Cartagena: Rosario Islands Snorkeling & 5-Island Day Trip

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/20

Duration7h

GroupUp to 100

LanguagesEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

Five Islands, One Boat, and a Sunken Plane You'll Actually See

You board a boat at the clock tower in Cartagena and spend the day island-hopping through the Rosario Islands with five stops: Fort San Fernando, snorkeling at Isla Grande (mask included, fins extra), seafood tasting at Cholón, swimming at Agua Azul, and lunch at Playa Tranquila. You return by 3pm or 8pm if you add the night plankton activity. Hotel pickup is not included, but the meeting point is central and easy to find.

Step-by-step itinerary

Full day tour of Rosary Islands

Meet next to the clock tower
Boat departure with group
Panoramic view of Fort San Fernando
Panoramic view of Rosary Islands
Snorkel at Isla Grande
Enjoy music at Isla Cholón
Swim at Isla Agua Azul beach
Enjoy sunset and plankton activity

The Experience

The clock tower meeting point fills up fast, and the guide is already checking names off a list when you arrive. You're grouped with maybe twenty others, waiting for the boat to load — and then someone asks if the snorkeling gear is included, and there's a pause while the guide clarifies: just the mask. You'll need your own fins and snorkel, or rent them on the boat for a few dollars. It's the kind of detail that catches people off guard, but once you're on the water heading toward the Rosario Islands, it stops mattering. The archipelago spreads out in front of you — 27 islands scattered across the Caribbean, and you're hitting five of them in one day.

Bocachica comes first, a quick stop where the boat slows and the guide points out the Fort of San Fernando rising from the water, explaining its colonial history in a way that actually sticks because you're looking at it. Then you're moving again, and the panoramic view of the whole archipelago hits different when you're surrounded by it — the water shifts from deep blue to turquoise as you approach Isla Grande, where the snorkeling happens. The coral reefs are thick with fish, and yeah, there's a sunken plane down there too, which sounds like a gimmick until you actually see it. Mask on, you're down there for maybe thirty minutes, and it's quiet except for the sound of your own breathing and the occasional boat motor in the distance.

Cholón — the party island — is louder. Music's playing from a beach bar, and people are dancing in the shallow water even though it's midday. You stop for seafood tasting here, which means fresh ceviche or grilled fish depending on what the kitchen's got. Then Agua Azul, where the beach is genuinely one of the best in the Colombian Caribbean, white sand and clear water, and you get time to actually swim and dry off before heading to Playa Tranquila for lunch. The meal comes in three options — chicken, fish, or vegetarian — and it's substantial enough that you're not hungry again until evening. If you're done at 3pm, the boat heads back to the Pegasus Pier and you're back in Cartagena by late afternoon. If you've booked the night plankton activity, you stay on until 8pm, watching the water glow when it gets dark — bioluminescent organisms lighting up with every movement. The heated bus ride back is a nice touch if the Caribbean breeze has cooled you down.

The whole day moves at a pace that doesn't feel rushed, even though you're hitting five stops. The boat ride between islands gives you time to sit, talk, or just watch the water. Bring sunscreen — the reflection off the water is brutal — and a rash guard if you burn easily. The tour operates year-round, so timing is more about your schedule than the season.

What’s included

Boat transport between five islands in the Rosario Islands archipelago, snorkel mask, guided stops at Fort San Fernando, Isla Grande, Cholón, Agua Azul, and Playa Tranquila, seafood tasting, fruit tasting, and lunch with a choice of chicken, fish, or vegetarian. Night plankton activity and return by heated bus are available as an add-on option.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomeNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Adventure CTG SAS

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main islands and snorkeling without arranging a private boat or figuring out which stops matter most — the fixed itinerary and included meals mean you show up at the clock tower and the rest is handled.