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Planning your trip to Cartagena? Below are my top recommendations on things to do while visiting Cartagena Colombia!

 

Rosario Islands 

We absolutely loved our time visiting the Rosario Islands during our trip and it is the top thing to do while visiting Cartagena if you are visiting longer then 2 days.

Cartagena is super hot during the day and the local beaches are not very nice so your best option to cool down is to hop on a lancha (small speed boat) and head to the islands..It is a must on your top places to visit while visiting Cartagena Colombia.The hotel that you book on the Rosario Islands usually provides complimentary round trip boat rides to and from the Island like the hotel that we stayed at Hotel Isla del Encanto Or you may book your own round trip ticket with a Speed Boat ferry service where pricing can be as low as $18 per person.If you are staying in Cartagena for more then 5 days I highly recommend staying at least a night on Rosario islands.If your staying for a shorter time in Cartagena there are day trips that I recommend below.On these day trips they offer snorkeling with full use of snorkeling equipment in the amazing blue coral reef water where the water is clear and you are able to see sea creatures and the beauty of the ocean.They also serve a delicious columbian style seafood lunch.

Many of these excursions also offer pick up and drop off at your local hotel. The experience truly is an unforgettable day aboard a catamaran from Cartagena to the Rosario Islands.

 

Here are a list of day trips to the Rosario Islands I recommend 

Best Day Excursions to Rosario Islands

Snorkeling in Rosario Islands 

 

Excursion to the Rosario Islands with Lunch and Snorkeling

 

Visit Rosario's 5 Islands!

 

5 IslandVIP 1 Day:Bocachica,Private Island,Snorkeling,Cholon,baru

 

Explore Rosario Islands by boat with an open bar!

 

 

 

 

Full-Day Rosario Islands Tour in Cartagena Open Bar

 

Check out 3 Islands in one day Tour!

 

 

Three Island In One Day

 

Day of Enchantment at Rosario Island!

 

 

Day Island of Enchantment

 

Check out this full day of Island hopping in Rosario Island!

 

Full day Rosario island, cholon, agua azul, baru and free snorkel

 

 

 

Now that we have tackled the subject on day trips to the Rosario Islands I would like to talk about our overnight stay on the

Rosario islands.Staying overnight

was one of our most favorite things about out our trip to Cartagena and truly memorable.For our 1 night stay at Rosario Islands we stayed at Hotel Isla del Encanto.This hotel is one of the best in the islands and we truly enjoyed every minute of our stay.We we’re able to book a beautiful Grand studio suite room that overlooked the crystal clear water.The room also came with an upgrade that included a day bed for lounging at the beach and VIP lounge service with an open bar.Keep in mind that there is no 

Wi-Fi service on the island so be sure to bring plenty of books and other means of entertainment if you plan to stay for more then 1 nights.There is also plenty of other options on the island outside of needing Wi-Fi like snorkeling,kayaking and volleyball that are many times included in the hotel package or can be purchased separately.

 

I also recommend the below hotels to stay at for your overnight stay to Rosario Islands.

 

Overnight stay hotel recommendations Isla Rosario Islands

 

 

Isla Única

 

 

Hotel Isla del Encanto

 

Hotel Cocoliso Island Resort

 

 

Hotel San Pedro de Majagua

 

Hotel Coralina Island

 

 

 

 

 

The above hotels I highly recommend when staying at Rosario Islands.Many of these hotels offer activities and open bars for an additional price and some include the activities for your stay.There are even fisherman that sell fresh fish and lobster on the island right out of the water for a very affordable price!He will clean and cook the fish and it is a very delicious delicacy.

Local fishermen pull up their boats to offer fresh lobster and ceviche for less than $5. 
 

Aquarium (Oceanarium) in the Rosario Islands, Cartagena, Colombia

Moreover there is an amazing Oceanarium that is a short speed

boat ride away(called Lancha).Many of the resorts on the island will provide complimentary pick up and drop off to the oceanarium like Hotel Isla del Encanto.You may also book your own speedboat ferry tickets to get to the Oceanarium which can be as low as $8 per person and will provide a bus to pick you up at your hotel and drop off at the boating dock that will take you to the Oceanarium.It is important to note you must remember to pay with only Colombian pesos as the boat officials do not take debit or credit cards or US dollar.At the boat docking gate you will have to pay the marine tax, in cash (currently 20,000 pesos pp).This is exactly $4.79 in US dollars.This tax is a compulsory payment made to the marine authority for any visit to the Rosario Islands.

