The Short Answer + Map

Islands	Why coming	Distance
Tierra Bomba	Easy day trip to a beach club	20 min
Isla Barú	Luxurious hotels accessible by land or sea	45 min to 1 hour
Isla Grande	You can wander on your own	1 hour
Isleta	Best boutique hotels	1 hour
Isla Cholón	To party on loud boats	1 hour
Isla Tintipán	Best white-sand beaches	2 hours
Isla Múcura	Famous upscale hotels (medium-sized)	2 hours
Islote de Santa Cruz	One of the densest urban areas on earth	2 hours
Isla Palma	Chill out hostel with lots of animals	3 hours
Isla Pelicano	Stay on a cool private island	1 hour
Isla Rosa	Stay on a cool private island	1 hour

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The Main Cartagena Islands 

While the whole island chain is made up of around 40 islands, these are the biggest ones, the most important ones, and the ones with all the main attractions:

#1: Tierra Bomba – The closest Cartagena island

Tierra Bomba is, by far, the easiest island to get to from the city of Cartagena. The trip will take between 10 and 25 minutes each way, depending on exactly where you want to disembark. 

This particular island is known for its history and many beach clubs.

Its name comes from the fact that it was the first line of defense for the Spanish against pirates, privateers, and England in general. Because of that, it was constantly being bombarded! 

There is a museum here, and people who scuba dive can see one of the many shipwrecks scattered all over the sea bed.

Please be advised, however, that the beaches here are far from the best in the area. The water is still slightly brackish since it’s so close to the mainland. Also, the sand isn’t the pristine white sand you can find elsewhere on the islands. 

As long as you aren’t expecting a beachy paradise – and dodge the ever-growing amount of touts – you can have a fantastic time on Tierra Bomba. 

I recommend staying overnight and planning all of your activities in advance. This way, you will avoid missing out on the best stuff/being bored. 

🏠 Best places to stay

• The Blue Apple Beach Hotel is my favorite Tierra Bomba hotel, hands down. It is located southwest of the island, so the water and sand are much cleaner and nicer. 
• The Hotel Fénix Beach has the advantage of being closer to Cartagena. Of course, that comes at the expense of the water/sand. Having said that, this place is incredibly picturesque and photo-friendly.
• Finally, a brand-new option here is the Makani. It is a very new addition to the area’s luxury resorts. As such, we can neither recommend you go nor avoid it at this time.

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

You have two options to get to Tierra Bomba.

• The first is to find a boat in front of Bocagrande’s hospital.
• The other option is to arrange for one of the island’s hotels to send a boat to pick you up. They sell day passes for people who want to use the hotel’s facilities/beaches and return to Cartagena. These generally cost from 130,000 to 230,000 COP per person.

 Naturally, you can buy a package with overnight or extended stays.

#2: Isla Barú – The most famous island

Barú Island is the largest of the Rosario Islands by a significant margin. It is also home to the most beautiful beaches in the whole archipelago. 

Unfortunately, this place isn’t exactly an undiscovered gem. In fact, it has been feeling the harmful effects of mass tourism for some decades now.

This is especially true for Playa Blanca. Here, you will find beautiful pristine beaches, gorgeous white sand, and turquoise waters, along with armies of sweaty tourists. 

I don’t recommend you go to Playa Blanca. If you do decide to go, be prepared for lots of touts and incessant price-gouging and scamming attempts by them. Also, be prepared for lots of noisy crowds everywhere at all hours of the day and night. 

Instead, I recommend going to one of the upscale hotels at the island’s southern tip. These are exclusive private beaches. The crowds and beach vendors are kept out of these places. 

Other ideas for enjoying yourself on Isla Barú are

• Take a nighttime “plankton tour” to see the luminescent plankton. 
• Visit the very impressive Colombian National Aviary for bird watching.
• Find your way to Playa Tortuga, on the island’s opposite coast. Here, you won’t find the same crystal clear waters as you would in Playa Blanca, but you will find tranquility. 

👉 I recommend staying at least overnight on this island, especially if you do wind up choosing Playa Blanca. The best times to visit any beach are around sunrise and sunset. 

