Not sure if Cartagena’s 5 Island Tour is right for you and your family?

As a coastal city on the Caribbean Sea, a trip to Cartagena demands some island time. In this post, we will review Cartagena’s 5 Island Tour, a common beach tour experience in Cartagena.

We took this tour ourselves and are here to give you all the details of the all-day Rosario Island Tour.

This island-hopping Cartagena tour takes you to five of the Rosario Islands and includes a night swim with bioluminescent plankton. The tour is an all-day Rosario Islands day trip.

Read on to get our honest review of this experience as a family. 

Some of the links in this blog may be affiliate links. If you click and purchase, we will receive a commission at no extra charge to you. 

Ready to book your Cartagena All-Inclusive 5 Island Tour Now?

The tour provides All Boat and Bus Transport, A Delicious Lunch, Snacks and Snorkeling Gear.

Before we start this recommendation, let us be clear. We are typically a “do-it-yourself” adventuring kind of family.

If there is a way to use public transit to have an experience over booking a tour, we will typically opt to figure it out ourselves. Not only because “do-it-yourself” adventures are much more budget-friendly, but because frankly, we enjoy the challenge.

So when we recommend a tour, it is because we couldn’t figure out how to do it ourselves. Or because even if there is a way to do it ourselves like the tour to kayak the canals of Venice, the tour is budget-friendly and great.

The best Cartagena 5 Island Tour meets both those criteria.

The Rosario Islands

A day in the Rosario Islands is the perfect day trip from the city of Cartagena.

Just 60 miles from Cartagena by boat is the Rosario Archipelago. Named a national park in 1988, the archipelago is home to 27 islands and a beautiful and important Caribbean coral reef.

Turquoise waters surround the islands and there are so many ways to play including kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. 

Deciding on Your Cartagena Island Tour

First of all, it is important to clarify that there are lots of ways to experience island time in Cartagena. Before going to Colombia, we had read several blogs about staying on one of the islands as a more tranquil way to experience the beaches in the mornings or after the day trippers had gone. 

But we are much more city people than beach goers so we knew we wanted to just experience the islands for a day with the rest of our time in the walled city. So an island stay was out for us. Onto day tours…

Cartagena Beach Day Tours

If you go with a day tour like us you can choose between half- and full-day tours. The half-day beach tours are typically 6 to 7 hours and are the least expensive of the island tours.

These shorter tours typically take you to just Isla Baru, the larger island that is now connected by road to the mainland, where you can spend the day lounging on the beach. 

Why We Chose the 5 Island Cartagena Island Tour

While the Isla Baru tours are a good choice for the true budget traveler, (they were typically about $65/person), they often don’t involve a boat ride.

Instead, the Isla Baru trips include land transport to take you to the beach. It is typical for them to include lunch. 

What drove us to choose the longer island tour was that, first, we wanted to get to the island via boat rather than bus. Second, we wanted to snorkel.

The 5-Island Tour includes all your snorkeling equipment and you stop twice to snorkel. 

Next, it was important to us to see a larger variety of islands. The Isla Baru tours give you lots of hours soaking in the sun, but we are not necessarily beach loungers. If you are a beachgoer, the Isla Baru tour might be better for you.

And finally, we wanted to experience swimming with bioluminescent plankton.

We had missed the experience of swimming in bioluminescent on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica because the roads were a lot. We had some real regrets about that. So this was our chance to have that experience.

Cartagena’s 5 Island Tour

Note: We paid full price for the 5 Island Tour out of our pocket, and the opinions we give are in no way influenced by compensation of any kind.  The tour company did not know that we planned to write this article after the tour.

Meet Up in Cartagena

The tour begins around 8 a.m. All of the tours, including the one we are recommending, start at the port right next to the Convention Center.

However, the tour does offer pickup at your hotel. We were staying just blocks from the launch site so we did not take advantage of this benefit.

If you are coming from the old town, you will walk to the  Muelle de los Pegasos, the pair of winged Pegasus sculptures in front of the Convention Center. Once you get to the landing, you will see groups gathering with tour guides calling names.

We waited about 30 minutes for all of the tour guests to arrive so we could board our speedboat.

If you forgot anything for the day – sunscreen, water, a hat, snacks, a waterproof phone case – dozens of street vendors are selling just about anything you might need. 

Some of the vendors are a little aggressive with the asking. But if you don’t need anything for the day, just be firm with a “no, gracias” and they will move on.

Remember everyone’s got to make money and part of being a tourist is supporting the local economy so don’t lose your cool when you are asked for the 50th time if you need a “sombrero para el sol.” 

The Boat

From the landing in front of the winged Pegasus, you will board a mid-size speed boat.

Let me be clear here. Yes, those 20 people whom the tour operator had to gather together are all going on this same boat. So get on early and find your seat.

We recommend you take a seat at the front of the boat to get the best views. But these are also the seats that have the most wind. 

