15 Full-Day Tours in Cartagena Nobody Regrets Booking

1.Full-Day Rosario Islands Including Barú, Bocachica & Playa Blanca

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,729 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $88Our pick

Spend about eight hours boating from Cartagena to Bocachica, Isla Grande, Cholón, Playa Blanca, and Tierra Bomba. You’ll see San Fernando Fort, snorkel from a boat, eat lunch by the beach, and finish at Anaho Beach Club. Guides such as Franklin, Angel, Milton, and Cesar have earned praise, but rough seas, vendors, and crowded boats are part of the deal.

“I do not recommend this tour, especially for families. Despite being advertised as a VIP five island tour, there was nothing VIP about the experience. One of the main stops was a party island with excessive and very obvious drug and alcohol use. People openly approached us offering drugs, which made the environment feel unsafe and completely inappropriate for families. None of the beach clubs felt clean or well maintained, and the lunch provided was not good. On top of that, there were many hidden fees on the islands that were not clearly communicated in advance. Overall, the experience was disappointing and stressful. I would strongly advise families to avoid…”

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2.Bora Bora Cartagena Beach Club Full Day Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 606 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $116

Spend about eight hours at Bora Bora Beach Club on Isla Grande after a 45-minute speedboat ride from Cartagena. Your day includes round-trip transport, a beach bed, welcome cocktail, and Colombian lunch. You can swim, kayak, paddleboard, relax under shade, or upgrade to VIP seating and extra lunch choices.

“This experience was great! Book your experience through the company website, not through Viator you’ll get a better deal and experience.”

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3.Baru and Playa Blanca Full Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 371 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $39

Spend about seven hours at Playa Blanca on Barú, with air-conditioned minivan transport, a sun chair, local guide, and lunch with fish, chicken, or vegetarian choices. Guides such as José, Milton, Cristian, and Franklin have earned praise for friendly help. Expect beautiful water, rustic bathrooms, local vendors, and a crowded public beach.

“The morning of and transportation was a bit confusing as the website and the WhatsUp app said two different things as far as the meet location and or pick up from hotel. When we made the reservation it never asked to be picked up from hotel. We confirmed it morning of and canceled the uber as it was no longer needed. Bus picked us up on time and we were on our way with another group. Milton was our tour guide and he spoke English very well and answered all of our questions while on the bus. He was amazing and very nice guy. Once at the beach, it was…”

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4.Full Day Tour of Five Premium Islands in Cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 337 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $110

Spend a fast-moving day from Cartagena visiting Bocachica, the Rosario Islands, Isla Grande, Cholón, Agua Azul, and Playa Tranquila Baru. You’ll snorkel with a mask, eat a chicken, fish, or vegetarian lunch, and may stay after sunset for glowing plankton. Guides such as Alex, Jafet, William, and Luis Alejandro have earned strong praise.

“Overall, it was a pretty good experience. Tour guide was helpful, good lunch, interesting islands... the only thing is they PACK you into the boat- no room to move and no shade from the sun. Also the drink prices on the island were outrageous. 12 dollars for a tiny drink and no one takes card. BRING PLENTY OF PESOS if you plan on having a few drinks and dinner on the beach. It also was a pretty long day (12 hours) if you stay for the bioluminescent trip so just plan accordingly.”

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5.Full Day 5 Best Rosario Islands Spots Make Friends & do Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 240 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $79

Spend about nine hours boating from Cartagena to Bocachica, the Rosario Islands, Isla Grande, Cholón, Barú, and possibly Tierra Bomba. You get snorkeling gear, instruction, lunch credit, bottled water, a bilingual coordinator, and live commentary. Guides such as Franklin, Niche, José, and Alex have earned praise for helping guests feel safe and included.

