Rosario Islands day trip

About 28 coral islands lie off the west coast of Barú, south-west of Cartagena, and since 1988 they have been a national park protecting the widest coral shelf on Colombia's Caribbean mainland coast. Isla Grande is the biggest of them. Pablo Escobar's old getaway on it is now a half-demolished ruin being taken back by the forest, and an open-sea aquarium sits on Isla Rosario.

The boats leave Cartagena from the Muelle La Bodeguita on Avenida Blas de Lezo, between 8 and 10 in the morning, and the run takes one to two hours depending on the boat. The day comes in two broad kinds. Speedboat circuits hop between stops: a snorkel off Isla Grande, perhaps the fort at Bocachica on the way out, time at Cholón and an afternoon at a beach club. Catamaran days move slower, keep you on board apart from swimming stops near the reef, and serve lunch on deck.

Read what the ticket covers. The pier tax is often paid in cash on the day, and the aquarium and snorkel gear can be extras. Every visitor needs the park's compulsory accident insurance and pays a park entry fee. Jet skis and inflatable rides are banned in the park, and so are single-use plastics. Buy from an office or kiosk inside the pier rather than from touts on the street.