Playa Blanca or Playa Tranquila on Barú: which to choose

Playa Blanca and Playa Tranquila are on the same island, Barú, south of Cartagena, and their day trips are very similar: the same bus from your hotel, the same schedule, the same lunch and the same operator. What changes is where you spend the day and the service you get there. Here are the differences, one by one.

The essentials in a minute

• Both beaches are on Barú Island, and you reach both by land, by bus, with no boat ride.
• At Playa Blanca you have access to the restaurant’s beach area. Beach tents, chairs and beds cost extra, and it’s a public tourist area, with vendors.
• At Playa Tranquila you spend the day at a beach club. Each traveler gets their own beach bed or sun lounger, you’re greeted with a welcome cocktail and there are far fewer vendors.
• The schedule is the same for both. Pickup starts at 7:00 AM, you reach the beach between 8:30 and 9:00 AM and you’re back at your hotel between 5:00 and 5:30 PM.

What’s the same on both day trips

• Transportation: you’re picked up at your hotel, anywhere in Cartagena, and travel on an air-conditioned bus through the Mamonal industrial area and over the bridge to the island. Once your booking is confirmed, we’ll send you your pickup time.
• Lunch: at noon, a full lunch by the sea—fried fish or grilled chicken breast, with coconut rice, patacones (fried green plantains) and salad. Drinks are extra.
• The guide and the insurance: a guide stays with you and helps you throughout the experience, and the insurance policy covers the entire tour.
• Children: both are for all ages and ideal for families. Children ages 0 to 4 don’t pay for the tour (they take up a seat on the bus), but their lunch isn’t included.
• The return trip: it leaves Barú at 4:00 PM and, depending on traffic, you’re back at your hotel between 5:00 and 5:30 PM.

What’s different

• Where you spend the day: at Playa Blanca, on the public beach, a long strip of white sand with palm-thatched kiosks; at Playa Tranquila, at a beach club, with use of its facilities.
• Where you settle in: at Playa Blanca you have access to the restaurant area, and a private beach tent, sun loungers or a Balinese bed cost extra and are paid on site; at Playa Tranquila each traveler’s own beach bed or sun lounger is included, and only the Balinese beds, with a canopy and curtains, cost extra.
• The welcome: at Playa Tranquila you’re greeted with a welcome cocktail, which is included; at Playa Blanca there’s no cocktail.
• Vendors: Playa Blanca is a public tourist area with local vendors; at the Playa Tranquila club there are far fewer, though a few may walk along the shore.
• The sea: at Playa Blanca it’s usually calm; at Playa Tranquila it’s crystal-clear and calm, ideal for a relaxed swim.

Which one suits you

• Playa Blanca: if you want to see Barú’s best-known beach, with its public-beach atmosphere, and you don’t mind paying extra for a beach tent or chair. Everything worth knowing is in our guide to Playa Blanca.
• Playa Tranquila: if you’d rather have your beach bed or sun lounger guaranteed, a cocktail when you arrive, fewer vendors and a more comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.

And if you want to see the islands too

Both places can be combined with the Rosario Islands. On the Barú and Rosario Islands day trip, the morning is a boat ride through the islands and the afternoon is at Playa Blanca. The 4 Islands tour and the 5 Islands VIP tour, on the other hand, spend the afternoon at the Playa Tranquila club, with your bed or lounger and a welcome shrimp cocktail, and end at night with the bioluminescent plankton. Our guide to the Rosario Islands helps you choose.

What to bring to either one

• Beachwear: your swimsuit on, a towel and a change of clothes for the ride back. At Playa Tranquila towels aren’t included: bring your own.
• Sun protection: biodegradable sunscreen, sunglasses and a cap or hat.
• Cash: for drinks and, depending on the beach, a beach tent or chairs at Playa Blanca or a Balinese bed at Playa Tranquila.
• Phone protection: a waterproof case, for your photos.