“We enjoyed our tour of the 3 islands from our friendly and knowledgeable tour guide, John Wayne. The snorkel session would have been better if we had not been required to wear lifejackets. Fins were also not provided. Nice fish and coral though! Loved the private island relaxing time at stop #2, but Cholon (the party island), not so much. The boat ride back to Playa Blanca (starting point) into the waves and wind was exhilarating and fun! Sit in the front of the boat for a roller coaster thriller or in the back to tame it down as much as possible. The traditional Colombian lunch back at Playa Blanca…”

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6.Full Day Barú island: Mangrove +Snorkel + Sunset + Plankton

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 139 reviews · 11 hours · from $69

Spend 11 hours from Cartagena at Freedom Beach Club in Barú, with a cocktail, lunch, mangrove boat ride, raccoon visit, snorkeling, sunset, and nighttime plankton swim. Spanish-speaking guides lead the day. Staff members Angie and Dequer have received particular praise, though transport and activity timing can vary.

“snorkel di 10 minuti senza boccaglio in una zona dove c'erano davvero pochi pesci, situazione molto confusa, barca per trasferimento al beach club scomoda. chiedono il 15% per pagamenti con carta, cibo non male ma nemmeno ottimo. un po' diverso dalla descrizione del tour. non consigliato”

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7.Adventure full day Isla Barú + Mangroves + Snorkel + bioluminescent plankton

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 95 reviews · 15 hours (approx.) · from $65

Spend a long day from Cartagena at Barú’s Mambo Beach, with lunch, a short mangrove boat ride, fish viewing with a mask, and a nighttime trip to see bioluminescent plankton. Expect shared transport, changing schedules, local boats, persistent beach vendors, and a return that may come late.

“Great overall except they were late and didn’t make it up. I informed that I had my car. I could have been there at least 2 hours more and it was closer from where I was as well. So I had to pay for parking (a crazy amount with a very rude guy)”

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8.Full Day Tour from Cartagena through Barranquilla and Santa Marta

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 94 reviews · 13 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $85

Leave Cartagena at 4:00 a.m. for a packed day in Barranquilla and Santa Marta. You’ll see major monuments, walk Santa Marta’s center, visit the Tayrona Gold Museum, eat lunch, and spend time at El Rodadero Beach. Guides such as Charlie, Estiven, and Mario have been praised, but confirm language and prepare for a very long ride.

“This tour picked us up early at our hotel at around 4:45am, not knowing much of the details of the transportation we find that it’s a large charter bus with about 50 other people joining the tour. We rode to get breakfast which was an arepa and small cup of coffee, tasted good. Then headed over to Barranquilla where we passed through to see the landmarks. We did not go inside the city and explore. Then we made it to Santa Marta and where we had another tour guide which whom was terrific, in Santa Marta we were taken to a hotel to get served lunch which was delicious! Then…”

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9.Magical Full-Day Tour Through The Mangroves And The Beach In Isla de Barú

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 90 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $45

Spend 7 to 9 hours on Barú with a bilingual guide, beach time at Mambo Beach, a 30,000-peso lunch voucher, a mangrove boat trip, and snorkeling when conditions allow. Guides such as Gabriel and Jose have earned praise for their friendly help, but pickup, language, boat safety, and timing can vary.

“Playa Blanca/Magical tour is a must! The tour guides Gabriel and Jose were super friendly. The drive gives you a glimpse into the non tourist areas which I can appreciate. The beach club was nice and the staff attentive without being overbearing. The short ride through the mangrove is worth the somewhat chaotic ride to the snorkeling area. The guides were great, however I was thrown into the front part of boat that was beyond capacity (no actual seats left) and offered no life jacket. Even with the minor inconveniences, I would recommend this tour if you are looking to explore the area and be one with nature.”

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10.Cartagena’s Legendary Boat Party : Full Day in Cholón

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 73 reviews · 5 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $120

Spend about five and a half hours on a music-filled boat trip from Cartagena to Cholón, with a short swim stop, lunch, two beers, and time to party in waist-deep water. Guides such as Adriano, Orlando, Carmelo, Jafet, and Melanis have hosted past departures. This is for adults who want a social water party, not a quiet island tour.

