You’re cruising around South America or the Caribbean and you’ll be stopping at the cruise port in Cartagena, Colombia. You’re in for a treat! Cartagena de Indias, as the city is known, is an exciting stop filled with beautiful architecture, tasty foods, and amazing coffee. If you want to know more about the city, please visit our article about What to Do in One Day in Cartagena Colombia.
But what can you expect when you arrive at the cruise port in Cartagena, Colombia? I was recently a guest speaker and coffee expert on board a cruise ship. Our itinerary included stops around the Caribbean and we disembarked at Cartagena. At the cruise port in Cartagena we discovered some surprises. In this article I’m sharing with you what we learned and also the best ways to get a smooth experience getting to the historic area from the cruise port at Cartagena.
The first surprise at the cruise port in Cartagena Colombia
One of my first surprises was that as we got close to land, the views are not spectacular. It’s definitely nothing like the yacht-filled dock you’ll see later as you enter the city. I stood on our balcony expecting to see beautiful tropical views, but instead I saw oil rigs and industrial ships. And as we pulled into the port, the view didn’t get much better. Cartagena is a working port, not a vacation spot as you’ll see in other ports in the Caribbean. I saw stacked shipping containers and machinery moving them around as well as tractor trailers (known as mulas in Colombia) pulling them out of the port. But don’t be alarmed by how the port looks – on the other side of the port there’s a beautiful historic city waiting for you, filled with colors and flavors that will impress you.
When we got off the ship, we found a shuttle bus waiting. My recommendation is, Take it. The walk is only about 500 meters, or 3 blocks, but the Cartagena heat can be intense even early in the morning. The bus lets you off at an area called the Oasis. This is when the vacation begins.
The suprising Port Oasis at the cruise port in Cartagena Colombia
The Port Oasis is a unique cruise port terminal. As I walked in, I was surrounded by green leafy trees. I walked along the board walk that meanders through a park and was enveloped by the sound of large, loud tropical birds and felt enchanted by the views of tropical flowers. Under the thick canopy of leaves you’ll feel a cool breeze even on a hot day.
Then I heard it. A haunting, almost prehistoric, call. As I continued to walk into the park, I realized it’s the call of a peacock. The proud birds were walking along the boardwalk with travelers, their majestic plumes trailing behind. One of them lifted up its tail feathers in a gorgeous display.
Then a macaw flew so low, it grazed my heard as it landed. I saw a blue macaw sidles up to a red one on a railing and they begin to preen each other. Macaws lined up all along the railing, eating seeds out of bowls. Up in the trees, other macaws in pairs called out loud. I could have spent all day watching the birds, but I had an appointment in the historic city to give a specialty coffee workshop, so I continued walking.
To the left I saw a souvenir kiosk with Colombian crafts, and right in front of me a drinks shack where people were getting to know Colombia’s fruit and fruit juices.
As I turned to the right, I saw a small shopping area with unique Colombia handicrafts and souvenirs. If you’d like to enjoy the air conditioning and learn about Colombian culture through its crafts, go right in.
To the right, I saw a quaint shack with a Juan Valdez coffee shop inside. If you want to exit fast because you’re on your way to a tour in the city, walk around the Juan Valdez shop and then turn left as you pass it. Continue straight, walking past the anteater. Yes, they have anteaters in the park. Then continue straight, following the Exit signs. You’ll walk past the cockatiels in a huge fenced in area.
Then we came to an open area surrounded by huge trees, the branches reaching out to create a natural roof. We saw white peacocks, a rare treat, like birds dressed for a tropical wedding.
Take your time in this oasis with the friendly birds, either on your way out or on your way back from the city. It might be your best chance to get up close and personal with wildlife in a park setting in Cartagena.
And in fact, if you can’t get to the city for any reason, gazing at tropical flowers, enjoying the lively birds, drinking some Colombian coffee, eating a few Colombian snacks, and shopping for souvenirs at the Port Oasis is a great way to spend the day.
How to get from the cruise port to the historic area of Cartagena
Can you walk from the cruise port to the historic city? Not realistically. In addition to the fact that there’s not much to see, it would also be a long walk in overwhelming heat.
I think the only negative part of the experience in Oasis was the pressure from local taxi drivers. They were quite aggressive to try to convince us to ride with them. At the time this was written, a ride cost US$20. You can feel free to ride with one of them, and if you feel up to it you can even bargain with them to get the price down a few dollars.
We used a ride-share app to get to the historic city. Apps like Uber or Didi work in Cartagena, and while those ride apps area bit more difficult to use than just taking a taxi that’s waiting there, but they do cost only about US$4-5 a ride. To get picked up using a ride-share app, put the location as Cruise Port Terminal Cartagena de Indias Colombia. Then you’ll need to continue out the driveway, following the Exit sign, and wait just outside the terminal on the sidewalk. When you return to the cruise port using a ride-share app, they will leave you off at the entrance to the port and you’ll do the same walk back in. Any taxi takes 15 minutes to get to the historic city center.
Learn more about Cartagena, Colombia
Do you want to learn more about Cartagena? Check out some of our articles:
- Read this article if you’re searching for the best specialty coffee experience.
- And this one if you want to learn about Colombian chocolate.
- Read this for tips about what to do in one day in Cartagena.
- If you love to try some street food in Colombia or street food in Bogota.
- For the top Colombian foods to try.
- Try some of Colombia’s amazing fruits while in Cartagena.
- Read this if you thinking of visiting a Colombian food market.
