Discover the fascinating and often-overlooked history of Palenque on a private tour from Cartagena. You'll learn about the Palenqueros' fight for freedom and the cultural traditions that have been passed down through generations. Highlights include the museum dedicated to the town's Afro-Colombian heritage, seeing the traditional houses, and witnessing the vibrant music and dance that are an integral part of daily life in the village.

Get the personalized experience of a private tour in Colombia
Visit a destination in Colombia that most tourists miss
Travel comfortably in air-conditioned private transportation
Enjoy a traditional regional lunch during the tour

What's Included

Lunch
Alcoholic Beverages
Air-conditioned vehicle
Breakfast

WiFi on board

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

Opening hours

2/5/2020 - 2/20/2025
Monday - Sunday : 08:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday : 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Wednesday - Friday : 08:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday : 08:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Pickup details

We are happy to accommodate any pick up location throughout the city of Cartagena, just contact us and we will make the necessary arrangements!

What To Expect

San Basilio De Palenque

4 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

146 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 146 reviews

Highly recommend

Charis_W, Apr 2024

Excellent experience. I would highly recommend this tour over others because the hosts of this tour are from Palenque. Sophia was awesome. She spoke so many languages. She was an excellent guide. They also offered us umbrellas which was nice with all that sun. The only reason why I only gave it 4 stars was because the description said there would be breakfast and I didn’t get breakfast. I also paid for a solo private tour, I shared the ride with another couple who booked last minute and the tour was a group of 5. Ultimately the group of 5 was fine, it just wasn’t what I signed up for. Also I’m glad I ate before leaving my hotel.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Hello, thank you very much for choosing us to show you our community. What we offer for breakfast is a fruit salad, which is delivered upon arrival in Palenque. The tour you booked was not a private tour, so your tour was shared with other people

Off the beaten path

Rachel_B, Apr 2024

This is a great tour if you love history and want a tour that is a little more off the beaten path. Victor is a great guide! We learned so much visiting this little village.

The Palenque Experience

Candice_C, Apr 2024

Learning about the rich Palenque culture which centers around five major themes .. music, religion, food, medicine and language was amazing . It was a beautiful experience.

Excellent

Shayla_G, Apr 2024

A most memorable experience was had by all. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and informative. Everyone welcomed us into their community sharing the history and traditions. A beautiful experience!

Not worth the money

SANDRA_J, Apr 2024

I enjoyed the fresh food that we prepared by one of the chefs at village. I had the fish that was cooked in coconut milk

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Hi Sandra, We would like to know what is the reason for your rating, that way we can correct errors and improve our service. Thanks

Palenque A Trip Worth Taking

Rosetta_R, Mar 2024

Absolutely the best part of my trip to Colombia. Sofia our tour guide, was great. She made us feel so at home. So knowledgeable. My husband and I are both in our Seventies, she was so kind and attentive. An experience, I will not soon forget. You are never too old to learn!!! Of all the places I visited in Colombia, I felt the safest .

Beautiful but long.

Carola_L, Mar 2024

It is the most beautiful place, with the most beautiful people. One of the best experiences of my life. But the tour could be cut so much shorter. Some conversations could be had on the 2 hour drive. Go straight to performances, take the neighborhood walk, have lunch and return. No need for all the waiting. Some of the time spent waiting was unnecessary.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for choosing us to show you the best of our people. Our experience is designed to know in depth the history and culture of Palenque, for that we need the full attention of you to carry out our experience, we believe that the territory can be better understood this experience. Thank you very much for your review, we will have it present

Give the drummer some

Jonathan_B, Mar 2024

I enjoyed learning about the different medicines used in palengue, the performances but the drummer and singer, but most of all Afroneto’s drum shop! He taught me a multiple of rhythms (I'm a drummer too) and we had a couple of impromptu performances myself! My spirit felt connected to the land as i was playing.

It was a great history tour but what are the future plans for Palenque & where do the contributions go.

Andrea_R, Mar 2024

It was great learning about the history, the culture, their native dances and the food of the Palenque village. The lunch was excellent. Our tour guide (Victor) did a wonderful job. At the dance ceremony the English translator was a bit rude after the ceremony, he seemed to be motivated by money/tips/donations. The tour was $100+ US dollars, I’m curious to know how much of that goes to the Palenque village. Hopefully in 5 to 10 years there will be some great improvements.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hi! Good morning! Thank you for choosing us. Thank you for your comment, it helps us a lot to improve. In Palenque we have a sustainable tourism, where each person who participates in the experience has an economic remuneration, from the person who drives the vehicle to the traditional doctor, How it is explained at the beginning of the tour, tips are voluntary. We also want Palenque to get better, we work for that.

