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| SPOTLIGHT | | Sandy
beach, is great for diving, swimming, sailing, snorkeling, and windsurfing. |
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Highlights
Enjoy the Sun, the Air, and
the Open Sea as you cruise to a most beautiful place. The Rosario's- lots of things
to see, and do. Where romance and fun awaits.
A one hour boat ride through
the Bay of Cartagena, will bring you to Paradise, as you glide through the clear
turquoise waters and past golden beaches... It's spectacular!
The Rosario
Islands Natural Park offers private facilities where all can enjoy the natural
beauty and nature. We highly recommend at least one nights stay on the Islands.
Day trips fun, but you will miss out on the sunsets, and the "big sky"nights with
star filled skys that are special over the islands. You can select from some of
the great islands hotels right here on this web site.
What To Do in
the islands: There is an impressive open water aquarium, where you'll enjoy
a dolphin show, sharks, giant turtles, and all kinds of tropical reef fauna. The
islands are coral formations which have grown in size over hundreds of years,
so just about anywhere you will find good Snorkling and Scuba Diving. Also,
the Rosario's still waters make it attractive for water sking, canoing,
swimming and wind surfing. Inquire at your hotel and they will provide you with
the equipment, Guides or Certified Instructors needed for your water activities.
While Cartgena's city beaches can't compete with tropical destinations
as found on Cuba, Mexico, Aruba or Belize, some nearby destinations indeed
can beat them. Rosario Islands, Playa Blanca and Baru are just a few minutes by
speedboat away. But hard to reach. This article will give you an idea on how to
get there.
The most comfortable way to visit Rosario Islands is to book
an "all included" tour, no matter if you wan't to do a daytrip or if you want
to stay overnight on Islas Rosarios. These trips you can easily book in your hotel,
a travel agency or at the Tourist Marina Muelle de los Pegasos. (NEVER buy tickets
on the street!).
Daytrips are offered by many different operators. The
average price is USD 20.00, inlcuding food but excluding port taxes. They all
leave between 8am and 9am in the morning. There is no real need to book in advance.
The common tour goes fist to Rosario Islands where you can optionally
visit the Aquarium. A second stop will be made on one of the private resorts on
the Rosario Islands before you go ahead to Playa Blanca. After spending
about 2 hours on this paradise-like beach boats head back to Cartagena at around
4 pm.
The main difference on these tours is the kind of boat you travel
with: Most agencies run speedboats for 30 to 50 passengers. If you prefer a slower
but more comfortable trip you might choose the ferry Alcatraz.
To
stay overnight you have to plan different: There is no way to go to the Islands
and just look for a hotel! Book your stay from Cartagena. Individual trips to
the Islands are nearly impossible unless you charter a boat. The hotels on Isla
Rosario are not cheap but prices include full transport and complete food. Some
resorts are Isla Pirata, Isla Naranja, Hotel Kokomo o Coco Liso. Many of the bigger
Cartagena Hotels run their own resort on Islas Rosarios. Don't expect to find
complete information on the web: Check with a local travel agency or your Hotel
in Cartagena!
Backpackers favourite destination is Playa Blanca:
Much cheaper but harder to get there. Though Playa Blanca is located on Baru Penisular
you shouldn't try to go by bus. Road conditions are terrible: You will spend half
a day in run down bus before you have to walk some hours. The easier way is to
take a local speedboat at the back side of Mercado Bazurto. This boat leaves daily,
some hour between 8am and 11am in the morning. Expect to be seated between chicken,
dead fish and dirty old men.
Be warned: Mercado Bazurto area is
no place for tourists and the boats are not considered to be safe. The good news
is the price: About USD 7,00 one way. Trip takes -when the boat finally leaves-
about 40 minutes. Be aware that this is a one-way: Your return will have to be
negociated in Playa Blanca. In the worst case you will have to stay en extra night.
The touristic infrastructure of Playa Blanca you can't compare to Islas
Rosarios. You can rent a hammock or a cabin from a fisherman. Don't expect
any facilities. If you don't bother Play Blanca is definitely worth it! After
4pm -when the daytrips return to Cartagena- one of the most beautiful beaches
of the Carribean is yours.
One hour's boat ride through the Bay of Cartagena
will bring you to the Rosario Islands National Park. The waters around
the islands make for an impressive open water aquarium, where you can see dolphins,
sharks, giant turtles, and all kinds of tropical reef fauna. The islands are coral
formations which have grown in size over hundreds of years, so just about anywhere
you will find good snorkling and scuba diving amongst other watersports. |
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Top Beaches |  |
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Carmel Beach | | Carmel Beach, for one,
is a tranquil cove of blue water bordered by soft white sand and cypress-covered
cliffs (the tides are deceptively strong and dangerous, so be careful if you chance
a swim). | | |
| Hermosa
Beach | | Have fun with volleyball, paddleball
or beach ball, while creating a golden tan or toning up. Surfboarding, skateboarding
or boogey boarding are all here. | | |
| Long
Beach | | As you drive along the coast
of Long Beach, don't be fooled by the sight of the bright pastel islands just
off shore; far from natural, they're actually oil-drilling platforms in disguise. |
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| Surfrider
Beach | | Surfrider Beach here was the
surfing capital of the world in the 1950s and early 1960s, as seen in the Beach
Blanket Bingo movies of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon (the surf is at its
best in late summer). | | |
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Malibu | | Malibu, at the top of the bay
twenty miles north of Santa Monica, is a whole other world, its beach-colony houses
owned by those famous enough to need privacy and rich enough to afford it. |
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Zuma Beach | | Five miles along the coast
from Malibu Pier, Zuma Beach is the largest and most crowded of the Los Angeles
County beaches. | | |
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Point Dume State Beach | | Adjacent Point
Dume State Beach, below the imposing promontory of Point Dume, is a lot more relaxed. |
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| Pismo
Beach | | Just outside San Luis Obispo,
on Pismo's 23-mile stretch of prime beachfront, flip-flops are the shoes of choice
and surf wear is the dominant fashion. It's all about beach life here, so bring
your bathing suit, your board, and a good book. | |
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Ocean Beach | | Ocean Beach, six miles
northwest of downtown, rivals Pacific Beach in its surfing and party atmosphere,
although Ocean Beach has a more down-to-earth, bohemian feel, and is replete with
excellent secondhand music shops. | | |
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La Jolla | | A more pretentious air prevails
in La Jolla, an elegant beach community just to the north that mystery writer
Raymond Chandler once described as "a nice place - for old people and their
parents." | | | |
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