Cartagena Felt Like the Perfect Ending to South America

Colombian flag waving beside old fortress cannons overlooking Cartagena’s skyline and waterfront.
Display of traditional Colombian hats and souvenirs outside a shop in Cartagena’s historic center.

My final city in Colombia and the final stop of my entire South America trip was going to be Cartagena.

I spent three days in Cartagena and immediately the city felt completely different from Medellín. Medellín felt dense, energetic, fast-moving, you can read my full experience here. Cartagena felt slower, colorful, coastal, and much more centered around wandering rather than constantly moving from one activity to the next.

Now yes, it was hot. Very hot. Probably hotter than I had mentally prepared for. I’m not someone who enjoys being out in extreme heat all day and I quickly realized that Cartagena became a city where I naturally explored in smaller blocks of time rather than trying to spend six to eight straight hours outside.

Because of that, I would actually recommend choosing your hotel carefully depending on your travel style.

I ended up staying at two different hotels while in Cartagena because I had slightly adjusted my dates.

For the majority of my stay, I stayed at Mood Matuna Hotel Cartagena, and honestly, what made it great was the location.

If you’re someone who likes having easy walkable access to the historic center, I think staying somewhere central is absolutely worth it. Walking tour meeting points were nearby, restaurants were nearby, the Walled City was nearby, and if you want to look into boat tours or island excursions, many of those vendors are concentrated around the same general area as well.

Golden hour view of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas fortress surrounded by palm trees in Cartagena.
palm trees. Historic yellow clock tower entrance at Cartagena’s walled city under cloudy skies.

That’s not really how I usually travel at all. Most days, once I leave the hotel in the morning, I tend to stay out until the evening. If breakfast is included at the hotel, that’s usually how I start my day, otherwise breakfast becomes the first stop somewhere along the itinerary.

I also don’t really plan my days down to the exact minute or attraction. I prefer to loosely group things by neighborhood and just walk. If I spend enough time in one area, I’ll naturally stumble into cafés, shops, plazas, or viewpoints I wanted to see anyway. Between stopping for coffee, wandering into stores, and taking what feels like hundreds of photos, I usually end up out exploring for most of the day without ever really needing to head back to the hotel.

That said, Cartagena was one of the rare exceptions where that rhythm changed.

One major exception to that travel style for me though is extreme heat.

I experienced something similar last summer in Rome during what felt like a constant heat wave. Heat just drains my energy much faster than normal and eventually I start needing breaks in a way I usually don’t while traveling.

That’s why having such a centralized hotel in Cartagena ended up being so helpful. I could go out for the morning, explore, stop for lunch, maybe grab a cold juice, and then easily walk back to the room for a few hours to cool down and recharge before heading back out again in the evening.

For my final night, I decided to switch things up and stay somewhere more comfortable and relaxed. I ended up booking a Marriott property, Emita, Cartagena, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, and went slightly over budget for it.

The big selling point for me wasn’t anything complicated — it was the pool. After days of walking around Cartagena in the heat, having somewhere to cool off and just slow down for a few hours genuinely felt worth it. It was a nice reset before heading home, even if the location wasn’t as central or walkable as my other hotel.

By complete coincidence, the day I arrived in Cartagena happened to also be the day of the Cartagena Ironman, which meant parts of the historic center had road closures and detours throughout the city.

All I could think while watching people compete was that I genuinely cannot imagine doing an Ironman in Cartagena humidity. Swimming, biking, and running in that weather is deeply impressive to me.

The walking tour guides were obviously prepared for the event though and quickly adjusted the route around some of the closures. It actually worked out nicely because the following day I was able to revisit certain parts of the Walled City on my own at a slower pace and see things more closely without trying to keep up with the group.

And honestly, Cartagena really is beautiful.

Quiet colonial street in Cartagena lined with pastel-colored buildings, balconies, and palm trees.
Narrow Cartagena alleyway decorated with colorful hanging umbrellas and star lanterns overhead.

If you’re looking for that colonial Caribbean atmosphere people imagine when they think of colorful streets, balconies overflowing with plants, music drifting through plazas, old churches, rooftop bars, and evening walks along stone walls overlooking the ocean, Cartagena absolutely delivers that.

One of my favorite things to do was simply wander through the Ciudad Amurallada, the Walled City, without paying too much attention to where I was going. You naturally move between plazas, cafés, churches, and quieter side streets without really needing a strict itinerary.

I also spent time in Getsemaní, which ended up feeling younger, more artistic, and more relaxed than the Walled City itself. There was street art everywhere, small coffee shops tucked into colorful buildings, musicians playing in Plaza de la Trinidad, and people lingering outside much later into the evening.

Being surrounded by water, it’s hard to ignore all the water-based activities in Cartagena. In my original planning, I had looked into nearby islands and even considered spending part of my time there. But the more I researched, the more overwhelming it became. Reviews were all over the place, some people described them as beautiful and essential, others called them overpriced, overcrowded, or overhyped.

