The tour to San Basilio de Palenque is a journey into the heart of Afro-Colombian history, culture, and resistance. Located about south of Cartagena, this UNESCO World Heritage village is considered the “first free town in South America.”
Follow our complete guide to visiting San Basilio de Palenque: how to organize the visit from Cartagena, who to go with to avoid unpleasant surprises, and our feedback on this visit that immersed us in the culture of San Basilio, made of music, dance, traditions, and stories of the struggle for freedom.
San Basilio is definitely one of the excursions to do around Cartagena, and we’ll try to make you want to go!
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
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Guided tour of San Basilio de Palenque
Our feedback
We hesitated for a long time, searched, and investigated to know how we could visit San Basilio de Palenque in the best way. We can even tell you that we first tried a Palenquera agency that seemed interesting to us but finally turned out to be a very bad choice.
But this bad experience allowed us to look for an alternative that would match (a little) more our way of traveling and what we like to share with you.
Group tours
Most tours organized from Cartagena are group visits. It must be said that there are about 2 hours of travel, and doing it privately can quickly become expensive for one person or a couple like us. So you already have to accept this condition if you want to visit San Basilio at a reasonable price.
During our visit, we were four people, so rather privileged. This allowed us to really exchange with our guide and make the visit even more interesting. But if we chose the agency we recommend to you, it is also because they practice responsible tourism, and if the group is very large, once there, they split the group between several guides to keep closeness.
Tour itinerary
The van comes to pick you up at your hotel, picks up the other participants, and off to San Basilio de Palenque! So there are 2 hours of transport from the center of Cartagena, during which our guide already sets the mood. He teaches us a few words in the Palenquera language that prepare us for our arrival.
Once arrived, you quickly realize that Palenque is a village where tourism has been organized. And nothing wrong with that in itself. We know how important the economic contribution of tourism can be for a community and help improve its living conditions.
We are not going to reveal all the content of the visit and the information that will be given to you, so that you can discover all that by yourself.
Just know that the visit with our partner is paced by different stops that give a general overview of Palenquera culture and history. Another good point to add about our partner is that most of the visit on site is done on foot, walking through the village streets (some agencies make the transfers by vehicle depending on the participants…).
Good to know
Tips
Depending on the agency with which you do the tour, you will quickly feel the pressure to give tips at each stage of the visit. This will give you an idea of the type of agency with which you are doing the tour. Know that our local partner includes economic support at each stage of the visit, so you can be sure that every link in the tourism chain is properly paid. Obviously, if a local project catches your attention during the visit and “calls” you, do not hesitate to leave what your heart feels is right.
Our feedback
From our point of view, San Basilio de Palenque is worth a visit. You should not expect to dive into the intimacy of an ancestral culture frozen in time. San Basilio is a village in constant change, its culture too, symbolized by its music which modernizes and mixes between tradition and modernity. Tourism is present there, organized, and in high season you should expect to see many people (mostly African American tourists, by the way!).
But one thing is certain: Palenque resists and will resist for a long time! (But go with our local partner to avoid bad experiences!)
Culture and tradition
Palenque de San Basilio
Despite tourism, you can feel a living identity. Speaking informally with locals, you sense the pride of being Palenquero, of living in this village, and of belonging to the ancestral history of San Basilio de Palenque.
Of course, tourism can change the identity of a place, but it is also possible to make tourism coexist with the preservation of an identity. And it seems to us that San Basilio de Palenque is part of this category.
Music
Music is one of the strongest forms of expression locally, it is an integral part of the ancestral history of the village. Percussions were used as a means of communication and set the rhythm of ceremonies.
Son de negros, Bullerengue sentao, Lumbalú, Son palenquero, Chalupa—so many traditional rhythms that are said to have been born in San Basilio and spread through Caribbean music. Many important groups come from San Basilio de Palenque: Sexteto Tabalá, Las Alegres Ambulancias, Son Palenque, Champeta musicians, and the new generation is no exception with the group Kombilesa-mi, which mixes traditional music and hip-hop and highlights the Palenquera language.
Dance
With music, comes dance. Walking around Cartagena, you might see groups of dancers in Parque Bolívar. They dance rhythms of Afro-Colombian tradition.
Many dances were born in the palenques of the Caribbean region, and in San Basilio de Palenque several dance schools keep the tradition alive, led by the “Mapalé,” a particularly spectacular dance, symbol of the cultural reappropriation of Afro-descendant communities in the 20th century.