The seating is tight. In some reviews of this tour, people were uncomfortable with how close the quarters were. We travel by bus and train often, so we are very used to sitting cheek-to-cheek with a stranger.

Being so close to people has allowed us to meet some very cool people on our journeys. But if close contact makes you uncomfortable this is not the tour for you. You can book a private charter. Of course, private charters will cost significantly more unless you have a large group.

If you are traveling with more than 4 people, then the cost is the same to book a private boat. The private tour doesn’t typically include the evening bioluminescence. It also doesn’t include lunch. However, the benefit is you can set how long you want to be on each island and include a lot of people. The maximum for the boat is 15 people.

If you are a larger family and the lunch and bioluminescence are not important, consider booking the private boat tour.

The Bay of Bocachica

After the boat is loaded, you head out to the bay. Here you will get great views of both the old, walled part of the city and the newer high rises across the bay.

The boat makes a quick stop at the Forts of Bocachica: 3 forts built by the Spanish to protect Cartagena.

The guides on this tour are bilingual so if you don’t speak Spanish, don’t worry. After they explain the history of the impressive Castillo San Felipe Fortress in Spanish, they will give an English version. 

If the fortress is of interest, you can also tour this fort at a later date. This is only a stop on the water, you won’t be able to get out here.

First Stop: Isla De Pajarales

The first stop on the tour is near Isla de Pajarales. At this point in the tour, the operator will ask if anyone one wants to be dropped on the island to spend an hour at the Oceanarium. The cost to enter the Oceanarium is roughly $11 to enter.

We were more interested in snorkeling around Isla de Pajarales so we passed the Oceanarium. If you do go to the Oceanarium, you will miss the first snorkel.

Second Stop: Snorkeling 

Escobar’s Infamous Plane

Your first snorkeling experience is short, and not everyone from our tour group got into the water. But if you do get in and can swim down, you can not miss seeing the ruins of one of Pablo Escobar’s drug smuggling planes.

We won’t even pretend to understand the complicated relations of Escobar to the Colombian people, both as someone who evokes terror and violence, but also as someone who invested heavily in the country.

Escobar’s plane is sunk in the bay right in front of Escobar’s mansion called “La Grande.” Once a mansion with hundreds of rooms, the mansion has fallen in complete disrepair and is now home to numerous wild pigs.

As for the plane, the guide didn’t go into detail. In general, the Colombians are not interested in talking about Escobar and seek to distance themselves and their country. But the plane can not be denied. And it is your first stop.

Reef Time

After a brief stop to snorkel above the plane, the tour takes you to a natural coral pool in San Martin De Pajarales.  This was our favorite part of the day.

While the snorkeling is not as clear as what we experienced in the Galapagos Islands, it was way better than the coral reef off Ambergris Caye in Belize. 

Our guide was especially kind because he snapped underwater photos of each group. The next day he sent us the underwater photos, which was such a treat. 

Third Stop: Lunch on a Private Island

After snorkeling, it is time for lunch.

The tour takes you to a private island where you have an hour or so to relax on the beach. But most importantly, it is time for lunch.

Included in the price of the tour is a traditional Caribbean meal. You can select either fish, chicken, or vegetarian. All three of us chose the fish and it was delicious.

Fourth Stop: Cholon in Baru

Okay, we told you we were being honest. So honestly, the island of Cholon was not our favorite stop. But that had everything to do with the fact that we are traveling as a family and Cholon is all about the party.

Not that we don’t enjoy some festivities, but Cholon has Spring Break vibes. 

In essence, Cholon is a small beach. But in Cholon, it isn’t about the beach. Instead, surrounding the beach, Cholon has a series of small thatched huts where people wade in waist-high water drinking cocktails, eating ceviche, and, well, just partying. 

The area is surrounded by private and chartered boats, where people are drinking, dancing onboard, and hopping on and off to experience some hut time.

We can imagine a time in our lives when Cholon would have been great fun. But for us, it was just a break from the boat and a chance to wade around in the water.

If you want to pay more, the tour guides will help you charter a jet ski ride during the stop. We didn’t take one, but if memory serves it was about $50 USD for 30 minutes. A little steep for these budget travelers.

But several members of our group went out on jet skis and had a great time.  There is also the option to be pulled on a “banana boat” behind a speed boat, again an optional extra expense.

Stop Five: Playa Blanca

After Cholon, it is about a 15-minute boat ride to Playa Blanca on Isla Baru. This is the last stop of the official tour. Playa Blanca is a very well-known beach.

With its beautifully wide, sandy beaches, Playa Blanca is a great place to spend the entire afternoon relaxing. And if you choose to see the bioluminescence then that is exactly what will happen.

Let us explain. At Playa Blanca, you have a choice. Those who don’t want to see the bioluminescent plankton spend about 40 minutes at the beach and then load back onto the boat for a final trip back to Cartagena.

The boat portion of the tour concludes back at the port landing in front of the Convention Center and then a bus takes you back to your hotel.

