Sailing Around Cartagena with Boats4U

For a very long time, I have often fantasized about island hopping on a private yacht with some of my closest friends while we pop champagne and belt out the notes to our favorite songs.

During my recent girl’s trip to Cartagena, Colombia, I partnered with the private yacht company Boats4U and I had the opportunity to turn my dreams into a reality.

Sunset Boat Cruise in Cartagena Bay

When you visit Cartagena, you should definitely consider taking a sunset yacht cruise around the bay, because it seriously one of the most beautiful and scenic things to do in the city.

My two friends and I arrived to our boat in the Manga neighborhood of Cartagena prepared to go on a sunset yacht cruise just as the sun was beginning to set over the city.

We boarded our yacht and a few minutes later, the boat began to sail off into the sunset.

After taking in the breathtaking view, the girls and I pulled our cameras and attempted to capture the beauty of the sun descending behind the towering buildings of Bocagrande.

For about two and a half hours, the girls and I sang and danced our hearts out while our boat captains bobbed their head to the music. The champagne was flowing, the weather was perfect, and as the city began to light up a glow was cast upon the water that was simply magnificent.

I was very sad when our boat pulled into Centro signaling the end of our trip. I wished that the journey could last forever.

Island Hopping: Isla Baru & Cholon

The next day, the girls and I made our way back to the Boats4U dock and prepared to set sail and explore the islands outside of Cartagena. We planned to do a little scuba diving outside of Isla Baru, do a little partying on Cholon, known as Colombia’s Party Island’ and end the day with a little bit of relaxation on Playa Blanca.

When we arrived to the dock, we boarded the boat and set off on our adventure. The view of the Cartagena skyline was equally as stunning during the day as it had been the night prior.

It was smooth sailing as we made our way to our snorkel site outside of Isla Baru, about 45 minutes outside of Cartagena.

Apparently I am not as good of a snorkeler in deep water as I thought I was. In fact, I totally failed at it and the only thing I caught a glimpse of was a few pieces of coral before I was ready to set off for the party area.

The girls and I hopped back onto our yacht and made our way over to Cholon, a small little desert island which is so tiny that it is not visible on Google Maps. Partygoers head to Cholon on their private yachts and on booze cruises to enjoy some fun in the sun.

As soon as we arrived to Cholon, we disembarked, rented a table under a cabana in the water, and ordered several coco locos. We turned the music on our boat extremely high to drown out the sound of the nearby boats and we swayed our hips to the rhythmic beats while we were bobbing up and down in the water.

After doing a lot of dancing in the water and inhaling Coco Locos, the girls and I were starting to develop a strong appetite, so we headed across the water to Sport Baru hotel to feast on some fresh seafood.

Just as we were getting ready to set sail and head to our next destination, Playa Blanca, we were informed that the water was getting really rough and that we would have to head back into the city.

Although we were disappointed that our trip was going to be cut short, we appreciated the fact that Boats4U was concerned about our safety and making sure that we arrived back to the Cartagena in one piece.

We finished up our meals and boarded our boat for the final time bound for Cartagena. The trip heading back to the city was extremely rough and there were times when we our boat left the water and was flying in the air. The girls and I clutched each other tightly every time our boat charged into the air and then came crashing back into the water causing the waves to slap up across the side of the boat and spray us in the face. We could not help to but to laugh (even if it was a little nervous laughter) as we were being doused in salt water. Luckily, our captains were very well trained to handle the massive waves, and I was very happy that we had professionals taking care of us on the journey.

Approximately an hour later, we arrived back to the dock in Cartagena and said our farewells to our boat captains. The experiences that we had on the yacht rides in Cartagena with Boats4U were certainly memorable and ones that we will never forget.

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Booking Information:

Romantic Sunset Cruise – The boat departs from the neighborhood of Manga, the private evening sunset cruise takes you around Cartagena Bay along the eastern edge of the Bocagrande neighborhood and docks in Centro. | Cost: $200 USD

All-Day Yachts – All day yachts are available for approximately 7 hours and can take you to areas such as Grande Island, Cholon, Playa Azul, Playa Blanca, Playa Linda, Playa Libre and Baru. A captain and skipper are included in the price. | Cost: Starting at $515 USD

All tours can be booked through the Boats4U website.

Know Before You Go:

• Boats4U will provide you with scuba diving gear on your day cruise, however it is your responsibility to bring your own beachwear and towels.
• If you get seasick, pack some motion sickness pills as the water can be unpredictable.
• If you decide to take your private yacht to Cholon, there is food available at the beach, however there are no set prices and you may be charged a lot.

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FTC Disclosure: I was a guest of Boats4U during my trip to Cartagena in. As always, all opinions stated in this article are my own.