Volcan del Totumo

The cone is about fifteen metres high with a crater at the top holding warm grey mud, and it is a sedimentary mud volcano - gas and fluid forced up through sediment rather than anything magmatic. The mud is dense enough that a person floats without effort and cannot easily sink or move, which is the whole experience: you climb a wooden stair to the rim, get in, and are moved around by attendants. Depth is often described locally as unmeasured; that claim is not established. Washing off happens in the lagoon below, where women scrub visitors down. Everything - the stairs, the massage, the photos, the washing, minding your things - is a separate tip expected in cash, which visitors are frequently not warned about.

The landscape

• A crater of warm grey mud - dense enough that you float without effort.
• A cone about fifteen metres high - sedimentary, not magmatic.
• Washing off in the lagoon below - by attendants who charge.
• A chain of separate tips - stairs, massage, photos, washing.

When to go

December to April; mornings before the coach parties. Half a day.

Good to know

Every stage carries an expected tip in cash and the pressure is persistent - bring small notes and decide your limit first. The crater is crowded to the point of being packed. Phones and cameras get muddy or handled by attendants. It is a short experience heavily monetised.

Nearby

Galerazamba is north; Cartagena is south.

Key facts