker round out a culturally relevant stop that would not be typical for tourists. Thank You for making this opportunity available!

We toured the market. The guides were amazing and we saw the way local shop and eat. We were well treated by everyone. Glad we went

Absolutely five stars—Bazurto Market came alive because of Orika. She was simply the best: deeply knowledgeable, kind, and incredibly accommodating. She knows the market’s history like the back of her hand, and it showed in the way she connected the sights, sounds, and flavors to the stories behind them! She set an easy, comfortable pace, tailored the experience to my interests, and answered every question with insight and warmth. I’d take this tour all over again just because of Orika—she turned a great outing into an unforgettable one!

If you want a glimpse into how the locals live and where they shop and eat, book this tour. I had the tour all to myself and was immersed into the local culture as soon as I met my tour guide in Getsamani and we loaded the bus for the market. You will be guided every step of the way from learning about the history of how the Colombian people came to this country, you will visit a steel artisan who greets you with smiles, you will sample fresh fruits and have a fresh juice to cool off, get a custom graffiti poster by a passionate artist, dance to African music with a local DJ who becomes a friend, and eat the best rice dish you’ll have in Cartagena cooked by a local in her booth that was voted best by Bourdain himself. Worth a 3 hour visit if you have a few days and want to see a glimpse of local life.