Amazing!!

Aleasha_H, Mar 2024

Let me start with Victor is absolutely amazing! He and his family were very professional, friendly and attentive. There were 3 lunch options: pork tenderloin, chicken and black snapper. The black snapper was amazing and you can tell it was made with love. The dancers were very entertaining and it was fun to join them in their native dances as well. Do not miss this tour, you will regret it.

Must do when in Cartagena!

Esther_S, Mar 2024

Victor was such a delight, good English, very kind, and informative. Palenque is so rich in history, my favorite part was the delicious food, we chose the fish, and second was dancing with the locals !! I've read reviews where people said it's not much for what you pay, I beg to differ. we rode in a comfortable Mercedes air conditioned van, the distance from cartagena is 1.5 hours each way!! delicious fruit salad was offered for breakfast, water was provided, and lunch was plentiful and was served in a timely manner. we also got to try some local sweets made fresh. I would definitely do it again if I had the chance. also we were NOT harassed for tips but I was delighted to tip these lovely locals who welcomed us in their beautiful town!!!

Phenomenal tour

Nedjine_D, Mar 2024

I absolutely loved my experience on the Palenque History Tour. Our tour guide was insightful and the people of Palenque were so welcoming and vibrant. It was such a special day that I will cherish forever.

Loved this tour!!!

Shanoui_G, Mar 2024

This was an amazing tour it literally felt like a mini wakanda. There was so much culture and history here to soak up, not to mention the food was amazing!!!

Palenge tour was so...

domoniquemul, Mar 2024

Palenge tour was so beautiful! Victor was an amazing tour guide. I would definitely recommend visiting this town in Colombia.

Beautiful history lesson

Aja_A, Mar 2024

I loved the dancing and the food. How they explained the different dances for their ancestors. Overall it was a wonderful history experience. Just very very hot! I would warn everyone to dress in lose, workout clothes because you will be sweating like you been in a workout.

Palenque will steal your heart and make you proud. 🤎

Tiffany_W, Mar 2024

I absolutely LOVED this excursion when I visited Cartagena last week! Our tour guide Victor, is an engaging kind hearted story teller, who tells the history of Palenque from the prospective of our ancestors. If you are anything like me, and you appreciate untold Black history, this should be number one on your list while in Cartagena. I don’t want to give too much away, because everyone should experience this themselves. My favorite parts of the tour were the dancers and all the artwork in the village. The history of Palenque is just as fascinating as it’s present day story. I walked away from this tour so proud of this community. The people of Palenque will always be in my heart. 🤎

An awesome tour and lunch but bring lots of cash for tipping

Erik_Z, Feb 2024

Palenque is such a special place, and I learned so much about Black history and the history of enslaved people in Latin America. Victor was an incredible guide and the tour from start to finish was thoughtful and curated. My one issue is that this tour involves LOTS of tipping, which we had not anticipated. You have to tip every person you encounter, which works out to be around 10-12 people. Had we known this, we would have brought more cash to tip but we had to ration it. This also meant we couldn't buy some of the things these individuals were selling because we needed to save money for all of the tips. That being said, I loved this tour and the lunch that came with was delicious (do not skip the fish!). Had we known about the large tipping item in advance, this tour would have been even better.

Off the Beaten Path but Worth It!

Tiffany_M, Feb 2024

Take this tour! Take this tour! Take this tour! Viktor was an amazing discussion facilitator for introducing and building on our groups knowledge about colonialism, the South American slave trade, and past/current cultural traditions. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect from helping make candy, learning about Palenque medicinal and religious practices, getting to see dancers and meet and making music with Kambilesa Mi, and my favorite...indulging in a tradition Palenque meal. This tour is off the beaten path but worth the experience.

Tour guide and tour exceeded expectations

Aisha_D, Feb 2024

We had hands down, the best tour guide. Victor was informative, attentive, and ready to answer everyone's questions. I also love how he didn't hesitate to be fully transparent about the history and the importance of it. From pickup to drop off it was an 11/10 experience with very clear communication of where to be picked up. The food, the tour, the history, and the overall vibe was fanrastic. I would recommended to anyone looking for a fun but educational experience. Keep it up Victor!

The best part of my trip

LaQuana_H, Feb 2024

Truly amazing! I set up this tour on my birthday bc I already felt it would be memorable. Our tour guide Victor was incredible. They way he engaged our group in conversation of our history, took us around the village. The dancers even sung and danced with me and gave a necklace. My friends and I later cried when reminiscing on this experience!

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