Colombia · ISLA BARÚ
Barú is reachable by road as well as by boat, which changes the price and the day. These 15 trips cover Playa Blanca, the beach clubs, the mangroves and the plankton nights, with what is actually included at the far end.
Island hopping from Cartagena with Isla Grande snorkeling, Playa Blanca beach time, Cholón party water stop, plus Anaho pool and views.
“Our experience with The Backpackers staff was great. Our guide Nicher was beyond welcoming and attentive. We had a blast!”
Cartagena day trip to Playa Blanca on Barú Island with air-conditioned pickup, Club Mambo Beach access, and a 30,000 COP lunch voucher.
“8 bought the "VIP" package..when we arrived they informed us that the Beds wer3 not included...that the "VIP" package includes a bottle of water, an introductory drink and a "Fruit" salad. The drink wasn't even alcohol it was a small cup of juice, the "fruit" salad...well all we got was some hot pieces of papaya...GROSS.. the "Beach Club" was ok.. the pictures are MUCH NICER....The staff was very attentive and they did they best to accommodate us. 5 stars for the service...that Piña Colada was...DELICIOUS!!!! BUT OVERALL.....DONT BUY THE SO CALLED VIP PACKAGE ITS NOT WORTH IT...”
High-energy Rosario Islands party day from Cartagena: Bocachica fort, Escobar mansion sights, Marina lunch, Barú or Grande, Cholon.
“I had fun with my friends to Baru. The food was good. The local vendors can be aggravating. The water was clear and warm.”
Five-stop island day from Cartagena with snorkeling at Rosario, drinks, party-boat Cholón, Barú beach club lunch, and Tierra Bomba finale.
“Amazing day trip to Vista Mare Beach Club in T-Bomba Island, Encantada Beach Club in Rosario Islands and Mambo Beach Club in Playa Blanca, Baru. Milton was a great guide and our boat driver, Jairo, was very nice to all of us. The food was very good, the welcome drink too and i enjoyed my day very much.”
Cartagena to Playa Blanca by minivan for a full beach day with lunch, sun chair, and Caribbean swimming. Expect crowds and vendor pressure.
“The service was really nice , they picked up us from hotel and The ride was nice. Beach was beautiful and we got there early so the locals did not arrive yet. One reason I took one star , you will be aggressively pressured into buying stuff and services from vendors always coming into the private canbana and they should do more a job to not let them just walk in and wait on the beach”
Day trip from Cartagena to Barú Island and Playa Blanca with hotel pickup, bilingual guide, lounge chairs, lunch option, and crystal water
“Excellent service. Small group. Felt very safe. The price for alcohol was very reasonable. Bring sandals or water shoes because there is a short boatride from bus drop off to beach, and you loaf in from the beach. Lunch was simple but tasty. Massages available but not my thing. The bus ride is painful due to traffic and the state of the toads, but the bus had aircon. Lots more comfortable than a boat ride all the way from Categena. The wind and waves pick up in the afternoon. Jet skies should be banned!!!”
Cartagena to Baru day trip with lunch, air-conditioned group transfer up to 14, skip taxi stress, return to your meeting point.
“The ride was comfortable and my driver was friendly. I didn’t see him at first but I waited a few minutes and then went back out and saw my name on a sign.”
Isla Barú combo day trip: Cartagena panoramas, Playa Blanca Beach Club time, and the National Aviary of Colombia with a 11:30 bird show.
“The aviary is incredible. A must-do on your trip to Cartagena. Our guide, Valentina was amazing! Playa Blanca isn’t the best beach in the area so I wouldn’t recommend going there.”
Full day at Barú with mangroves, raccoons, snorkeling in the Rosario Islands, a sunset on Freedom Beach Club, and night plankton.
“La experiencia nadando en el plancton fue inolvidable. Me encantó que tomaran fotos en cada actividad y luego las compartieran con el grupo. Hermosa la playa en Freedom Club.”
A full day from Cartagena to Playa Blanca on Isla Baru, with Mambo Beach Club, lunch voucher, welcome drink, and poolside comfort.
“beautiful place the beach is amazing prepared to spend money because is expensive but totally worth it”
A full-day private boat hop from Cartagena to the Rosario Islands, Cholón, and Baru, with snorkel gear, beach time, and a calmer departure.
“This is an excellent way to spend a full day visiting the surrounding islands. The crew and Kevin were fantastic very friendly, very professional.They brought us to places we wanted and skip the places we did not. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch, (not included in price of tour) which was a great experience. Bring snacks and beverages for the provided iced cooler. A great little detail, connect your Bluetooth to their kickin sound system.”
Cartagena to Baru’s Playa Tranquila for quiet beach time, loungers and a choice of lunch dishes, plus a welcome drink in a small group.
“Excelente, nos lo disfrutamos mucho. Puntuales, buen servicio y la comida excepcional. La playa cristalina. Muy recomendado”
A full day from Cartagena to Isla Barú for Playa Blanca, mangrove boat snorkeling, and a night tour of glowing bioluminescent plankton.
“Where do I begin? Let's start with only book this tour if you or one of your party speak fluent Spanish and you have no difficulty hoisting yourself in and out of boats, since they use small boats with no ladders. Also do not book dinner reservations, since you will likely not get back before most restaurants close. Van was 30 minutes late to pick up, due to "traffic", but other people on the van said there was no traffic delays. We were told it would take 45 minutes to get to Baru. It took closer to double that, again no real traffic. When we arrived, we were told we'd…”
Full-day Cartagena to Isla de Barú with mangrove boat, snorkeling at Playa Blanca, and beach time at Playa Tranquila plus a lunch voucher.
“Skip this "tour" 1.5 hrs late for pick up. I booked the beach, snorkeling and mangroves. Very unorganized. Bombarded with agressive people selling things from the moment we sat in our beach lounger. Snorkeling was a joke and very hectic. Mangroves was also a joke. One of the boat men handed out a banana for the animal (never found put what it was) to eat and demand a picture as we fed them. I have no copy of said picture. There was no communication and no one spoke enough English to tell us anything. Not worth the $$ skip this excursion.”
Cartagena to Barú Island for a beach day at Playa Blanca and quieter Playa Tranquila, with hotel pickup and a traditional lunch.
“HUIR: - nada esta incluido en el todo includo, la descripción engaña! no hay snorkling incluido, ni sombrilla, ni un vaso de agua, nada, tendran que pagar todo aparte - la playa NO es nada tranquila, hay MUCHAS lanchas y motos acuáticas justo al lado tuyo con mucho olor a gasolina - 4h en total en el bus sobre las 8h de atividad NO recomiendo para nada en todos mis viajes una de las peores experiencias, realmente ahorrense su tiempo y dinero”
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