Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [118]
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Shopping
Cartagena has a wide range of shops selling crafts and souvenirs, and the quality of the goods is usually high. The biggest tourist shopping center in the walled city is Las Bóvedas Click here, offering handicrafts, clothes, souvenirs and the like. The best wares here are at Artesanías India Catalina II (No 6) for classic homewares and art; D’Yndias (No 15) for high-quality hammocks, Juan Valdéz coffee, and handbags; and La Garita (No 23) for colorful kitchenware, T-shirts and better quality general merchandise.
For something a little more unique, the exclusive artisan homewares and handicrafts at Upalema ( 664 5032; Calle San Juan de Dios, Edificio Rincon No 3-99, El Centro; 9:30am-10pm Mon-Sat, 10am-10pm Sun) aren’t reproduced anywhere on the street. It’s pricey, but it’s top quality stuff, unrivaled elsewhere.
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Getting There & Away
AIR
The airport is in Crespo, 3km northeast of the old city, and is serviced by frequent local buses. There are also colectivos to Crespo (COP$1000), as well as nicer air-conditioned shuttles called Metrocar (COP$1700), both of which depart from Monumento a la India Catalina (for Metrocar, look for the green-signed buses). By taxi, there’s a surcharge of COP$4000 on airport trips. It’s COP$10,000 to COP$13,000 from the center to the airport, but should be COP$4000 less if you ask the driver to leave you on the corner of Av 4 and Calle 70, 100m before the airport. The terminal has four ATMs and a casa de cambio (in domestic arrivals), which changes cash and traveler’s checks.
All major Colombian carriers operate flights to and from Cartagena. There are flights to Bogotá (from COP$280,700, one way), Cali (from COP$314,000, one way), Cúcuta via Bogotá (from COP$375,200), Medellín (from COP$300,000, one way), San Andrés (from COP$273,000, return) and other major cities.
Avianca ( 664 7822; www.avianca.com; Av Venezuela, Centro Edificio Citibank, local B1; 8am-12:30pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat) flies to Miami via Bogotá, major domestic destinations and San Andrés (Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:15am). Copa ( 664 1018; Calle Gastelbondo No 2-107; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12:30pm Sat) has daily flights to Panama City for from COP$859,000. AeroRepública ( 664 1388; Calle del Cabo, Centro Comercial Invercredito No 18; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-12:30pm Sat) has flights to Bogotá and from there, connections to Cali, Medellín and San Andrés (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 1pm).
At the airport, regional carrier Ada ( 656 9200) flies direct to Montería (from COP$198,000).
BOAT
A pleasant way of getting to Panama is by sailboat. There are various boats, mostly foreign yachts, which take travelers from Cartagena to Colón via San Blas Archipelago (Panama) and vice versa, but there is no set schedule. The trip takes four to six days and normally includes a couple of days at San Blas for snorkeling and spear fishing. Trips hover around the COP$700,000 mark and often include food. Boats with semi-regular departures include the German-helmed Papillon ( 314 540 5411; sailwithtom@gmail.com), the French-Brazilian Atoll ( 301 422 2662; federico_layolle@yahoo.com.br) and Seeadler ( 507 448 2426; www.sailseeadler.com), run by a bearded German named Guido.
Beware of any con men attempting to lure you into ‘amazing’ Caribbean boat trips. Inquire at Casa Viena, which posts departing boats and sailing dates as they become available. They also sort out the riffraff, working with trusted yachts and experienced captains (and do not take commissions). It’s also a good idea to head down to the yacht club and inspect the boats beforehand and meet the captain – travelers have reported everything from crack-smoking crazies to incompetent sailors at the helm of some of these boats.
BUS
The bus terminal is on the eastern outskirts of the city, far away from the center. The upside is once you arrive, it’s nicer than expected. Still, allow yourself 30 to 45 minutes to get there in all but the darkest hours.
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