New tours in Cartagena: Drums Workshop & visit of Mangrove swamps
During our visit in Cartagena last September, we had the opportunity to participate at the Drums Workshop in La Boquilla, an afrocolombian community located about 15 minutes away from the walled city. This tour gives you a short vision on the community of La Boquilla and their traditions.
The activity is ideal for small and larger groups as well for individual travellers.
Here is the description of the drum workshop
For over 200 years, the fishing village of La Boquilla has fought heroically to preserve the cultural traditions of its ancestors. In La Boquilla, drums therefore play an important role in village life. We invite you to an exciting tour to experience these Afro-Colombian drums in their habitat and also to play them yourself. The motto: Play even if you don't play, dance even if you don't dance, sing even if you don't sing! Together everything is possible!
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| Live music is included ... |
The workshop lasts about 2 hours and is a unique opportunity to get acquainted and connect with the typical Afro-Colombian rhythms of the region, such as cumbia, mapalé and champeta. The team of the Batambora Drum Workshop School does a great job and gives us an unforgettable experience. First a little theory, then presentation and finally action: we learn to drum. Batambora is a project run by young entrepreneurs from the Afro-American community of La Boquilla, working for the human and economic development of the village and its people. One goal is to save and preserve the cultural traditions of African heritage. We want to support young people who want to make a difference. We invite you to experience this!
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| Our Kiubo-Team in action ... |
We continued our visit to the Mangrove swamps of la Boquilla where we learned about the significance of this ecosystem and how the community has been working together on the conservation of the resources there.
Here is a description of the Mangrove swamps tour of La Boquilla
The wetlands are located on the north-eastern border of Cartagena. They are a mystical ecosystem of natural channels and labyrinths. On a canoe trip through the Juan Polo swamp in the northern part of the wetlands, we set out to explore this fascinating habitat. At the La Boquilla pier, we are served fresh coconut water before beginning our tour in a traditional wooden canoe, passing the slender roots of the mangroves emerging from the brackish water.
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| The ecosystem of the mangroves |
El Amor, El Chaco and La Felicidad are the promising names of the naturally formed mangrove tunnels we pass through on our 90-minute tour. Our local guide will introduce us to the beauty of the area, the fauna and the importance of the Tesca wetland.
The tour is daily available, the recommended departure time is 08:30 or 15:00.
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The two activities presented can be booked separately. However, both can also be easily combined in a half-day tour.
