Our greedy Frenchman turned 35 last May. An important milestone in one’s life. Now’s the time to stop pretending you’re still 25 and accept the natural ageing process of life: you’re a thirtysomething!
Stefan wanted to organise a fun and unique celebration in Cartagena for his French beau, which would make this milestone truly memorable.
Cartagena is Colombia’s most visited city, famous for its UNESCO listed old town. Back in the 1500s, it was a major trading port and the main gateway into South America for the Spanish, who used it as the base to ship their gold back home. As such, it became a tempting target for pirates in the Caribbean. Sir Francis Drake was one particular British pirate who led a huge siege in 1586 against the Spaniards. The Spanish responded by building the fort to guard the town which you can still see today.
A few miles from the coast are a group of beautiful islands, where just a few centuries ago, you could imagine Captain Jack Sparrow-type pirates fighting those dashing handsome Spaniards right on these shores. There’s even an island called Pirate Island.
Today, the Rosario islands are popular for beach partying and for relaxing in one of the many secluded white sandy beaches. The islands are located within 1-2 hours from Cartagena and can be visited on a day trip by boat. As we absolutely love cruising the seas and relaxing on secluded white sandy beaches as much as we love fantasising about Pirates of the Caribbean, this made for the perfect present for our birthday boy.
Group jumping pic at Agua Azul beach on Baru Island
The islands around Cartagena
The main islands surrounding Cartagena include Baru and the Rosario archipelago.
Baru island is closest to the city. It used to be a peninsula until it was cut off by the Canal del Dique. It is connected to the mainland by a long bumpy road, which makes it more accessible. As such, Playa Blanca on the northern tip of Baru island is one of the most popular beaches. Further south on Baru island is the more secluded Agua Azul beach.
Further away from the coast lies the Rosario islands, an archipelago, which was declared a national park in 1988 to protect one of the most important coral reefs of the Colombian Caribbean coast. The two largest islands are Isla Grande and Isla del Rosario which are also the main transport hubs with hotels and restaurants.
Paradise on Baru island
Our boat tour in Cartagena islands
For Sebastien’s special day, we got together with a group of friends and hired a yacht via This Is Cartagena. We found them on Tripadvisor where they have excellent reviews and also love that they are a comprehensive online resource for what’s happening in Cartagena.
Our boat tour took us around the Rosario islands, stopping occasionally to swim in the warm Caribbean waters and to snorkel around the many coral reefs. Birthday boy Seby was spoiled with plenty of rum and snacks aboard our yacht. Pro tip: don’t mix snorkelling and drinking rum…it ain’t pretty!
We eventually headed to Agua Azul on Baru island to chill out on the beach under the Caribbean sun. What better way to continue the celebrations than with a few coco locos to hand.
Coco wat? These are a popular Colombian cocktail, meaning crazy coconut, which is rum mixed with coconut water. On the beach at Agua Azul it is served inside a fresh coconut with the rum mixed inside. It’s definitely one of the coolest beach cocktails we’ve ever had.
Going loco for rum cocos on Agua Azul beach
Our boat tour in the islands included a lunch stop over at the super cool Blue Apple beach club on Tierra Bomba island, famed as the weekend playground for Cartagena’s hipsters. Hipster or not, the food here is bloody good with one of the best paellas we’ve ever tasted and deliciously tender lomo de tigre (beef tenderloin). Blue Apple also has a stunning pool to relax and enjoy a few cocktails. For those who’ve had one too many cocktails(!), Blue Apple is also a hotel with 6 exclusive rooms.
The islands around Cartagena can also be visited independently via a taxi from downtown, which can take you to where the boats depart. However, if you’re a group of friends, it will work out more cost effective if you rent a boat together. That way you can have a more unique and memorable day, full of laughter, music, drinks and the all important Vitamin Sea.
For more inspiration, check out our 5 romantic things to do in Cartagena and use our gay guide to Cartagena to find out more about the gay scene in this pretty colonial city.
Chilling at the Blue Apple beach club. Source: Nick Hills
The post A pirate inspired birthday for Seby: cruising the islands around Cartagena appeared first on Nomadic Boys.