Our favorite place to live the Caribbean resort dream is on Isleta, a private resort island with just 10 luxury bungalows, plus bar, restaurant, private beach and shared seawater swimming pool, just 45 minutes from Cartagena with its direct flights to the USA.
This is an action-packed sample itinerary, designed to showcase the wide range of experiences on offer: it’s all totally customizable and you can wait to book activities until you’re there - or scheduling nothing at all is a perfectly viable option too!
Start:
Cartagena
End:
Cartagena
Maximum group size:
12 Guests
Duration:
3 4 days
Price:
US$ 1,990
Includes:
oCulture & FoodzOutdoorsnLuxury
Serenade of the Mangroves
Breathtaking Vistas: Las Islas' Sea and Forest Sanctuary
Equatorial Wonders
Dive into Paradise: Snorkeling Adventures at Rosario Corals National Natural Park
Breezy Baru: Exploring Paradise on Two Wheels
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The trip in detail
We’ll pick you up from the airport or your accommodation in Cartagena and head straight for the Bodeguita wharf, just outside the old walled city, where the daily boat to Isla Baru departs at 2pm.
45 minutes later we’ll dock at Las Islas resort on Isla Baru. Spend the afternoon wandering around the two islands (Isla and Isleta), checking out the bars, restaurants, pools and beach, and making use of the included snorkel kits, bikes, kayaks and paddleboards that are at your disposal throughout your stay. Or just relaxing and enjoying the sea breezes and views from the deck of your luxury bungalow!
To get you into the relaxation zone, a 90-minute body exfoliation and relaxation massage at the resort spa are part of the plan today, either in the afternoon or evening.
Meals: Breakfast included
You can snorkel right off the resort any time you like, but a trip to the Rosario Corals National Natural Park with an expert local guide takes only an hour and offers incredible coral spotting!
In the afternoon we'll explore - by bike or on foot - local life in the village with a local guide, or if you prefer, take a wooden canoe out in the mangroves for some bird watching.
After dinner it’s time for one of the most magical experiences in this magical place - a bioluminescence tour! We’ll spend an hour wandering the beach and observing the lights emitted by the plankton that inhabits the beaches and mangrove swamps - we can even swim among them! Truly an experience to put you in the mood of magical realism that’s appropriate for the Colombian Caribbean!
Meals: Breakfast included
Today you might like to take a tour of something quite different: the San Bernardo Archipelago, a group of ten tiny islands known for being the most densely populated on Earth! The jam-packed mini-cities are quite a sight to see - and of course there’s enough space left for some stunning beaches!
Or we can concentrate on Islas Rosarias, where we’ll visit stunning beaches for excellent snorkeling on a colorful coral reef, as well as the Oceanarium where we can see over 1,000 creatures, from over 100 species, living semi-free in the sea.
Our last night includes a suitably celestial experience - observation of the night sky through two different telescopes, guided by the resident astronomer. Planets like Jupiter and Saturn, and galaxies like Andromeda can be seen incredibly clearly, and you can even take photos through the telescope.
Meals: Breakfast included
The boat back to Cartagena departs at 12pm. From the dock where it lands in Cartagena, we will provide your transfer to your accommodation in Cartagena, or to the airport if that’s where you’re headed.
If you’re heading home, adios! If you’re looking to explore more of Colombia let us know, we’d love to be involved!
A selection of the paid activities on offer are mentioned in this sample itinerary. Others activities available are:
- day and night dives for certified divers
- full (three-day) and mini (half-day) diving courses
- cooking class
- tour of Cartagena city
- visit to the National Aviary
And remember: bikes, kayaks, paddleboards and snorkel kits are available to you free, all day every day!
Accommodation
Isleta is five minutes away by boat from, and the new annex of, Las Islas Hotel Barú and you’re welcome to stay here if you prefer - we prefer Isleta because it has just 10 bungalows, while the main hotel has 55.
On either island you’ll stay in a luxurious bungalow with private pool and deck, fronting the sea and backed by tropical rainforest.
A note on food
Unlike our other trips, this one only includes breakfast, as us pre-paying your meals would restrict your menu choices, and flexibility between the different restaurants at the resort. If you’d like all food included just let us know and we’ll make it happen!
Lupe, our Guest Care Manager, says:
Isletas offers so many amazing activities, but there's a lot of relaxing to be done too! My pro tip is to spend all day swimming and relaxing in a deckchair, then spend the evenings looking through the telescope at the night sky, and wandering the beaches marvelling at the bioluminescence.
All our trips are custom trips! Tell us what you're looking for and we'll make it happen!
