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Palenque Culture: Discover Afro-Colombian Heritage
4.9
39 Ratings
San Basilio De Palenque
Immerse yourself in the rich African heritage of Colombia with a tour of San Basilio de Palenque. Explore the community’s cultural attractions, music, gastronomy, and more with native guides.
Immerse yourself in the rich African heritage of Colombia with a tour of San Basilio de Palenque. Explore the community’s cultural attractions, music, gastronomy, and more with native guides.
Duration:
6 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- San Basilio De Palenque - TOURIST PARADOR: in this space we receive travelers by welcoming them and giving them a general description of our community.
- San Basilio De Palenque - TOURIST PARADOR: in this space we receive travelers by welcoming them and giving them a general description of our community.
What's Included
- Lunch included
- Complimentary bottled water
- Air-conditioned transport
- Lunch included
- Complimentary bottled water
- Air-conditioned transport
What's Not Included
- Presentation of traditional music and dance Batata
- Presentation of traditional music and dance Batata
Additional Information
Are you visiting Palenque? Discover a slice of Africa in Colombia, the first community of free African descendants in America, known as Saint Basil of Palenque. Explore its rich cultural attractions, including music, language, cuisine, organizational structure, identity murals, the monument of Benkos Bioho, the monument of Kid Pambele, traditional…
Are you visiting Palenque? Discover a slice of Africa in Colombia, the first community of free African descendants in America, known as Saint Basil of Palenque. Explore its rich cultural attractions, including music, language, cuisine, organizational structure, identity murals, the monument of Benkos Bioho, the monument of Kid Pambele, traditional medicine, spirituality, the house museum, and all the unique internal aspects that define it.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR YOUR VISIT:
We suggest:
- Wearing comfortable clothing and shoes.
- Bringing sunscreen and insect repellent.
- Carrying some cash, as Palenque’s economy relies significantly on voluntary contributions.
NOTE: After this incredible experience, and by unanimous decision, enjoy an approximate 15-minute transport tour of each mural that adorns Palenque. Capture photos and preserve your best memories of the tour.
Location
San Basilio De Palenque
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(39 Ratings)
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Z6135qjalisonh
Jan 13, 2025
Local guides, great local experience - This was an amazing experience. The staff and tour guides are all local to Palenque and are able to give so much more background and details. They are very knowledgeable and answered all of our hundreds of questions. You can tell they love their community and that adds to the tour experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightsee754663
Nov 16, 2024
Authentic Palanque Culture & History - Roiman & Leonardo were the most informative tour guides! It was like touring an authentic African Village with a family member. Knowledge is extensive, authenticity, passion & a true experience of the culture. And our lunch was delicious! I highly recommend & ask for Roiman!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kimikok562
Oct 31, 2024
Don’t miss out! - It was the best tour I had while visiting Colombia! David beautifully transferred everything in English. Leonardo was fantastic and gave so much history about his community. The driver was so sweet as well. The lunch was simply delicious. I wanted another plate to take back home with me! This tour is well worth it! Don't miss out!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer36028930772
Oct 23, 2024
PALENQUE!!!❤️🖤💚...🖤💙💚 - The tour was amazing, Neudis communicated with me immediately on booking the trip and he and our English interpreter Gabriel came promptly to pick us up at our hotel. The ride to Palenque was in a comfortable air conditioned six-seater van and we chatted with The Interpreter for the 60 to 90 minute drive to the town. On arriving at the town we are greeted by Leonardo, a native of the Town, who gave us an extensive history of the background of the town, current status, traditions and folklore. There were beautiful murals throughout the entire town, great pictures for instagram!. We met many different Local Natives. Enjoyed a fabulous meal. Toward a traditional home. Met local musicians in their recording studio and even had the opportunity for a boxing class!! Highly recommend this tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ldjeter
Oct 22, 2024
Benkos Tour is the Best in the Cartagena Columbia area - What a surprisingly wonderful tour of
Palenque we had!! This beautiful African village is a little over an hour away from Cartagena and is a must see!! l Loved the warmth, knowledge and patience of our tour guides Gabriel, Leonardo and Neudis. We requested Spanish/Creole to English translation and that's where Gabriel came in and was extremely helpful as the translator/Linguist.
We not only toured the quaint town but spoke with several other locals who shared their lives with us. The tour ended with a delicious, filling meal!! Overall excellent tour and highly recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Royland_m
Oct 14, 2024
It was a great experience full with information and culture. - We had an amazing experience with Benkos Tour in Palenque! Our tour operator, Neudis, and translator, Gabriel, made this journey truly unforgettable. Neudis’s deep knowledge of Palenque’s history and culture as a native brought every moment to life, and Gabriel’s translations ensured we didn’t miss a thing. From learning about the first free African village in the Americas to experiencing the vibrant culture firsthand, this tour was educational, moving and interactive. If you're looking for a meaningful and immersive experience, I highly recommend Benkos Tour!
Review provided by Viator
H3151yrrosemaryb
Sep 11, 2024
Excellent educational tour, amazing guides and translator - I really enjoyed this tour. The guide Neudis is from Palenque and he has cultivated a wonderful series of stops where you meet other Palenqueros and learn so much history and modern culture. My favorite was the boxing and traditional medicine. Linch was excellent. Bring lots of small bills. I also really appreciated the English translator, Gabriel. He was very communicative to arrange logistics before the tour and his translations were excellent, he made sure I got the full of what everyone was saying, and also he was a lot of fun to talk to - super knowledgeable and everything Cartagena and very personable. The driver Richard was also excellent, good safe driver. The return trip was long due to traffic but they made being in the car fun too, especially Gabriel who suggested many other things for me to do in Cartagena. I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laurap_barcelona
Aug 13, 2024
Wonderful experience! - I’m still excited and spinning everything I learned today!
I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to do this tour and to have met such fantastic people as Richard, Gabriel and Neudis.
Perfect opportunity to learn the story we are not told and learn humility before a people and their constant struggle.
If you want to support local initiatives and have your money poured directly into the communities, this is your tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Show_methe_sun1
Aug 13, 2024
Step into the past to see the future - This is an amazing tour. You have to go. So much information about history. Thank you to Gabriel for translating Spanish into English for us. And for Neudis for speaking Palenque and Spanish. :)
A people with a proud culture who are trying to continue the education of new generations. Letting them know if their proud past.
Sending a message: you can overcome your obstacles to stand tall. Be proud of where you came from and where you want to go in life.
This tour deserves 100 stars. ⭐✨⭐⭐
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cheryl_m
Sep 14, 2024
A Good Way to support the locals - Overall, I am pleased with the services. However, I did not get the sense this group were official tour guides. I understand this was a tour with a “local” but I expected more of seasoned/well versed tour guide. I will probably visit the community again, with a larger tour operator.
Review provided by Viator