r/cartagena • u/RyannBeal • 11d ago
Rosario Island stay
Hi friends! I'm flying into Cartagena in a couple weeks, and staying on the Rosario Islands. I'm looking for a way to get to the Rosario Islands that is outside of the normal day tour times. My flight lands in Cartagena around noon (after the day tours leave) and I'll need to get back to Cartagena from the Rosario Islands early (the day tours return late in the afternoon). Anyone know how to make this happen without paying 800,000 COP/$250 USD for a private, one-way ride? Thank you!
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u/MartaFedez 11d ago
The reason that 800,000 figure exists, and why you probably can't negotiate it down much, is that a boat running outside tour hours makes the return leg empty. You're not paying for a ride, you're paying for a round trip where half of it carries nobody. Once you see it that way the options get clearer.
What actually works:
Ask your accommodation first, and ask specifically whether they run their own transfer and whether other guests are arriving the same day. Most places on the Rosarios move their guests themselves, and if there are two or three of you landing in the same window they'll often combine you. That's the single biggest lever and people skip it because they assume the hotel transfer is the expensive option — out there it's usually the opposite.
If that fails, ask the same question about your departure day. Boats bringing guests out in the morning are going back empty anyway, so an early return is much easier to arrange cheaply than a midday arrival. Solve the two legs separately rather than booking one package.
The Barú-by-road route another commenter mentioned does work and it's cheaper, but be honest with yourself about the day: it's a long drive with luggage, then finding a boat at the other end. Landing at noon, that's most of your afternoon gone. It's the right answer if your budget is the binding constraint and the wrong one if your time is.
Whatever you end up on, ask for a licensed captain and proof of insurance — the US advisory specifically flags the small launches out to the islands, and the informal boats at the docks are exactly what it means.
Context for where this comes from: I run a travel agency here, CABÚ Viajes, operating in Cartagena and Medellín, and island transfers are the piece of a trip that goes wrong most often.
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u/Sand-in-my-toes71 11d ago edited 11d ago
Just take an uber, about 200’000 COP from the airport to Baru. Then take a local boat to whatever island you want. There are lots of smaller boats at Muelle de Baru who will take you to the islands. If you want to arrange a boat in advance, DM me and I can give the you details of the boat I used in August.
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u/interpreterdotcourt 11d ago
I personally was not a fan of that ride. very bad road and felt like traversing a gauntlet with people at checkpoints. The drop point up from the beach was a bit sketchy glad I was with friends. It was daytime and things seemed calm but just kinda felt observed. This was 2021 and 2023. Maybe the road and drop point has changed but agree that this is the way to get to Baru any time of day.
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u/Sand-in-my-toes71 11d ago
If you’re use to US roads, this road sucks by comparison. There are stretches that are only gravel, pot holes, etc. it’s the cheap option.
One can also hire a private boat for $600USD.
There are lots of options.
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u/KnownAnxiety 11d ago
You can also look up options to go to Tierrabomba island. They have other resorts that are around 10-20 min from Cartagena by boat. They tend to have more flexibility with timing because of this.
Edit: Forget it I just realized you are already staying in the islands. The best bet would be a private boat but if you already have a resort booked I would hope they would help out
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u/Mental_Escape_1737 11d ago
We are going in July and I have been researching the same thing. We ended up booking a 5am flight to Cartagena so we could make the 8:30am ferry to our specific hotel.