Not sure it is the safest port. The old city is interesting however the ships excursions I have been on the tour guide talks TOO much and does not leave enough time to walk around the sites (eg, the Fortress). Also, the local vendors are EXTREMELY pushy.
One of the nice things is right at the port there is a duty free shop but also a number of parrots and other birds that live in the trees. ...
We did a private excursion with Dora of Cartagena Tours which was good. There is definitely a problem with aggressive vendors. Two days in port were too many, the ship was crowded like a sea day on the second day as maybe people didn't feel safe? Not much to do after you explored the city and the cool aviary at the cruise terminal. ...
The problem was not the city or the elements of the town/country. The issue was that there were 3 other cruise ships docked - so there were 10,000 cruise tourists overwhelming the tourist infrastructure! ...
Very hot, locals trying to solicit sex from male passengers, locals kept getting in face with souvenirs and were very obnoxious. On the plus side, the cruise port terminal was great. It had a bird sanctuary with flamingos, parrots, macaws and ant eaters. If you get off the ship just stray at the cruise port. ...
Cartagena was a wonderful port for our group. It is a long walk from the ship to the port terminal, but the terminal is a tropical bird aviary! There is a nice, airconditioned gift shop with many items from Columbia, including a wide selection of emerald jewelry. The aviary is large with all kinds of tropical animals and hundreds of birds (free). There is a kiosk where you can exchange US ...