The ride to the Rosario Islands is relaxing and fun and is a short trip away from the Rosario Islands.

I recommend booking this adventure in advance so you can experience this marvelous, beautiful and colorful marine world of the Caribbean.

To be able to go to the Aquarium (Oceanarium) you must choose a tour whose itinerary includes the transportation to Isla de Pajarales. It is located in the National and Natural Corales del Rosario and San Bernardo National Park and is made up of 43 beautiful islands.

The cost of the tour is 45 thousand pesos.($10.77 US dollars)This tour was complimentary and was included in our hotel stay at Hotel Isla del Encanto.You may also purchase 

Tickets at the Proturismo Pier or online and many of the tickets cover the following route: Cartagena - San Martín de Pajarales - Playa Blanca - Cartagena, with typical Colombian lunch, included, either in a speedboat or on a large yacht.

The Oceanarium at the Rosario Islands is an amazing experience that is definitely worth visiting while staying on the Island.This Oceanarium is full of marine life and is great for the whole family and is very kid friendly.You can snorkel there and swim with dolphins and sting rays which is a must thing to do while in Colombia. We also were able to see turtles and learn about dolphins and nurse sharks.The main attraction of the Oceanarium is the dolphins.These mammals are super smart and perform acrobatic jumps and tricks following the caregiver's instructions.They will jump through hoops, collect fish and do other epic tricks!There is also a cool Museum that includes many species such as seaweed, sponges, sea horses, corals, mollusks, crustaceans, fish, reptiles and marine mammals.

 

Now that we have went over staying overnight in Rosario Islands and visiting the local experiences on the Islands here are my recommendations on the best tours and experiences in Cartagena.

 

BEST TOURS AND EXPERIENCES IN CARTAGENA 

 

1. 5 Islands with snorkel Rosario Islands (My favourite thing I did in Cartagena!)

 

2.Cartagena Street Food Tour(Ceviche to exotic fruits!)

 

3.Tour of the Getsemaní Artistic Neighborhood in Cartagena (Must see)

 

4.Totuma Mud Volcano(Popular day trip) 

 

5.Jet Skiing in Caratgena

 

6.Full Day Tour to the 5 Rosario Islands

 

Top Day trip options to do in Cartagena Colombia

If you are spending more than two days in Cartagena here are my top recommendations for day trip options to do while you’re in the city.

 

Totumo Mud Volcano– 

This classic day trip was one of our most favorite experiences while visiting Cartagena.You head to a warm volcano mud bath where you bathe yourself in it and rinse off afterward in the warm sea.The mud bath is super cool because you can float without sinking and it rejuvenates your skin.The mud bath is known to make your skin look healthier and younger.Tours will also take you to experience the nearby pink sea.This is also a great experience due to the vibrant pink sea color if you go after a rainfall as the vibrancy depends on the recent rainfall.

 

 

Palenque 

 

The next experience I recommend is Palenque.This is an amazing life changing experience that you won’t forget.A tour to Palenque will guide you through the first free town in the America.This town was founded by slaves that escaped slavery.After escaping some Africans set up Palenque de San Basilio, a town close to Cartagena. This community began in 1619 and is still here to this day in Cartagena.Palenque is full of rich and true history that will amaze you when you visit.Visiting Palenque humbled me and my husband and we also left with new knowledge on the vibrant history that connects us to this amazing town.Fun fact me and my husband bear the last name Cervantes which is the same last name 

 as the famous boxer named Anotino Cervantes who was born in pelenque as an Afro-Colombian and is a notable resident also shares the last name Cervantes.We thought that was really cool and gave us a perspective of history that we are all interconnected in our historical roots.We also got a chance to learn their own Creole language which is thought to be the only Spanish-based creole language.This language was influenced by the Kikongo language of Congo and Angola, and also by Portuguese, the language of the slave traders who brought enslaved Africans to South America in the 17th century.On this tour, you also get to experience a drum workshop and buy souvenirs from Africa.

 

My next recommendation for things to do in Cartagena is Jet Skiing

 

Jet Skiing 

This is an awesome adventure and was my first time jet skiing.It is best to book your tickets in advance as the pan handlers on the beach like to upsell prices on jet skiing and you have to be careful not get scammed by vendors selling jet skiing rides and not honoring the purchase.We purchased our Jet ski tickets here and we had an amazing time jet skiing for 1 hour.We we’re able to explore the clear waters of Colombia and were able to see the islands that surrounded Cartagena and even get a glimpse of the Rosario Islands.They also provide life jackets and cold beverages to keep you cool on a hot day.