“Duran Duran is a superb resource for a serious student of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Latin American literature in general. He is organized, thorough and very entertaining in his Cartagena walkabout of Garcia Marquez’s various homes and places of interest. I highly recommend this unique and very stimulating tour guide and raconteur.”
“My boyfriend and I spent a wonderful day with Duran, his wife Maria, and son Andres! The tour of the open market was authentic, exciting, interesting, and yummy! Maria and Andres made sure we felt safe, and gave thorough explanations for our questions. The meal was exceptional and we can't wait to use the recipe Maria sent us! Duran offered to give us a walking history tour of the city afterwards, and we couldn't pass it up. He was knowledgeable and added funny anecdotes throughout the tour. We toured the walled city and Gestamani. We highly recommend using Duran Duran on your trip to Cartagena!”
“This was my second time on a tour with Duran and it was as good as the first. I recommend him to every friend who visits Cartagena. What a great way to see the city and to learn about its history. I cannot suggest this enough!!”
“We took a tour to San Basilio de Palenque. Sr. Duran was very knowledgeable not just about the Palenque, but about all things Cartagena and Colombia. During the ride there and back, he answered our questions that ranged from the founding of the city to the present day political climate. Be sure to ask him how he learned English. (May 2018)”
“The tour was everything i expected. My husband who has some food issues was turned off by the market (we have never experienced anything like this). The sights and smells were a little overwhelming for him. Maria and Angel were excellent tour guides. Maria was a fabulous cook/teacher. We had the garlic shrimp with coconut rice and plantains, delicious. Unfortunately my husband could not move past the market and did not eat the wonderful lunch we all helped to prepare (his loss).
Thank you for welcoming us into your home and for the lesson on your wonderful city of Cartegena!
Thank you and hugs to you both!”
“We had an awesome cooking class! The market trip was so interesting, and even though we've lived in Colombia 3 1/2 years, we still tried new fruits! We really enjoyed the cooking. I'm so glad we know how to make coconut rice and patacon now. I'd definitely recommend Duran Duran Tours to anyone who wants to get to know more of real Colombia!”
“We have travelled widely with our teenage children, and everywhere we go, we take a cooking class. For our trip to Cartagena in August 2017, we arranged a market tour and cooking class with Duran Duran. Both were absolutely top notch. Maria came to meet us at our hotel and drove us to the market, where we spent an hour and a half walking through the endless maze of stalls, with Maria stopping every few minutes to speak with stall owners and offer us a taste of yet another exotic fruit. We shopped for ingredients as we walked, ending the tour in the fish section, where a fishmonger prepared our fish as pelicans circled overhead. The whole experience was absolutely fascinating. We then headed to Maria's home, and spent the next few hours preparing and then eating a delicious meal. Maria was an excellent, patient and charming host and teacher, and we thoroughly enjoyed our day together. It was also a great way to see a part of the city that we might not otherwise have seen, and added a wonderful dimension to our stay in Cartagena. Extremely highly recommended!”
“My husband and I had a wonderful time shopping in the mercado (and tasting empanadas, juice and several types of fruit we had not been familiar with) and then returning to Maria's home to cook our lunch. Maria had given us a choice of the type of meal we would like to prepare and we selected Curry Chicken. Besides the curry, we learned how to make the coconut rice that is so typical in Colombia, along with fried plantains and a fruit salad. We were joined in the kitchen by Maria's son Andres, a friendly and engaging young man who is preparing to attend university next year and his sister, also named Maria, who assists in running the business. It was great to share the meal we had helped prepare with this family.”
“We recently went on a Duran Duran cooking tour while on a stopover in Cartagena from a Holland America cruise. Our cruise docked at 7am and we were picked up from the port at 7:30am. We then went to the open air market with Maria and Andrew (her son) bought the foods we would need to prepare our meals and allowed us to sample many wonderful (and new-to-us!) fruits. We loved the market experience. We then went to Maria's home where we spent the next several hours cooking (and eating!) fish, beef, coconut rice and more. The entire experience was fun, fascinating and delicious. We were back at port around 11:45am - with plenty of time to board for our 12:30pm boarding time. Highly recommend this experience. The family is fantastic and takes care of everything and you will make a meal not-to-be-missed!”