🏠 Best places to stay in Isla Baru

• Sofitel Baru Calablanca – the most popular option. Not cheap, but lots of terrific amenities, including several pools.
• Las Islas – the most luxurious hotel anywhere in the Rosario Islands. Also, it’s very private and secluded.
• Isla del Encanto offers top-notch spa services and free meals during your stay.

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

Isla Barú is the only one of the islands where you actually have the option of getting there by land. There is a vehicular bridge; you must hire a private car to take you across. The whole trip will take 1-2 hours one-way, depending on traffic and your final destination. 

You can also decide to go by boat. Most trips should take an hour or so each way. Once again, hotels or travel agencies can arrange these excursions for you.

3# Isla Grande – My favorite Cartagena island

Isla Grande is my favorite island in the area. The main reason is that it’s the only really walkable island in the chain. 

Once you land, there are plenty of places to reach on foot, including: 

• Sol Y Papaya, a beach club located around 20 minutes walk from the main dock. If you eat here, you get free access to its private beach. 
• Paue is a new place similar to Sol y Papaya, but just a bit further down. I haven’t personally visited this place yet.
• In Orika, you can meet and chat with friendly locals and eat authentic food at very reasonable prices.
• Rosario de Mar, yet another restaurant with a private beach. The walk is long, and the service is slow here, but the beach is beautiful. 

👉 It’s also a great idea to rent a kayak or canoe for a few hours. You can then explore the maze of mangrove forests up close, probably crossing at least one enchanted lagoon. You can also do this during the evening to see the famous luminescent plankton. 

Please remember that, in general, the sand isn’t going to be good because the island itself is a reef. Most of Isla Grande’s beaches are made up of pebbles and small pieces of broken coral. Adequate footwear is a must!

Because there is so much to see and do on Isla Grande, I recommend a 3-day stay.

🏠 Best places to stay

• Eco-hotel Isla del Sol Great rooms/facilities. Outstanding staff. However, the beach can get crowded at peak periods.
• Isla Matamba – don’t let the name fool you. This place is actually physically located on Isla Grande. Beautiful surroundings and great food. 
• El Hamaquero, a great budget option. Rooms are not the most comfortable, but the staff is amazing. The hotel has excellent guided tours too. 

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

A semi-public boat ride to or from Cartagena takes at least 2 hours each way. You will leave from La Bodeguita dock, generally around 9am. At 3pm at the latest, you will have to go back if you are on a day trip. This is another reason I recommend staying in Isla Grande. 

Also, if you book a room in a hotel, you will usually be able to ride on the hotel boat, which will be much more comfortable and quicker (about 1h).

#4: Isleta – Peaceful hotels

Isleta, aka Isla Marina, is technically its own island, but it’s right off the coast of Isla Grande. A strong swimmer could easily swim there, only around 100m away. Of course, plenty of fishing boats can take you there from Isla Grande, although they are not allowed to make the trip at night. 

Isleta is extremely small. You can kayak around the whole island in around 45 minutes. As such, you must ensure you plan the activities you want to do, or you will be left out and probably bored during your stay. 

Each hotel in Isleta has its own private beach. The positive aspect of this is that there is none of the chaos you would find on the bigger and more popular islands. 

There is one big caveat, though. Since you can only use your hotel’s beach, you need to choose that hotel cautiously! 

🏠 Best places to stay

• Islabela – a series of cute little cabins on the water. Great staff and food.
• Coralina Island – similar to Islabela, but a bit more luxurious. Gets points for their excursions, and the dining room is literally made out of a mangrove forest.
• La Fragata Island House – done up with a nautical theme. Great restaurant, and also great excursions. Only cold water in the showers, though, and very low water pressure.

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

Generally, if you stay in Isleta, your hotel will arrange privately to bring you over. The trip takes around an hour each way. 

#5: Isla Cholón – Cartagena’s party island

Isla Cholón is a pretty unique party place. It’s also the only place on this list without facilities for overnight stays. 

It’s also a place you would love or hate, depending on your preferences. 

