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Chiva Bus Tour: Explore Historic Cartagena
3.6
37 Ratings
Cartagena de Indias
Explore vibrant Bocagrande, historic Castillo de San Felipe, and the walled city. Capture unforgettable memories on this cultural city tour.
Explore vibrant Bocagrande, historic Castillo de San Felipe, and the walled city. Capture unforgettable memories on this cultural city tour.
Duration:
5 hours, 10 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Cartagena - Travelers will be picked up and greeted, then the journey to the first attraction will begin.
- Monumento a los Zapatos Viejos - Following the pickup at designated meeting points, the tour proceeds to the old shoes monument, perfect for photos. This site offers insight into the city’s monuments, featuring two large bronze boots near…
- Cartagena - Travelers will be picked up and greeted, then the journey to the first attraction will begin.
- Monumento a los Zapatos Viejos - Following the pickup at designated meeting points, the tour proceeds to the old shoes monument, perfect for photos. This site offers insight into the city’s monuments, featuring two large bronze boots near the Fort of San Felipe de Barajas. This unique monument honors Cartagena poet Luis Carlos López, known for a famous composition.
- Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas - The tour continues to the San Felipe fort, also known as the “Castle” of San Felipe de Barajas, situated on San Lázaro hill. Visitors will explore the castle, which includes tunnels, some containing water, so caution is advised when entering without lighting.
- Letras de Cartagena - After visiting Castillo de Felipe, the tour moves to the Letras de Cartagena, located on Marbella’s beaches. This vibrant and large sign is an excellent spot for photos.
- Centro Historico - The tour concludes with a stroll through the historic center’s streets, guided by a certified guide.
- Monumento Torre del Reloj - Once the tour is complete, travelers return to the meeting point at the clock tower, which also serves as the pickup location.
What's Included
- Panoramic view of India Catalina
- Certified guide
- Visit to the Vaults (air-conditioned bus)
- Tour of Gethsemane (air-conditioned bus)
- Entry to San Felipe Castle included
- Public transportation (bus, subway, cable car, etc.)
- Tour in traditional Chiva
- Walking tour of the old town
- Visit to Cerro de La Popa (air-conditioned bus)
- Tour of Cartagena Bay (air-conditioned bus)
- Panoramic view of India Catalina
- Certified guide
- Visit to the Vaults (air-conditioned bus)
- Tour of Gethsemane (air-conditioned bus)
- Entry to San Felipe Castle included
- Public transportation (bus, subway, cable car, etc.)
- Tour in traditional Chiva
- Walking tour of the old town
- Visit to Cerro de La Popa (air-conditioned bus)
- Tour of Cartagena Bay (air-conditioned bus)
Additional Information
Begin your journey with a pickup from designated meeting spots in the districts of Crespo, Bocagrande, Castillogrande, and El Laguito, or board a Chiva bus or an air-conditioned vehicle at a central meeting location. Choose to start your adventure with a guided morning tour or unwind with an afternoon exploration.
Explore the modern and tourist-friendly…
Begin your journey with a pickup from designated meeting spots in the districts of Crespo, Bocagrande, Castillogrande, and El Laguito, or board a Chiva bus or an air-conditioned vehicle at a central meeting location. Choose to start your adventure with a guided morning tour or unwind with an afternoon exploration.
Explore the modern and tourist-friendly areas of Bocagrande, Laguito, and Castillo Grande. Marvel at one of the most stunning natural bays and a lush, linear park. Stroll past the iconic statue of India Catherine, honoring a significant indigenous woman, and capture memories at the Old Shoes, a large shoe-shaped statue.
Arrive at San Felipe Castle, where you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views and photograph its splendid Spanish colonial architecture. Next, proceed to the walled city to commence the walking tour.
Accompany your guide through the historic center and return to your pickup location with unforgettable memories of this vibrant city.
- Children under 5 years old must bring the identity card in physics, we thank you for your collaboration is a requirement for entry to the castle of San Felipe
Location
McDonald's
Carrera 2
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.6
(37 Ratings)
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Aramelis_c
Feb 9, 2026
Highly recommended!!! Eder fue el mejor guía - We had an incredible experience thanks to Eder, our tour guide. From the very beginning, his passion and enthusiasm set the tone for the entire tour. He was extremely knowledgeable and shared the history in a way that was engaging, easy to follow, and never boring. Eder has a great sense of humor and knew exactly how to balance historical facts with jokes, stories, and a really good vibe that kept everyone interested the whole time.
He was also very patient and attentive, making sure everyone felt included, comfortable, and had time to ask questions. It was clear that he genuinely enjoys what he does, and that energy carried through the entire tour. We learned so much while also having a lot of fun, which is not easy to accomplish on a guided tour.
