Tierra Bomba and Punta Arena: day trip, getting there, tips

Tierra Bomba is the island right across from Cartagena, and Punta Arena is one of its beaches: from the shore you can see the city’s buildings across the water. Of Exploria’s day trips in Cartagena, it has the shortest ride, just 15 to 20 minutes by boat, and it’s a day for relaxing. Here’s what’s worth knowing before you go.

The essentials in a minute

• Punta Arena is a beach on Tierra Bomba Island, so they aren’t two different places.
• You get there on a standard boat, in 15 to 20 minutes, from the Hospital boarding point, in Castillogrande.
• You make your own way there by 8:00 AM to check in. This day trip doesn’t include hotel pickup.
• It includes the round-trip boat ride, the port tax, lunch and access to the beach beds, the kiosks and the hammock area.
• Between 3:30 and 4:00 PM you’re back at the same boarding point.

How to get to Punta Arena from Cartagena

At 8:00 AM we’ll meet you at the Hospital boarding point, in Castillogrande. You get there on your own, since transportation there isn’t included; you check in and board the boat. The port tax is already included in the price, so you don’t have to pay anything extra for it at the boarding point.

A standard boat takes you, in 15 to 20 minutes, to Punta Arena, on Tierra Bomba Island, right across from the city. At the end of the day the boat brings you back, and the tour ends between 3:30 and 4:00 PM at the same boarding point.

What’s at the beach

Punta Arena is a beach for relaxing. When you arrive, you have access to the beach beds, the kiosks and the hammock area, so you can stay as long as you like, and the guides give you personalized attention throughout the day. You take a dip in the sea and enjoy an excellent panoramic view of Cartagena’s buildings.

Around noon you have lunch at the beach’s open-air restaurant: fried fish or grilled chicken breast, with coconut rice, patacones (fried green plantains) and salad. Drinks are extra. Afterward, you stay on the beach until it’s time to head back.

What costs extra

• Drinks: lunch doesn’t include a drink.
• Optional activities: if you’d like to go kayaking, snorkeling or jet skiing, they cost extra.
• Getting to the boarding point: you make your own way to Castillogrande.

You pay the balance of the tour to the operator on the day of the trip, in cash, by bank transfer or by card, whichever you prefer.

What to bring

• Beachwear: your swimsuit on and a change of clothes for the ride back.
• Sun protection: biodegradable sunscreen, sunglasses and a cap or hat.
• Cash: for drinks, optional activities and any extras at the beach.
• Phone protection: a waterproof case, for your photos on the boat.

If the weather prevents sailing

If DIMAR (the Port Authority) closes operations that day because of the weather, we let you know right away and reschedule your departure at no cost or refund 100% of your deposit.

With children

It’s for all ages: Punta Arena is a calm, family-friendly beach, and the boat ride takes 15 to 20 minutes. Children ages 0 to 4 don’t pay for the tour (they take up a seat on the boat), but their lunch isn’t included.

Tierra Bomba or Barú?

If you’re torn between Punta Arena and the beaches on Barú, the difference is in how you get there and in the day itself. You reach Tierra Bomba on a short boat ride and you’re back around 4:00 PM; you go to Barú by land, on a bus from your hotel, and the day lasts until 5:00 or 5:30 PM, at Playa Blanca or the Playa Tranquila club. We compare them in Barú, Rosario Islands or Tierra Bomba?.