Enjoy some fun in the sun during this full-day excursion from Cartagena to the lovely Playa Blanca beach on Baru Island. Journey outside of the city to reach this paradise of white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters, spending the day sunbathing, swimming, and relaxing amidst the magnificent tropical scenery. Enjoy an included lunch of Colombian specialties (if option selected), tropical fruit and water, a professional tour guide and transport via an air-conditioned coach.

Take a day trip from Cartagena to Baru Island
Spend the day swimming and soaking up the sun on Playa Blanca
Enjoy a delicious lunch of Colombian specialties (if option selected)
Round-trip transport from Cartagena hotels included

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
professional guide
cold water
Lunch

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Sunbathing bed
sun umbrella

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

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Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Please walk to the Pegazos monument, which is located in front of the Clock Tower, We also offer pick-up service upon request at the time of booking.

What To Expect

Playa Blanca

8 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infant meals not included
Bilingual guide (Spanish-English)
Not wheelchair accessible, due to the sand
Not wheelchair accessible

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Sas_P

Our tour guide Hassan (I think that is how it’s spelled) was awesome. Picked us up from our hotel, stopped in a supermarket for anything we forgot, and explained everything about our day. He was very helpful and made sure we were not taken advantage of by vendors. The day itself was relaxed, not too many panhandlers but maybe is the time of year we went (mid feb). The food served was delicious, the fish was fresh. We enjoyed our jet ski experience. Overall a good day, would definitely recommend and use again if we go back to Cartagena.

Reviews

4.5

155 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 155 reviews

Fun, but could be more relaxing

Dalton_H, Dec 2022

I wish I could remember the name of our tour guide, as she was very kind and helpful. She gave us some helpful tips and even helped us buy some towels! As for the trip itself, we enjoyed what we paid for but the experience was a bit of a mixed bag. The beach is beautiful, the included lunch was delicious, the optional bar did not disappoint, and we didn't even mind that the weather was a little cloudy. Do bear in mind that the ride can get bumpy and the short hike down to the beach is treacherous. We were able to relax and enjoy the beach somewhat, but the street vendors just never quit. We had already had some difficult experiences the day before with the street vendors in Cartagena, and it unfortunately carried on into this day. Trinkets, massages, and styrofoam box oysters are probably fine if you were planning on also purchasing those. However, we just wanted to be left in peace, and that wasn't an option. Even if you go into the ocean to swim, you'll have boats driving up asking if you want a ride! The tour and beach itself are great, but it gets tiresome to constantly have to say "No, gracias" if you're not also looking for extras.

Ok trip

Megan_S, Aug 2022

Beach is pretty, but several boats in the water just a few feet from shore. There was a film of oil/gas in the water. Also, the bus had barely any air conditioning. It was a very hot ride back in the middle of the afternoon.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

It´s nice to us know that you realy like the beach, unfortunately the problem with the boats gets out of our hands, however our autorities already knows that issue and they are working to solve it. Regarding the air conditioning of our bus, we're really sorry about it, we offer you a sincerly apologises and we commit to work for solve it. We hope that you can come back and we'll be very happy to attend you again and give you cortesy as an apology. Best Regards.

Great Guide

JOSE_H, July 2022

Our tour guide Walter was great! Very friendly, educated us on some of the history of Cartagena and surrounding areas, and made our family feel safe. Walter and his crew, Diego the driver, and Peter the assistant, were very trustworthy.

Muddy roads but a tranquil beach

Annquinetta_M, July 2022

We enjoyed the beach at Baru. We were concerned because your initial impression is that you will there mingling with hundreds of people during your stay. However we were transported by boat to a quiet location away from the crowds. The food was good & our guide was exceptionally nice & accommodating. The roads to the beach are filled with potholes & mud. This should be addressed. The locals are relentless & can be a nuisance.

Great Location

Jennifer_M, June 2022

The beach is very quiet and clean. This beach in Baru has sections that are very busy and loud. This is a nice refreshing quieter place. The service is really good from the hostess. She stayed with us all day. The ride there is a little long and roads are a little rough. But overall worth the journey to get there. I would highly recommend this company specifically bc of the good location. The beach chairs for rent are reasonable and totally worth the small extra fee.

Book this excursion!

Joanne_S, June 2022

We pretty much had private service. We were the only ones that booked the trip and the level of service was just amazing. Hilary talked a bit about Cartagena and history and was just so responsive to all of our questions and requests. The service was above and beyond. The beach is also really nice. There was a comment about the garbage on the walk to the beach. This person clearly has not been anywhere, but all inclusives. Sure, there was some litter, but Colombia is not a wealthy country. There was some litter, but nothing overly bad. Manage your expectation. When you first walk to the beach, the crowds can overwhelm you (we went on a Sunday), but Hilary took us to their spot, which was more quiet and peaceful. The staff brought us drinks when requested and the food was delicious! Very simple, but delicious

Bad vibes, bad prices, disappointing

Marta_K, May 2022

Disappointing tour for us- we were the only non-Spanish speaking people in the group which made it difficult for us to feel included and receive the same amount of information passing through the towns from the guide, we were also worried to leave our bags at the location at Playa Blanca to go and explore as the tour guide wasn't very attentive. Plus her english was very bad and she wasnt putting almost zero effort in everything. The bar at our location told by our tour guide was overpriced, drinks from there were very expensive- when we enquired about the prices of drinks, we were very shocked. The prices of lunch were as well overpiriced. Offered dish costed 50.000 pesos so we decided to walk around for food ourselves and compare prices. It came out we did found the same dish which was offered by our tour guide in our location two restaurants away with 50% lower price!!! So at the end we did pay for same dish only 25.000 pesos!!!! It was shocking. Other than that plenty of annoying vendors trying to sell you all they can, it totally felt as they were crossing boundaries with their behavior and our tour guide never even said anything to them to leave us alone. Playa Blanca itself was quite dirty with lots of rubbish in the water. The jetskis also fly past people in the shallows very quickly which is extremely dangerous, especially if someone is submerged in the water and can't be seen. We didnt relax at all at this beach. Place is spreading bad vibes, is too commercial, busy, dirty and people around are only focus on your money, never leaving you alone. We regret choosing this trip and will never return.

