Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [120]
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Tours
The usual way to visit the park is on a one-day tour, and the cruise through the islands has become an established business. Tours depart year-round from the Muelle Turístico de la Bodeguita in Cartagena. Boats leave between 8am and 9am daily and return about 4pm to 6pm. The cruise office at the muelle sells tours in big boats (COP$40,000 per person) as well as smaller launches, which can be booked privately for COP$65,000, or COP$50,000 for a nonprivate launch. There are also independent operators hanging around offering tours in smaller vessels and often undercutting the above prices. Popular budget hotels in Cartagena sell these tours too, and may offer lower prices (COP$35,000 is common). Tours usually include lunch, but not the entrance fee to the aquarium (COP$15,000), the port tax (COP$4700), and the national park entrance fee (COP$5300).
The route is roughly similar with most operators, though it may differ a little between small and large boats. They all go through the Bahía de Cartagena and into the open sea through the Bocachica strait, passing between Batería de San José and, directly opposite, the Fuerte de San Fernando.
The boats then cruise among the islands (there is mumbled Spanish narration along the way) and get as far as the aquarium. As the admission fee is not included in the tour, you may decide to pay and visit it or just hang around waiting for the trip to continue. There is a shady wooded area to chill, or you can take a refreshing dip in the sea. The aquarium (admission COP$15,000) has various marine species, including sharks, turtles and rays, and runs a dolphin show for tourists. It’s kind of fun, but wouldn’t hold its own in a more competitive environment. The boats then take you to Playa Blanca on the Isla de Barú for lunch and two hours or so of free time, most of which is spent warding off a consistent barrage of peddlers.
There are two choices at play here – whether or not you want to travel by the bigger, slower boats or the smaller, faster boats; and whether you should go on a tour here at all. There are advantages and disadvantages to the former. The most popular large boat, the Alcatraz, can accommodate 160 people. There is food on board, music and room to move around. On the small boats, you are confined to your seat, but you get around quicker and can see more. Reviews are mixed but overall, travelers prefer the big boats for their quality of service. Readers report that pilots of small boats rush around too quickly and safety may be an issue – some small boats have sunk. Travel companies will try to sway you one way or the other, so the best bet is to talk with other travelers or ask at Casa Viena. That said, when you tally the total price including a visit to the aquarium (COP$60,000), you are more or less paying for a visit to an aquarium, a totally mediocre lunch, a hour or so on the beach fending off peddlers, and a whole lot of sailing time. Click here for information on how to go independently.
To visit the far superior Islas de San Bernardo, considerably south of the Islas del Rosario section of the park near Cartagena, Click here.
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Sleeping & Eating
The islands have some tourist infrastructure so you can stay longer, go sunbathing, swimming, diving, snorkeling or just take it easy in a hammock.
Eco Hotel Las Palmeras ( 664 9312; www.culturadelmar.com; Isla Grande; 2-day all-inclusive packages from per person COP$160,000) This Isla Grande ecotourism option, run in concurrence with Cultura del Mar, employs only local women and offers hammocks in a thatched-roof dorm as well as singles and doubles. Rates include three meals and transport from Cartagena.