Colombia · SNORKELING TRIPS IN CARTAGENA
Good snorkeling trips in Cartagena fill up ahead of time and the best ones go first. Below: the 11 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Review of Bona Vida’s Rosario Islands catamaran tour from Cartagena, with snorkeling, swimming, lunch, drinks, practical tips, and honest value advice.
“Great experience. Food was alright nothing extraordinary. Changing space gets dirty really quick but otherwise would recommend d.”
Spend 10 hours island-hopping from Cartagena by speedboat, with snorkeling, seafood, lunch, Cholon, and glowing plankton after dark.
“Excellent crew and captain! The boat was so modern and powerful! The lunch was really good, at a great little island hang-out, and the party scene in the water, was a hoot! We would recommend this company!”
Cartagena’s five-island boat tour mixes forts, snorkeling, Cholon, turquoise water, lunch, and beach time, with practical cautions on gear and pickups.
“The 1st island is just a fort that can be viewed from far away the second one was an island with Escobar drowned. Bora bora was a party island (lots of people but the party is worth it) and then off to relax in Barú clear blue waters and finally seafood and time to go home. The experience makes it so you can meet new people great for a solo traveler”
Review of Cartagena’s 5 Islands VIP Escape, with snorkeling, Rosario views, Cholón, private lunch, Barú beach time, and practical cautions.
“El tour no tenia nada de Premium, era un tour habitual donde habían demasiadas personas y nadie tenia su espacio personal. La comida era muy poquito, y no se podía disfrutar de la playa cómodamente, porque solo se podía utilizar el espacio que tenia el restaurante. El bus de retorno estaba viejo y sucio.”
Review of Cartagena’s 5-island boat tour, with snorkeling, lunch, island stops, loud music, bioluminescent plankton, and practical booking advice.
“A little confusing with the added plankton activity; I should’ve known better that the bus would make me arrive late back to Cartagena for my flight. I would’ve liked a little more explanation in English but the guide mostly spoke Spanish once the rest of the English speakers left”
Review of Cartagena’s 5-island boat tour, with Rosario snorkeling, Cholon’s party stop, Baru beach time, lunch credit, and practical tips.
“Know before you go... this is not a super family friendly tour. It had way more of a party vibe than we were anticipating. The guide was more of a DJ and bartender than tour guide. It was painfully disorganized at the beginning with a crazy crowded dock and poor signage and communication which made it stressful to hook up with our group. Everything from there on out throughout the day was rough with regards to communication. Lunch was supposed to be at 2:30 and ended up being closer to 4, by which point we were starving, and our guide disappeared at the lunch destination so we had no idea…”
Review of Tabarca snorkeling from Santa Pola: boat ride, island coves, equipment, guides, price, safety, photos, and booking advice.
“This was hands down one of the worst tours I’ve ever been on. From the moment it started, things went wrong. The company sent us to the wrong location, causing confusion and delay—and they showed absolutely no remorse for the inconvenience. They did refund us, but not for the uber from our place to the wrong location, but from the wrong location to the right location. This didn’t account for the more expensive fare, which was unfair.”
Explore Rosario and Barú by speedboat, with snorkeling, lunch, Cholon, Agua Azul, and optional bioluminescent plankton.
“In general, well, they should clearly specify to the tourist that it is a recreational tour and not a party and liquor tour, it was uncomfortable and annoying to be waiting for people who were not interested in the total tour but only in the place where they were going to party and then wait for them to that they ride more people who didn't go on the tour with the rest.”
Party by boat through five Rosario Islands with snorkeling, lunch, drinks, Pablo Escobar’s plane, Cholon, and Playa Tranquila.
“It was nice. Just felt rushed in the snorkeling section.”
Review of Cartagena’s Playa Tranquila tour with beach time, snorkeling, luminous plankton, lunch, transport, and practical booking advice.
Review of Cartagena’s 7-hour Barú and Playa Blanca tour with snorkeling, lunch, hotel pickup, transport, and practical tips.
“it was overall ok. we had issues with the boat that didn't have a ladder so going in and out of the boat was not really fun plus it ran out of gas in the middle of the water so we had to be carried by another boat. overall ok, seeing raccoons was nice.”
Pick a coastline, a valley or a coffee slope.
