El Totumo with a Ciénaga Rinse and Lunch at a Beach Club Pool

The mud is only the first half of this one. After the bath, the rinse happens in the ciénaga next to the volcano, and then the vehicle carries on to a beach club, where lunch is included along with the pool, the common areas and the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Active mud volcanoes open to visitors are rare, which is most of why El Totumo is on every list of things to do out of Cartagena. The mud is thick with natural minerals and thick enough to float in, which is the part people are unprepared for. It photographs well, if that matters to you, and the volcano itself is a short activity, easy to fit around other plans, though the version with lunch takes up more of the day. The services at the volcano are run by the local communities, and dealing with them directly is part of what you are paying for. Pick-up starts at 8:00 from the Clock Tower, the main gate into the walled city, and works north through the hotel zones. Six collection points cover Getsemaní and downtown, Marbella and Torices, Manzanillo, Sky Quarter Sea and two in La Boquilla. Transport is by bus or air-conditioned van, and the day ends back at the hotels.