This is Cartagena was born in 2011, out of our passion for this incredible Caribbean destination and its people. We wanted to shout from the colonial rooftops about just how great this city was, but we wrote about it instead.
Word caught on. People turned to us, from all over the world, wanting live out what we wrote.
So we made it happen.
Six years later and we show no signs of slowing down.
Our editorial team still devour this city, hunting down the tastiest restaurants, the best beaches and flagging up the hippest hang outs.
We are here day in, day out, making real connections with the local characters that make Cartagena tick.
Our job is to plug you into the city head first—checking you and your crew into the hottest luxury vacation rentals in town, bagging top tables at the city's best restaurants, getting your name on the list of the city's exclusive happenings, before helping you elope to the Rosario Islands with your better half.
We have done our bit as ambassadors for Colombia—and in particular, Cartagena—playing our part in its transformation into one of the world's hottest destinations for trend-setting travellers.
Our office put down roots here, years ago, so we're no spring chickens in the Colombia travel game.
We aim to put our unrivalled experience and local intelligence into your hands—our comprehensive portfolio of amazing stays, tailor-made tours and hooked up concierges help you do just that.
Welcome to the Neighbourhood.
One of the best best vacations we've ever taken! Rainbow Nelson and his talented team looked after every detail of our nine days in and around Cartagena. We travelled with our three children and my parents—there was something fun for everyone. This Is Cartagena planned wonderfully creative adventures for us each day, like a treasure hunt for the kids, salsa dancing lessons, chocolate making, floating in a mud volcano, tours through the market and a gondola ride through the mangroves. They arranged for daily Spanish lessons (Gustavo was fantastic with the kids!) and private tours with dynamic, talented guides (Ronaldo and Alex!). We chose Colombia because we hoped to expose our children to other cultures and ways of life. I'll admit I was a little nervous to travel there, but we felt safe at every moment--and I appreciated the efforts they made to Introduce us to aspects of real life in Cartagena, beyond the typical tourist experiences. It left a lasting impact upon us all!
(Stephanie Heydt’s feedback after a 7-day family itinerary with This Is Cartagena).
This is Cartagena is an excellent trip organization/planning company. They went above and beyond to organize a 4 day itinerary for 27 art patrons from New Orleans in Cartagena. We ate at the best restaurants, saw some amazing art, and went to the Rosarios Islands on private boats for a day. Rainbow and his team are very professional, flexible and willing to do anything to make the trip a success. We had many changes in the itinerary and they were always willing to help with whatever we needed or wanted to do. He and his team were available to us the entire time we were there. They even helped organize individual outings for some of the group members. The trip to the Rosarios Islands is a must! It was so much fun to take a boat out, eat lunch and relax in the beautiful islands. I would recommend using this company to anyone that is traveling to Cartagena.
(Sarah Story's feedback after doing a 4-day itinerary).
I am a very demanding traveller and typically only stay in 5 star hotels however I also want to have fun during the day and enjoy the nightlife. I've been to 60 Countries and have used many different travel advisors. I went to Cartagena for New Years Eve this year. I speak no Spanish and had done almost no research. This was a last minute trip and I was flying blind. The team at This is Cartagena is the best I've experienced (I've traveled all over the World with A&K, Belmond, etc). NYE is a very hectic time in Cartagena and the TIC team coordinating everything perfectly for me - from excellent, knowledgeable, and cool guides (it's very tough to find all three usually ITS did it), to dinner resi's at the best spots, the best nightclub tables, and private boats to the islands loaded with everything I had asked for and more. I can honestly say my trip would not have been nearly as special had Rainbow, Dani, Jonathan, Clementyne, and others not paved the way to this incredible vacation and NYE! Can't recommend them enough. Truly a special team that went out of their way to make trip amazing. Cheers.
(Bo Mill’s feedback after doing a 7-day NYE itinerary with This Is Cartagena).
