Mud bath at el totumo volcano

[cardboardcharlie]

Hello has anyone done the tour of mud bath at el totumo volcano catagena was it fun in the mud and the tour or what did you think of it thanks

[Appygirl]

cardboardcharlie - the mud bath volcano was probably the most fun I've ever had on a port excursion! Do not miss out on Totumo! This one should absolutely be on everyone's list!

 

I will say that you have to be fully mobile. This excursion definitely is not wheelchair accessible. You climb up a rickety staircase about 75' to the top of the "volcano" aka oversized ant hill! When you get out of the mud you walk down an even steeper and ricketier staircase! Its not like its a race to the top or the bottom so take your time if needed. If you're comfortable on uneven terrain and badly built stairs this should be no problem. You also climb up and down a small ladder in the mud bath.

 

Here's my blog post with photos http://appytales.blogspot.com/2010/05/totumo-mud-volcano-bath.html

[ericstacie]

Hello has anyone done the tour of mud bath at el totumo volcano catagena was it fun in the mud and the tour or what did you think of it thanks

 

Visiting the mud volcano is defintly one of the coolest trips we have taken. We hired a tixi for the day. Most drivers tried to convince us to stay in town, but we found a driver who happily took us for a resonable price. The earlier post and pics are totally acurate. But the "neat, cool" factor cant be described. My kids and neice still talk about it when we all get together.

 

PLUS, the drivers get kick-backs (I think) for taking you to certain stores, so we still visited the old town shopping area, the emerald place, and stopped at the fort for a photo op.

 

Some people warned us that it is dangerous driving on rural roads. But we went through a couple military checkpoints, and I always felt comfortable, but YMMV

[BigJon]

The mud bath sounds really cool. I've watched the "youtube" videos, and it looks like something very different than I've ever done. I've got a couple of questions for the ones who've been before. First, since you're wearing your swimsuit, what do you do with your wallet? Also, we're going in December to Columbia (Disney Cruise). Will the mud be low (dry season), or will the mud be near the top of the mud volcano? Thanks, jonathan

[Appygirl]

Jonathan - before we left the cruise ship we put on our swimsuits and then wore shorts and shirts overtop. I left my wallet in the safe on the cruise ship. I carried a backpack and kept my towel, flip flops, and money (maybe $60) in there. Actually I think my money was in the back pocket of my shorts and when I removed them I put them into my backpack. We left the backpack on the bus but I took my towel and flip flops with me. Also took my camera so a villager could take pictures of us. The bus was locked and/or the bus driver was standing nearby to allow passengers back on to retrieve their clothes when we came back. It would be the same situation if you take a taxi. The driver will likely lock his car and/or stand close to it waiting for you to return. Worse case scenario if someone had stolen my cash I would have been ticked but it wouldn't have been the end of the world. The mud doesn't have a low/high season. It is about 80 feet up on the hill and the mud pool is approximately 20' x 20'. When you're standing on top of the hill you climb down a ladder about 3 or 4 feet into the mud. And then you climb up a ladder on the other side of the mud vat when you get out. And a little hint. Don't leave your cruise card in your swimshorts pocket when you go in the mud. You might not see it again. Try to explain that to security when you want to reboard!

[trsoh1969]

I'm doing the mud trip this fall on NCL. I've booked it through the cruise line and it leaves at 8AM and is scheduled for 4 hours. Does anyone know if that would leave us any time to do anything else, such as Old Town? Our ship leaves at 3PM...

[dsu_2003]

Has anyone come back recently?

[phofe]

The mud tour (we did it on our own) is a once in a life time experience - only negative was everyone was looking for tips (the guys in the pit, the guy taking pictures and the woman that wash you) - we were a large group so I guess we were an easy target - they followed us to the van until I told them to back off.

[vancouvergirl2010]

The mud volcano was a blast! However, about 70% of our tour did not enjoy themselves. There is a strong aroma, you have no sense of gravity in the volcano (you roll around a lot and people with glasses could barely see due to splashing, I got mud in my contacts). Some girls were upset that their bathing suits were dirty and possibly stained.

 

So…just know what you are getting into. A pit of mineral mud with NO bottom, no fancy chairs, no shelf for your water… The ladder actually fell off the side when we were in there and we had to wait for them to fix it. It is rustic. When we got out we felt so relaxed, my daughter said she could barely move her legs. Then the ladies wash you off in the lake. We were so relaxed they took our suits off and we didn't even react!