Tour of the Rosario Islands, Cartagena

I had a ball! 🙌🏾 Cholón was NOT fun. We had people coming up to us nonstop getting us to buy something, but everything else was great. Our guide was wonderful, we took hella shots, they played good music, and we all felt safe! I met some of the best people in the world on this tour too!

Day on the islands very nice, we snorkeled, then headed to the islands. Very well organized for meals. Our guide José at the top. I recommend.

Had a wonderful time with Mike the group. Check the weather forecast before you confirm your booking as it was very rough for us and we where not able to go snorkeling because of the weather. We still had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful beaches.

We had a great time! Frankie was an amazing host and made sure that everyone was well accommodated on the sports boat. He allows us to request music and offered shots (I think it was rum, but could be wrong). I was celebrating my birthday and he made sure that I received a special birthday cocktail while on one of the islands as well as had the staff sing happy birthday! That was an awesome surprise! Here is what our experience was like - the time to meet stated 7:45AM but we did not leave the port until 9:00. The hour wait was mainly used to get passengers registered and to take lunch orders. It was not chaotic as there seem to be few tours leaving from our port location. The boat appeared to accommodate about 30-35 passengers. We seemed to be at capacity but life jackets were offered. The boat type is like a speed boat but the ride going to the islands was smooth (it was like a theme park ride on the way back lol). The first stop we visited was a historic site. I'd suggest bringing pesos for tipping the tour guide at the end as they do ask (but it's voluntary). After leaving the historic site we spent time snorkeling. Be mindful that this is not an island stop, but is one of the included 5 stops. I think the time allowed snorkeling was about 30-40 mins. We did see small fishes and someone spotted a jellyfish. Snorkeling equipment was provided (but no fins). The second island (3rd stop) we visited was quiet and offered a bar to purchase drinks and food. We were the only group there and there seem to be enough tables but not too many lounge chairs. This island was mainly for relaxing. Other than the bar and a massage therapist, I don't think there were any street vendors!! When we got to Cholon, the 'party island' passengers were given the option to get off of the boat. Most of the passengers on our tour elected to stay on and I think that may have lessen our time there. Personally, I enjoyed the experience although there are vendors everywhere. The oysters were delicious (salty/briny) and the DJ played good music for the most part. It was busy when we arrived (and it was a Weds afternoon). Great spot to drink and socialize with a group of friends willing to take in the experience. I just wish we could have stayed 20 mins longer. The last stop was Playa Blanca where we had lunch. For timing reference, we arrived there around 3:00PM or shortly after. I believe we were running far behind at that point as we were told in the beginning that we would be returning at about 3:00. By the time my group received our food and ate, we had very little time to enjoy the beach before it was time to leave. There didn't seem to be a lot of lounge chairs as they were owned by particular restaurants on the beach. The food was good. I had the fish that was included within the provided allowance. One thing to note (and they are clear about this in the beginning when taking your lunch order), you'll have a 30k pesos allowance for food but anything on the menu that exceeds that price, you will pay the difference once at the lunch restaurant. As noted before, the ride back on the sports boat was like a water rollercoaster. The captain was driving full speed back to the port. It made for a fun ride if you like a little thrill but probably not so much if you have back issues. We arrived back at the port around 5:15PM. Overall, we had a fun and full day doing the Rosario Islands tour. I would definitely recommend doing this tour with this tour company. I'm sure the time spent in each place could vary with each group but the tour did meet the expectations that is listed on the site!

Tour operators were very disorganized and late. Boat was small for the number of people in the tour and safety vests were broken. The crew was pleasant and did what they could to make people happy. The beach in Cholon was horrible.

They comply with everything offered, it was a nice experience to know islands of the rosary we always received the recommendations from the guide and was very vigilant of the group. Thanks for everything!

The tour was a good overall experience. You stop at locations as advertised. Lunch was good I recommend the snapper. Lunch however wasn't until the last stop at Isla Baru, by now its 2PM and you've been in the sun and water all day. The tour leaves at 8AM so if you didn't eat you'll be starving or paying for additional food along the way at one of the stops. Host was amazing, attentive and helpful.

It was not a particularly pleasant experience overall. When I booked this, it was through New Coast Travel Agency (on the Trip Advisor site) but then our tour was given to Backpackers. The other part that bothered me was that New Coast Travel Agency messaged if I was on my way at 7:30, and I didn't have to be there until 7:45. My friends felt rushed by this, and then we proceeded to sit around for 30-45 minutes waiting, I think for someone else. The information ahead of time said via WhatsApp the company would only wait "5 minutes," which was definitely not the case here. Why make someone feel rushed only to have them sit around forever. Be cautious when you book things on Trip Advisor so you know exactly what you're booking and who you're booking it with. It was disappointing, when I book with an agency I expect that agency to carry it through or at least be up front about it. Nowhere in the marketing is it clear that New Coast Travel Agency, and I did not learn this until the night before the tour itself. As a whole, I honestly would be more selective about tours to the Rosario Islands and just avoid tours like these.

I did not enjoy this tour and would not recommend it to anyone unless you’re a masochist. The only fun part was the friends I made. We started off the morning by getting to the meeting point at 7:50am as they told us they would be leaving right at 8am. Apparently that was a lie. After checking in, we sat around for 30 minutes with no explanation for the wait. Later we found out they were waiting for some people who never showed up. Usually if someone is more than 5-10 minutes late you just leave without them. So that was an extremely frustrating start to the morning. We then got on the boat and began sailing to the first island. As soon as we departed, it began to rain very hard with thunder and lightning. I understand this travel company doesn’t control the weather, but if we’d had left on time then maybe we could have avoided moving at fast speeds in the freezing rain. Also, I was surprised the boat tour continued even with extremely loud lightning crackling right above our heads. I was terrified. We stopped to snorkel near an island which was a good experience. The next island we went to, which was a private island, was beautiful. We sat under some umbrellas due to the rain but then were able to venture into the water for a few minutes once the sun came out. I wish we would have had more time at this island as it was the best one. The next island was Cholon which was absolutely terrible. The island was littered and dirty and full of merchants touching you and trying to trick you into getting massages. There was nowhere to lay out on the beach, which was full of garbage, so you either had to stand at a table in the water, eat at one of the seedy restaurants, or just stand around. My friends and I were extremely uncomfortable there (as were other members of our group) and couldn’t wait to leave. We finally got to the last island. We went to a cute outdoor restaurant and got our lunch orders. Unfortunately the lunch was not very good at all. My fish tasted OK, but the rice was gross and the little side salad or whatever it was was sad. We all left lunch feeling very unsatisfied after a long day. Right as my group exited the restaurant and got onto the beach, the leader of our group announced it was time to go. I was frustrated that we didn’t have any time at the island to swim after we finished lunch. Maybe we would have had more time if we didn’t leave 30 minutes late? But as we got on the boat I was hoping that was the end of the tour, and thank god it was. We arrived back to Cartagena miserable and hungry and exhausted. What a waste of a day and money.

Omg, this was the best experience ever! I had so much fun! The food was great, the people were nice and welcoming. The water activities were extremely fun. All of the islands were beautiful. Great food!