If you're looking for an impeccable experience while traveling to Cartagena, I highly recommend using This Is Cartagena. As a non-Spanish speaking individual, their site was easy to use and we booked our two excursions without any hiccups. We booked one trip in the wee hours of the night and were still able to take our early morning tour. Now, the Real Cartagena tour was off the chain. This is reminiscent of a busy day living in NYC (think Chinatown). This day was the highlight of my entire trip to Cartagena. Highly recommended. You have to take this tour. I am a people person and the employees of This is Cartagena seal the deal. I can't speak enough to how kind and protective, Carlijn and Christian were while they served as our guides. They translated for us, bargained for us, and ensured that we had a great time in Colombia.
(Diana Smith's feedback after doing the Day to Paradise and Real Cartagena Tour).
I cannot praise this tour or the company enough. From the very beginning my experience with This Is Cartagena was nothing but fantastic. I have never seen such excellent customer service from an international tour company. I would recommend any tour with TIC to anyone. While we selected the Real Cartagena and the Ceviche Tour I am certain this company goes above and beyond for all of their tours, just as much as these two. If we ever returned to Cartagena (which we plan to) we would sign up for a few more tours with this company until we have completed them all. I cannot praise this company enough. I owe our amazing experience to them.
(Ramona Gonzales' feedback after doing the Ceviche and Real Cartagena tour).
We don’t go to bed with any old Tom, Dick or Harry.
Every hotel, house or hammock you find on our site has been personally hand-picked by our dedicated—and fussy—accommodation specialists who know their blissful beds from backbreaking ones.
Book your bed with us and you'll get more than just a set of keys, we'll deliver everything you need under one roof and give you access to exclusive perks you can’t get anywhere else.
With us, the city is on your doorstep.
Colonial Houses
Mingle through our hand selected range of colonial mansions and luxurious short-stay options in Cartagena.
Hot Hotels
Our pick of savvy hotels are the perfect option for design-conscious travellers.
If you've been shopping around, you might have noticed that we don't serve up the same tours or experiences as other run-of-the-mill tour operators.
Our portfolio of carefully curated tours and experiences skip the well-trodden tourist trail, and deliver what we want you to get out of this city: bona fide experiences that get you under the skin of this crazy/beautiful city.
We believe that travel is a chance to do what you really love whilst leaving behind more than just a dirty carbon footprint, so we’ve curated a collection of inspirational experiences, tailor made for good people that want to do great things.
Under the Radar
Get off the wall and immerse and explore Cartagena's bohemian barrio, Getsemani with a local. Sample the city’s best Ceviche with a foodie insider or gander through lush mangroves and bustling local market with the Real Cartagena Tour.
Classic Cartagena
Soak up the highlights of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's favourite city, and literary muse, with a Private City Tour or Historic Walking Tour.
Beach Bums
Dose up on vitamin sea with a trip to the Rosario Islands on your own private boat or get your R&R hit at one of our favourite boutique beach clubs.
Find your paradise with an unforgettable island day trip aboard one of our impressive fleet of yachts, boats and speedboats.
Our fantastic fleet comes equipped with your own crew, fuel and cooler full of ice, but if you really want to push the boat out you can add some fancy trimmings into the mix.
Explore
Discover deserted beaches and secret snorkelling spots on your own floating sea palace
Party
Have a Fiesta in the Islands! Hit the beer-soaked Cholon bay for some good old fashion sun, rum and fun
Chill
Get a crew on your boat so you don't have to lift a finger. We've got the barman, DJ and masseuse on speed dial
Whatever floats your boat, we're here to make it happen
Yacht you waiting for?
We're not a one-size-fits-all travel company. We’re unique, so are you. So let’s create something special together.
Reach out to us with your specific requests and we'll collaborate with our local network of pitch-perfect partners to personalise your trip down to a capital T.
We've helped guys get down on one knee atop San Pedro Claver's iconic cupolas, organised fight club for a gang of boxing fanatics, private viewings of the city’s top galleries for NOLA art collectors, Googled out the islands for a weekend, organised action-packed off sites for the giants of Silicon Valley and taken the Emir of Qatar on his own personalised tour of the Castle.
Our day-to-day includes renting out beaches for exclusive events, 7-day sailing and island odysseys, and borrowing chefs from 5-stars restaurant to cook our guests dinner at home and even got some 'friends' on the front row at Cartagena's yearly beauty pageant.
Whatever it is, it's our job to make your Caribbean dream a reality.
You’re just one click away below from your perfect Cartagena vacation.