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
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
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.
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.
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.
It was wonderful Nadeen. I think the price is definitely reasonable if you split it up between you and your friends! The sunset cruise can be especially is very affordable if you have 5 or more friends!
That looks fantastic! I would definitely enjoy this. You girls looked like you were having a blast. Too bad it was cut short, but better safe than sorry 🙂 . the drinks look yummy too.
It was so much fun and I was a little sad that it was cut short but after dealing with the choppy waves, I think the company def made the right decision! 😀
You are speaking my travel language. I would love to do this on a trip. Something fun and different from regular sightseeing!
It was something new for me on a trip and I loved every minute of it – now I want to do it at every destination! 😀
Wow, these are beautiful pictures! I’ve never seen a table in the water like that. Looks like it was very relaxing.
I also had never seen a table in the water like that before Stacie but it was really cool to have something to rest my drinks on without having to leave the water! 😀
This sounds like a lovely trip, my kind of trip. The pictures are beautiful.
Thanks so much Antoinette – it certainly was very memorable!
This looks like everything I want in life LOL. I want to hit Bogota and Cartegna. And to do it on a boat. Perfection perfection perfection!!!
I also want to visit Bogota the next time around. Doing it on a boat is definitely the way to go Tyra! 😀
This is perfect. I was just telling some of my girls that we need to go boating. This is EXACTLY what we need!
Boating is so much fun Aleia! I want to do it again, and again, and again! 😀
I Would love to be there right now. You got some awesome shots. Fresh lobster and coconut.
Yes, the lobster in Colombia was so fresh and delicious and I really enjoyed drinking from fresh coconuts!
I felt like I was there with you. Loving your hair and this experience looked super fun!
Beautiful! Seems like such an amazing time with friends! I need to plan a girls trip
What an amazing time, you and your girls sound like me and mine. We do girl trips all the time, but we need to step up our game. A Yacht cruise sounds like just what we need.
Boat days are always my favorite days of vacation! We went on a day cruise during our recent trip to Bali and it was amazing. Your photos are gorgeous and it sounds like you had a really nice time.
LiveLifeWell,
Allison
I would love to cruise in Bali Allison! 😀
Very cool. The all day is def great for a group to split the price and have some fun. What kind of music did the boat have or did you provide your own? I always find myself on a boat wherever I go
We were able to provide our own music through bluetooth Holly, which was amazing! I also love going on boatrides and need to do them more often! 😀