Free Food Tour of Cartagena

Cartagena's food is Caribbean Colombia distilled: coconut rice, fried plantain in three different forms, and fruit that barely exists outside this coastline. Starting near the San Diego market area, this tour moves stall to stall tasting arepa de huevo (a cornmeal pocket stuffed with egg and deep-fried), patacones piled with hogao sauce, and fresh ceviche de camarones sold by weight.

Your guide explains what you're eating and why — how African, Indigenous and Spanish cooking traditions collided on this coast, and which fruits the palenqueras are selling from bowls balanced on their heads. Note that this is a free walking tour with guided tastings along the way; some food and drink samples are paid for directly by guests as you go, on top of whatever you tip your guide at the end.