Located in Santa Carolina just 1 hour’s drive away from Cartagena, Volcan de Lodo El Totumo (or just El Totumo for short) is known for its’ naturally occurring, tepid mud that is thought to provide healing properties to the skin. El Totumo stands at around 50 feet high and up to 15 people at a time can bathe in its muddy glory.
It’s not every day you get to submerge yourself in a mud volcano, which makes this the perfect vacation activity for your trip to Colombia. We visited with this tour which includes hotel pick up and drop off, snacks, and a tour guide to accompany you throughout the day.
As if the idea of visiting a mud volcano wasn’t tempting enough, here are 5 other reasons why you should visit:
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1. Escape From The Bustling City Of Cartagena
Whether it’s the scorching heat, nocturnal street parties or haggling local buskers – Cartagena Old Town can get pretty overwhelming. That is why a trip to El Totumo is the perfect way to relax and melt away the hustle and bustle of the city.
The mud is thought to have curative and therapeutic properties thanks to the naturally occurring minerals such as silica, calcium and magnesium. The healing properties are thought to come from the minerals and elements that reside in the mud such as Iron, Magnesium, Sodium Chloride and so much more. Therapists believe that the combination of these elements can help detox and solve joint pain.
We definitely could feel the healing benefits of this as our skin felt smooth and supple after just 10 minutes in the mud bath. The detoxification aspect was also felt as all of our stresses seemed to float away in the mud!
2. Experience One Of The Most Unique Travel Excursions
Not many people can say they’ve been in a mud volcano so this is definitely an Instagram post that will impress your friends. There are around 800 mud volcanoes in the world (350 of which reside in Azerbaijan), the majority of which cannot be bathed in.
This is not your regular vacation activity like ziplining or a cooking class so why not boast of being one of the very few people who can say that they have bathed in a mud volcano?
3. Visit The Pink Sea, Salinas De Galerazamba On Your Way To Or From El Totumo
You must have seen images of pink seas all over Instagram and think – where are people finding these rose-coloured waters? Well, look no further because located just a 15-minute drive north of El Totumo, is Salinas de Galerazamba – a pink sea that unfortunately this time you cannot swim in.
Now depending on when you visit, the pink hue of the sea will be very apparent or not apparent at all. We visited in September and unfortunately, it had rained the day before so we could barely see the pink saturation of the sea (perhaps we forgot our rose-tinted glasses at home??) However, others have claimed to seen the sea in all of its pink glory.
We would say it’s worth a visit seeing as it’s only a 15-minute drive out and if you book this tour, both the mud volcano and the pink sea are included anyway!
4. An Opportunity To Mix With The Locals (And Get Really Close And Personal)
Now this is probably the most unique part of the experience, as adults you probably have not had someone wash you since you were a baby… that was until you visited El Totumo.
This thick mud has a funny way of getting into all the nooks and crannies of your body that you never knew existed. So once it’s time to leave the volcano, you will make the careful walk back down the steps into a nearby sea where local women will wash you from head to toe to help remove all the mud.
A word of warning, these women are not shy and they can and will wash you everywhere… These women have seen it all in their years of experience, so feel free to let them manoeuvre around (and inside) your bathing suit to rid yourself of the glorious, healing mud. But please note, they will expect a tip afterwards.
El Totumo is definitely worth a visit when travelling to Colombia and it makes for the perfect day trip if you’re staying in Cartagena. If you were umming and ahhing about visiting – we hope this article has convinced you to take the muddy plunge.
That’s All Folks! Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed reading through these 4 reasons why you should visit El Totumo Mud Volcano in Colombia!
23 Travels are Personal Travel Planners who have been creating bespoke travel itineraries for many years. If you would like us to plan your trip to Colombia, or any other worldwide destination for you, please visit 23 Travels Itinerary Services.
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