Why You Should Visit San Basilio de Palenque

San Basilio de Palenque was once the safe haven for slaves fleeing Cartagena. Today, it’s a must-do day trip from Cartagena that brings to life a language, a culture, and a rhythm that you won’t experience anywhere else.

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San Basilio de Palenque is famous for being the first free town in the Americas, officially declared so in a decree from the Spanish Crown in 1961. It was the brave Benkos Biohó who first founded San Basilio de Palenque after he successfully escaped from Cartagena. From that moment on, he made it his mission to help free other slaves arriving to Cartagena’s shores, starting with this safe haven just one hour south of the city.

These days, the village of San Basilio de Palenque is a UNESCO-recognized living heritage, right down to its unique Palenquero dialect, still practicing witch doctors, and unparalleled aptitude for drum and dance. In fact, it’s San Basilio de Palenque’s drum, dance, and drink that pulls in the crowds every October for their annual drum festival called the Festival de Tambores y Expresiones Culturales de Palenque. Its an Afro-Colombian celebration of epic proportions.

If you happen to be visiting Cartagena while San Basilio de Palenque’s Festival de Tambores is in full swing, do not miss out. I wrote a guide for how to experience the three-day madness over on Juan Ballena’s blog based on my own firsthand account. It was an all-day, all-night affair I will never forget.

Experience Cartagena’s African Heritage

A visit to San Basilio de Palenque isn’t the only avenue for experiencing the still vibrant African heritage of the Colombian Caribbean, but if you can swing the one-hour drive from Cartagena, it is well worth it and you’ll definitely want a tour guide to show you around this fascinating village.

Recommended Tours

The San Basilio de Palenque Day Trip:

I’ve recommended them before, but Insider Tours, a 100% locally-led tour operator created to fund the human rights non-profit FEM, offers an incredible day trip experience that includes all of the history, culture, food, drink, music, and language you travel to San Basilio de Palenque to experience.

The La Boquilla Tours

If you’d prefer to stick a little closer to Cartagena, the fishing village of La Boquilla, also a palenque and hotbed of still tangible African culture and tradition, is a nice alternative for getting a taste of the Afro-Colombian heritage of the coast, and it’s within 20 minutes of the city by car. There are several tours you can do in La Boquilla, all of which support the local community and help to preserve their traditions:

Join the Youth-Focused Drum and Dance Project called Batambora

On this immersive tour, you’ll get to sit in on and participate in Batambora’s weekly drum and dance lessons with the local youth of La Boquilla. The mission behind the project is two-part: to ensure the local youth come to appreciate and carry on their African roots through music and dance and to keep them productive and away from the usual temptations when not in school.

Go on a Tour Through the Mangroves

The dense foliage and mangrove tunnels of La Boquilla are teaming with wildlife. Hop in the boat for an exciting and wildlife-rich tour and observe the fishermen as they cast their nets for the day’s meals. This tour also includes a traditional Afro-Colombian lunch in La Boquilla afterwards.

Make Handicrafts out of Coconuts With a Local NGO

The NGO ProBoquilla is a cooperative of women who make their living through tourism and crafting coconuts into everything from jewelry and vases to belts, silverware, and containers. Spend part of your day learning directly from the women and take home a memorabel souvenir.

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