Rosario Islands, Colombia: Booking a one day trip from Cartagena

So, you've not satisfied by the crowded Bocagrande beaches of Cartagena...let's book a day trip to the beautiful Rosario Islands with crystal clear water!

The Rosario Islands is an archipelago of 27 islands, mostly privately owned with limited facilities (only 3 are publicly owned). We decided not to overnight on the Islands because the available accommodations are pretty basic and we were just coming from a beautiful few beach days at Finca Barlovento near Tayrona National Park.

There are lots of resellers hawking tours around Old Town/Getsemani, so you can definitely negotiate and wait to book this tour until you get to Cartagena so you know a bit more about what the weather will be like.

There are three main types of trips that you can book:

1. Chill option: Go to one island and hang out there for the whole day (trip is from 9am-4pm, 130-195,000 COP. We were able to negotiate 25-40k off when booking the night before.)
2. Cheapest option: do a scenic boat tour around the Rosario Islands and then go spend the afternoon at Isla Barú/Playa Blanca. Note that Playa Blanca is a Public Beach that gets pretty crowded (70,000 COP)
3. Active option: island hop between the biggest islands, visiting the Oceanario (aquarium), rent jet skis, etc. 

We chose to spend a blissful day at the beach. Turns out there are lots of options to do this: 24 different ones, in fact! Each island is a bit different. For example, one has a pool, some don't have sand beaches, some have kayaks that you can use for free for an hour, and some have party music that plays loudly (no thank you)...some resellers/hotels only have one or two options, so decide what's important to you and make sure that the island that you're going to meets your expectations!

We chose Isla Arena/Bendita Beach for 150,000 COP each (typically priced at 175,000 COP). You can pay a deposit to the reseller when you reserve your spots and the balance at the dock via credit card. There was no hotel on the island, which meant fewer facilities but we really enjoyed the pristine feeling of the island - just beautiful white sand, beach chairs, and a forest that you enjoy lunch in.

Extras include massages or snorkeling (50,000 COP). Beers were fairly reasonably prices (8000 COP). Bring your own towels, snacks, and water. All tours include lunch; most include a non-alcoholic welcome drink and a beverage at lunch. None of the tours included the marine tax, which you pay when you enter the dock (16,500 COP). You'll pay this tax to someone who is just standing on the sidewalk along with all the resellers and she doesn't quite look like she's legit, but she gives you a piece of paper that then allows you to pass through the turnstiles onto the dock, so I guess it's OK!

Logistics:
The boats to the Rosario Islands leave at 9am from the Muelle de la Bodeguita port, only a 10 minute walk away from our hotel in Getsemani. The tour company may tell you to be there at 8:20am...but boats do not start leaving until 9am (ours didn't until 9:20am), so there's no need to get there 40 minutes early. It's about an hour boat ride from Cartagena to the Rosario Islands. Lunch is at 1PM and the tour usually leaves 3-3:30 to go back to Cartagena.