Barú works well as a day trip from Cartagena, provided you choose how you travel before you choose where you go. The island sits south of the city, and the way you get here decides most of what your day looks like: a tour bus to the busiest beach, your own car with stops along the road, or a boat across the bay to a quieter shore. We're on Cholón Bay, on the mangrove side of Barú, and we see day visitors arrive every way there is. Here is how each one works, and how we'd plan the day.
The three ways to do it
You have three realistic options, and they suit different days:
| How you travel | Time out of Cartagena | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Organised Playa Blanca tour | About 8 hours door to door | A first visit, with transport and the beach handled for you |
| Car or taxi on the Barú road | Your own schedule | Stopping at the National Aviary, then lunch |
| Boat across the bay to us | 30 minutes to an hour each way on our boat | A long lunch on the water, away from the crowds |
Option 1: an organised Playa Blanca tour
An organised tour is the simplest way to see Barú for the first time, and it's built around Playa Blanca. Most full-day tours run about eight hours. One published itinerary we checked collects guests at 7:30am and starts the return to Cartagena at 3:30pm, back at the drop-off point by 4:30pm. Several tours add a stop at the National Aviary on the way.
The trade-off is control. You arrive when the tour arrives, which means you arrive with everyone else. Playa Blanca is the island's busiest beach, and we've written an honest read on it separately. If a crowded beach is not the day you had in mind, one of the other two options will suit you better.
Option 2: by road, at your own pace
Driving gives you the most freedom, and it's the only way to string several stops together on your own timing. The road runs south out of Cartagena onto Barú. The National Aviary of Colombia sits at kilometre 14.5 of the road to Barú, and published accounts put the drive from the city at roughly 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic.
The aviary is the stop we'd make by road. Tours typically allow about two hours there, which is about right. Go in the morning, before the heat builds, and then come on to us for lunch: Ancalá Waterfront welcomes guests who arrive by car as well as by boat.
Option 3: by boat across the bay, to us
The boat is the way we'd recommend, because the crossing is part of the day rather than time lost to it. Our boat runs between Cartagena and Casas Altas in 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the water. It brings you straight to Cholón Bay, with the mangroves of Barú on one side and open water on the other.
One practical point: please reserve. Our boat has limited capacity, and if you turn up without a booking and the boat is full, it's a long wait for the next one. A short message ahead of time saves that.
Lunch at Ancalá Waterfront
Ancalá Waterfront is our restaurant on the water, and it's open to everyone, not only to guests staying with us. We serve from 11am to 4pm, and you're welcome whether you arrive by boat or by car. The kitchen is run by our Executive Chef, Pedro Mosqueda, and the menu is a premium BBQ, cooked over the grill.
To give you a sense of it, the grill section includes king prawns served whole in their own reduction with star anise, lemon and butter, and a whole catch of the day with a basil, cilantro and parsley herb butter. There's a seafood rice with king prawns and shrimp, and a mushroom rice cooked in white wine broth. For larger tables we suggest a shared selection, chosen by your server and served family style. The full, current menu is on our menu page.
If you don't eat meat, you'll still eat well here. A good number of our team have been vegetarian or vegan at some point, and dishes such as the charred leeks on romesco and the grilled pineapple with coconut ice cream are vegan. We're also used to cooking for guests who are lactose or gluten intolerant, so tell us when you book.
How we'd plan the day
If you're coming to us, this is the day we'd suggest:
- Morning: leave Cartagena mid-morning on our boat. The crossing takes 30 minutes to an hour.
- Late morning: arrive on Cholón Bay a little after 11am, when the restaurant opens. Take a drink on the water before you order.
- Lunch: eat slowly. The kitchen serves until 4pm, so there's no reason to rush.
- Afternoon: head back to the city in the afternoon light, in time to change for dinner in the walled city.
By car, swap the boat for the aviary in the morning, then drive on to us for lunch.
When a day isn't enough
A day trip shows you Barú; a night lets you see it at dawn, which is when the mangroves are at their best for kayaking and birdwatching. We have six rooms across three houses, designed by Gustavo Pinto and Simón Vélez and built in guadua bamboo. Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by 11am, so if you arrive for lunch and decide to stay, the timing works.