My trip started leaving Aruba and flying to Bogota with Avianca airlines. In Bogota, I stepped over, heading for Cartagena de Indias. At Rafael Núñez international airport, I received information about the tourism board that is always handy to read. If you want to call Avianca, it is convenient to contact Google Hangout because you can request free to the States. It is handy to save the local essential numbers on your telephone in other countries. At the airport, there are two car rentals: Budget and Avis. Because February is quite busy in Cartagena, there was only one car available at Avis car rental, an SUV with full insurance is a good start. It can be handy to make a reservation upfront if you want to have a car. If you are only going to Cartagena, take a taxi from the airport, and never take a random taxi from the street. It is much easier to go by taxi from the airport to Cartagena’s centrum than to have a car in Cartagena. You can ask the hotel to arrange transport for you and let you pick up at the airport is also a good idea. After placing the transportation, I bought a SIM card nearby at the Almacén the compta Venta Crespo because it is useful to have a Colombian telephone with you when you are traveling so that you can be reached on a Colombian phone number and can be called back by people in the region if needed.
Next to the store, there is a restaurant La cochina de Mau, where I prepared the Wi-Fi phone while eating the local Colombian cuisine. With a full belly, two phone connections, and a full tank, I drove to the hotel on the phones’ navigation, which was 6 kilometers away from the airport. I had to use the phones as satellite navigation because the rental company had no tom-tom (anymore) available.
Hotel Casa Bugo Cartagena
I arrived at Hotel Casa Bugo, which is in Cartagena de Indias’s heart and 400 meters from Bolivar Park; it was nice to come my first time in Cartagena. In this neighborhood, I could easily park and walk to the hotel. The accommodation has air conditioning, a flat-screen tv, and a lovely outdoor pool. The rooms are equipped with a private bathroom with toiletries, and some places have a balcony.
The Cartagena Gold Museum and the Palace of the Inquisition are both 400 m from the hotel. Cartagena is an excellent choice for travelers interested in architecture, food, and history. In the evening, I had a mojito in a local bar, and there are many things to do in the heart of Cartagena to be explored.
How is traveling through the Sucre region in Colombia?
Travel Colombia Coffee region
The next morning I started my trip to the Sucre region, and I drove to the city named Sincelejo. The car journey is beautiful and takes about 4 hours, and tolls have to be paid at different places. It is good to check local information and the embassy and foreign affairs website for the latest news. Because of some positions in Colombia, it is not advisable to go traveling into visiting the Colombia coffee region without proper advice.
From the days that I was doing other work, I always learned that: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance, and that adagio still exists today. If you are a traveler or a tourist, it is good to travel prepared, because it is your own responsibility.
Travel Colombia Caribbean coast
The next day we drove from Sincelejo to Tolú and stayed there in Hotel Soleira in Tolú, 3 km from the center and 15 minutes by car from the beach. The hotel has an outdoor pool and has a modern and spacious architecture. The air-conditioned rooms have a TV and a private bathroom with a shower.
Las Brujas Airport is a 1-hour drive away, and Los Garzones Airport is less than 100 km away from the hotel. The area of Tolú is very touristic because of the possibility to visit the islands Isla de Rosario, such as Tintipan, Islote, Mangle, Isla Palma, Panda, Múcura, and Maravilla.
How is traveling the Sucre region in Colombia
The next morning we left with Club Nautico Mar Adentro in Tolú to the islands with a fast boot, and it is advisable to be there at eight o clock in the morning because the boot leaves at 8:30, and it is good to do to your stuff in a plastic bag to prevent it from getting wet.
Club Náutico Mundo Mar is a company that organizes high-quality trips direct from Tolú to the nearby archipelago of Las Islas de San Bernardo and the archipelago of Rosario islands.
How is traveling through the Sucre region in Colombia?
Rosario Islands day trip
The town has a strong tourist attraction with beaches for ecotourism and various tourist attractions such as Playa del Francés that is located 20 minutes from the main village. La Caimanera and the nearby islands of San Bernardo’s archipelago are suitable for diving and sports fishing. The residents are of African-American descendent and usually live from fishing and tourism. An excellent restaurant to go to in the evening is Itamburi, to be honest, it is better to eat there than in the hotel.
Coveñas beach
In this area, the hotel industry has increased significantly, and there are still many apartments and hotels being built, and they are offering tourism services to modern demands. The municipality has exciting real estate development and investment possibilities that, in the end, will have a positive benefit to the community and the region.
Volcán de Lodo
The next morning is leaving the area of Tolú and heading for Arboletes to the Volcán de Lodo. Arboletes means the land of trees, but this name is no longer valid because the forests have disappeared for the livestock industry.
In Arboletes, part of the department of Antioquia on the coast of the Colombian Caribbean, there is a mud volcano that feeds the myth of longevity, and bathing in this crater is a lot of fun. On the day of San Juan, on the 24th of June, they have a celebration on the beach named the Feast of the Sea and the Volcano. They will have rites and firework, and they will devote themselves to the mythological god Vulcano.
Bathing in the mud was a new and pleasant experience, you feel weightless, and it is strange the first time. On a warm day, it can be really nice to have a cooldown. The cones expel a mixture of water, mud, and hydrocarbons. And when I was in the water, I thought I smell sulfur and diesel full, but that was the hydrocarbons coming out of the earth. Next to that, the mud is rich in minerals, which are suitable for the skin. This formation is not volcanic but has more connection with emanations of gases from petroleum deposits in the region.
In the center of the mud pool, there are eruptions of water and gases, and it is good advice not to have the mud in your eyes or ears. It is a fun experience, and after that, it is nice to have a shower and a cold drink. After being a little piggy in the mud, it is nice to have a warm bath back in the hotel.
Riviera Del Sol Hotel Spa at Arboletes
This hotel is a 5-star hotel located in the city of Arboletes and overlooks the sea. This hotel offers a private beach, Wi-Fi, and an excellent buffet breakfast. The hotel has an international restaurant, but you can also go for dinner in the local city at night. This hotel’s room comes with a private bathroom, a wardrobe, a flat-screen TV, air-conditioned.
The property has an outdoor pool. In February, you do not have to be surprised that you have the swimming pool for yourself during the evening and daytime because there were not many people in the hotel to travel to the Sucre region of Colombia.
The staff speaks English and Spanish, and you can get information at the reception. The nearest airport is Los Garzones Airport, 79 km from Riviera Del Sol Hotel Spa.
During the day you can visit the small city of Arboletes, and on Friday you can have dinner in the town. The area is in the north of Antioquia. It is advisable to be aware of your surroundings, and it is good to travel during the day in this area.
The best restaurants in Sincelejo
After driving four hours in the car from Arboletes to Sincelejo, it is nice to have a good dinner in the evening. An excellent restaurant in Sincelejo is Restaurante Bar Arcanos en Basan cocina al disco they are close in the same area.
A great gym to go to is Elite Fitness, and this is a few meters from the excellent restaurants, and it is a friendly gym to go to. Visiting the mural art walls was a creative experience.
After a wonderful week in the Sucre region, I can say it was a lovely experience, and I hope you like reading this article.
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Feb 27, 2019 …Travel the Sucre region Colombia. My trip started leaving Aruba and flying to Bogota with Avianca airlines. In Bogota, I stepped over, heading …
