mud volcano in Cartagena

[lowestar]

Has anyone done the mud volcano tour in Cartagena? It looks interesting, but I'd love to hear what others have to say!

 

Tara

[GloriaF]

Due to the travel advisories we read, we decided it was too risky to go off into the rural areas to do the mudbath. We may have been overly cautious, but we did read to avoid National Parks and such as this was where the "bad guys" were. We ended up on a bus tour (Best of Cartagena & Fortress/Princess #100A) and it was very interesting and included all the high points.

 

Here is a link to a thread dealing with the mud volcano bath:

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=636731

[GloriaF]

I ran across the updated travel advisory in a thread on the Panama Canal page, and copied and pasted it for you:

 

Here is the travel warning as of today:

Travel Warning

United States Department of State

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Washington, DC 20520

This information is current as of today,document.write(Date()+".") Mon Oct 22 17:10:08 2007.

COLOMBIA

 

June 04, 2007

This Travel Warning updates ongoing security concerns in Colombia and reminds American citizens of those concerns. This supersedes the Travel Warning issued January 18, 2006.

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the dangers of travel to Colombia. Violence by narcoterrorist groups and other criminals continues to affect all parts of the country, urban and rural.

Violence has continued to decrease markedly in most urban areas, including Bogotá, Medellin, Barranquilla, and Cartagena. The level of violence in Cali, Buenaventura, and the surrounding areas remains high, largely as a result of the illicit drug trade. Many rural areas of Colombia remain extremely dangerous due to the presence of narcoterrorists and Colombian government operations against them.

Terrorist groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), and other criminal organizations, continue to kidnap civilians for ransom or as political bargaining chips. No one can be considered immune from kidnapping on the basis of occupation, nationality, or other factors. The FARC have held three American official contractors hostage since February 2003. Although the U.S. government places the highest priority on the safe recovery of kidnapped Americans, it is U.S. policy not to make concessions to or strike deals with kidnappers. Consequently, the U.S. government’s ability to assist kidnapping victims is limited.

U.S. government officials and their families in Colombia are permitted to travel to major cities in the country, but only by air. They are not allowed to use inter- or intra-city bus transportation. They also are not permitted to travel by road outside of urban areas at night. All Americans in Colombia are urged to follow these precautions.

As the Department develops information on potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threats through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. U.S. citizens should consult warden messages for Colombia at http://bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsc093.shtml, as well as the Department of State’s Consular Information Sheet for Colombia and Worldwide Caution Public Announcement at http://travel.state.gov. U.S. travelers can also get up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 in the U.S. or Canada or on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

[scubarn1]

We recently visited the Volcano this summer. We took a bus tour from our home in Cartagena (we own a condo there). Also included in the tour was a canoe trip through the mangroves. My kids enjoyed the volcano, and we all enjoyed the canoe trip. The trip was safe from a travel advisory standpoint, but the Volcano would not meet the standards of safety from a code inspectors standpoint. You will have to walk up a set of about 50 stairs which are made from tree branches, and not built to US standards. There will be other people in the mud bath with you. Then walk down the same steps, but now have to be careful as the mud is slippery. You then walk down to a stream where the local ladies help you wash the mud from your body and bathing suit. If there is a large group in the volcano that day, the stream will be muddy. After doing this trip, I told myself I would never go in the volcano again, but would do the canoe trip in a heartbeat.

I have pictures, but do not know how to post them here.

[lowestar]

Thank you Gloria and Scubarn1 for your replies. I found some pictures of the Mud Volcano online, and I don't think it is my cup of tea anyway. It looked like a pile of people all laying in the mud.

We have our kids with us (8 and 5), and I am thinking I might just hang out on the boat that day, and let my dh, and rest of our group go off and do something. Either that, or I need to find a Princess tour that would appeal to my kids at that age. I just don't think I am comfortable doing anything but a ship tour in Cartagena.

[GloriaF]

We felt the same way about the ship's tour in Cartagena. Usually we like to go off on our own or do small private tours, but felt there was safety in numbers in this case.

 

It is a very interesting place and it would be a shame to miss out on seeing a little of it. Good luck with the tours incorporating a 5 & 8 year old!