It’s always a party atmosphere in Isla Cholón. Any time you go there, it will be crowded, crazy, and loud. Competing music will be blasting from the sound systems of every boat within earshot. 

Generally, people here will be standing on the boats on which they came or puttering around in the shallow water. Locals working there will be zooming around in canoes, bringing food and drinks to the partiers. These foods and drinks are expensive, especially by Colombian standards. 

🏠 Best places to stay

None available 

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

Rent a private boat with friends and head to Isla Cholon.

#6: Isla Tintipan – Best white-sand beach

Isla Tintipan is not part of the Rosario Islands chain. It belongs to the Bernardo Islands, a bit further out from Cartagena. 

Once again, picking your hotel well is essential since most of the island is privately owned. You can’t just walk around freely. 

The good news is that the beach is public and is absolutely gorgeous. So, no matter which hotel you stay at, you can enjoy this beach. In fact, this is the best beach out of all the islands mentioned in this article! 

Activities here include snorkeling, kayaking, and even fishing with local fishermen—all of which are highly recommended. 

👉 They say the best time to fish in these waters is at night.

If you go, I recommend staying a couple of nights here. It is far enough from Cartagena to make a day trip impractical. 

🏠 Best places to stay

• Hotel PuntaNorte – Great food, excellent staff, and family-friendly. 
• Hotel Sal Si Puedes – Great rooms, great food, great staff. Some guests have complained about boat tours arriving from 10am on and blasting their music. 

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

This journey will take a good solid 2 hours or more each way, depending on conditions. 

You can book this trip with the people at Tranquit Easy. 

#7: Isla Múcura – UPSCALE accommodations

Isla Múcura is very picturesque and tranquil. I prefer Tintipan over this island—only 5-min away from each other. This is mainly because of the beach in Tintipan. Also, Múcura has almost none of the pretty mangroves Tintipan has.

Múcura is probably a better bet for budget travelers, though. This is because you can get a (very basic) room in town here. In fact, you have a lot of options for hotels here. If you don’t get into a hotel with a private beach, please understand that the one public beach remaining on Múcura is tiny. 

Regarding excursions, you will have the same options here as in Tintipan. 

🏠 Best places to stay

• Hotel Isla Múcura is the biggest hotel on the island, and it can be a “budget” option if you decide to stay in dorms or even in hammocks. 
• Hotel Punta Faro – minimum 2-night stay. Great location, food, staff, rooms, and excursions. Highly recommended as a hotel. 

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

As mentioned above, it’s around two hours away from Cartagena (the islands are very close to each other). And, once again, Tranquil Easy will get you there. 

#8: Islote de Santa Cruz – City island

This artificial island is absolutely unique in the world. It is 100 percent built up, making it one of the densest urban areas on earth—but it is in the middle of nowhere! 

There are no beaches or mangroves here. There are, however, around 1200 of the most friendly people you will ever meet!

There are no cars, internet, or police in this place. You are free to roam around the island’s narrow streets, giving you a quick glimpse into local life. You can also pay a small fee to one of the locals, and they will be glad to serve as an ad hoc tour guide. 

Many people stay at hotels in the neighboring islands and make a day trip out of Santa Cruz. You can stay on the island; a few hotel options exist here. Keep in mind that these hotels are very spartan, though. Also, there is nothing to do for tourists once you have finished walking through the town.

🏠 Best places to stay

No recommendations, as local hotels are all very basic by most standards. 

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

To get to Islote de Santa Cruz, you must get to Tintipan or Múcura, as described above. From there, you must take another boat for a quick 10-minute jaunt to finish the trip. 

#9: Isla Palma – close to Rincón del Mar

This island is much closer to Tolú or Rincón del Mar than Cartagena. It’s not unreasonable to go there from Cartagena, though. Naturally, you will stay at least overnight if you do so because of the travel times involved. 

The beach here is spectacular, almost as lovely as the Tintipan beach. However, the two hotels operating on Isla Palma are outdated and lack decent infrastructure/customer service; in my opinion. It’s also important to note that you will only have running water for a few hours per day here.

🏠 Best places to stay

You’ve got two options:  Isla Palma hotel and Mystica Hostel.

