Things to do in Cartagena: island and beach day trips

Cartagena has its walled city, but it also has the sea. Just a day trip away are the white-sand beaches of Barú, the turquoise water of the Rosario Islands, the beach on Tierra Bomba with Cartagena’s buildings right across the water and, at night, the bioluminescent plankton. This guide explains the island and beach day trips that leave from Cartagena and how to spread them over three, four or five days.

The essentials in a minute

• There are three beach destinations near the city. One is Barú Island, with Playa Blanca and Playa Tranquila, which you reach by land; another, the Rosario Islands, which you explore by boat; and the third, Tierra Bomba, 15 to 20 minutes by boat, right across from Cartagena.
• The Barú day trips, the 4 Islands tour and the scuba diving tour pick you up at your hotel, anywhere in Cartagena, from 7:00 AM. The Punta Arena day trip and the 5 Islands VIP tour don’t: you make your own way to the boarding point by 8:00 AM.
• Every plan in this guide includes a full lunch by the sea. Drinks (except one per person on the 5 Islands VIP tour) and any beach tents or beach beds not included in the plan cost extra.
• You book with a deposit online and pay the rest to the operator on the day of the tour, in cash, by bank transfer or by card.
• On the plans that go out by boat, if DIMAR (the Port Authority) closes operations because of the weather, you reschedule at no cost or we refund 100% of your deposit.

Barú: Playa Blanca and Playa Tranquila, by land

Playa Blanca is the best-known beach on Barú Island, south of Cartagena: white sand, turquoise sea and palm-thatched kiosks. You reach Barú by land. At 7:00 AM the route starts picking up travelers at their hotels; the air-conditioned bus passes through the Mamonal industrial area and crosses the bridge to the island, and between 8:30 and 9:00 AM you’re already on the beach. At noon you have lunch by the sea—fried fish or grilled chicken breast, with coconut rice, patacones (fried green plantains) and salad—and at 4:00 PM the ride back begins: between 5:00 and 5:30 PM you’re back at your hotel. Everything worth knowing is in our guide to Playa Blanca.

If you’d prefer a quieter day, the Playa Tranquila day trip uses the same bus, the same schedule and the same lunch, but 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 than on the public beach. We go through the differences, one by one, in Playa Blanca or Playa Tranquila?.

The Rosario Islands, by boat

The Rosario Islands are the archipelago of turquoise water and reefs you see in photos of Cartagena. They’re part of Corales del Rosario y de San Bernardo National Natural Park, which begins 23 km south of the city, on Barú, according to Colombia’s National Natural Parks (Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia). The islands can only be reached by boat, and there are three ways to see them:

• Barú and Rosario Islands day trip: you take the bus to Playa Blanca and from there head out by boat on a scenic ride through the islands, with a stop at San Martín Island. The afternoon is spent at Playa Blanca, and around 5:00 PM you’re back at your hotel.
• 4 Islands tour: a 12-hour day. From Playa Blanca, by boat, you stop at a natural reef to snorkel, spend about 2 hours at the party at Cholón, have lunch at Aguazul, spend the afternoon at Playa Tranquila and finish with the bioluminescent plankton.
• 5 Islands VIP tour: also 12 hours, but by speedboat from the Muelle de la Bodeguita, in the Historic Center. It passes in front of the Bocachica forts, stops at the sunken plane for snorkeling and continues on to Cholón, Aguazul and Playa Tranquila, ending with the plankton at night.

Our guide to the Rosario Islands explains which one suits you and what costs extra on each, and if you’re torn between the islands, Barú and Tierra Bomba, see Barú, Rosario Islands or Tierra Bomba?.

Tierra Bomba: Punta Arena, across from the city

Punta Arena is a beach on Tierra Bomba Island, right across from Cartagena: from the shore you can see the city’s buildings. It’s the shortest day trip in this guide. You make your own way to the Hospital boarding point, in Castillogrande, by 8:00 AM, and a boat takes you to the beach in 15 to 20 minutes. There you have access to beach beds, kiosks and a hammock area, and you have lunch at an open-air restaurant. The port tax is already included, and between 3:30 and 4:00 PM you’re back at the same boarding point. It’s all in our guide to Tierra Bomba and Punta Arena.

Under the sea: scuba diving on Barú

You don’t need any experience to scuba dive in Cartagena. With scuba diving on Barú Island, a boat takes you from Playa Blanca out to the open sea, the PADI-certified instructors give you a briefing and you go down with them as deep as 12 meters, on a 45-minute dive among fish and corals. Underwater photos and video are included, and the afternoon is free at Playa Blanca. It’s for ages 10 and up, and before diving you sign a medical statement. We explain it all in our guide to scuba diving in Cartagena.

The night of the bioluminescent plankton

The 4 Islands tour and the 5 Islands VIP tour end at night with the bioluminescent plankton: as you move in the water, it glows blue around you. The glow is natural and varies from night to night; if it can’t be seen that day, because of the weather, for example, the rest of the tour goes ahead as planned and there’s no partial refund. The return bus leaves Barú at 7:30 PM and reaches Cartagena between 8:30 and 9:00 PM: your hotel on the 4 Islands tour, and the Torre del Reloj, in the Historic Center, on the 5 Islands VIP tour. See how else the two differ in 4 Islands or 5 Islands VIP?.

A plan for 3, 4 or 5 days

• With 3 days: the first is for the city, at your own pace. The second, the Barú and Rosario Islands day trip, to see the islands and the beach on the same day and be back at your hotel around 5:00 PM. The third, Punta Arena, which ends between 3:30 and 4:00 PM and leaves your afternoon free.
• With 4 days: add a full day on the islands, with the 4 Islands tour or the 5 Islands VIP tour. They’re 12 hours long, with the party at Cholón, the afternoon at Playa Tranquila and the plankton at night.
• With 5 days: add scuba diving on Barú or a day of rest at the Playa Tranquila club. If you dive, don’t make it your last day: after diving you have to wait at least 12 to 18 hours before taking a flight.

With children

The Playa Blanca and Playa Tranquila day trips are ideal for families: you travel by bus, with no boat ride, and the sea is usually calm. Punta Arena is also a calm, family-friendly beach, with a short boat ride. Children can go on the 4 Islands and 5 Islands VIP tours, but they’re 12-hour days and the boat can rock. On all these plans, children ages 0 to 4 don’t pay for the tour (they take up a seat on the bus or the boat), but their lunch isn’t included. Scuba diving is for ages 10 and up.