San Basilio de Palenque tourist route
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Cultural tour to San Basilio de Palenque with a native guide: history, Palenque language, live music, ancestral rituals, traditional medicine, and lunch included.
Highlights
- Tour to San Basilio de Palenque with transport and a local native guide.
- Cultural tour of the plaza, Palenque language, music, and historic house.
- It includes rituals, ancestral medicine, photos, lunch, and a living experience.
Description
Enjoy a deep and authentic cultural experience with our tour to San Basilio de Palenque, the first free town in America and an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This experience starts with included transportation from your hotel in Cartagena, ensuring a comfortable and organized journey to this iconic territory full of history, resilience, and tradition.
When you get to Palenque, your first stop is the village cemetery, symbolically considered the entrance to the territory. There, a local guide will meet you and accompany you throughout the tour, sharing the history and essence of their community through their own voice and experiences.
The tour continues to the main square of Palenque, where the guide gives a general introduction to the town, its origin, its historical importance, and its fight for freedom. Later, you'll visit a space dedicated to telling, in a simple but meaningful way, the history of Palenque and its ancestors, preparing you to understand the cultural value of the place.
Then, the group heads to one of the most representative murals, where some letters and expressions of the Palenquero language are explained.
The next stop is the music house, where you'll be welcomed by Froneto, one of Palenque's most important artists. This space explores the town's musical roots, its sound history, and its cultural influence. Visitors enjoy a live music demonstration and actively participate by playing and putting together traditional instruments, creating a dynamic and participatory experience.
Next, you'll visit the historic bareque house. There, you'll discover the traditional spaces of the Palenquero home, like the kitchen and the living room, and you'll learn about the history of Palenquero hairstyles and braids, which served as escape maps and symbols of identity. There's also a cultural demonstration of the ritual of grinding corn, an ancestral practice that's still alive in the community.
The tour continues to the monument of Benkos Biohó, the historic leader of the Palenque resistance, where his legacy and his fundamental role in the freedom of the people are highlighted. Later, you'll visit an iconic mural with the Palenqueras, an ideal spot to take photos and connect with the visual identity of the place.
One of the most special moments of the tour is the visit to the artisanal medical center, where a traditional doctor explains the use of ointments, medicinal plants, natural treatments, and ancestral knowledge that are still practiced in Palenque.
Includes
Air-conditioned transport
Service assistant
Native guide
Lunch
Water
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund