Colombia · SAN BASILIO DE PALENQUE TOURS

The 7 Best San Basilio de Palenque Tours

7 tours  ·  from $49 a head

The first free town in the Americas, an hour inland from Cartagena, still speaking its own language. The 7 below note who guides, what is included and how the community is paid.

Cartagena: Palenque´s tour, dance show, lunch, pick-Up inclu - Leaving Cartagena in an air-conditioned vehicle
Cartagena Tours, Colombia Tours, Lunch Experiences, San Basilio de Palenque Tours, Show, Tour Reviews

Cartagena: Palenque´s tour, dance show, lunch, pick-Up inclu

1.Palenque´s tour, dance show, lunch, pick-Up inclu

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 182 reviews · 6 hours · from $112Our pick

Travel from Cartagena to San Basilio de Palenque with a local guide such as Roiman or Royman. Explore murals, ancestral places, a museum, music, dance, language, and a traditional lunch of fish, chicken, or pork. Round-trip hotel transport, water, rum tasting, and an English or Spanish-speaking guide are included.

“Roiman was an excellent tour guided! He provided an amazing immersive experience in culture, community, and tradition. Such an outstanding wealth of knowledge. Palenque tour was a beautiful experience!!! Highly recommend book this tour you’ll love it . The food was freshly prepared full of flavor and love 🖤💙💚”

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Tour a san Basilio de Palenque desde cartagena - The one-hour ride from Cartagena
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Tour a san Basilio de Palenque desde cartagena

2.Tour a san Basilio de Palenque desde cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 123 reviews · 4 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $110Top rated

Travel from Cartagena to San Basilio de Palenque with a bilingual guide, visit the Casa de Tambores and Casa del Arte, learn about sweets and ñeque, see Kid Pambelé’s statue, eat lunch, and enjoy a traditional dance show. Guides such as Ramon and Jovanni have led this small-group cultural visit.

“The Palenque Native Dancers were outstanding. The tour company was poor. They picked us up 30 minutes late. The van had no air conditioning with 90 degree temperature. Go see the dancers with a different company.”

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Cartagena: Palenque Tour and Road to Emancipation - The road from Cartagena to Palenque
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Cartagena: Palenque Tour and Road to Emancipation

3.Palenque Tour and Road to Emancipation

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 83 reviews · 6 hours · from $108

Travel from Cartagena to San Basilio de Palenque with guides such as Romeo and Damaso, then meet local artists, dancers, musicians, and a traditional healer. Visit the town square, museum house, Palenque Viejo, and Kombilesa Mi, learn Bantu words, join a drum and dance session, and eat a typical Palenquero lunch.

“Excellent guide with tons of knowledge about Palenque. Romeo is the best tour guide.”

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Mud Volcano and Palenque Cultural Experience - The early road to El Totumo
Cartagena Tours, Colombia Tours, Mud Volcano Tours, San Basilio de Palenque Tours, Tour Reviews

Mud Volcano and Palenque Cultural Experience

4.Mud Volcano and Palenque Cultural Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 61 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $225

Leave Cartagena at 6:00 AM for El Totumo’s therapeutic mud bath, then continue to San Basilio de Palenque. Guides such as Miguel, Moses, and Abraham lead visits to the museum, medicine house, boxing monument, music and dance performances, candy makers, and a traditional lunch. Expect a long, active day with local food and plenty of cultural contact.

“Tour exceeded my expectations! It was an amazing mixture of cultural history and relaxation. My tour guide Leandro was prompt in picking me up from my hotel. We arrived at the mud volcano and we were the only one there! It was a very relaxing experience and the breakfast offered was scrumptious. Palenque was a very informative tour and the lunch served was very scrumptious. This tour is a must do !”

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Visit Palenque with natives : history, culture and ancestral legacy - Meeting Benkos Bioho
Cartagena Tours, Colombia Tours, San Basilio de Palenque Tours, Tour Reviews

Visit Palenque with natives : history, culture and ancestral legacy

5.Visit Palenque with natives : history, culture and ancestral legacy

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · 6 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $102

Travel from Cartagena to San Basilio de Palenque with a native guide and, when needed, an English translator such as Gabriel or Liliana. Visit the Benkos Bioho monument, a traditional house, medicinal patio, music spaces, murals, boxing monument, and local food table. This private six-and-a-half-hour tour costs $102 per person.

“This tour of San Basilio de Palenque was an experience I will cherish forever. The tour was led by Leo, who took us around to hear from other natives of the town, which added an authentic and deeply enriching layer to the visit. They shared not only the history and culture of Palenque but also their personal stories and traditions, making the experience intimate and unforgettable. One of the highlights was the vibrancy and resilience of the Palenque community, beautifully conveyed through their music, dance, and cuisine. We were invited to participate in making music with a known Palenque musician, learn boxing moves in the local boxing gym, experience a…”

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Cartagena: San Basilio de Palenque Guided Day Trip - Walking through the town
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Cartagena: San Basilio de Palenque Guided Day Trip

6.San Basilio de Palenque Guided Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 11 reviews · 6 hours · from $92

Travel from Cartagena to San Basilio de Palenque with a local English- or Spanish-speaking guide. Walk the town, visit its house museum, learn about Benkos Biohó, hear local music, meet a natural medicine practitioner, see boxing practice, eat a local meal, and cool off with a raspado or ice cream.

“Malheureusement le guide ne nous a pas expliqué l’histoire de la libération, ni relaté les faits de Bihio, à peine a-t-il effleuré le sujet. Bref, rien de bien intéressant.”

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Cartagena: PALENQUE Tour AFRICAN TRADITIONS with Lunch - The one-hour ride from Cartagena
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Cartagena: PALENQUE Tour AFRICAN TRADITIONS with Lunch

7.PALENQUE Tour AFRICAN TRADITIONS with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 10 reviews · 7 hours · from $49Best value

Travel by air-conditioned vehicle from Cartagena to San Basilio de Palenque with a bilingual guide. Walk through the town, learn about its African traditions and Palenque language, visit the museum, medicinal patio, Benkos Biohó Plaza, and Kid Pambelé Plaza, then enjoy a typical lunch and Ñeque before returning to Cartagena.

“Tour guide was friendly and nice but Seemed like the tour was cut short. It ended very abruptly and we hardly had time to explore. Wish we could have seen more!”

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