How to Take Collective Taxis in Cartagena, Colombia

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If you’re visiting Cartagena and want to save some money, I’m going to let you in on a little known fact, at least to the average international tourist:

There are collective taxis, known as colectivos, you can take for a fraction of the cost of regular taxis.

They cost around the same as taking the bus, but are usually quicker and more comfortable. Plus, you don’t need a metro card with credit to use them.

They just take some knowhow to take advantage of.

If you’d like to know how to use them and save some pesos on your trip, read on in this guide to using collective taxis in Cartagena, Colombia.

What Are Collective Taxis in Cartagena aka Colectivos?

Well, they are basically what they sound like, shared taxis.

Instead of just you and your party, Cartagena collective taxis fill up with 4 people, together or not, and each person pays an individual fare.

The collective taxis in Cartagena all follow set routes (more or less), and you can use them if you’re going anywhere along that route.

It’s basically like taking a bus, but a taxi. You can see how to take the bus in Cartagena here, by the way, if you want to compare which option is better for you.

You can compare all the forms of pubic transportation in Cartagena here.

The collective taxis in Cartagena sort of fill a niche to connect areas that aren’t so easily or quickly connected by the buses in Cartagena. Taxi colectivos generally cost around the same as a bus too, although some longer routes are more expensive.

They look just like regular yellow taxis.

You can get them at certain spots where they park and wait for passengers. They generally wait until they have 4 passengers before leaving, but sometimes leave with fewer if they have been waiting a while.

You can also flag them down on the street along their routes if they have room.

You can identify colectivos because they’ll slow down and give some short beeps of the horn with the driver holding up and/or bending a finger.

I used to take taxi colectivos in Cartagena all the time, especially when I worked in Centro and lived in Marbella and later Cabrero.

It was easier and more comfortable than the busetas for more or less the same price.

I actually think they are even more convenient now, especially for short term visitors, since you have to have a card to use the Transcaribe bus system that operates in Cartagena now.

Speaking of price, there is no set regulation for the cost of collective taxis in Cartagena like there is for bus prices and regular taxi prices.

Standard prices are that Cartagena collective taxis charge more or less the same as buses. That means for 2026, you should pay in the general neighborhood of $4,000 COP for most taxi colectivo routes in Cartagena.

Since it’s not regulated and I’m no longer permanently living in Cartagena, I encourage you to confirm those prices with the driver. That should give you a good idea of what to expect though.

Regular taxi prices go up every year as well, and taxis in Cartagena have a reputation for overcharging. They are still the most convenient option in my opinion, you just should read my post on the legal taxi fares in Cartagena before using them.

You can also use Uber, and you can read my guide to Uber in Cartagena if you have doubts about it’s legality (it’s perfectly legal). I actually like InDrive as an app a lot better, personally.

If you want the ultimate in safety, comfort, and convenience, booking private transportation in Cartagena with our partner travel agency is another option.

However, if you want the perfect compromise, Cartagena’s colectivo taxis are a good way to save some pesos, get where you’re going without the hassle of buying and charging a card with credit for the bus, and ride fairly comfortably

Well, at least as long as you don’t get the middle seat!

Main Cartagena Collective Taxi Routes Around the Tourist Areas

There are lots of collective taxi routes in Cartagena, so this is not going to be an exhaustive list.

Instead, I’m going to cover the 4 main ones I think tourists are most likely to make use of here. This site is mostly geared towards them after all.

Centro-Crespo

Ah, this is the route I took countless times.

It serves El Cabrero, Marbella, and Crespo (including the airport).

I lived in each of those neighborhoods.

If in Centro, aka the Walled City of Cartagena, you can get collective taxis to Crespo in front of the Éxito San Diego supermarket in San Diego, near the Serrezuela Mall. They line up parked along the side of the road just before where the archways cut into the wall are located.

Colectivos to Bocagrande also sometimes line up here or nearby, so it’s a good idea to ask and confirm you’re getting in the right line. You can just ask, “¿Colectivo para Crespo?“

Do note that if you plan to get out in Cabrero or Marbella along the oceanfront Avenida Santander, you should make sure the driver knows. They often will take the back streets where there is less traffic if no one is getting out on Santander.

Sometimes, they ask, sometimes they don’t, so best just to tell them as they start the route.

You also might want to let the other passengers know. It’s an unwritten rule to sit in the order you’ll exit from the back seat so no one has to climb over anyone when the taxi stops (ie the person getting out first should sit on the passenger side, 2nd in the middle).

Of course, if you’re the first passenger, you can always claim the front seat! If you do want to do that, go ahead and sit there, because if you don’t someone else will snag it.

After passing through El Cabrero and Marbella, they proceed on through Crespo, including taking the curve onto Calle 70, going past the airport, and turning around a few blocks later, where the route ends.

Crespo-Centro

This is the opposite direction.

Note that to get the colectivos in Crespo, there isn’t a set parking area where they wait.

They simply turn around after completing the route a few blocks past the airport, and pick up passengers along the road.

Again, you can identify them as they slow down and honk in quick succession with one finger. You can flag them down the same way. It’s worth confirming they are a colectivo and are headed to Centro just to be sure, by the way.

