Cartagena Part III: Islas de Rosario

The Rosario islands are not to be confused with the Rosario straight in the San Juan Islands outside of Bellingham, but rather are 27 islands in the Caribbean off the coast of Cartagena. Here, unlike in town, the waters are the crystal clear blues and greens you see in tropical post cards. Also, there is a large reef with some of the best snorkeling in Colombia.

Not to miss the opportunity for a boat ride or snorkeling we got up at 7:00am on our last full day in Cartagena to make it to the docks by 8:30. We joined a Caliente (hot, as in temperature) Tours group that Edwin, a very helpful waiter at our hotel, recommended because they spoke English. We boarded the aptly named Picante (hot, as in spicy) motor boat with 20 others and headed off on our way to the Isla de Sol, the island of sun.

As we left the harbor we passed by the large ship the Gloria flying the Colombian flag and a large statue of the Virgin standing in the harbor watching over the city. After about 10 minutes outside of the harbor we start to slow down. We look left, right, no islands in site. Why are we stopping? We look straight a head into the broad side of a large naval vessel with guns and cannons pointed at us. (I hope you understand why we don’t have pictures of this one!) Apparently it is protocol to check in and out with the coast guard when ever you are leaving a protected harbor to open Colombian seas. My guess, this is part of the administration’s crack down on drug trafficking. After a quick look over of our safety gear and paper work we were off on the remainder of our one hour boat ride to the island.

Once we got the island we were greeted with welcoming fruit trays and the schedule of the day. Lounge around, do some swimming, snorkeling, and a trip to the aquarium on a neighboring island if you want. We opted for some snorkeling, lounging, and swimming. By some unusual twist of fate we were the only four that opted for some snorkeling, so the four of us were loaded in the boat for a private hour long tour of the local reef. With in moments of jumping off the boat we were surrounded by schools of tropical fish and it seemed to be the fastest hour of our lives. Just a few of the fish we spotted were: clown fish, parrot fish, trumpet fish, and some unusual blue fish with glow in the dark iridescent polka dots.

When we got back to shore is was time for anyone who was going to the aquarium to board the boat. That was almost everyone else on the boat. Today was our lucky day. For 2 hours we were secluded on an island paradise. We lounged, we swam, what a life. When the rest of the group returned we were treated to a typical fish meal before we headed home.

On the way back, due to rough waters, we chose to travel through the canal system and river ways that connect Cartagena with other inland ports. We passed through tropical swamp land passing flocks of wild birds and if you looked close you were able to spot enormous iguanas lounging in the trees. What a wonderful way to end our vacation.