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Are you wondering how to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta?

Located just up to coast north of Cartagena, Santa Marta has a pretty colonial historic center, and is a great gateway to a number of other destinations nearby. That makes a trip to Santa Marta from Cartagena an easy and popular addition to any visit to Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

I’ve traveled from Cartagena to Santa Marta many times in different ways, and there are a few options for how to travel from Cartagena to Santa Marta, although one definitely stands out as the best combination of value and convenience.

In this post, I’ll go over the best ways to get to Santa Marta from Cartagena based on my experiences, allowing you to compare the different options.

How to Get from Cartagena to Santa Marta Quick Tips

Santa Marta, which actually slightly predates Cartagena, and is the oldest permanent Spanish settlement in Colombia, was founded in 1525.

It’s a decent enough destination in its own right with a neat, historic, colonial center and waterfront. However, what really makes it worthwhile to include on a Colombia itinerary is that it serves as a nice jumping off point to a number of other nearby destinations, especially for nature lovers.

The mountain town of Minca, the unspoiled beaches of Tayrona National Park, and the hip vibes of beach town Palomino are all popular destinations within a short distance of Santa Marta. The more adventurous might even trek all the way up to the desert peninsula of La Guajira and visit Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas.

If you’re considering visiting any of those places, you’ll need to route through Santa Marta from Cartagena.

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The best combination of price and convenience for traveling from Cartagena to Santa Marta is to take one of the charter van services that offer shuttles from Cartagena to Santa Marta.

Because reaching the main bus terminal in Cartagena requires a long and expensive taxi ride or an even longer bus ride, it’s worth paying a little bit more to leave from the charter bus stations closer to the tourist area of Cartagena.

You can book a Marsol shuttle from Cartagena to Santa Marta on Bookaway online here.

I’ll share more details about the Marsol Cartagena to Santa Marta shuttle, including where to get it and the other company that operates them in the more detailed section below. If you want to compare costs, you can also take a look at buses from the main terminal on BusBud and Bookaway.

A private transfer can also be a good option, especially if you’re on a tighter schedule, don’t speak much Spanish, or traveling in a group.

You can book a private transfer from Cartagena to Santa Marta via GetYourGuide or Viator. You can also take 20% off the more premium services offered by my partner travel agency with the code ExploreColombia20 when you book here.

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In Depth Look at How to Get to Santa Marta from Cartagena

Below, I’ll go into more detail on why I think a private transfer or shuttle bus are the best options for transportation from Cartagena to Santa Marta for the vast majority travelers, discuss how to take a bus from the main terminal if you want to go that route, and share my thoughts on renting a car as another option.

However, let’s first address a common question.

Can You Fly from Cartagena to Santa Marta?

Yes, you can book a Cartagena to Santa Marta flight. However, there are no direct flights from Cartagena to Santa Marta, so it isn’t really worth it.

If you book a flight from Cartagena to Santa Marta, you’ll need to route through another city, most likely Bogotá.

These are short flights. So, in theory, if you time your flights right and you have no delays, you may even end up arriving in Santa Marta slightly quicker than going over land.

However, you’ll save an hour at most, and, even for that, you need everything to go perfectly. Plus, you’ll definitely pay more.

I don’t see any good reason to go through the hassle of the airports and risk being delayed or even stuck in Bogotá to consider a flight to Santa Marta from Cartagena a viable option unless you need or want to go to Bogotá.

So, while yes you can fly from Cartagena to Santa Marta, it’s not a practical way to travel between the cities. Years ago I seem to recall there being direct flights, so you could always double check, but doing a flight through Bogotá when it’s so easy to travel over land doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Private Transfers from Cartagena to Santa Marta

A private transfer from Cartagena to Santa Marta is undoubtedly the most convenient and most comfortable way to travel between the two cities. You can pick your departure time, they’ll pick you up exactly where you are in Cartagena and take you to exactly where you need to go in Santa Marta.

Of course, it’s also the most expensive way to go from Cartagena to Santa Marta (well, except for flying).

I think private transfers can be really good fits for travelers to which one or more of the following applies:

• You have limited or no Spanish
• You’re traveling as a family or in a group
• You have a very tight schedule
• You need a very early or very late departure from Cartagena
• You’re carrying expensive equipment or other valuables
• You just want peace of mind, comfort, and/or convenience and don’t mind paying for it

Really it just comes down to whether getting there an 1-2 hours more quickly and having a private car is worth it for you or not.

Here are a few options for Cartagena to Santa Marta private transfers if you think it is:

• Click here to book a private transfer from Cartagena to Santa Marta via GetYourGuide
• Click here to book a private transfer from Cartagena to Santa Marta via Viator
• Larger groups might want to book a private minivan transfer on Bookaway
• Use code ExploreColombia20 to get 20% off the premium private transfer service offered by our travel partner agency when you book your private transfer here They also offer direct transfers to Tayrona and Palomino, and that discount code can be used on any of their private tours in Santa Marta or Cartagena listed on that page too.

Cartagena to Santa Marta Shuttle and Charter Buses

As I stated above, the best combination of value and convenience are the Cartagena to Santa Marta shuttle buses.

They are my preferred way to travel up the coast, and I’ve taken them many times.

There are two companies that offer this service

• Marsol
• Berlinas.

I’ve traveled on both many times. They offer a similar service at a similar price, and they both various departure times (usually every hour) starting around 6 am.

You can book Marsol buses online at Bookaway.

Outside of peak travel seasons, you can often just show up to the office and buy a ticket for the next bus. During peak travel seasons, it may be worth purchasing a ticket ahead of time, especially if you need to leave at a certain time.

If you want to reach out to them to confirm schedule, price, and availability, I’d recommend doing so via Whatsapp, where most business in Colombia are quicker to respond.