🚣‍♂️ How to get there from Cartagena

There are no direct boats from Cartagena. You can get the hotel’s boat from Tintipan, however. This will take at least 3 hours each way. This is still faster than going to Tolú or Rincón del Mar overland, the only other option. 

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Private Cartagena islands

All the other islands in the Rosario and San Bernardo chains are tiny private islands. 

These fall into three categories:

• Islands that are private and not open to visitors.
• Islands that offer day trips.
• Islands that you can rent on a short-term basis. 

#10: Isla del Pirata 

This tiny island is another island off the coast of Isla Grande. It does have a hotel for overnight stays. The boat ride and hotel stays are separately negotiated, though. 

• The Corona company owns the place, and their logo is everywhere here; you almost can’t look anywhere in the hotel without seeing it! 
• The exterior views, however, are nothing short of gorgeous, with swaying palm trees, etc. 
• The island is heavily forested, although a small beach is available to hotel guests and day-trip purchasers. 
• The hotel infrastructure has some things lacking, in my opinion. Outdated buildings, for example. 
• Service is acceptable but on the slow side. Food is also fine and takes a while to arrive. 

#11:  Isla Pelicano

This is a private island you can rent out in its entirety. 

• You will have to pay for your own transportation to and from the place, usually in your own boat.
• The site can accommodate up to 8 people comfortably. Catered meals are available.  

#12: Isla Rosa

This is another island you can rent out. Please do so well in advance, though. It’s trendy and often hard to book.

• Once again, you will need to charter a private boat to get to this place. The trip will take approximately an hour each way. 
• Up to 16 people can stay here. The large pink house is gorgeous and well-appointed; it takes up most of the island.

#13: Isla Gigi

Like the other options listed above, you will need to book a private boat trip each way to get to and from the place. It will also take around an hour each way. 

• The house is lovely but a bit outdated and could use some renovations. 
• The owner of Isla Gigi is not very technically savvy. Sometimes, the place shows as booked on some platforms but free on others. Only send money once you get confirmation from the owner! 

#14: Kalua Island

It’s a small island located right between Isla Gigi and Isla Rosa:

• People rave about the excellent catered food available on this tiny island. 
• There is room for up to 14 guests. 
• The property has a long saltwater pool.

#15: Hotel Las Islas – Isleta

Your stay in Las Islas includes unlimited trips to their private island named “Isleta.”

• There is a massive villa with a pool and a small white-sand beach. You can order food, and the hotel will bring it to you.
• You can go there from 10am to 5pm (5min away from the hotel)

#16: Bendita Beach

This is another property that the Corona company has bought. People also refer to it as “Playa Arena.”

• Bendita Beach is a good place to chill at the beach, eat and sleep. If you want lots of exciting activities, you can also find them here. 
• Also, the food is amazing, as is the staff. All in all, I highly recommend this place.
• I found little information about this new spot and need to figure out how to book it.

#17:  Isla San Martín de Pajarales

This place is located right next to the Oceanarium. 

I can’t recommend this place to anybody because they have the irresponsible custom of letting you swim right with the animals. Please boycott this place. 

#18: Isla Majayura

This island was previously leased by a man named Alaín Suaza. He is now serving a prison sentence for smuggling drugs.

It’s currently not open to the public as the authorities seek a more responsible tenant.

#19: Isla Pavitos

Isla Pavitos is home to the Beach Club Pao Pao

Many people reviewing the place feel it needs to be cleaner and better for the money.

#20: Casa en El Agua

This is a house built on top of a coral reef that had unfortunately died. It’s located between Múcura and Tintipan. 

• One nice perk you get while staying here is that you can jump into the ocean directly from your room—the shallow turquoise waters are ideal for swimming.
• Tranquit Easy will take you there. 
• Many people from all over the world come to Casa en el Agua to party. It’s a great place to mingle. 
• The staff and activities are also great. However, this place gets booked way in advance, so prepare for that. 
• Also, keep in mind that this is a very eco-friendly hotel. It has composting toilets, and you must shower with a bucket and follow strict recycling rules while staying there. 

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