Expert: Juan Carlos Valencia - 3/13/2008

Question
QUESTION: Good Morning Juan I am traviling with a party of four to Cartagena. How do I get from the Cartagena airport to Isla Palma. Boat Plane Car combination We would like a charter not public transport.
thank you Mike

ANSWER: Dear Mihael,

there are many daily trips from the Cartagena tourist port to Isla Palma. You could easily book a charter boat to take u there. The journey should last less than 2 hours.

The thing is that boats have some time constraints because of currents and tides so if you arrive too late in the afternoon you may have to wait until the next day.

The touristical port is located in downtown Cartagena, near the old walls and is pretty much controlled by the navy. Safety is good enough.

I hope that this helps

JC

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Good Afternoon Juan Thank you for the response. I am looking for specific people to contact. Or how I could find these people on the Internet. Also could I charter a sea plane. Thank you Mike

Answer
Dear Mihael,

things in Colombia are more informal. It would be very difficult if not impossible to find a sea plane in Cartagena. They are not common in South America.

As for particular agency names, maybe you could find something over the internet. Try the key words: isla rosario boat trips.

But I think that if you find something it will very (and I mean very)expensive when booked from abroad. So maybe you will have to relax and do it in a more informal way: book a hotel for one night (the walled city is really pretty and very close to the tourist port), get to Cartagena, walk or take a taxi to the tourist port (Muelle turistico de los pegasos), talk to the boat owners or administrators, negotiate a price and travel the next day.

As I told u before, boat departures depend heavily on the time of the day and weather conditions. And the caribbean coast and Cartagena move according to "Colombian" time, not so fixed, more relaxed...

Saludos

JC