Take A Volcanic Mud Bath El Totumo Mud Volcano

We visited Colombia and took a volcanic mud bath in El Totumo Mud Volcano, right outside of Cartagena! This was so much fun, truly one of the best day trips from Cartagena.

Soak in a mud volcano in Colombia!

Have you ever stepped foot inside a volcano? I recently went on a girl’s trip to Colombia and enjoyed my time spent in Cartagena. We are a slightly adventurous crew, so we thought that the Volcan del Totumo tour, or the El Totumo mud volcano bath right outside of Cartagena would be perfect.

Mud volcano in Cartagena

I have been in a mud bath before, but never in my life have I been in a naturally occurring mud bath inside of a volcano! This experience is very unique, unlike any other that I have had. Plan to visit El Totumo Mud Volcano in Cartagena, Colombia, and immerse yourself in a volcanic Colombian mud bath.

Take A Volcanic Mud Bath In El Totumo Mud Volcano

Climbing up a giant staircase and immersing ourselves in a thick, warm mud bath was, well, interesting. There were tour guides in the mud ready to help us settle in, offered a mud massage if we wanted, and move us around the mud and slathered it all over us.

At first, it was a little scary to think about getting in because you can’t feel the ground or anything beneath once you stick your feet in. Once we did settle into the oozing mud, we could feel that we were floating! This is because the volcanic mud is so thick and dense, you literally float and bounce like a little life raft.

Photos of El Totumo mud bath

Here I am getting into El Totumo mud bath, the stairs were slippery and caution was exercised. I volunteered to go first, yet despite the smile, I was a little wary!

Myself on the left, and one of my friends getting the royal Colombian El Totumo mud volcano treatment…

Getting the royal treatment in the mud volcano

As more and more people get into the volcanic mud bath, we have shifted around like weightless astronauts in space. This is starting to get really cool! We are encouraged to put mud all over the place, our backs, shoulders, and even faces. So we did!

After about 20 minutes of weightless floating in a volcano mud bath, we got out of the volcano by climbing another slippery ladder and quickly dried at the top of the hill. It was time to head to the lagoon and wash off all of the mud!

El Totumo mud bath is one of the best day trips from Cartagena!

This is such a cool mud volcano in Colombia, you have to make the trip when you visit! We took our Cartagena mud volcano tour with Backpackers booked through Trip Advisor, they picked us up at our hotel and drove us about 30-40 minutes to El Totumo mud volcano. The guides spoke English and were very helpful and accommodating, they have a little locker and changing room set up and restrooms, and a fresh piece of fruit is included.

Tips for the El Totumo volcano mud bath tour

Make sure you bring an old swimsuit that you don’t mind getting messy or even ruined, and a towel, as they did not have any on-site.
You can attempt to take photos yourself if you want to risk ruining your camera or pay a small fee of pesos to have someone do it for you while you bask in the sheer existence of a volcano.
If you don’t want to deal with mud in your hair, you can wrap it up in a plastic bag, shower cap, or scarf to protect it.
Be sure that you are able to climb a series of ladders and slippery steps before you commit to booking this tour.
After you finish your Colombian mud bath, indulge in a little cold coconut water at the snack stand, a very refreshing treat. There is a little shop where you can buy beer, soda, chips, and light eats.