Excellent experience. I would highly recommend this tour over others because the hosts of this tour are from Palenque. Sophia was awesome. She spoke so many languages. She was an excellent guide. They also offered us umbrellas which was nice with all that sun. The only reason why I only gave it 4 stars was because the description said there would be breakfast and I didn’t get breakfast. I also paid for a solo private tour, I shared the ride with another couple who booked last minute and the tour was a group of 5. Ultimately the group of 5 was fine, it just wasn’t what I signed up for. Also I’m glad I ate before leaving my hotel.

This is a great tour if you love history and want a tour that is a little more off the beaten path. Victor is a great guide! We learned so much visiting this little village.

While physical slavery is mostly a thing of the past, a newer type of slavery still exists to this very day. As the stories of the life and struggles of the Palenque are told think about what enslaves you today. What are you a slave to? Are you comfortable in your bondage, House Negro? Ask yourself what are you willing to do to be Free? Don't get it twisted you're not learning about slaves from Africa, you're learning about masters of themselves. An excellent tour provided by Viktor and the Palenque people. Loved the sweets we made over the fire and the alumuerzo. The dancing and drumming were nice. Also enjoyed the medicine man. Handicarafts are overpriced but for a worthy cause. Bring towel, mini-fans, straw hats, anything to stay cool because its the kind of heat you can not prepare for.

If you want to really know the facts about African American history this is the tour for you. I have taken several African American history classes and I see now how much information from omitted from the text. I was truly amazed. This is a tour I would recommend for anyone who wants to know the real background of the African American culture. The community of Palenque (Palanke as the locals call it). Sofia was an amazing guide. I really enjoyed interacting with the Palanke community!

Learning about the rich Palenque culture which centers around five major themes .. music, religion, food, medicine and language was amazing . It was a beautiful experience.

A most memorable experience was had by all. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and informative. Everyone welcomed us into their community sharing the history and traditions. A beautiful experience!

I enjoyed the fresh food that we prepared by one of the chefs at village. I had the fish that was cooked in coconut milk

Absolutely the best part of my trip to Colombia. Sofia our tour guide, was great. She made us feel so at home. So knowledgeable. My husband and I are both in our Seventies, she was so kind and attentive. An experience, I will not soon forget. You are never too old to learn!!! Of all the places I visited in Colombia, I felt the safest .

It is the most beautiful place, with the most beautiful people. One of the best experiences of my life. But the tour could be cut so much shorter. Some conversations could be had on the 2 hour drive. Go straight to performances, take the neighborhood walk, have lunch and return. No need for all the waiting. Some of the time spent waiting was unnecessary.

I enjoyed learning about the different medicines used in palengue, the performances but the drummer and singer, but most of all Afroneto’s drum shop! He taught me a multiple of rhythms (I'm a drummer too) and we had a couple of impromptu performances myself! My spirit felt connected to the land as i was playing.

It was great learning about the history, the culture, their native dances and the food of the Palenque village. The lunch was excellent. Our tour guide (Victor) did a wonderful job. At the dance ceremony the English translator was a bit rude after the ceremony, he seemed to be motivated by money/tips/donations. The tour was $100+ US dollars, I’m curious to know how much of that goes to the Palenque village. Hopefully in 5 to 10 years there will be some great improvements.

Let me start with Victor is absolutely amazing! He and his family were very professional, friendly and attentive. There were 3 lunch options: pork tenderloin, chicken and black snapper. The black snapper was amazing and you can tell it was made with love. The dancers were very entertaining and it was fun to join them in their native dances as well. Do not miss this tour, you will regret it.

Victor was such a delight, good English, very kind, and informative. Palenque is so rich in history, my favorite part was the delicious food, we chose the fish, and second was dancing with the locals !! I've read reviews where people said it's not much for what you pay, I beg to differ. we rode in a comfortable Mercedes air conditioned van, the distance from cartagena is 1.5 hours each way!! delicious fruit salad was offered for breakfast, water was provided, and lunch was plentiful and was served in a timely manner. we also got to try some local sweets made fresh. I would definitely do it again if I had the chance. also we were NOT harassed for tips but I was delighted to tip these lovely locals who welcomed us in their beautiful town!!!

I absolutely loved my experience on the Palenque History Tour. Our tour guide was insightful and the people of Palenque were so welcoming and vibrant. It was such a special day that I will cherish forever.

This was an amazing tour it literally felt like a mini wakanda. There was so much culture and history here to soak up, not to mention the food was amazing!!!

Palenge tour was so beautiful! Victor was an amazing tour guide. I would definitely recommend visiting this town in Colombia.

I loved the dancing and the food. How they explained the different dances for their ancestors. Overall it was a wonderful history experience. Just very very hot! I would warn everyone to dress in lose, workout clothes because you will be sweating like you been in a workout.

I absolutely LOVED this excursion when I visited Cartagena last week! Our tour guide Victor, is an engaging kind hearted story teller, who tells the history of Palenque from the prospective of our ancestors. If you are anything like me, and you appreciate untold Black history, this should be number one on your list while in Cartagena. I don’t want to give too much away, because everyone should experience this themselves. My favorite parts of the tour were the dancers and all the artwork in the village. The history of Palenque is just as fascinating as it’s present day story. I walked away from this tour so proud of this community. The people of Palenque will always be in my heart. 🤎

Palenque is such a special place, and I learned so much about Black history and the history of enslaved people in Latin America. Victor was an incredible guide and the tour from start to finish was thoughtful and curated. My one issue is that this tour involves LOTS of tipping, which we had not anticipated. You have to tip every person you encounter, which works out to be around 10-12 people. Had we known this, we would have brought more cash to tip but we had to ration it. This also meant we couldn't buy some of the things these individuals were selling because we needed to save money for all of the tips. That being said, I loved this tour and the lunch that came with was delicious (do not skip the fish!). Had we known about the large tipping item in advance, this tour would have been even better.

Take this tour! Take this tour! Take this tour! Viktor was an amazing discussion facilitator for introducing and building on our groups knowledge about colonialism, the South American slave trade, and past/current cultural traditions. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect from helping make candy, learning about Palenque medicinal and religious practices, getting to see dancers and meet and making music with Kambilesa Mi, and my favorite...indulging in a tradition Palenque meal. This tour is off the beaten path but worth the experience.