Cartagena’s walls, San Andrés’s cays

Who it is for

For anyone who wants the colonial city of the Colombian Caribbean followed by the reef-fringed sea that Cartagena lacks.

Not for anyone expecting a beautiful sea from day one: in Cartagena the water at Bocagrande is brown almost all year, and the clear beaches are in the Rosario Islands or on San Andrés.

The strategy

Cartagena comes first, with the walls at 6.30am and the hours of strong sun, from 11am to 3pm, kept for lunch and rest. San Andrés can only be reached by air, and there are direct flights from Cartagena; there is no regular passenger boat from the mainland. The tourist card is paid before boarding, at the airline counter or on the JetSmart website when buying the flight. On the island, stay near the centre, where boats for the cays leave from the beach at Bahía Sardina, and choose a registered operator; in heavy swell the boats do not sail, so leave slack between the outing and your flight. You fly home from San Andrés, with direct flights to Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Cartagena and, with Copa, to Panama City. February to April is the dry season at both stops, but Holy Week fills flights and hotels.

What you will see

• Walls and bastions, Cartagena. The walls total about 11 km, built between 1586 and the end of the 18th century, with sections up to 15 m thick at the base.
• Johnny Cay, San Andrés. The largest of the cays around San Andrés, 1.5 km from the center and about 10 minutes by boat, is a regional park run by Coralina, with a white-sand beach and coconut palms.

Day by day

Cartagena

1. 1
   Day 1: The city walls at 6:30am, before the heat

   1. 9Las BóvedasUp to half an hourIf there is time
   2. 6Palacio de la InquisiciónWorth a visit
2. 2
   Day 2: Forts, the hill and the neighborhoods outside the wall

   1. 2Castillo San Felipe de BarajasEssential
3. 3
   Day 3: Water: the bay and the archipelago · if you have more time

San Andrés

1. 4
   Day 4: Johnny Cay and the North End

   1. 1Johnny CayHalf a day or moreEssential
   2. S4Spratt BightUp to half an hourWorth a visit
2. 5
   Day 5: The island loop: La Loma, the west coast and the south

   1. 5First Baptist ChurchUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   2. LLaguna Big PondUp to half an hourIf there is time
   3. 6Casa Museo IsleñaUp to half an hourWorth a visit
   4. 2West ViewOne to two hoursEssential
   5. L9La PiscinitaUp to half an hourIf there is time
   6. 8Hoyo SopladorUp to half an hourIf there is time
   7. 7Rocky CayOne to two hoursWorth a visit
3. 6
   Day 6: The Acuario and the sunset at the Cove
4. 7
   Day 7: Providencia and Santa Catalina (day trip) · if you have more time
5. 8
   Day 8: Free day · if you have more time
6. 9
   Day 9: Free day · if you have more time