How to Get from Cartagena to San Andrés, Colombia

If you’re a beach lover planning a trip to Colombia, you’re in luck!

There are some terrific beaches in Colombia!

While the Pacific Coast is a bit lesser traveled and has some beautiful spots, due to difficulty getting there, the Caribbean beaches of Colombia are by far the most popular.

In fact, two of the most popular beach destinations in Colombia are Cartagena and San Andrés Island.

So, if you are a true beach bum, you might just want to include both on your Colombia trip!

While I’ll go into more detail in this post on how to get from Cartagena to San Andrés, Colombia, I’ll also make it easy for you: You need to fly!

San Andrés is an island far away from Colombia’s mainland, after all.

I will go over some tips for finding the best possible flight from Cartagena to San Andrés below though. Susana and I have traveled to San Andrés several times and I’ll use that experience to give you some insider tips.

So, read on to get some help on finding Cartagena to San Andrés flights.

Can You Get to San Andrés from Cartagena without Flying?

First, let me address if there are other ways to get to San Andrés from Cartagena.

The short answer is no

The only really viable way for the vast majority of travelers to get from Cartagena to San Andrés is on a Cartagena-San Andrés flight.

In theory, I imagine you could sail there in your own sailboat.

I am unaware of any regularly organized sailing trips there like you’ll find between Cartagena and San Blas though. I imagine it might be possible to hire someone to do it, but my understanding is it’s quite a long trip and probably not remotely recommendable for most.

I do understand there are some cruises that might go to San Andrés but none leave from Cartagena. So, at least for the time being there are no cruises from Cartagena to San Andrés.

Tips for Finding Cartagena to San Andrés Flights

The good thing though is it’s pretty easy to find Cartagena to San Andrés flights.

There are both direct flights from Cartagena to San Andrés and flights that route through Bogotá. Some other cities in Colombia, including Medellín, also have direct flights to San Andrés. Copa also operates a flight from Panama City that is the only international direct flight I know of.

I would have a preference for a direct flight from Cartagena to San Andrés.

However, if a flight that has a short layover in Bogotá or Medellín is the best deal and/or fits your schedule the best, then I’d have no qualms booking it.

As far as finding the best price, I’d recommend checking on big aggregator sites like Expedia and CheapOair, but I’d also strongly recommend checking on the main Colombian airlines’ websites too.

Avianca and LATAM both have flights from Cartagena to San Andrés and routinely run flash sales where you can get a pretty cheap flight to San Andrés from Cartagena (and elsewhere around Colombia).

I remember actually one of the first trips we took after travel opened back up was to San Andrés because the price was just so low. I want to say that was on LATAM.

Budget carrier Wingo also offers direct Cartagena-San Andrés flights as well as flights to San Andrés from a few other places in Colombia.

The are two caveats I’d tell you to keep in mind when searching for your flight to San Andrés from Cartagena though.

First, not all the airlines run direct flights every day, so check well enough in advance to plan around that.

Second, the lowest price tickets on flights between Cartagena and San Andrés often don’t include checked bags. Sometimes that’s the case even on the larger carriers.

So, make sure you keep that in mind and confirm what your ticket does and doesn’t include when comparing prices.

Oh and also, if you’re flying from Cartagena to San Andres, be sure to check out my guide to the Cartagena airport. You can also book a private transfer to (or from) the Cartagena airport. with my travel agency partner. They’ll even give you a discount with the code ExploreColombia10!

What to Expect on Your Flight from Cartagena to San Andrés

A flight from Cartagena to San Andrés will take about 90 minutes, give or take a few minutes.

It’s a pretty easy flight in our experience.

One very important thing to keep in mind is that you do need to purchase a San Andrés tourist card. This is a sort of tax that the local government charges.

The times we’ve traveled from Cartagena to San Andrés the airline has sold this card at the gate before boarding.

In our experience, the tourist card has not been included in the cost of flights, but do double check.

They definitely do check when you arrive, as San Andrés has a sort of special administration or semi-autonomy, and you will need to go through a sort of mini-immigration line where you show the card. You are also meant to carry it on you at all times and you may be asked to show it when you depart.

Tips for Planning Your Trip from Cartagena to San Andrés

Finally, to close, I’d like to share a bit about my experiences in both Cartagena and San Andrés.

This whole site is dedicated to Cartagena in addition to my many other travel experiences in Colombia (be sure to check out everything on the site, including the Other Destinations section!).

I lived in Cartagena for over a decade so I feel really good about my expertise on enjoying the city. Some particularly helpful things if you’re planning a trip to Cartagena before San Andrés are my guide to the Cartagena airport, the best tours in Cartagena, and my picks for the best Cartagena day trips.

Also, please check out my guide to the wonderful Rosario Islands, a must do in Cartagena, especially for the beach bums! You’ll want to do at least one of my picks for the best Rosario Islands day trips. If you have more than 4 nights in Cartagena, you’ll also want to consider spending a night at one of the best Rosario Islands hotels.

If you’re looking for a place to stay in Cartagena, do also check out my guide to the best luxury hotels, the best Cartagena boutique hotels, and the best beach hotels. If you’re on a budget, you might want to check out my picks for the best hostels in Cartagena too.

Turning to San Andrés, be sure to check out my complete guide to San Andrés Island.

On our last trip, we actually planned to go to Providencia but Hurricane Iota prevented that.

So, we got to do just about everything there is to do in San Andrés. I’m pretty confident that guide above covers more than any other guide to the island you’ll find online. Some can’t misses include Johnny Cay, the natural reef Aquarium, the Hoyo Soplador blow hole, and the beach by Rocky Cay.

All of these are best enjoyed with a golf cart rental to explore the tiny island. Check out my suggested route for touring the island here. Also, see my guide to the best beaches in San Andrés, where you might be surprised the best beach is actually in the downtown area and where I suggest you stay.

Speaking of that, do check out my picks for the best San Andrés hotels before booking your hotel there too!

You can also find out info on the airport in San Andrés at its Wikipedia page.

To close, I’d also like to invite you to consider booking the Cartagena leg of your trip with my travel agency partner BnB Colombia Tours. They have great agents, work with reliable, bilingual guides, and can plan the perfect trip for you. They currently don’t offer plans in San Andrés, but they should be able to put together a great time in Cartagena for you as well as help you out with getting from Cartagena to San Andrés.

Fill out this form to get started planning your trip with them. They’ll even give you a discount on their services!

I do hope you found this guide useful, and, most importantly, you enjoy both Cartagena and San Andrés as well as anywhere else you go in Colombia.

Cheers and Happy Exploring!

Did you like this post?

If you’re traveling from Cartagena to San Andrés, you might also like some of the other great beach destinations on Colombia’s Caribbean coast. The San Bernardo Islands are gorgeous, as is Tayrona National Park. Hip beach town Palomino is a fun stop as well. If you want a break from the beaches, consider checking out the lush, mountain jungles and waterfalls of Minca.