Colombia · MANGROVE TOURS
This is the shortlist to send a friend: 15 mangrove tours worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to know before you commit.
Boat into Cartagena’s La Boquilla mangroves, sip coconut water, learn sustainable net fishing, and enjoy drums and dance for $55.
“Excellent experience, went through different parts Cartagena, saw fisherman’s island. Very knowledgeable regarding geographical info, plants & obviously fishing. Nice family operated business! Learn to fish with nets and crab fishing.”
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.”
Cartagena day trip to Barú for snorkeling, mangrove wildlife, and lunch plus beach time at Playa Blanca.
“This was a very fun tour with beautiful water and really cool things to see. The boat ride was sometimes a little uncomfortable but still worth it.”
A boat day in San Andrés hitting Johnny Cay, the aquarium islands, a quick mangrove pass, and Haynes Cay. Includes key access, snacks extra.
“Total scam!!! I paid for à 7 hoirs tours with four stops, i even ask the day before if everything was OK what have been confirmed and on the day, the local operztor was waiting for i dont know which confirmation and suddenly nobody replied by whatsapp and instead of 4 stops i have just been brought to one island for 4hours and brought back...the other were apparently closed but the seller did not tell me and did not cancel the tour so kept all the money for something i did not do. And no reply to the message à réal shame!!!”
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.”
Mangrove canoe tour and hands-on artisanal fishing with native guides, then a hearty beachside lunch in Bolívar, Colombia.
“my best experience in Cartagena. visitingbthe mangrove with truly passionate guide that speaks perfect english. it was enchanting to be in the nature? to experiment fishing, and to receive answer tonall my questions. pick up service perfect food in local restaurant delicious”
Private Cartagena day trip to Rosario Islands, mangroves, and Barú village with snorkeling, local breakfast, beach time, and lunch.
“Great guide and fun activities. We loved snorkeling and having lunch and seeing the town.”
Private English mangrove canoe sail in Cartagena. Cruise 3 tunnels, spot birds and crabs, and learn local ecology near La Boquilla.
“L’activité a été annulée sans possibilité de remboursement.”
San Andrés guided cays and mangroves tour: Johnny Cay beach, Rose Cay natural aquarium snorkeling, Old Point mangroves, views. $30.
“Really enjoyed this trip to the Acuario and Johnny Cay, I felt very well looked after and would recommend this tour. The guide was informative as well as a lot of fun. Both places are absolutely stunning, well worth a visit!”
Paddle Cartagena’s mangrove tunnels with local fishermen from La Boquilla, learn conservation stories, and spot birds and fish in protected waterways.
“It was a very unique and rich experience. The river was peaceful and the fishing was fun. The guides were friendly and warm.”
Boat through Cartagena mangroves, meet La Boquilla’s Afro-Caribbean fishing culture, then enjoy a coconut and seafood lunch for $49 in 3 hours.
“Everything was just as described, our guide was knowledgeable and easy to talk to about anything. 10/10”
A small-group mangrove canoe and craft fishing experience in Cartagena’s La Boquilla, led by local guides from an Afro-Colombian community.
“Yemei (sp?) was a fun guide! She speaks good English and is very knowledgeable about her country as a whole and especially her town. She picked us up at our AirBnB, had us driven to her town about 15 minutes outside of the walled city. Her uncle was our crabbing and fishing guide. The mangroves were gorgeous and peaceful, such a nice change from the active city streets. Was interesting to learn about their ecology and how their simple lifestyles put harmony and protection of nature first. Big industry tries to scare tourists away from their towns, but they are friendly and proud people. We never felt unsafe.”
Cartagena mangroves by canoe, through 3 tunnels in La Boquilla’s Pantano de la Virgen, with birds, crabs, and local life.
“Buenísima!!!! El único detalle fue el traslado hasta el lugar del tour..... deficiente, enviaron un Chevrolet Spark para 4 personas.... en este sentido no pueden justificarse por el precio, porque lo establecen ellos. De todos modos la experiencia en el manglar es imperdible gracias a la gentileza y dedicación del guía.”
Pontoon day trip from San Andrés to Rocky Cay, Cayo Rocoso, Cayo Acuario, Haynes Cay, and Old Point mangroves, with sea baths and photo stops.
“No me prestaron el servicio y no me devolvieron la plata. Mucha rata en esta aplicación. Me dijeron que no me daban el servicio que porque no tenían permiso de salir. Y no me devolvieron el dinero”
Pick a base, pick a kind of day, read the reviews.
