A day trip to the Rosario Islands from Cartagena
We had heard mixed reviews of the Rosario Islands, the Caribbean islands just off of Cartagena in Colombia. Some said they were amazing and others found that there wasn’t much to do. So since we didn’t have much time to spare in our two week itinerary, we decided just to do a day trip to the Blue Apple resort.
How to book a boat trip to the Rosario Islands
Organising this wasn’t as easy as you’d think. In March, the temperature in the Rosario Islands was over 30°c and because we’d had a busy week in Salento and Medellin we wanted to relax. This meant trying to find a tour that didn’t include walking around towns and other attractions – we just wanted to chill at the beach and manage our own time.
Most boat trips from the port in Cartagena don’t really do this. A lot of them include tours of towns and a more structured itinerary. So we ended up finding a package with Blue Apple resort on Tierra Bomba. This luxury hotel offers a limited number of guest day passes, so we could catch their boat over to the island, relax by the pool or at the beach all day, then get a boat ride back with them all for one set price – about £25 per person.
Day trip to the Rosario Islands itinerary
We arrived at Cartagena port at 9:30am, left the port at 10am, and were on a cabana by the pool before 10:30am. The journey and organisation was all very smooth, and the staff at Blue Apple were very friendly. The boat pulls into a small dock less than 5 minutes’ walk from the resort. Arriving earlier in the day meant we had our pick of any sun loungers or cabanas before the later boats came in.
The food at the resort was delicious and you can order drinks to your sunbeds all day. A small private beach is about a 2 minute walk from the pool, where you can swim in the Caribbean and relax on the sand. The whole day out was perfect and just what we wanted from a trip to the islands. But if you want to explore more or just get away from the cities for longer then it would be a beautiful place for a longer stay.
The stark difference between the luxury resort and the poorer villages that we passed on the way in and out was a little jarring, but the hotel and its sponsor – Corona – do a lot to help and support the local people which you can read about on the Impact page of their website.
How much does it cost to go to the Rosario Islands
Our boat and entry to the resort cost £25 per person and was booked here through their official website. Then, our bill for the day which included sun loungers, drinks, food, and an added charge to support local communities came to about £40 per person. Organised day trips with island tours can be found for even less on Get Your Guide.
When you’re booking a day trip to the Rosario Islands, only book through trusted sources as there we did spot a few scammy-looking sites with unclear details about what you get and where you’re going. And definitely don’t get on a boat with anyone unless you’re sure they’re from the resort you’ve booked with! The Blue Apple team were all wearing uniforms, including the crew on the boat.
Find out more about our stay in Cartagena here.