The 15 Best Playa Blanca Beach Trips from Cartagena

1.Full-Day Rosario Islands Including Barú, Bocachica & Playa Blanca

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,729 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $88Our pick

Spend about eight hours on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, visiting San Fernando fort, Isla Grande, Cholón, Playa Blanca, and Anaho Beach Club. Expect snorkeling, local food, rum shots, music, and a fast boat ride. Guides may include Franklin, Milton, Angel, Cesar, Mike, or Nicher.

“Our experience with The Backpackers staff was great. Our guide Nicher was beyond welcoming and attentive. We had a blast!”

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2.Baru and Playa Blanca Full Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 371 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $39

Spend about seven hours at Playa Blanca after a minivan ride from Cartagena. Guide José, Milton, Franklin, and others have earned praise for good care and clear advice. Expect white sand, clear water, lunch, a sun chair, rustic facilities, vendors, and a busy public beach.

“Doesn’t look like pictures. Too many flies. Water was nasty. Bathrooms👎, had to use water bucket to flush toilet. Cristian the tour guide and his driver were great. Alfonso was also great, made sure everyone was taking cared of. ( drinks & food) Aggressive women trying to give massages and do more than they say to charge you more.”

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3.Playa Blanca in Baru Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 208 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $75

Spend about eight hours traveling from Cartagena to Playa Blanca on Barú Island. A bilingual guide such as Karina, Michael, or Natalia leads the day, with beach chairs, an umbrella, cold water, and optional Colombian lunch. Expect clear water, a rough final road, vendors, and possibly a short boat ride.

“The guide was very polite and friendly, the beach was extremely gorgeous. I paid 79$dollar no meal included plus I had to pay an extra 6000$pesos to go on the island plus 6000$pesos to come back. I was not happy, extremely overpriced for what you get. Wouldn't do it again”

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4.Snorkel, Mangroves and Playa Blanca Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 132 reviews

Spend eight hours traveling from Cartagena to Barú for a boat trip, snorkeling, mangrove wildlife, a Caribbean lunch, and beach time at Playa Blanca. The tour runs in Spanish, with guides such as Wilber, Ruben, Diana, and Daker often praised for attentive service. Bring sunscreen, ID, and comfortable clothes.

“We had a very relaxing and enjoyable time. Alex was a great tour guide with much interesting information. The food was fresh & delicious & the people on the island were as humble and friendly as can be. Although we wish we could have seen more corals and fishes, we had a great time!”

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5.Isla Baru Beach Club at Playa Blanca

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 124 reviews · 8 hours · from $40

Spend eight hours at Mambo Beach Club on Playa Blanca, Barú, after a guided drive through Cartagena. Your $40 includes air-conditioned transport, a welcome drink, a 30,000-peso lunch voucher, and beach facilities. Guides such as Alex, Angel, Nicho, and Juancho have earned warm praise.

“This was my absolute favorite tour of my weekend! My tour guide Angel was exactly that. He made sure we were fully informed of how long the drive would be the history of the areas we were passing though and what to expect when we got to the beach club. The club is almost exactly what it looks like in the photos! The food was good and the music was great! Loved the drinks as well. Communication was great for pick up and drop off! I will do this exact tour all over again when I return to Cartagena”

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6.Barù Island Playa Blanca with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 89 reviews · 7 hours · from $26Best value

Travel from Cartagena to Barú Island by air-conditioned vehicle, then walk down rustic stone steps to Playa Blanca. You get several hours for swimming, sun, and lunch of fresh fish with coconut rice. A bilingual guide assists throughout, but chairs, tents, drinks, and snorkeling cost extra.

“El transporte se demoró, llegamos pasadas las 10 a la playa y el tiempo de estadía en la playa se redujo. La salida sí fue puntual”

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7.Full day At Beach Club in Playa Blanca Baru cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 67 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $40

Spend about eight hours at Beach Club Mambo beside Playa Blanca, reached by air-conditioned vehicle from Cartagena. The trip includes a welcome drink, bilingual coordinator, insurance, club facilities, and a 30,000 COP lunch voucher. Guide Miguel has led some departures.

“My family and I really enjoyed the water, however, please be aware that people selling items on the beach can be very persistent if you entertain them. The food was okay, nothing to really rave about. The walk heading down to the beach can be a bit much for those who have issues going up and down steps and the ride to and from the beach is about 1hr30min more or less depending on traffic. I suggest planning accordingly if you plan on doing something afterwards.”

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8.Playa Blanca Barú: VIP Access to Mambo Beach Club

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 61 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $39

Spend about nine hours traveling from Cartagena to Playa Blanca on Barú, with air-conditioned transport, a welcome drink, snacks, lunch credit, a sun chair, lockers, and access to Mambo Beach Club. Expect clear water, loud music, local vendors, and a lively beach-club setting.

