Cartagena boat rental: the bill of a private day

Cartagena boat rental, in Cartagena, Colombia, means a boat with its own captain for your group only, often from 9:00 until the afternoon. Take a seat on a shared boat if you are one or two, or a small group happy with a fixed route and lunch included. Hire the whole boat if you are a group, travel with children or older people, or want your own stops and hours. Before you pay, get in writing who pays the per-person fees, the park’s insurance, fuel and lunch: they are often not in the boat’s price.

1. The bay and Tierra Bomba

Two to three hours inside the bay, past the old-town waterfront, Manga and Castillogrande, sometimes across to Tierra Bomba. Two of the private offers are this short bay trip, and a tuk-tuk city tour adds two hours on a catamaran in the bay; one full-day boat lets the group choose its route along the coast of Cartagena. The route stays inside the bay, away from the open sea. For the bay at sunset on a shared boat, see sunset boats from the old town.

2. Barú, Playa Blanca and Cholón

Out through the Bocachica channel between the forts, then south along Barú to Playa Blanca and the Cholón lagoon. One private speedboat gives the crossing of the bay as about 25 minutes. Cholón is a stop on several private days and the whole point of the party boats. From the water, Playa Blanca is a beach the boats anchor off (Playa Blanca on the clock).

3. The Rosario Islands

The longest day: past Barú to Isla Grande and the small islands, with a snorkeling stop and lunch. One route as listed: past the Bocachica fort, Bird Island, snorkeling near Isla Grande, lunch at a beach club on Isla Grande. Each island and its boat minutes: the Rosario chart.

Where the park begins. The Rosario and San Bernardo islands and the sea around them form a national park, PNN Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo. At Playa Blanca on Barú, Parques Nacionales draws the park’s limit along the line of the highest tides (Resolución 0255 de 2017): the dry sand is outside the park, the water in front of it inside. Since 1 March 2026, everyone entering the park must carry its accident and assistance insurance; in June 2026 Parques Nacionales called Playa Blanca the park’s main point of entry, where its staff checked that insurance with Cartagena’s tourism office and the police (Parques Nacionales). The park’s 2026 fee resolution lists no charge for arriving by road. At the Cholón lagoon the shore falls under two authorities: CARDIQUE, the regional environmental agency, and the national park (Parques Nacionales, 2022). Jet skis and other motor water sports are prohibited in the Rosario Islands archipelago, including Playa Blanca and Cholón (DIMAR, February 2023).

For your bill: routes 2 and 3 sail in park water, and Parques Nacionales charges its fee to everyone entering the park by boat, so plan on the park fee and the park’s insurance for everyone aboard, and have the operator confirm it. Boats to the Rosario Islands need two engines; a boat with one engine may run only to Tierra Bomba (DIMAR, 2018).

What the park authority, CDC and Migración Colombia each say about the vaccine for an island day: yellow fever and the islands.

The private boats sold for Cartagena on GetYourGuide and Viator, with what each listing states. Read the last line of each first: what is not included.

Full days to the islands

1. Private Speedboat to the Rosario Islands and Barú

   Motorboat for up to 6 people · from the Cartagena Yacht Club in Manga

   Included: fuel, a container with ice, snorkel gear, a captain and an assistant. Not included: beverages, meals and entrance fees for attractions. No towels on board.

2. Private Boat Rental To The Rosario Islands

   For up to 10 people · departure suggested at 9:00

   Included: snorkel gear, water, ice, insurance, fuel, a bilingual host and the captain. Not included: food and drinks, unless ordered; lunch at the beach club is paid. It names insurance; ask whether that is the park’s accident insurance.

3. Private Boat Tour Full day trip to Rosario Islands, Cholon, Baru

   Arrecife Boat Rentals · Club Náutico, Manga, at 9:00

   Included: a certified driver and assistant, a cooler with ice, a Bluetooth speaker, snorkel gear, life jackets and departure from a private marina. Not included: food, drinks and lunch, and the park fee, given as 13,000 COP per person.

