With just a small motion of my arms, I sink another quarter inch into the warm mud. And actual lateral movement requires kicking off one of the walls, and even then “swimming” through spectacularly thick and sticky mud to one of the two ladders is a rough go. It is uncomfortable, bobbing almost weightless in a narrow but deep sea of volcanic mud, the thick stuff coating every inch of my body – though I do manage to keep my head clear. But the Totumo Mud Volcano is one of the most popular and unique day trips from my base in Cartagena, Colombia, so it’s an experience I want to have.
For those of you who are regular readers here at The Royal Tour – and especially for those of you know know me in real life – you’ll be aware that at or near the top of my list of “things that give Jonathan anxiety” is being covered in mud. I don’t even like when sand gets stuck to my feet, although I realize it is inevitable if I go to the beach. But it still makes me uncomfortable. (Side note: an ex of mine once threatened to put sand in my sock drawer, and that thought still terrifies me.) As a child I didn’t play with clay for the feeling of being dirty. So bathing fully in a mud volcano is not something I’d be expected to do, let alone to pay to do.
The best way to reach Totumo Volcano from Cartagena is to arrange a tour. It’s about halfway between Cartagena and Barranquilla, so presumably tours can also be arranged from there, as well. I searched Viator and found a number that all seemed roughly the same and for similar prices, so picked one pretty much at random. It ended up being just four of us, which was pretty nice, meaning conversation during the ninety or so minute drive each way over mainly decent highways was easy. We talked about what to expect, I mentioned my overwhelming anxiety about mud, the others questioned why I would be there… typical sorts of thing.
Fairly near to the volcano, we stopped in a tiny town on the shore of some salt excavation ponds that – under the right environmental circumstances that are supposed to be prevalent in January – are pink from the microorganisms living within them. Luck, however, was not on my side, due to lack of rainfall and lots of wind. So the Pink Sea, as it’s called (Mar Rosado), was just a couple of large blue reservoirs that will evaporate for the salt harvest that keeps the town of Galerazamba in business.
Galerazamba is itself a tiny town, with the only paved road in evidence the highway going through. We stop at a tiny museum that contains a few small cases of artifacts from the Mocana people, the indigenous tribe whose descendants still live here, making their living via salt and tourists when the waters are actually pink. The claim to fame for the Mocana people – and for this town specifically – is that it was the home to India Catalina, and the town holds the original of a statue that stands proudly in a park in Cartagena.
Catalina was born here, and in 1509 was abducted by the Spanish conquistadors. Sent to Santo Domingo, she converted to Catholicism and learned Spanish; it is believed she was the first native woman to be fluent. She then served as an interpreter to Pedro de Heredia in his conquest of the region. Her story is similar to that of Pocahontas, making it familiar to our group of Americans.
After than fascinating side activity, it was off to the main event. The Totumo Mud Volcano isn’t all that impressive from the outside. It stands only about 45 feet above the ground, accessed by two staircases (very uneven). But it is what is below that is impressive, an estimated more than 6,000 feet of mud going down into the earth’s crust. Mud volcanoes are all over the world (mostly tiny mud pots, as we would call them, but some are huge), and are not true volcanoes (there is no lava chamber). But they are heated from below, keeping the mud fairly liquid.
Visitors will deposit their belongings in lockers (our guide kept the keys) and wear only a bathing suit into the volcano itself. Your flip flops will be watched over by a “porter” of sorts, a local who makes his living helping visitors; he will also hold your phone and take photos for you. (Side note: the pictures Brian took came out really well; he does this every day so he’s gotten good at it. Videos too.) After a few steps down a ladder slick with mud, it is into the sludge.
After the initial “ick” and a polite declining of an offered massage (as with the porter, for a tip, of course), I settle in. The mud is so viscous that you will just float, requiring actual effort to break the surface with your hand. There is zero danger of full submersion unless you really want to, so I manage to spend my approximately twenty minutes – cringing but for photos, or so I imagine – without getting much mud in my hair. Small victories, right?
The pool in the crater is small, and can accommodate maybe 10-15 people at a time, although I’m not sure that there is any discernible organizational paradigm around who gets in and out when. When I feel done, I kick off the wall behind me and sort of glide through the mud toward the ladder. I’d like to say it was graceful, but I can guarantee a hippo would have made it look better.
I descend the stairs from the volcano to the ground below carefully, the mud on my feet making it a bit slippery, and follow Brian to a spot in the next-door lake to wash off the mud. It’s not super easy, so there is a group of women with buckets there to help (again for tips). While I initially decline, it is soon apparent I’ll be sitting in this lake for a long time without assistance. It isn’t subtle or gentle, but she gets me 99% clean within just a few minutes, though I am faced with another huge anxiety-inducing experience: being touched by a stranger. But after already being muddy, this seems less bad.
After getting dressed, those who helped me wait outside the dressing rooms for their tips. I opt for about $5 a person, but I have no honest idea if that’s high or low. And then it’s back into the van for the ninety minutes back to Cartagena and a delicious lunch of fried fish that is included in the tour.
A day at the Totumo Mud Volcano was certainly an experience. I came face to face with one of the things that most triggers my severe anxiety, and came out unscathed. I had a unique adventure I can’t find in many other places in the world. And, I must say, my skin felt softer and more radiant after the not-so-refreshing dip in the sludge. It’s not for everyone, but not a bad way to spend a day in Cartagena, Colombia.
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