“This is by far the worst tour that I’ve ever been on. Where do I begin? First, The tour included hotel pick up and they were trying to make go to a meet up location. I had to call to clarify this and they ended up sending someone to pick us up. Then, we went to pick up other guests which they couldn’t find and kept riding from one hotel to another for about an hour. When the tour guide gets in the van, he barely spoke and the other party had to ask him details of the itinerary. When we there I had to ask the tour guide about…”

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9.National Aviary & Mambo Beach Club Baru – Playa Blanca

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 55 reviews · 8 hours (approx.)

Pair a morning visit to Colombia’s National Aviary with an afternoon at Mambo Beach Club on Playa Blanca. You’ll ride from Cartagena in an air-conditioned van, walk the aviary trails, watch a bird show, eat lunch, and relax by the sea. Guides have included Jose, Sergio, Alex, and Juancho.

“The aviary is an excellent addition to a late morning at the beach. Would definitely recommend the 6am pick up, the aviary was empty and it was great to see the birds in a quieter environment. The beach is beautiful, food was decent. Overall, a great day trip to unwind.”

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10.Playa Blanca Full-Day Trip from Cartagena

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 48 reviews · from $63

Leave Cartagena in the morning for a panoramic drive through Manga, Bosque, and Mamonal, then cross to Barú for Playa Blanca. You get air-conditioned transport, a bilingual Spanish-English guide, lunch, fruit, and water. Expect beautiful water, busy beach areas, vendors, and a sandy walk.

“The staff was on time for pick up, very informative and polite. The provided cooked lunch was prepared well and was delicious. It's definitely worth the money.”

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11.Full day at Isla baru playa blanca in Mambo Beach club

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 26 reviews · 8 hours · from $30

Spend about eight hours at Mambo Beach Club on Playa Blanca, Baru, with air-conditioned transport, a bilingual guide, accident insurance, and a COP 30,000 lunch credit. Expect a beautiful beach, paid upgrades for Balinese beds, tropical drinks, and an optional plankton add-on.

“Transporte ok para o lugar onde é. Comida do beach club muito boa. Atendimento muito bom. Praia lindíssima. Única coisa que poderia estar incluso pelo valor que é, são os pratos de comida e o local de fora mais cadeiras e cama para uso de quem compra o passeio.”

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12.Scuba Diving Day Trip at Playa Blanca with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 22 reviews · from $120

Travel by air-conditioned bus from Cartagena to Barú, take a boat to the reef, and spend about an hour underwater with an instructor. Lunch, photos, lemonade, equipment, and beach time are included. English and Spanish support is offered, but confirm your language before booking.

“I asked for a guide in English, but had someone who only spoke Spanish. What was good was that the bus came to the hotel. An hour late, without letting me know or responding to a message. Furthermore, I got the entire explanation in Spanish. The guide did not know that I was registered for scuba diving. I had to find out for myself. Diving was very good, only the description said one hour of diving and this was only 20 minutes. Even after that I had to figure out where I had to go myself, the guide, Mary, was nowhere to be seen and did not respond to whatsapp…”

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13.Rosario Islands, Playa Blanca, Baru

★★★★★★★★★★3.1 · 20 reviews · 8 hours · from $36

You’ll ride an air-conditioned bus from Cartagena to Barú, then take a panoramic boat through the Rosario Islands. The day includes an oceanarium stop, three lunch choices, and up to four hours at Playa Blanca. Guides speak English and Spanish, though guide Karen has been noted for speaking quickly.

“Une horreur, à fuir!! On paye pour ne faire que du bus, puis une heure de bateau pour nous demander d’attendre sur un banc à l’île rosaire ( on n’a pas le droit de se baigner) pendant plus d’une heure si on ne paye pas 15€ en plus pour d’autres activités, puis retour à Barú où nous n’avons même pas le temps de profiter de la plage qu’on doit déjà rentrer! Publicité mensongère, attrape touriste et ARNAQUE”

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14.National Aviary and Playa Blanca Plankton Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 17 reviews · 15 hours · from $83

From Cartagena, visit Colombia’s National Aviary, relax at Mambo Beach Club on Barú, then take a boat to see glowing plankton after sunset. A bilingual coordinator handles the day, but long waits, crowded boats, and limited English support later on are worth noting.

“This was such a terrible experience. At the beginning thy seemed very organized when they picked us up and took us to the aviary, then they just dropped us off with a “guide” who just left us and picked us up at 12. Then they took us to this semiprivate beach place called Mambo with mid food, extremely loud, they just left us, and went home I guess, and asked the restaurant waiters to take us to the new tour operator “AfroCorales” to give us the plankton tour, they sold us a photo package for 60k COP, and promised to send pics that so far have not shown up. Lastly,…”

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15.Playa Blanca BARU by speedboat with lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.4 · 10 reviews · 6 hours · from $47

Take a speedboat from Cartagena’s Bodeguita pier to Playa Blanca on Barú Island. You’ll see the Bocachica castles from the water, spend time on a white coral beach, eat a typical Caribbean lunch, and travel with Spanish or English assistance. Hotel pickup costs extra.

“La organización para la salida fue caótica en el puerto de Cartagena. Muchas personas, poco sitio para esperar, y mucho calor. La playa bien, y el color del agua lo mejor.”

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