Hairstyle
During the time of slavery in Colombia, women were messengers, and it is said that their hairstyles played a real role in nonverbal communication to trick the colonists. Of course, one of the roles of the hairstyles may have been to hide objects. But you should know that each hairstyle had (and still has) a name, a meaning, and a role to play, such as showing the way to the Palenques.
Even today, the tradition of hairstyles continues, and it is not uncommon to see street hairdressers working on the sculpting of the hair of San Basilio residents.
In the very interesting heritage museum, run by a village “abuela” and supported by many young people, you will learn more (among other things) about this subject, which particularly caught our attention.
Good to know
The Palenqueras
You have probably seen them, or you will certainly see them if you visit Cartagena. The “Palenqueras” are iconic figures of the city, with their colorful dresses and baskets of fruit on their heads. But you should know that before becoming symbols of Cartagena and proudly monetizing their image for a few pesos, the Palenqueras were known since colonial times for their sweet specialties. They came from San Basilio to sell their traditional “dulces” made in the village with cane sugar and tropical fruits. This typical gastronomic tradition is still alive, and you can taste these (very) sweet delights, including the famous “cocadas.”
Murals
This is perhaps one of the things that struck us the most about San Basilio de Palenque: the walls tell the story of the village! Everything is there, big and colorful: Palenquera myths and legends, resistance slogans, the Creole language, and the famous characters of the village, such as the famous boxer “Kid Pambelé” or the great musicians who made Palenque shine elsewhere.
These colors bring life to San Basilio that, in itself, has no particular architectural interest, but where, thanks to the murals, it is really nice to walk around. This work of memory associated with graffiti is notably supported by our local partner, who, together with other collectives, regularly participates in the creation of new pieces.
Kid Pambelé and Palenquera boxing
The boxer Antonio “Kid Pambelé” Cervantes was the first Colombian world champion, in any sport. He was from San Basilio de Palenque and left a huge legacy in the village. Not only with his title, but by bringing water and electricity services there. We saw this ourselves when we entered the gym dedicated to boxing practice and spoke with the young coaches who are training the champions of tomorrow.
What is a Palenque?
Visiting San Basilio
Historically, in the colonial context of Latin America and the Caribbean, a palenque refers to a fortified community formed by runaway African slaves (maroons), often in alliance with indigenous or mixed populations, who sought to live free outside colonial control.
Origin of the word
The term comes from the Spanish palenque, which originally meant a palisade or an enclosure made of stakes (palos) used to protect a space. In the colonial context, the word was applied to these fortified maroon villages with defensive structures: palisades, ditches, traps, etc.
In Colombia they were called Palenques, in Brazil Quilombos, and in Venezuela Cumbes.
Characteristics
The palenques were mainly established in hard-to-reach areas: tropical forests, mountains, swamps, etc.
It was both a physical fortress and a political community of resistors, a symbol of autonomy and struggle against slavery in the Spanish Americas.
Armed resistance against the colonial order was practiced there. They were organized in a military way to repel punitive expeditions from the colonists. They could have self-governments with chiefs or councils, sometimes inspired by African political systems.
The preservation of African cultural traditions (languages, music, beliefs), while integrating Amerindian and European elements, was also an integral part of the structure of the Palenques.
Who was Benkos Biohó
San Basilio de Palenque
Benkos Biohó was originally from West Africa, most likely from the Bijagós archipelago in present-day Guinea-Bissau. No concrete evidence confirms a royal title, but Colombian institutional sources report that he presented himself as such, and the fact is that he became the leader of the African rebellion in Cartagena de Indias.
He was captured at the end of the 16th century during a slave raid and sold to Portuguese slave traders, then deported to Cartagena de Indias in the “Nuevo Reino de Granada,” then under Spanish rule.
There he was sold as a slave to Alonso del Campo around 1596.
Little is known about his time in slavery, when he is said to have been employed rowing on boats navigating the Magdalena River.
Palenque de La Matuna (1600–1621)
Just a few years after his arrival in Cartagena de Indias, at the beginning of the 17th century, Benkos Biohó, accompanied by a group of maroon slaves, organized a collective escape to take refuge in the marshy areas of the Ciénaga de La Matuna outside the city.
The sources are not precise about the exact location, but two hypotheses are mentioned:
- One claims that the Ciénaga de La Matuna was at the gates of today’s historic center.
- The other places the Ciénaga de La Matuna further from the city, toward Tolú.