4. Luxury Private Boat Island Hopping to the Rosario Islands, Baru

   Same operator and marina, 9:00

   Included: a certified driver and assistant, a cooler with ice, a Bluetooth speaker, life jackets and snorkel gear. Not included: food, drinks and lunch, and the park fee, given as 13,000 COP per person.

5. Private Full-Day Luxury Boat Rental Rosario Islands

   Sea La Vie · Club Náutico, Manga; ends at the Sibarita del Mar pier

   Included: bottled water, a restroom on board, all fees and taxes, snorkel gear, a sound system and life jackets. Not included: lunch and alcoholic drinks. Its own note: not available on Red Flag days.

6. Cartagena: Private boat + Private island + Cholon + Snorkeling

   Cartagena For Travelers · the operator arranges the pickup

   Included: all fees and taxes, a booking at the Rosario de Mar beach club, snorkel gear, a bag of ice and a bilingual guide. Not included: lunch, drinks and tips.

7. VIP Experience on the Rosario Islands

   Private group · six to eight hours

   Included: all taxes, the sea transfer both ways, a pilot and co-pilot, a guide, beach club and private island admission, a Caribbean lunch and life jackets. Not suitable, as listed, for pregnant travelers or people with back, mobility or heart problems.

8. Cartagena Col. Boat Rental to Rosario Islands and Cholon Baru

   Jet Speed Marine · Muelle de los Pegasos, 9:00

   Included: snorkel gear (four sets, as listed), bottled water, ice, a Bluetooth speaker, a captain and a mate. Not included: alcohol and lunch.

9. Private 70ft Azimut Yacht Day Tour and Sunset Cruise in Cartagena

   Sailing Land · 70 ft Azimut yacht with crew · Club Náutico, Manga

   Included: the crew, ice and basic amenities. Sold as add-ons: food, drinks, a jet ski, a chef, catering and a kayak. A jet ski cannot go everywhere: DIMAR prohibits motor water sports in the Rosario Islands archipelago, Playa Blanca and Cholón included. Ask where it may be used.

A day along the coast, route chosen by you

10. Boat Rental in Cartagena de Indias

    Private Tours SAS · sports boat · Muelle de los Pegasos, 9:00

    Included: floats, gasoline, a captain and helper, a guide, ice and bottled water. Not included: lunch; the optional restaurant stop is not arranged by the operator.

Two or three hours in the bay

11. Exotic Yacht, a tour through the bay of Cartagena

    Tu Parche · private group, three hours

    Included: two hours on the Bay of Las Ánimas, music, table service, an air-conditioned cabin and a rooftop, soft drinks and two drinks with alcohol. Not included: food.

12. Bay Boating Experience with Host and Onboard Service

    Party Tours Ctg · two hours · Muelle de los Pegasos

    Included: a host to the boat, a sports yacht around the bay, a guide, a bartender with an open bar, music and a club admission ticket. Not suitable, as listed, for people over 70.

13. Private City Tour by Tuk-Tuk + Catamaran in Cartagena Bay

    Tuk Cars Colombia · a city tour with a bay cruise · hotel or La Bodeguita pickup

    A tuk-tuk ride through Getsemaní and the old town, a fort visit, then a two-hour bay tour on a catamaran with a welcome cocktail. Not included: food and drinks, tips, the fort’s entry and the marina tax of 18,000 COP.

None of the private boats on GetYourGuide and Viator in November 2026 is a catamaran to the islands. The catamaran island day on sale is shared: the Rosario Islands Catamaran with Lunch and Snorkeling, 7.5 hours from Muelle de la Bodeguita. The ticket includes catamaran cruise, welcome drink, soft drinks, juices and water, a mid-morning snack, lunch, snorkel gear, the national park fee and the boarding fee. Alcoholic drinks and hotel pickup are extra, and extras on board are paid by card only. A private catamaran also appears in the tuk-tuk city tour above, for two hours in the bay.