Sometimes, if you flag down an empty taxi here, you can ask them to go to Centro as a colectivo, and they’ll pick up passengers along the way. Not all will go for that though.

They often do not fill up in Crespo and/or leave passengers somewhere along the Avenida Santander. So, you can catch them there as well if you want to get from Marbella or Cabrero to Centro, just be sure to cross to the ocean side.

They arrive to the same place in Centro, in front of the Éxito San Diego.

Centro-Bocagrande

There are two routes for collective taxis from Centro to Bocagrande.

Well, two starting points anyways.

Some line up across from the Éxito San Diego, like those going to Crespo.

So, again, just confirm you’re getting one to Bocagrande and not Crespo.

The others wait outside the corner entrance to the Parque Centanario, diagonal from the Clocktower. Here, there are several other collective taxi routes too.

So, once again, confirm!

Both routes go up the main strip in Bocagrande (the Avenida San Martín aka Avenida Segunda aka Carrera 2a, aka Cra. 2a), and will go all the way to Castillogrande if a passenger is going there.

Bocagrande-Centro

For the return trip, they follow the Avenida Tercera (Cra. 3a) back to Centro.

Like coming back from Crespo, they don’t park anywhere, and pick up passengers as they go, with their quick honk and finger bend.

They do not usually arrive back to in front of Éxito though but instead only to the Parque Centenario when doing the return trip, which actually offers easier access to most of Centro as well as neighboring Getsemaní.

Crespo-Castillogrande

Ok, so these last two routes, I never took all that often, but I’m pretty sure they still function and can be pretty handy in the right situation.

First, is the Crespo-Castillogrande route.

These line up parked along the side of the Avenida Santander beside the little creek that is fenced off, just before the street curves into the Calle 70, sort of diagonal from the smaller Éxito Express in Crespo.

They turn around and go up the Avenida Santander and follow the Avenida San Martín in Bocagrande, arriving to Castillogrande if there is anyone going there.

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been able to confirm if you can get colectivos going the opposite direction on the street, if they line up somewhere and wait, or if the route Castillogrande-Crespo just doesn’t exist.

Centro-Manga

This is another route I don’t know very well and seldom used.

I do know, you can get collective taxis to Manga from outside the Parque Centenario. Again, just be sure to ask.

Because I never used this one much, and it’s been years since I’ve taken it, I’m not entirely sure the exact route, doubly so because they’ve changed part of the street that goes to the bridge over to Manga to one way only.

They should follow one of the main avenues through Manga though.

Other Collective Taxi Routes in Cartagena

There are many more collective taxi routes in Cartagena.

Most of them leave Centro from the Parque Centenario or nearby. If in doubt, just ask a taxi driver there. They should be able to help you.

They are also constantly changing slightly due to changes in traffic, changes in the bus routes, and construction.

So, while I’ve tried to make this as accurate as possible based on my experiences living for over a decade in Cartagena, it’s worth confirming even the routes I’ve covered in detail here by asking the driver.

I guess it’s worth noting, just in case it’s not clear, that there isn’t some central directory or map somewhere. I hope this post helps make at least these routes more well known though.

Some Final Notes and Unwritten Rules for Taxis Colectivos in Cartagena

As I mentioned above, if you’re getting out along the route, work out with your fellow passengers the order you should sit in the back seat.

So, whoever gets out first should sit on the right, next in the middle, third on the left.

Look, no one likes sitting in the middle, but it holds everyone up if the person in the window seat has to get out and then get back in to let the middle passenger out.

Of course, some people will try everything they can to avoid the middle, but at least do what you can by clearly stating where you’ll be getting out if it’s early in the route.

Once again, if you’re the first person, take that front seat!

The concept of the personal bubble is nonexistent or a lot smaller in Cartagena, so be aware people won’t be shy about rubbing knees in the back seat. (Yea the middle seat really does suck).

A backpack or a couple small bags of groceries is fine to carry on your lap, but don’t use a colectivo with your luggage, 3 sacks of rice or lots of whatever other stuff. Some drivers might let you stash something in the trunk, but they generally want to get you in, go, and drop you off as quick as possible, so don’t count on it.

Try to have exact change or at least small bills too.

With the fare higher than it used to be, breaking a $5,000 peso bill shouldn’t be too problematic these days, but having exact change helps, and it can be hard to break $100,000, $50,000, and sometimes even $20,000 bills.

If you only have large bills, ask the driver as you get in.

Also, for the ones that are parked, they generally will wait until there are 4 passengers. This is often pretty quick during peak hours, but can also be slow.

Sometimes the driver will go with 3 and hope to get another passenger on the way. Sometimes, they will ask if everyone agrees to pay a little more.

Most will be happy to go earlier if you’ve been waiting for a while as the only passenger and offer to pay the full fare too, of course!

Finally, it’s hot in Cartagena!

So, do everyone the favor and make sure you’ve showered in the last 24 hours and put on some deodorant, please.

And, don’t fart!

Oh, and, also, close that door gently!

Will you use a Cartagena Taxi Colectivo?

Now you have a guide to using Cartagena’s taxis colectivos. They can be a great way to save a bit of money if you’re going along the route they follow and few tourists know about them.

I hope you found it useful, and I’d love to hear about your experiences taking a colectivo in Cartagena in the comments!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!