If you’re considering this experience, I highly recommend it and especially recommend Eder as your guide. He truly made the tour memorable and elevated the entire experience.
Review provided by Viator
Myriam_p
Jan 20, 2026
Enjoyable experience - A wonderful and fun experience the landscapes the friendliness of the people and the coordination of the wonderful tour
Review provided by Viator
Sunnymax_e
Dec 7, 2025
The tour guide was... - The tour guide was amazing. He has knowledge of the history of the city. He was friendly and professional.
Review provided by Viator
Mobile67348597564
Mar 4, 2026
It’s Cheap… But Disappointing - Perhaps we shouldn’t expect much for a four hour tour that costs $29. But…
The tour description says it goes to, “Bocagrande, Laguito and Castillo Grande. See one of the most beautiful natural bays and a lush linear park.” But it doesn’t go anywhere near any of those places. When asked, the guide said, “oh, that’s a rich area and we can’t take the bus there”. Logical but why advertise it?
The bus is VERY crowded and hot — you’ll get the proper city transport experience (this was fine with me but maybe not all).
The Castillo San Felipe is worth visiting. For the fort itself and for the views over the city. But if you are at all a history buff, go with someone who can give you more than a handful of historical dates without any context.
Finally, expect that 90 minutes or so of the total tour will be spent getting a hard sell — coffee, emeralds, etc.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Seilasei
Oct 19, 2025
Don't take it!! - Very bad conditions of the "chiva", crowdy, smelly, no stairs, you have to enter by the sides, it's difficult for olders. The visit to Boca Grande was poor, without opporunities to see the beaches, only infomation about expensive hoteles. Who cares! The walking tour for the old City too short and quickly. The guide, nice, but he puts all the emphasis in luxury experiences and we're not that kind of public. I quit the tour before it finished.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pioneer48899113961
Mar 7, 2026
Wouldn’t recommend - Worst experience I had and I have traveled to many countries and did tours was force on a bus that packed and force to stand because bus packed and overall experience horrible didn’t even finish your due paying for English guide and getting Spanish and being treated differently
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carmenj215
Feb 27, 2026
A bad start, followed by disappointment - We went to the exact meeting spot provided, with pictures even. After waiting in the oppressive heat for over a half hour, and a number of unanswered texts and phone calls, my husband went searching. He found them outside and across the street from the square we were told to meet at. The Chocolate Bus employee insisted it was our mistake, until I showed the photos. Then she had nothing more to say.
We paid for an English tour. It was bilingual, but we could hear almost nothing. Lots of retracing routes. All in all, a near total waste of time and money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Colin_b
Feb 27, 2026
Terrible - 45 minutes late at meeting point and drove around in a circle twice which passed our hotel. Very disorganized. They left us at the castle even though we were at meeting point early. Do not recommend the Chocolate Chiva bus.
Review provided by Viator
Jossy3
Feb 24, 2026
Epic fail - We booked this trip as it was advertised as a bilingual experience. We were given no time for pick up and three possible locations to get on the bus. When we arrived to one of these locations we were told we were not on the list as we booked through a private company but they agreed to let us on regardless. The bus was not as visually advertised, worn down, dirty, in dangerous disrepair and we were all crammed in like sardines. They stopped at the three pick up locations and then pulled to the side of the road where we sat for a very long time, people yelling in Spanish “Vamoose” and obviously upset as to no communication of why we were sitting there… when the young tour guide finally arrived. He did not speak any English and we finally aborted the bus trip once we arrived to Cartegena. I would call this an epic fail. My advice, don’t book this experience, false advertising.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Poatoworld
Oct 12, 2025
Horrific, horrible - 🇧🇷 Portuguese
Lousy transport!
O ônibus sujo, fedaça e todo broken. The benches were squashed and or heat in there was unbearable as soon as efficacious standing. Alem disso, or veicle seemed sem Seguronça nenhuma. Marcaram pra 8h40 e to people ficou 1h30 waiting. Total disrespect! I recommend jeito nenhum.
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🇪🇸 Spanish
Lousy transport!
The bus was dirty, smelling of smoke and all broken. The seats were wet from the rain and it was excruciatingly hot while standing. Besides, you could tell he had no security. They said I was leaving at 8:40 and we ended up waiting an hour and a half. Total disrespect! I don't recommend it at all.
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🇬🇧 English
Awful transport!
The bus was dirty, smelled like smoke, and was falling apart. The seats were wet from the rain, and it was unbearably hot inside while the bus was stopped. It also felt really unsafe. They said pickup was at 8:40, but we waited an hour and a half. Total lack of respect! I don’t recommend this company at all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
