Colombia · 4 days · Easy
4-Day Cartagena and the Rosario Islands
Cartagena is a two to three day city and this gives it four, which is the version where you stop rushing. Built around the heat rather than against it: the walled city early and late, indoors through the middle of the day, and the islands on their own day.
Short answer
4-Day Cartagena and the Rosario Islands is a 4-day, 3-night Colombia itinerary starting in Cartagena and finishing in Cartagena, for private. It is quoted on request, because the price moves with dates, party size and hotel category. International flights are not included. Every day of it is published below, and we rebuild it around your dates at no extra cost.
Highlights
- The walled city on foot at seven in the morning, when it is empty and the light is low
- The Rosario Islands by private boat, leaving early rather than with everyone else
- Getsemaní in the evening — where the city actually eats
- The middle of the day planned indoors, which is the thing almost no itinerary does
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrive in Cartagena
Private transfer, and the evening free. After six the heat drops and the plazas fill.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Not included
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 2
The walled city
On foot from seven: the walls, the plazas, San Pedro Claver. The Palace of the Inquisition through the worst of the heat, and Getsemaní for dinner.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 3
The Rosario Islands
Out early by private boat — the difference between a good island day and a queue is the boat and the hour you leave on it. Back for a late dinner.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch
- You sleep at
- Cartagena
- Day 4
San Felipe, then home
The castle before the heat, and the airport after.
- Change of base
- None — you stay where you slept
- Meals
- Breakfast
- You sleep at
- — last day, you fly home
What is included
- Three nights in a named hotel inside the walls or in Getsemaní — named on the quote
- All private transfers and private ground transport
- Private English-speaking guiding in the walled city
- A full day on the Rosario Islands by private boat
What is not included
- International flights
- Rosario Islands national park entry fee
- Meals not listed
- Travel insurance
- Tips
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements. Full breakdown →
When to do this trip
December to April is the dry season and the expensive one. May and November are the value months: shoulder prices, few cruise ships, and rain that rarely costs a whole day.
Good to know before you book
- Group size
- Private
- Starts
- Cartagena
- Ends
- Cartagena
- Pace
- Easy
- Passport
- Valid at least six months beyond your arrival date. Entry requirements →
- Insurance
- Not included and not optional in our view. Medical evacuation from the islands or the rainforest is expensive.
- What moves the price
- Hotel category, private versus shared guiding, your dates, and party size — a solo traveller pays the room, not half of it. Tell us your party and dates and we will price it properly.
- If we have to change something
- Weather, park regulations and flight schedules occasionally force a swap. We tell you before you travel, not on the day, and we replace like with like.
Who this trip is not for
We would rather lose the booking than sell you the wrong week. These are the reasons people come back from this itinerary disappointed, and all of them are predictable before you pay.
Anyone expecting a beach resort
Cartagena is a city with islands an hour away. If the point is a beach and a lounger, Bocagrande or the islands themselves are a different booking.
If any of those describe you, tell us — there is almost always a version that fits, and it is usually not more expensive.
Questions about this itinerary
How long is the 4-Day Cartagena and the Rosario Islands?
4 days and 3 nights, starting in Cartagena and ending in Cartagena.
How difficult is it?
Easy. Group size: Private.
When is the best time to do this trip?
December to April is the dry season and the expensive one. May and November are the value months: shoulder prices, few cruise ships, and rain that rarely costs a whole day.
What extra costs should I budget for?
Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements.
If this one is not quite it
