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Add milk and sugar and it’s something Willy Wonka might have dreamt up.
About an hour’s drive from the Colombian resort town of Cartagena lies a natural phenomenon known as the Volcan de Lodo, a volcano composed of thick, mineral-rich mud bubbling in its crater. For three decades, domestic tourists have been visiting this “mud volcano” — and with Cartagena, a Unesco Heritage Site, becoming a stop for major Caribbean cruise lines, the Volcan de Lodo will see more foreign bodies smeared, splashed and covered in gorgeous, goopy black mud.
Jump right in
Most people would take great care when too close to an active crater but this particular volcano wants you to jump right in.
But first, dispel the image of Mount Doom. This is no lava-crackling cone towering in the distance, shooting gases and molten rock into the sky.
Charming little mound
In fact, when you first encounter the Volcan de Lodo, it looks much like a termite hill, or maybe a 40ft-high pile of elephant dung. Fortunately, looks can be deceiving, and while size does apparently matter, it is how this particular “volcano” uses its muddy charm that easily puts it in the same league as floating in the Dead Sea.
The Volcan de Lodo is operated by an association from a nearby village, with villagers rotating the duties of collecting entrance fees, selling water, offering massages (for tips) or lagoon rinses (for more tips). The crater itself is the size of a small pool, if you can imagine a small pool full of smooth, creamy chocolate.
Crater comforts
A villager helps me inside the crater. I’ve always fantasised about swimming in a pool of thick chocolate mousse. No need to fantasise anymore.
This mud is so thick and rich, it holds your body like hair gel, comfortably invading your pores with mineral goodness. Solid enough to lie back and support my head, deep enough to stretch out in every direction and relax every muscle in my body.
Within seconds I’m a mud creature, the unexposed pink skin around my eyes resembling shortcake in a chocolate pie.
The villager spins me over and begins to exfoliate my skin by rubbing his hands up and down my back. Like most Colombians I have met, he is only too eager to share his culture’s hospitality.
Look, no toxins
A bus arrives and some Venezuelan tourists hop into the crater, followed by English backpackers, then a large Colombian family, and the small crater fills up like a bowl of black soup with floating white potatoes.
The village mud masseuse rubs and steers, directing people around the crater. After half an hour, the mud has sucked up whatever toxins it could find, and I start feeling lightheaded.
Emerging from the mousse, I make my way to the nearby lagoon where women wait with tin bowls for the clean up.
Legend also calls this the “Volcano of Youth”, where a 50-year-old man can enter the crater and leave as a 30-year-old. Whatever the medical, or mythical, benefits of this volcano, the experience is unforgettable.
— Robin Esrock is a freelance travel writer and co-host of Word Travels, a travel series on National Geographic Adventure. Visit his website at www.moderngonzo.com
Route map
Muddy Road
Volcan de Lodo is located about 50km, a 40-minute drive, from the beautiful, historical port of Cartagena. A taxi will wait an hour and bring you back to the city for about 50,000 pesos (Dh105). Or you could pay around $7 (Dh26) for an inclusive tour from hotels and hostels.
The site is open every day from 8am to 6pm but visit before the crowds arrive. Lagoon washes and massage tips range between 3,000 and 5,000 pesos (Dh6 to Dh10).
Take pictures once you’re clean. Drink lots of water, don’t drop your keys and prepare to get dirty!
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