Travel Guide to Playa Blanca & Isla Baru: Cartagena, Colombia’s Island Paradise

Isla Barú, located just off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, is the kind of tropical paradise that most visitors to Cartagena envision when they book their tickets. Palm trees, bright blue Caribbean sea, sandy beaches, fresh seafood and fruit juice… heaven, basically. But you won’t find that beachy paradise within Cartagena, a bustling city that is better known for its spectacularly colorful streets, flower-laden balconies, and delicious food than its beaches.

Many visitors choose to leave Cartagena to visit some of the nearby beaches on the Caribbean coast, such as Santa Marta or Parque Tayrona. But not everyone has the time to hop on a 5-hour bus to access those beaches. Luckily, there is Isla Barú, a small island floating in the Caribbean located under an hour away from Cartagena by ferry or taxi. You can visit Isla Barú for the day, sunning on the shores of stunning Playa Blanca, or you can choose to stay overnight, which is what we did. Read on for more tips about visiting Isla Baru and Playa Blanca, and our pick for the best Isla Barú hotel, written by Lia Garcia.

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Medya Mansyone soti nan Pratik Wanderlust
Pratik Wanderlust

Hey la! Nou se Lia - Jeremy. Nou te kreye Pratik Wanderlust nan 2016, jis anvan voye tout bagay nou yo nan depo ak anbake sou yon myèl long. Siwo myèl la te bèl anpil yon dezas, men nou te gen yon gwo tan de tout fason.

Sou blog nou an ou pral jwenn pratik, desann-a-latè, konsèy bidjè-zanmitay vwayaj ki pral ede w evite fè tout erè terib nou yo, erè terib. Nou renmen vwayaje-bat-bat-a-vwayaje ak dekouvri sa ki fè yon plas inik (ak yon ti kras etranj). Objektif nou se enfòme ou - fè ou ri (de preferans an menm tan an). Nou vle montre ke vwayaj sa a pa bezwen pafè - pafwa li nan yon dezas konplè, e sa a OK tou!

Medya Mansyone

Sawyer’s picaridin lotion lasts a long time, stores well in survival kits and cars, and doesn’t have the laundry-list poison control label like DEET sprays.

Sean Gold
Founder & Lead Writer

Medya Mansyone

Secure a small loop of cord to a trekking pole to create a convenient place to hang a water bladder and filter water.

Nathan Pipenberg
Ekriven

Medya Mansyone

It contains 20 percent picaridin, a powerful insect repellent that will make nights around the campfire much more enjoyable.

Liz Provencher
Freelane Writer