Even if it is possible that the first Palenque de La Matuna was built at the gates of the city and then, after different attacks, moved south, official sources of the time rather confirm an initial settlement on the Tolú side.
In any case, this palenque quickly became an organized community with a quasi-monarchical structure: Benkos was considered king, his wife Wiwa as queen, and different posts were assigned for administration, war, treasury, and religious affairs.
Recognition and peace agreement
The colonial authorities, unable to suppress this resistance, negotiated in 1605 an official peace that recognized the autonomy of the Palenque de La Matuna, allowed Benkos Biohó to enter the city armed and dressed “in the Spanish style,” on the condition that the palenque stop receiving other fugitives and that Biohó no longer be called “king.”
This agreement is one of the first official acts granting a form of freedom to a community of former slaves in the Americas.
But tensions soon returned when the colonial authorities accused Benkos Biohó of continuing to support escapes and of defying Spanish power.
In 1619, the Spanish broke the peace treaty and captured Benkos Biohó in an ambush after calling him to come and negotiate in Cartagena. He was executed, dismembered, and his remains were scattered and displayed throughout the city “to set an example.”
After his death, the Palenque de La Matuna did not survive, but it became a model for other free communities that later emerged in the region, including today’s San Basilio de Palenque.
History of San Basilio de Palenque
First free village in South America
San Basilio de Palenque was born under the name Palenque de San Miguel Arcángel in the context of the surviving palenques of the Montes de María in the last third of the 17th century, probably between 1670 and 1690.
It emerged with the vocation of being the cultural heir of the previous palenques, by gathering dispersed groups of maroons seeking a lasting place of resistance.
Domingo Criollo and Pedro Mina
Domingo Criollo, nicknamed “the great” or sometimes “the good” (and also known as Domingo Angola), emerged at the end of the 17th century as the supreme civil leader of a confederation of palenques located in the Montes de María. This confederation included communities such as San Miguel Arcángel, El Arenal, Joyanca, and Duanga, as well as other smaller palenques.
As captain, he exercised his authority over the different maroon communities, moving between them to govern. He led not only the criollos del monte—that is, people born in the palenques—but also acted as an authority figure for the Spanish clergy.
In this organization, there was also a military dimension with the presence of a “captain of war,” Pedro Mina, who was at the same time responsible for the defense and control of the cimarrones de castas (first-generation maroons).
Between 1655 and 1674, following the destruction of several palenques in the region, the surviving communities—led by Domingo Criollo—gathered together and consolidated their forces around the Palenque de San Miguel Arcángel.
Composed of bozales (recently arrived from Africa), criollos (Afro-descendants native to “Colombia”), and castas (first-generation Africans), San Miguel Arcángel became a major center of resistance and cohesion in the region.
Foundation of San Basilio de Palenque
At the turn of the 18th century, faced with the consolidation of the Palenque de San Miguel Arcángel, the colonial authorities opted for diplomatic negotiation with the successors of Domingo Criollo, and in particular with the maroon Captain Nicolás de Santa Rosa.
Between 1713 and 1714, a truce was officially sealed through a treaty of “capitulation” negotiated with the bishop of Cartagena, Antonio María Cassiani. The king of Spain issued a royal decree granting freedom to the inhabitants of the Palenque de San Miguel Arcángel (under conditions).
This decision was the result of a long process of negotiations between the leaders of the palenque and the colonial authorities, who sought to end the constant clashes and stabilize the region.
This agreement imposed the legal formalization of the settlement, the obligation to establish a church, and the appointment of a priest of the order of San Basilio. The palenque then adopted the formal name San Basilio Magno, marking the transformation of the palenque into an officially recognized community.
The decree established that the inhabitants of San Basilio would be recognized as free subjects of the Spanish Crown, provided that they ceased any rebellion, no longer welcomed fugitive slaves, and lived in a designated place under the supervision of the colonial authorities.
These conditions were part of an agreement aimed at integrating the community into the colonial order while granting it significant internal autonomy. San Basilio thus became the first village of former maroon slaves in the Americas to obtain legal recognition, formal freedom, while accepting colonial authority and preserving a distinct social and cultural organization.
A census of 1777 recorded a population of 616 inhabitants in San Basilio.
