Our tour guide Eric was very knowledgeable on the history and culture and he seemed to have no problem speaking three languages. The people of Palenque were very warm. I be willing to would go back on the tour for the food alone!

Beat up, hot town with incredible history a long hour from Cartagena. The first runaway slave settlement in all the Americas. Part of Colombian mythology and music. Cute and really simple museum in the middle of town. If i returned, i would contact some of the guides to know when a musical or dance rehearsal was on. Our cabbie Walter 57-310-702 7112 had the guides phone number in Cartagena.

The trip to Palenque was a special experience. Hard to imagine that you are in Africa even though you are in Colombia. But this is Palenque, a historic village with a touching history. The tour was well organized and all guides were extremely friendly. I was even introduced to boxing here. Strengthened with a delicious lunch and with many new impressions of the diversity of Colombia, we started our way home. I highly recommend this cultural experience!

Highly recommended. Guided with authentic local guide from the Zenu culture. They open up pre-Columbian culture up to the modern day. Tour their art then do some weaving in the local community. Greet, authentic, memorable tour

We,5 adults, arrived in Columbia on the Emerald Princess Cruise Ship.We visted Columbia on a previous cruise and had done sightseeing of the sites and beaches in the city so we wanted to have a different experience this time. Before our departure we had booked a private tour to visit San Basilio de Palenque with Donald who was given excellent reviews online. This village is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We comminicated with him via Whatsapp +573017051167 and after we agreed on the contents of the Tour and the price, we made all the arrangements to meet when the Princess docked. Donald met us in the gas station outside the port and our fantastic tour began there. The journey to Palenque was approximately 45 minutes drive from the port and Donald kept us well informed about not only the places of interest along the way and went into detail about what to expect in Palenque. His immense knowledge of the island, and his charming personality and the fact that he spoke English and Spanish fluently, added to the experience. Palenque was an awesome experience. We were taken to homes of prominent members of the village, were treated to live entertainment by the local music ensamble, we interacted with members of the community and had the priviledge of being escorted through the village by a local tour guide. A wonderful experience. Thank you Donald

This was a fabulous tour. It covers some history as well as learning about the market and the people who sell there. It included much more than just the food. We tasted some Colombian cuisine for lunch, had a few beverages and even got to hear and see some of the more unique vendors. Our two guides included a Spanish speaker from Cartegena and a guide who translated into English who is from Bogota. Well worth the three hours!!(Check FEM’s website for their mission, etc.)

I did the market tour. It is excellent. The only things I would point out is that is relatively relaxed, so if you are in a hurry it is not for you. Also all the things you are offered on the tour are free. When you stop somewhere they are not trying to sell you something. IT REALLY IS ALL FREE. And at the end the guides not ask for a tip. There is nothing to pay extra when you take the tour, but you walk away with a number of gifts. It is a really good tour. Relaxed, low pressure, interesting, and about 3 hours. Enjoy it.

