National Aviary & Mambo Beach Club Baru - Playa Blanca

Could not get Wi-Fi to connect and all the signs were predominantly in Spanish. So it was like going to a Spaniel ah language bird exhibit. Bird show at end was completely Spanish. Would have been helpful to have language translation which would have been possible if Wi-Fi was connected.

Inexpensive - excellent value for a day trip to the aviary and playa Blanca. Trip is well organized, on time, and the guide Miguel/Mike was very knowledgeable, speaks excellent English, and has a very good way with people. Aviary is absolutely worth it and does excellent work as a shelter for trafficked birds. Beach club food options with the allowance are all very good though you can pay more for other options. No hidden costs or bad surprises. The bus is old and the ac is not super powerful, but it’s fine. Very happy with this trip.

The avary had so many different kinds of birds. The beach was nice. Lunch was so so but okay. The van ride was so so.

Hice un tour con Backpackers Cartagena y mi experiencia fue muy negativa. No esperaba lujos, pero sí respeto por el tiempo y, sobre todo, apoyo cuando ocurre un problema. Mala logística desde el inicio: El transporte llegó con más de 40 minutos de retraso al punto de encuentro. Lo peor vino al final: En el bus donde regresamos, mi billetera se salió del bolso (con cédula, tarjetas, dinero y la tarjeta del hostal). Al bajar para caminar hacia mi alojamiento me di cuenta de la pérdida. De inmediato contacté por WhatsApp a Isabel, quien fue mi punto de comunicación. Le pedí por favor que hablara con el conductor y con el guía Sergio (muy amable, pero yo no tenía su número). Era simplemente revisar el vehículo. La respuesta fue: “No somos responsables por objetos perdidos.” Cero empatía, cero interés en ayudar, pese a que expliqué claramente la urgencia: sin cédula no podía tomar mi vuelo de regreso. Solo me informó que el conductor “no era el de siempre”, lo cual contradice lo dicho por Sergio, quien lo presentó como alguien de confianza. Lo más frustrante: “El conductor no responde.” Ese fue el final. No hubo gestión mínima, seguimiento, insistencia… nada. Tuve que resolver todo sola (incluida denuncia policial) para poder viajar. Aclaro que Sergio, el guía, fue atento durante el tour. Pero la empresa y la atención de Isabel mostraron que, si algo sale mal, no hay soporte real. Viajar debería sentirse seguro. Aquí, no se sintió. ------------------------------------- I took a tour with Backpackers Cartagena, and my experience was very negative. I wasn’t expecting luxury, but I did expect respect for people’s time and, most importantly, support when something goes wrong. Poor logistics from the start: The transportation arrived more than 40 minutes late to the meeting point. The worst part came at the end: On the bus back, my wallet fell out of my bag (with my ID, cards, cash, and my hostel card). As soon as I got off to walk to my accommodation, I realized it was missing. I immediately contacted Isabel, who was my main point of communication. I kindly asked her to please speak with the driver and with Sergio, the guide (very kind, but I didn’t have his number). It was simply about checking the vehicle. Her response was: “We are not responsible for lost items.” Zero empathy, zero willingness to help — even though I clearly explained how urgent this was: without my ID, I wouldn’t be able to take my flight back home. She just told me the driver wasn’t the regular one, which contradicted what Sergio had said about him being trustworthy. The most frustrating part: “The driver isn’t answering.” And that was it. No follow-up, no insistence, no management… nothing. I had to resolve everything on my own (including filing a police report) to be able to travel. To be fair, Sergio —the guide— was kind throughout the tour. But the company and Isabel’s response showed that if something goes wrong, there is no real support. Travel should feel safe. This didn’t.

Super 👏 excellent experience really was very nice to visit several stations in this city, I was delighted of course I would come back

We found this activity very worthwhile. The birds were studying in color and scenery. The visit to the beach was also very good and the restaurant had excellent food for the price point.

We were taken (exactly on time as in the Whats App message) in a very large air-conditioned bus to the Aviary (about 1 hour 15 minutes south) with an English speaking guide, Sergio. Along the way, he explained about the Aviary and Playa Blanca. At the Aviary, Sergio accompanied us, explaining in English about the various birds. There are lots of signs with avian details but mostly in Spanish. The path is an easy walking path. Halfway along, there is a bathroom and refreshments booth. We spent like 2 hours there. Then the bus picked us up (exactly on time) and brought to the beach parking lot. We walked down steps and along the crowded beach to the Mambo beach club. It's got covered seats (plenty) to sit on. We were given a welcome lemonade. We chose 1 grilled chicken lunch and 1 fried fish lunch, each has a small salad an rice. The fish is fried whole with skin and bones but yummy. We had passion fruit Margheritas thst we paid for. The club has 2 changing rooms, and 2 toilets. Water for flushing is from a large barrel, from which you fill and take in a plastic can for your own use. The beach is truly white sand. Yes, there are boats coming and going but still enjoyable. Yes, there are vendors, but only 1 of them was aggressive. All the others are friendly and if you say no, they go away. The massage ladies work for the beach club. They can be paid via CC with the beverages. They keep asking about a massage but are also friendly and if you don't want a massage, just repeatedly say no. It wasn't unpleasant. Again, exactly at the time they said, we walked back to the bus. There was some traffic on the return. All in all, I would certainly do this again.

The initial experience was ruined by uncomfortable transportation conditions, with overcrowding and the unsettling presence of coughing passengers. Furthermore, the logistical arrangements were far from satisfactory. Being left unattended at the aviary for an extended period suggests a lack of proper guidance and supervision from the tour operators. While the beach portion was okay, the overall experience was disappointing, and I wouldn't recommend this tour or agency.

The aviary was a really cool experience with some amazing birds to see closely. Very colorful macaws, condors, flamingos, parrots, etc. There was not time at the aviary to both see the bird show and also walk through the entire aviary. I chose to have a nice walk through the aviary and had a pleasant couple hours. The Mambo Beach Club was nice. A good lunch with many drink, and massage options.

The National Aviary is a must see when visiting Cartagena. Saw many different species of birds at the Aviary. The birds are so close that it felt interactive. Mambo Beach was just as amazing. Beautiful warm water, great atmosphere. Our tour guide was amazing. He made sure we understood every details of the trip. It was an amazing family experience, overall.