Laguna Encantada, Isla Grande
A body of brackish water where the plankton lights up as it is disturbed. Go by kayak, on a moonless night: the light depends on the dark.
Caribbean
Islas del Rosario
An hour by boat from the walls of Cartagena, the Rosario archipelago changes the register entirely: no cars, no tarmac, barely thirty islands of coral, mangrove and dry forest inside a marine national park. You arrive only by sea, and that frontier explains almost everything.
Why go
What makes this destination unique
Nowhere else in Colombia puts a living reef sixty minutes from a sixteenth-century walled city. You dive in the morning, lunch on an island with no roads and dine that same evening in the old town. Add to that the Afro-Colombian community of Orika, which now runs much of the tourism on Isla Grande.
- When to goFrom December to April there is little rain and underwater visibility is the best of the year. March and April tend to be the ideal months: between December and February the trade winds get the swell up.
- Getting thereFly Bogotá–Cartagena (Rafael Núñez, an hour and a half, dozens of departures a day). Then 45 to 60 minutes by boat from the La Bodeguita jetty or with your hotel.
What to see
What you should not miss
El Faro and El Farito
The two most consistent dive sites in the archipelago: a coral wall, reef fish and, with luck, turtles. Visibility is excellent in the dry season.
Orika, Isla Grande
The hamlet where the island's Afro-Colombian community lives. Walking it with a local guide is the only way to understand who inhabits the archipelago, and how.
The mangroves of Isla Grande
Tunnels of roots to be paddled at first light by kayak or board, while the water is still. Several hotels in the area are working on their restoration.
Oceanario Islas del Rosario
A marine centre on the island of San Martín de Pajarales, with species from the Colombian Caribbean and restocking programmes for coral and turtles.
A day on the water between islands
Many of the islands are private and allow no landings; the archipelago reads better from the water, dropping anchor to swim over the reef.
Where to stay
Hotels we recommend
A selection of houses with character. We work with others too: tell us what you are looking for and we will propose the one that fits.
Beachfront bungalows on Isla Grande
Hotel San Pedro de Majagua
It occupies the house and studio the French painter Pierre Daguet built here in 1955; low bungalows and Caribbean cooking.
A private boutique island within the archipelago
Coralina Island
A handful of suites on an island of its own, with the option of taking the whole of it; snorkelling, bioluminescent plankton and mangrove restoration.
Bungalows on the ensenada de Las Mantas, Isla Grande
Hotel Isla del Sol
An unpretentious beach house, with its own boat from Cartagena and slow-fire Caribbean cooking done by islanders.
On Barú, inside the same national park (not in the Rosario archipelago)
Hotel Las Islas
The most refined option in the area: timber bungalows between mangrove and beach, some with a private pool of their own.
Where to eat
The destination's table
The kitchens worth a reservation. We take care of the booking and the transfer.
Local Caribbean
Restaurante del Hotel San Pedro de Majagua
Open from seven in the morning until nine at night, and it takes day visitors too.
Slow-cooked Caribbean
Restaurante del Hotel Isla del Sol
Home recipes cooked by islanders with fresh produce; it also caters for day trips from Cartagena.
House kitchen, with a French-Colombian accent
Restaurante de Coralina Island
A small table inside the hotel, intended for guests; it is worth confirming availability if you are not staying there.
Beach club, cooking from the sea
Bora Bora Beach Club
The liveliest club on Isla Grande, with lunch, cocktails and music; go early, and do not come looking for quiet.
Does this destination interest you? We build it into a tailor-made route.
Request a proposalHotel and restaurant information is for reference and is confirmed at the time of booking. The recommendations do not imply any commercial relationship with the establishments mentioned.
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