When I came across this tour. I did some research on the town and noticed there was a festival the weekend I wanted to book. I didn't want to do the standard tour because I knew the festival would be an all day event that I wanted to be a part of and the standard tour didn't accommodate that. So I reached out to the company via email and received an immediate response. I asked if they could customize a tour for me. That would accommodate the festival activities. They advised they would have to check and get back to me. They responded the next day advising it wouldn't be an issue to do a private tour to attend the festival. So I immediately booked with them. The communication was great and well detailed. They arrived at our hotel on time for pick-up. Our guide was POOOW-LA (Paula) inside joke. She says her name with a strong accent and I didn't realize she was saying Paula. But I looked like a fool but it was funny none the less. Delphi who was a local from San Basilio also joined us for the ride. Along with other team members from the company. Along the way Paula filled us in on some history of the area and town and translated for us with Delphi. With any questions we had during the ride. It was about an hour and half ride to the town. I have to say Paula is so professional and truly made this trip amazing. Along with the other team members that joined the private tour as well. We arrive to the town at noon and you immediately feel the lively energy from the festival. We walk to a local home/restaurant for lunch. Was so happy we ate first because we were starving. They served amazing fried fish with rice and veggies. Served on a huge leaf and a piece of coconut shell carved like a tiny spoon. To use while eating. Everything was so natural and fresh. The food was absolutely amazing. After eating they let us go into the home and backyard to see how the food was prepared. Once done. One of the locals that conducts the tour of the area arrived to begin our tour and show us the amazing town. So much knowledge and information provided about the culture. We walked through the streets meeting locals along the way. Stopping at homes and meeting some of the influential people of the town. As you walk through the town and listen to the history there. You can get to see and experience the local way of living and culture. The guide even provided us with some great locally made alcohol to enjoy while on the tour. Had a very similar taste to moon shine but not as strong. After the tour of the town. Delphi took us to her home to meet her mom, sister and other family members. We sat on there porch for about 30 minutes talking and just taking it all in. I promise you no other tour had this personable experience. Her family was so welcoming. After that we did some shopping from the local vendors. Then we went to the main stage area of the festival to watch some of the performances. We got to take pictures with a lot of the local performers. Who were dressed up in costumes and looked amazing. We were truly treated like VIPs the entire day. After that we grabbed some chairs and sat along the street and just listened to the amazing music and people watched. The vibe there was so amazing. People dancing in the streets and just having a great time. We got to enjoy some of their local beer from the towns small liquor store. After relaxing there we went back to the stage area and danced the night away! Words can't even describe the feeling we got from this trip and how amazing Cartagena Insider staff were. They never rushed us not once and basically let us enjoy the entire festival at our leisure. Before we knew it. It was 9pm and we had been there since 12 noon. We literally lost track of time and honestly never even checked until we started to get tired from all the dancing. Once we were ready to leave we let them know and we all walked back to the van to depart home. Paula was truly amazing and so professional. You can tell that she loves what she does. Her energy and personality is just contagious. This trip would not have been what it was if it wasn't for her. The Cartagena staff that joined also was an added bonus. Everyone was so amazing and truly made this trip the best. This was the highlight of our time in Cartagena. Nothing else compared to it. Don't even question it just book it. Im sure it's a little slower without the festival but just the experience of the culture and the tour alone. Is absolutely amazing because you get to truly experience it as if you were a local. I truly hope Cartagena Insider knows the gem that they have, by having Paula apart of their team. I could go on and on but I will spare making this review even longer than it is lol. This trip wouldn't have been the same without her. JUST BOOK IT! You won't regret it, I promise.

Loved their Africa in America tour, as well as the Salsa night tour. We all had a blast!! Highly recommended.

We wanted to visit this market but were a little nervous to do so alone. So glad we found this tour on Trip Advisor! The tour is run by FEM, a local non profit group. Paula, our sweet bilingual guide, met us at our lodging in Castillogrande and we took the bus to the market. Great to see how locals get around. We tasted new fruits, food and drinks had a wonderful experience overall. Be sure to check out some of the other tours offered by FEM!

We visited before Cartagena and for our second trip (came with cruise ship) we wanted different kind of tour. We had private tour with 2 guides to the biggest local market. No tourist at all just us. Very cheap and interesting market with everything : they buy for us local music disk, a hand painted poster, natural herb medicine, local juices and beer and more. The best way to see the real Cartagena with a non profit organization

We are salsa beginners, but had so much fun learning about the history of Salsa form Anna and some salsa moves from Keeke. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking to get out of the tourist center and have a local experience. We danced, we ate delicious arepas, we drank a little rum and had a memorable night. I would also add that the tour company gives back to the community and operates as a charity, so you can have fun while helping others. A win win. Next time we come to Cartagena, we will try more of their tours, they all look interesting and I am sure would be informative, fun and professional. I don't want to give away any surprises, but Anna really made an effort to be sure the group was greeted warmly and enthusiastically. Our spanish is not great, so we appreciated her excellent english as well. Thank you!!

I have visited numerous markets all over the world, but this was the first time with a guide. Highly recommended, with an engaged and very friendly guide, who lives in the neighbourhood. A special thanks to Cecilia and her "sisters" at the restaurant for their delicious food.

A bunch of us, family members including grandparents, took the tour with the amazing guides of FEM (3 guides). They are vey knowledgable, and taught us about the history of Salsa and music in Cartagena, explained, demonstrated, and helped us with some Salsa moves. The tour took us to Salsa clubs where the locals go for their dance and music, included transportation and water, snacks and some drinks. If you're in Cartagena, do not miss this fun, lively tour. Kudos to Keeke, and Lorena Salgado- the handsome dancers, and Anna. The best thing- part of the money goes to charity.

We were a party of seven, including four visually impaired. Our tour guide was very informative giving lots of information about the village culture. We visited several private homes and watched a drum demonstration by the locals. We also visited a famous local singer Rafael Cassiani, he is well for his Musica Del Mundo, a unique sound from this region.