What a Rosario Islands day trip from Cartagena actually is
It's a full day at sea, and the version we run is a private speedboat that leaves from our beach on Tierra Bomba. The price is US $750 for the boat, it has to be booked ahead rather than decided over breakfast, and meals and drinks out there are paid for separately on the day.
We should be clear about one thing up front, because it saves emails: this isn't part of a day pass. It's something we arrange for people staying with us. If you're coming out to us for the day from the city, the boat you want is the one that gets you here, not the one that goes further.
What the US $750 covers, and what it doesn't
It covers the boat and the driver for the day. It does not cover what you eat and drink once you're out there, and that is the part people underestimate. You order a coconut off a canoe, you sit down to fresh lobster, and it adds up the way lunch on any island adds up.
| What you're paying for | Included in the US $750 |
|---|---|
| Private speedboat and driver | Yes |
| Lunch, drinks, coconuts out there | No |
| Advance booking required | Yes |
| Part of a beach club day pass | No |
The upside of paying for the whole boat is that it's your boat. You decide when you leave, how long you sit somewhere, and when you've had enough. Shared-boat tours out of the city run to someone else's clock.
Why people go: it's a different kind of sand
Our beach has volcanic sand. It's natural and clean and it leads straight out onto open ocean, but it isn't white, and we've never pretended otherwise. The Rosario archipelago is where the white sand and the shallow, clear water are. That contrast is the whole argument for spending a day and US $750 getting there.
So the honest framing is this: if what you want from Colombia is one day of postcard water, go. If what you want is to not move very much, you already have a beach outside the gate and a pool behind it, and you'll save yourself a long day in a boat.
The crossing is rougher, and you should know that first
The run between Cartagena and our dock takes about 25 minutes and the water is usually smooth. The Rosario ride has a reputation for being considerably less smooth, and it earned it. In windy weather it gets choppy.
If anyone in your group gets seasick, take something before you leave rather than halfway across. If you have a bad back or a sore neck, think about it properly. Getting on and off a boat here also takes a bit of agility at the best of times, and a rough day makes that harder, not easier.
How the day tends to run
Mornings are calmer than afternoons on this coast, so an early departure is usually the better day. Leave after breakfast, spend the middle of the day out there, come back with enough of the afternoon left to sit down and do nothing.
One small piece of planning: we have no phone signal on the island, and you won't have much out there either. Sort out whatever you need to sort out before you get on the boat, and then let it go for the day. Most people find that's the best part.
Who this is for
It suits a group. At US $750 for the boat, four to six people splitting it makes a lot more sense than two, and a full boat costs the same as an empty one. It suits people staying three nights or more, because giving up a whole day at sea when you only have two nights is a hard trade. And it suits anyone who has already had their beach day here and wants to see what the water looks like further out.
It doesn't suit a tight budget, a very short stay, or a group with someone who really does not like boats.
Booking it
Tell us when you book your room, or as soon as you arrive. It runs by appointment and we need notice to get a boat and a driver held for you. Weather has a vote too: if the sea is genuinely rough, we'd rather move your day than send you out in it.
If you're still deciding between the far islands and simply staying put, we wrote a longer comparison of the two. And if you're weighing up whether to come out to the island at all, start with how the crossing to us works. See you on the boat.