Good to know
The palenques around Cartagena
As we have seen, after the disappearance of the Palenque de La Matuna, other palenques were formed in the province of Cartagena throughout the 17th century. Colonial archives and academic research list at least sixteen named palenques, spread across three main areas:
- To the north: in the Sierra de Luruaco (Matudere, Betancur) and around Usiacurí
- To the southeast: in the Montes de María (San Miguel Arcángel, Piolín, Sanaguare, El Limonar, Joyanca, Arenal, Duanga, Manuel Embuyla, Arroyo Piñuela, Zaragocilla)
- To the east: around the Magdalena River (Tapia, Guaimaral, Gambanga, La Magdalena)
San Miguel Arcángel (future San Basilio de Palenque) became one of the most durable and strategic palenques, founded between 1655 and 1674, resulting from alliances between groups from the Montes de María and maroons from the Magdalena region.
These palenques often arose after forced or voluntary displacements. Some were destroyed during the second third of the 17th century, but many were later reconstituted.
These communities formed part of a network of solidarity and resistance, even if they did not always obtain colonial recognition.
UNESCO Heritage
In 2008, UNESCO inscribed the cultural space of Palenque de San Basilio on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The inscription took place within a Colombian legal context post-1991, which recognized Colombia as a pluriethnic and multicultural nation, favoring the effective involvement of communities in safeguarding their cultural heritage.
The Ma Kankamaná Community Council of San Basilio (legally recognized in 1993) is mentioned as the body representing the community in the implementation of the Special Safeguarding Plan of the cultural space inscribed by UNESCO.
UNESCO recognized San Basilio as one of the few (if not the only) fortified communities created by maroon slaves in the 17th century to have survived until today, and defined the “cultural space of Palenque de San Basilio” as a coherent set of social, medical, religious, musical, and oral practices deeply rooted in African traditions:
- Social organization based on age groups (ma-kuagro)
- Complex funeral practices (Lumbalú ceremonies)
- Rituals of traditional medicine
- Palenquero Creole language, unique in Latin America
- Traditional music and dances
The inscription on the World Heritage List has helped strengthen the international visibility of Palenquera culture, as a reference of Afro-Colombian heritage.
Initiatives have emerged to ensure the transmission of the Palenquera language in schools, to strengthen musical practices (for example, groups like Kombilesa Mi), traditional medicine, literature, gastronomy, and local museum management.
Frequently Asked Questions
San Basilio de Palenque
From Cartagena, it takes about 2 hours by van. Most travelers choose a guided tour in a small group with a local agency, which allows for a reasonable price and a better cultural immersion.
We recommend going with a local agency committed to responsible tourism, which works directly with the inhabitants and fairly distributes the income (guides, dancers, musicians, cooks). This avoids bad experiences and supports the community.
It’s hot. Very hot!
We recommend bringing a hat/cap, light clothing, and sunscreen. If you don’t want to use sunscreen, plan to wear long pants and long sleeves to avoid sunburn.
Also bring a water bottle, even though of course you can buy drinks once in San Basilio.
No, bring cash for your purchases.
Yes, absolutely! The visit allows you to understand the historical importance of Afro-Colombian resistance, but also to discover a living culture that mixes tradition and modernity. It’s an authentic, unique experience in Colombia.
San Basilio de Palenque is known as the first free village in South America, founded by runaway slaves in the 17th century. In 2008, its cultural space was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List for the richness of its language, music, and Afro-Colombian traditions.
During a visit, you will discover the history of the village, the heritage museum, the colorful murals telling the story of the village, demonstrations of traditional music and dance, local gastronomy (Palenquera sweets), as well as the boxing gym dedicated to the champion “Kid Pambelé.”
Get in touch with local guide
San Basilio de Palenque Best Tour
Responsible tourism
Our local partner is one of the few agencies that practices responsible tourism in San Basilio de Palenque, supporting the local community, cultural projects—especially the creation of murals—and truly providing financial support to every local actor involved in the visit (guide, driver, cook, museum, gym, dancers, etc.).
How to get to San Basilio de Palenque
Getting to San Basilio with an organized tour from Cartagena
This is the easiest option.
The bus picks you up and drops you off at your hotel.
Getting to San Basilio by bus from Cartagena
This is not the easiest option, but it’s possible:
- From the Cartagena terminal, take a bus toward Mahates (1h).
- Get off at the road crossing that leads to San Basilio (just before Malagana).
- Take a moto-taxi to San Basilio de Palenque.
- Travel time: about 2h
- Price: about 25,000 COP
Getting to San Basilio by taxi from Cartagena
The taxi takes you, waits for you there, and brings you back (the safest option, since there is no guarantee you’ll find a taxi in San Basilio for the return).
- Travel time: about 2h
- Round-trip price (including waiting time): about 450,000 COP (negotiable)