Those who want to see the bioluminescence–like us– got cozy on the beach because that is exactly where we were for the next 4 hours.

The tour drops you at Playa Blanca around 2:00 and it isn’t until around 6:30 p.m. that a series of small boats come and take you to the lagoon where you swim with the plankton. 

So there was a very real moment when we realized not only were we on a beach for the next 4.5 hours but that we weren’t going to get home until after 9 p.m. We thought twice about hanging around for the bioluminescence.

But since we had already missed the opportunity in Costa Rica, we decided this was one of those “you will regret missing this” and so we settled in. 

In truth, the time went quickly. Our tour guide helped us find a daybed to hang out. He also connected us with a local who worked at the nearby bar and told us to “only order through him.”

He warned us that given the volume of tourists on Playa Blanca, some locals are prone to “ripping off tourists” but that we were safe with him. So we ordered some snacks and took some time to just be. 

We had read in the reviews that several groups got to this moment in the tour and even though they had paid for the bioluminescence addition, abandoned it and went back on the boat. And we get it. It is a long day.

But in the end, we were so glad we stayed and finally got to experience the beautiful blue glow of swimming with bioluminescent plankton.

But if you think the bioluminescence and a full day at the islands might just be too much, then you should book an evening tour just to do the bioluminescence and keep them separated. 

Last Experience: Bioluminescence

Despite our very best efforts, absolutely none of our photos turned out. But trust us when we say that this is a magical experience.

With every movement of your arms or legs, a trail of shimmering blue follows. 

The tour allows you to swim for about 15 minutes. We would have stayed longer, but because there are only a few places in the world to have this experience, there are many boats in the lagoon. So out of respect, tours are moving through the lagoon fairly quickly.

Tours completely dedicated to the plankton experience may allow you to stay out longer. But in truth, the 15 minutes was enough of an experience for us. And even the short amount of time was 100% worth it. 

With everything we did in Colombia, the bioluminescence was our son’s favorite experience, and that is saying something.

The Bus Back

I can not tell a lie. The bus back was not our happiest moment. Not because the bus was not modern and clean or the driver was very competent – it was all of those things.

But because after a 12-hour day, and nearly an hour of getting re-sorted into groups and being piled onto a bus (no matter how wonderful the conditions) in our wet swimsuits, we were done.

But hey, they got to get you back to Cartagena somehow, and a large tour bus can hold way more than the 20-person boats that transported us from island to island. 

And yet, even though the ending of this day was not on our list of top travel experiences, it certainly wasn’t on our worst.

And despite the late hour and the long bus ride, we would have done the day over again.

Cons of Cartagena’s 5 Island Tour

Our only complaint about the tour was the amount of time on the beach before the bioluminescence. Okay, the bus ride was also not our favorite thing. But it was necessary so we wouldn’t say it was a con.

And if you read reviews of this tour, those who have negative things to say about this Cartagena Island tour, comment on this time on Playa Blanca waiting.

And I get it, it was several hours to wait. But it was also several hours on a beach.

We are typically really go, go people even on vacation. We had some hard lessons to teach us how to slow down when we travel.

In the end, we embraced the time on the beach and relaxed. But you should plan for it. Pack lots of snacks and some extra water. Find a good spot for the sunset and just be.

Final Review

The 5-Island Tour is a big day. At around $100, the tour is not the cheapest thing to do in Cartagena.

However, given that the price included the tour guide, boat and bus transport, snorkeling equipment and lunch, we felt it was worth it.

We loved the experience so much that we made it #1 on our list of the best things to do in Colombia with teens.

We also opted to pay a little extra for the open bar, which included soda, water, beer, and some seriously early rounds of shots on the boat. 

And was it worth the cost? Absolutely. 

If you are coming to Cartagena, you need to experience the Rosario Islands. And we think the 5-Island Tour is one of the best tours in Cartagena to do just that.

What to Pack for Your Cartagena Island Tour

Good Water Shoes

100% you are going to want great beach and water shoes. While most people, got by with flip flops, the end of the tour has a short walk uphill to the bus.

So we were grateful for our Chacos.

Have I mentioned we are obsessed with these shoes. All 3 of us own a pair and nary a trip happens when they aren’t first into the backpack.

Snorkeling Mask

So technically you do not need to bring your own mask. The tour company provides you with snorkeling gear.

We used the company’s snorkel gear and were comfortable in it. But we get that some people will prefer their own.

A Sun Hat

The tour is an all-day affair. And with all that time on the boat and the 5 islands, you will definitely want to protect your face.

Faith loves this hat because it is very, very packable. Even though our twenty-something backpack days are behind us, we still travel as a family mostly by backpack. So this hat is perfect.

Have more time in Cartagena. Any trip to Cartagena is not complete without a walking tour of the art district Getsemani. We also recommend finishing your time in Cartagena with a lovely sunset tour.

Or if you are leaving Cartagena for Bogotá, we have a recommended 2-day Bogotá itinerary.