Given how short my time was in Cartagena, I didn’t really want to add extra logistics like figuring out transport to and from an island. So I eventually decided to skip the island day trips entirely.

Instead, my third option, and the one I ended up choosing was a sunset boat cruise. And honestly, I’m really glad I did it.

Luxury yachts docked along Cartagena’s marina with modern high-rise buildings in the background.

Yes, the other experiences probably would have been great too, but sometimes you just have to work within the time you have, avoid overplanning, and be present for the experience you actually chose.

I’m not sure if all boats board the same way, but in my case it was a bit of a system. You arrive at the dock, get your ticket scanned, go through a turnstile, and then find your boat among many others lined up. It can feel slightly chaotic at first, so if you don’t immediately see your boat, just ask, someone will point you in the right direction.

Once you find your boat, there’s a small check-in desk where you confirm your name. Then they set up seating while everyone waits to board. Boarding is done by name and roughly in order of arrival.

Naturally, I was cutting it close (as usual), so I ended up being one of the last people to board. That meant all the seats were already taken, but I was completely fine with that because I usually prefer standing on the open upper deck anyway for unobstructed views.

Funny enough, once we set off, it turned out that the standing areas, especially at the back were some of the best spots on the boat.

There was even a photographer moving around taking photos you could purchase, and at times we’d be asked to shift slightly for shots, but for the most part people naturally claimed their space and stayed there for the duration.

I think when people imagine solo travel, they assume you’re constantly alone and not interacting with anyone. That hasn’t really been my experience at all. I wouldn’t even describe myself as a particularly social person, but I do enjoy meeting people while traveling and I’m naturally curious about others’ stories.

That’s also part of why I like walking tours so much, you end up talking to other travelers without forcing it.

Rainy sunset view over Cartagena’s skyline and waterfront from a terrace with red wooden railings at Castillo San Felipe de Barajas fortress

The boat cruise ended up being very similar. While I was holding onto my spot on the deck, it meant I couldn’t really leave to grab drinks unless someone held my place. That’s how I ended up meeting two girls standing next to me. We quickly started talking and naturally helped each other out, watching each other’s spots while taking turns going to the bar.

They were also visiting Cartagena for the first time, while I was on my final evening of the trip, they were just beginning their trip. At one point they asked if I had done a “Chiva bus” which are party buses they said Cartagena was known for, “Chiva Rumbera”. I had actually seen them earlier from my airport transfer, brightly colored covered buses blasting music and packed with people, but I hadn’t really thought much of it at the time.

They told me I couldn’t leave Cartagena without trying one.

They already had one booked for later that night and suggested I join them.

After thinking about it for a bit, I decided to go.

And honestly, I’m really glad I did, because it ended up being the perfect final night in Cartagena.

The music was great, the energy was fun, and the whole experience felt very alive in a way that’s hard to describe unless you’ve been on one of those buses in Colombia. And if you’re worried it’s just about drinking, it really isn’t, it’s more about the music and atmosphere. Even if you’re not there for that, I honestly enjoyed the mix of music, including older songs I remember hearing at family gatherings, not just reggaeton.

I would absolutely do it again, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys Latin music and a more chaotic, high-energy way to experience a city, you’ll have a great time, and your only regret will probably be how fast it all goes by.

The bus does make a few stops along the way. One of them is at Castillo San Felipe where most people rush to take photos, and you’ll notice several buses stopping at the same time, which makes solo shots a bit of a challenge unless you’re willing to wait.

The final stop is along the long stretch heading back towards Bocagrande, at the Cartagena sign. It’s extremely crowded and there are also vendors charging for photos, so just be prepared, you likely won’t have much time or space there to get a clean, relaxed picture.

Looking back, I really loved how my final evening in Cartagena unfolded, from the sunset boat cruise with views of the city from the water, to the spontaneous decision to join the party bus, it felt like the perfect way to close out the trip.

Cartagena is a city I would gladly come back to. It’s a perfect destination for solo travelers, couples, families and group trips. You can see why I strongly considered it for a mother-daughter trip we ended up doing in Amsterdam instead, but I wouldn’t hesitate to return here on my own, with friends, or with family.

We all have different travel preferences, and not every destination lands the same way for everyone. I’ve heard mixed opinions about Cartagena, but for me, it was the perfect ending to this trip, and a place I genuinely want to come back to and explore more, especially the Caribbean coastline and those turquoise waters just off the city.

And honestly, by this point in the trip, that slower rhythm was probably exactly what I needed before flying home.

If you’re planning a trip to Colombia, I’ve broken down my full experience across each stop:

Each destination felt completely different, and together they shaped the way I experienced Colombia — from mountains to city energy to the Caribbean coast.

If you’re planning a trip and want help shaping it — from points strategy and flights to a fully built itinerary or a light-touch plan — you can always find how I work with travelers on my Work with Me page.

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