National Aviary & Baru Island Adventure

Could not get Wi-Fi to connect and all the signs were predominantly in Spanish. So it was like going to a Spaniel ah language bird exhibit. Bird show at end was completely Spanish. Would have been helpful to have language translation which would have been possible if Wi-Fi was connected.

Inexpensive - excellent value for a day trip to the aviary and playa Blanca. Trip is well organized, on time, and the guide Miguel/Mike was very knowledgeable, speaks excellent English, and has a very good way with people. Aviary is absolutely worth it and does excellent work as a shelter for trafficked birds. Beach club food options with the allowance are all very good though you can pay more for other options. No hidden costs or bad surprises. The bus is old and the ac is not super powerful, but it’s fine. Very happy with this trip.

The avary had so many different kinds of birds. The beach was nice. Lunch was so so but okay. The van ride was so so.

Hice un tour con Backpackers Cartagena y mi experiencia fue muy negativa. No esperaba lujos, pero sí respeto por el tiempo y, sobre todo, apoyo cuando ocurre un problema. Mala logística desde el inicio: El transporte llegó con más de 40 minutos de retraso al punto de encuentro. Lo peor vino al final: En el bus donde regresamos, mi billetera se salió del bolso (con cédula, tarjetas, dinero y la tarjeta del hostal). Al bajar para caminar hacia mi alojamiento me di cuenta de la pérdida. De inmediato contacté por WhatsApp a Isabel, quien fue mi punto de comunicación. Le pedí por favor que hablara con el conductor y con el guía Sergio (muy amable, pero yo no tenía su número). Era simplemente revisar el vehículo. La respuesta fue: “No somos responsables por objetos perdidos.” Cero empatía, cero interés en ayudar, pese a que expliqué claramente la urgencia: sin cédula no podía tomar mi vuelo de regreso. Solo me informó que el conductor “no era el de siempre”, lo cual contradice lo dicho por Sergio, quien lo presentó como alguien de confianza. Lo más frustrante: “El conductor no responde.” Ese fue el final. No hubo gestión mínima, seguimiento, insistencia… nada. Tuve que resolver todo sola (incluida denuncia policial) para poder viajar. Aclaro que Sergio, el guía, fue atento durante el tour. Pero la empresa y la atención de Isabel mostraron que, si algo sale mal, no hay soporte real. Viajar debería sentirse seguro. Aquí, no se sintió. ------------------------------------- I took a tour with Backpackers Cartagena, and my experience was very negative. I wasn’t expecting luxury, but I did expect respect for people’s time and, most importantly, support when something goes wrong. Poor logistics from the start: The transportation arrived more than 40 minutes late to the meeting point. The worst part came at the end: On the bus back, my wallet fell out of my bag (with my ID, cards, cash, and my hostel card). As soon as I got off to walk to my accommodation, I realized it was missing. I immediately contacted Isabel, who was my main point of communication. I kindly asked her to please speak with the driver and with Sergio, the guide (very kind, but I didn’t have his number). It was simply about checking the vehicle. Her response was: “We are not responsible for lost items.” Zero empathy, zero willingness to help — even though I clearly explained how urgent this was: without my ID, I wouldn’t be able to take my flight back home. She just told me the driver wasn’t the regular one, which contradicted what Sergio had said about him being trustworthy. The most frustrating part: “The driver isn’t answering.” And that was it. No follow-up, no insistence, no management… nothing. I had to resolve everything on my own (including filing a police report) to be able to travel. To be fair, Sergio —the guide— was kind throughout the tour. But the company and Isabel’s response showed that if something goes wrong, there is no real support. Travel should feel safe. This didn’t.

Super 👏 excellent experience really was very nice to visit several stations in this city, I was delighted of course I would come back