“If you ever have to bring your own towel be warned this may not be for you. Dirty disorganized and inconvenient”

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11.Full day At Beach Club in Playa Blanca Baru cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 67 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $40

Spend about eight hours at Mambo Beach Club on Playa Blanca, Barú, with air-conditioned transport from Cartagena, a bilingual coordinator, welcome drink, lunch voucher, bathrooms, lockers, loungers, and beach access. The ride takes roughly 90 minutes each way, traffic can stretch it longer, and the beach has coral rocks in places.

“My wife has arthritis and we opted for this trip as we did not need to use transportation by boat as it is difficult for her to get in and out. Miguel our guide was punctual at the meeting point and communicated very well in English. However on the trip to the beach he was vaping sitting in the front seat which was uncomfortable to us especially as the van was full with 8 passengers at the back. The beach was average and had a lot of coral rocks in the sand and we had tto be careful walking in the ocean. The staff and service as well as the…”

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12.Full day Isla del Encanto – Rosario Islands

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 50 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $158

Spend about eight hours traveling by speedboat from Cartagena to Isla del Encanto in the Rosario Islands. You get beach and pool time, loungers, hammocks, kayaking, and a buffet lunch. The Oceanarium is optional and costs extra. Expect a busy pier departure, a group of up to 40, and added boarding fees.

“It was unorganized, terrible experience trying to get in the pier through the gate. Same with boarding the boat to head out to the island. At the island they charge for everything so take your own towels. Like everywhere in Cartagena there are people on the island trying to hustle you into buying junk. Boat ride back experienced choppy tides which caused boat to hit hard in the front. Food on the island was cheap buffet style. Don’t think it worthy of the high price.”

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13.Playa Blanca Full-Day Trip from Cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 48 reviews · from $63

Leave Cartagena by air-conditioned transport, tour Manga and Mamonal, cross to Barú, then spend several hours at Playa Blanca. Your bilingual guide handles the day while you swim, sunbathe, eat a typical lunch, and enjoy bottled water and fruit. Pickup is available from selected hotels and central meeting points.

“Our tour guide was amazing! He went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. He even helped us confirm and locate our pick up point for a different excursion that we planned for the following day with another company! Definitely recommend going!”

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14.Private Full-Day Luxury Boat Rental Rosario Islands

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 40 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) Top rated

Spend eight hours on a private boat from Cartagena to the Rosario Islands with a captain, snorkeling gear, life jackets, water, and an onboard restroom. Swim, visit reefs and a sunken plane, stop for lunch, and possibly continue to Barú. Zenon and Ilan are among the crew members praised for good navigation and friendly service.

“We had a fantastic trip. Zenon and Ilan were a very friendly crew. The boat was in a very good condition and it featured nice things such as a toiletroom and a ladder to get out of the boat. We started the day off by going to the Rosario Islands, were we did some snorkling at different locations. Zenon and Ilan new all the good spots and we saw great fish, reefs and even a sunk plane. Besides the snorkling they told us some nice historic facts about the area. Afterwards they recommended us a good place to have lunch. After Lunch we went for the Island of Baru. Zenon…”

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15.Full Day by the islands of the Rosary Cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 32 reviews · from $100

Spend about eight hours visiting beaches and islands near Cartagena, starting at Fort San Fernando and ending at Anaho Beach Club. You’ll get snorkeling gear, lunch, drinks, bilingual guiding, and time at Encantada Beach, Isla Grande, Playa Mambo, and Tierra Bomba. No guide names are provided.

“Although the service was really great, the tour itself didn't meet expectations. Paid about $30 over what was offered in Cartagena for what turned out to be the same "VIP", lunch was at 4pm, and really a couple of stops are not worth it - especially the 'quiet island' with nothing to do. Also there was close to 40 on the boat so it felt crammed.”

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