El Totumo mud volcano

getting ready before the plunge

 

scared to let go!

hanging on for my dear life

gooey

I was really excited to experience the mud volcano at El Totumo in Cartagena. I paid $22 usd for the tour. It only took about 30 minutes from my resort and the tour last about 3 hours. It's a tourist trap but it's one of those, you only do it once experience! 

It was really scary going up the wooden ladder and it didn't help that it was pretty windy that day. I had to grip the rails pretty hard. The line was a little long at the top because the hole is pretty small so have to share a very small space with everyone and it gets pretty cozy. 

I was really scared to go inside the hole but I just had to let go and someone will pass you to the masseuse. It only takes 10 minutes to get a massage and you have to pay around 2,000 pesos. Once you're done, you just float around with the rest of the people. The best thing about it is that you cannot sink. You just float around. Other people tried to go under the mud but no avail! 

When you get out of the mud, someone will pull you out and try to get some of the mud off your legs and arms. Then it's back to the wooden rails with no slippers (you leave your shoes at the bottom). It was really painful to walk down because of all the pebbles on the ground. 

The lake is about a 2 minute walk from the base. You can either have someone wash the mud off your body for a fee or you can do it yourself. I opted for the latter and it was a pain to get all the mud off my body. 

Overall, it was an interesting experience but be prepared to pay for every single service they provide. If you want pictures from your camera it cost 2,000 pesos again and to have someone wash your body was about 3,000 pesos. Make sure to bring small change!