Cartagena Colombia

About Cartagena Colombia

Cartagena de Indias is Colombia's walled colonial jewel on the Caribbean coast, a highlight of Panama Canal and Caribbean itineraries. Ships dock at the SPRC terminal a short ride from the Old City, whose 16th-century ramparts and plazas are a UNESCO site. Walking tours of Getsemaní's street art, the Castillo San Felipe fortress, and mud-bath excursions to Volcán El Totumo round out typical days. Heat is serious — carry water.

• Cartagena de Indias was founded on 1 June 1533, making it one of South America's oldest Spanish colonial cities, and indigenous settlement around Cartagena Bay dates back to 4000 BC.
• The city was the primary port through which Bolivian and Peruvian silver was shipped to Spain and enslaved Africans were imported under the asiento system, making it one of the most economically vital cities of the Spanish Empire.
• Cartagena withstood one of the largest amphibious assaults in history — the 1741 Battle of Cartagena de Indias — when a 186-vessel British fleet under Admiral Vernon was repelled by Spanish forces, a pivotal moment that historians say shaped the course of the War of Jenkins' Ear.
• The city's colonial walled city and fortress system were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and the massive star-shaped Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas is considered one of the greatest Spanish fortifications ever built in the Americas.
• Modern Cartagena is Colombia's fifth-largest city (population ~877,000), a major petrochemical hub, and one of the most visited tourist destinations in South America, famous for its colourful colonial architecture.