The shared speedboats sail the same routes on a fixed plan. One of them is the 5-Stop Rosario Islands Day Tour with Lunch and Beach Club Passes; its party ticket stops at Barú, at Isla Grande for lunch and at Cholón. All four ways to the islands compared, with the dock routine: the four ways compared.

Cholón is a shallow lagoon on Barú, 32 km in a straight line from the Clock Tower. The party boats sell it as a day of music and drinks in the water, and it is often called the party island, though it is a lagoon. Parques Nacionales places the lagoon’s shore under two authorities, CARDIQUE and the national park (Resolución 070 de 2022, file 036-2019).

How it is sold. On a shared boat as a party day, or as one stop of a private day. The Cholon island party boat from Cartagena starts at 8:00 and includes bottled water, the dock tax, an animator, music, lunch and two national beers. The Full Day Guided Tour to Cholon Island is shared, for up to 100 travelers, with lunch and two national beers. The Urban Party Boat to Cholón: 5 Stops with Lunch and Drinks gives about 2 hours at the lagoon and 45 minutes back to the dock. On a private boat, Cholón is a stop you add or leave out.

Alcohol and boats. DIMAR reminds passengers that heavy drinking affects judgment and puts their safety at risk, and asks them not to swim around boats under way or at anchor (DIMAR, June 2024). It prohibits jet skis and towed rings in the archipelago, Playa Blanca and Cholón included (DIMAR, February 2023). Canada’s advice on choosing a boat: before you pay.

Colombia’s maritime authority, DIMAR, and two governments’ travel advice give visitors these points. Each is a check you can make at the boat.

1. The departure point. DIMAR names Muelle de la Bodeguita as the authorized point for passenger boats to the Rosario and San Bernardo islands (Capitanía circular, 2021); private outings may leave from marinas authorized by DIMAR. It advises booking boats only with legally established companies that leave from authorized docks, and wearing the life jacket aboard (DIMAR, June 2024). Ask which marina your boat sails from. Once a boat has left its authorized point, it may not take people aboard anywhere else.
2. The papers. Every boat must carry its current registration (matrícula) and insurance policy (póliza), and the captain’s or pilot’s navigation licence (DIMAR, 2018). You may ask to see them before you board.
3. The boat itself. Look for the boat’s name and number on the hull, and do not board a boat that is overloaded. On board there must be life rings, a radio and a first-aid kit, and a life jacket for everyone. Boats to the Rosario Islands need two engines.
4. The licence, in two governments’ advice. Canada (November 2026) notes accidents with unlicensed tour boats in Cartagena, San Andrés and Santa Marta, and advises choosing a reputable company that follows current safety rules and not boarding a vessel that looks overloaded or unseaworthy (Government of Canada). Australia (October 2026) advises caution with tourist boats on the northern Caribbean coast, particularly Cartagena, and travel only in licensed boats with life jackets and safety equipment (Smartraveller).
5. The price. Colombian consumer law says the displayed price must include all taxes and extra costs, and the consumer pays only that price (Ley 1480 de 2011, art. 26). Ask for the total in writing. Complaints go to the consumer authority: SIC complaint form.

These checks do not make a boat safe; they are the questions to ask before you board.

The ride home, on the open water along Barú and back through Bocachica, is where the month shows. The sea off Cartagena is typically roughest from December to March and calmest from May to November, with April and July in between. A private boat can leave earlier and turn back sooner: plan the return with the captain, not only the stops.

When the port closes the sea. On days with adverse sea conditions the port captain can close navigation to small boats altogether (DIMAR). It can also bring the return forward: on a yellow-flag day in February 2023 boats had to be back at the dock by 15:30 (DIMAR, February 2023). One private listing states that it is not available on Red Flag days. Ask before you pay what happens to your money if the port captain closes the sea on your day.