Best Beach to visit

Irene_k, May 2022

The most Wonderful Beautiful Beach. The water was amazing. Alot of traders forcing you to buy. You have to firmly say No bcoz they keep pushing. Point to Note- The Tour only providing transportation To and from the Beach. Nothing else . Choose wisely or just get transport on your own. when you go to the city center .

Beautiful Beach

Clara_P, Mar 2022

Really enjoyed the blue waters and lunch was delicious. I will advise on the vendors which can be annoying at times. Be aware of the massage ladies which will be very friendly and offer a sample foot massage and then ask to be paid over $100. US $$ Other than that enjoy the beach

The guide was very polite...

shass19, Feb 2022

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

Nice day

Steve_M, Feb 2022

Beautiful white sand and blue waters, the place itself is beautiful, however it’s not out of this world, been too many other beaches better than this. Be prepared to get pestered and bombarded by locals trying to sell you things , we just ignored them. The tour leader was nice.

Simple beach day trip

Chris_M, Feb 2022

This tour was a great little trip from Cartagena. Once at the beach, you have access to your own lounge chairs right on the beach and the small group (8 total) had its own section of the beach. The trip is no frills. The bus ride does take awhile and the beach is fairly busy with people and boats, but if you want a simple day trip with access to the beach with no frills, then this is the tour for you.

Great experience

Shante_J, Feb 2022

Jesus our tour operator and his driver we’re both amazing! Not only did we have a good time, we also had a personal photographer added😁.. the beach was absolutely beautiful and the lunch served was great. All in all a great day and a wonderful experience.

Pretty Good Value, for a Great day at the Beach

Mark_G, Jan 2022

Was picked up at our Airbnb apartment on time... the driver and tour guide were very nice. The tour guide spoke English so that helped me a lot because my Spanish is still pretty bad. On that day only one other person was picked up at another hotel on the wat so was only a total of 3 guests on the bus. The drive from Cartagena to the beach was close to one hour, and was nice to see some of the local countryside along the way. . The 3rd guest was dropped off on the way to another location, so was just me and my wife left. The last few kilometers to the beech was on some pretty rough road and the driver had to slow down to near walking speed.. the ruts made it a bit uncomfortable during that part of the trip. After we got out of the bus we had to walk to the beach and one stretch of the entrance onto the beach was down a pretty sketchy and rocky hill so I recommend wearing sturdy shoes.. Flip-flops may not so be a good idea on this part of the road. I would not recommend anyone who needs help walking trying that rocky hill. Once you hit the beach however you forget all of that as the beech is quite awesome. Very nice sand and clear waters. We arrived early about 9:30am so was not busy with people. The tour guide took us about a 10 minute walk along the beach to "our spot" were we could rent a Umbrella and lounge chairs to relax. Our package included lunch but they also provided and early snack of fresh fruit as soon as we arrived to out spot about 9:45am. A nice touch. Later we order a few beers through the day and then they served lunch right to our spot. We had the fish and it was quite good. Our guide came and got us at 2:00pm to begin our trek back home. By that time of the day the beach was getting really crowded with people and other boat tours arriving.. so it was a good time to leave. Overall is a very good value for what you get. I would do this tour again no problem next time for sure. Enjoy

Paradise dream

Ricardo_F, Dec 2021

Beautiful beach. Our guide Natalia was great and the service including the food was marvelous. I will recommend the tour to anybody

Booked this trip at the...

Gary_D, Dec 2021

Booked this trip at the last minute. The beach and water are beautiful and the lunch option (we chose fish) was outstanding. The drinks on the beach were just okay. Our driver Jeido was fantastic.

Exactly what we need, nice tour guide

Xiaofan_C, Nov 2021

The tour is basic and that's exactly what we needed. We didn't feel like island hopping and I'm glad that we didn't. The tour guide called me the night before mentioned they changed departure time from 7:30 am to 7:00 am, I was a bit surprised. But I am very happy that we did, we got there early, and feel like we have the place to ourselves. In addition, they also took us to a little bit quite part of the beach and we love it. There are a lot of sales and vendors that will approach you. Bit they're all super friendly and just want to make a living. Treat them nice and they will walk away if you don't want to buy anything.

Paradise

Justin_N, Oct 2021

The most reflective & revealing highlights of my trip to Cartagena. I will definitely be back again in the future!

A-1

Troy_M, Sept 2021

Great experience. The beach was beautiful. Plenty of activities to do with reasonable prices. My tour guide was extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

Had a wonderful day meet sum great people

Ria_C, July 2021

The tour guid English was so excellent,meet some great people day well spend food was excellent. You get to meet the locals were everyone is trying to make a $ selling everything under the sun one advise barging barging before u buy anything

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