You can find Marsol’s website here and Berlinas’s website here (contact the Marbella office).

Both of their stations are located in Marbella, just outside the Walled City. Marsol is about 3 blocks away and Berlinas is a bit further.

I would be comfortable walking to Marsol from Centro if I didn’t have a ton of luggage. You can take the waterfront Avenida Santander, but it’s a more comfortable walk along the 2nd avenue (Cra. 2a).

Berlinas is far enough where I wouldn’t want to walk from Centro with bags given the Cartagena heat. It’s also located off the main road a couple blocks and the immediate surrounding area is busier and a tad bit more dodgy.

The cost of a taxi to either office is a fraction of what it costs to taxi to the terminal, not to mention it’s much quicker and easier.

Are the shuttles from Cartagena to Santa Marta safe?

Yes, they are overall quite safe.

As I mentioned above, I’ve taken them many times, and have never had any problems. I have heard of some stories anecdotally about these buses being robbed though. Of the dozens of trips they do each way everyday, the one or two a year that gets robbed means the chances of this happening are very, very slim.

So, this would still be my personal preferred method of travel unless I needed to be in Santa Marta before say 11 am, I was carrying valuables that I couldn’t live without, or this blogging thing makes me a lot richer.

I would recommend leaving by the early afternoon, so you arrive by dark and I’d also recommend keeping valuable items in a carryon type bag on your lap, not stored overhead or in the back. Having along a safety waist wallet or bra pouch to stash your cash, credit cards, passport, and other valuables isn’t a terrible idea just to be on the safe side either.

However, if you want complete peace of mind, you should opt for private transportation to be on the extra safe side.

Buses From Cartagena to Santa Marta Bus from the Main Bus Terminal

For traveling around most of Colombia on a budget, heading to the bus terminal, or Terminal de transporte, and buying a bus ticket is usually the cheapest way to travel.

It’s true that that’s the case for buses from Cartagena to Santa Marta too. Buses from the main terminal are a bit cheaper than the charter van services discussed above.

So, why don’t I recommend it?

The Cartagena bus terminal is far away from the main tourist area of Cartagena, all the way on the eastern edge of the city. That is not only on the opposite side of the city from the tourist areas, but it’s also farther away from Santa Marta!

By the time you pay the much higher fare for a taxi, you’ll end up spending more if you’re a solo traveler. Not to mention, it’ll take you anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour longer, depending on traffic.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. I’m an intrepid budget traveler, I’ll take the bus to the terminal.

Sure, you could do that.

However, you’ll need to get a card and load credit on it for the Transcaribe bus system. Because the routes aren’t all that great for getting around the central tourist areas, it isn’t worth it for most visitors to bother buying a card and using it during their stay in Cartagena.

If you have been using Transcaribe or want to bus to the terminal, you can take the X104 route from the stations in Centro that goes directly to the Terminal de transporte. It stops at the two main stations in Centro in front of the docks at the Muelle de Bodeguita and across from the Centro Uno shopping center.

Alternatively, you can take one of the routes that goes to the Portal (sort of the Transcaribe terminal or station), and then take the C016 that runs between it and the Terminal de transporte.

It’s best to take one of the buses that start with T because they run along the main avenue and have a dedicated lane. The T100E express bus will generally be quickest.

You can consult the Transcaribe routes here to confirm the current routes and see which ones besides the X104 make fewer stops between Centro and the Portal.

If you’re on an absolute shoe string budget and share a taxi with a few other travelers or take the Transcaribe, you can save money by getting a Cartagena to Santa Marta bus from the terminal. However, at the end of the day that’s most likely going to translate to an extra beer, maybe two, or a few extra arepas.

To each their own, but I think for the vast majority of travelers, this isn’t worth the hassle for a pretty nominal savings.

Now, if you’re arriving to the Cartagena bus terminal from elsewhere, and you want to go immediately and directly to Santa Marta, then doing a bus from the terminal is your best option.

If that’s your case, or you just really need that extra arepa money, then you should be able to get tickets for a Cartagena to Santa Marta bus when arriving at the terminal pretty easily. For extra peace of mind, you could also book one online on BusBud or Bookaway ahead of time.

Can I Rent a Car for the Cartagena to Santa Marta Drive?

Yes. You can rent a car and make the Cartagena to Santa Marta drive yourself.

However, I generally don’t recommend it for a couple reasons.

First, people in Colombia drive very aggressively.

I mean tailgating very closely, passing on two lane roads, overtaking multiple cars, and just barely getting over before oncoming traffic collides with them kind of aggressive.

Oh, and did I mention, motorcycles weave in and out of traffic?

The road between Cartagena and Santa Marta is especially bad because a good portion of it is just a two lane road and there are lots of trucks, which usually means lots of overtaking.

Now if you’re ok with that or are used to this kind of driving, you’ll be fine.

But, is it really worth it?

You’re likely spending similarly to having a private transfer, and now you’ll have to worry about any possible issues with the car, plus parking.

There are some niche cases, such as wanting to make stops along the way, wanting flexibility to go to some of the places around Santa Marta without using public transportation, or needing a car seat, where it might be worth renting a car. However, I think most people will be happier just opting for one of the other options above.

If you do want to rent a car, you can compare prices across different companies at Rentalcars.com and Discovercars.com.

How will you go to Santa Marta from Cartagena?

There you have it, a definitive guide for how to travel to Santa Marta from Cartagena.

Honestly, I’d recomemnd picking Berlinas or Marsol for the best combo of cost and convenience or the private transfer for more comfort, speed, and extra safety.

Except for in very specific situations, I’d discourage the other options. Their cons outweigh their pros for most travelers, at least in my opinion.

Regardless of how you decide to travel from Cartagena to Santa Marta, I do hope this guide was helpful. Most importantly, I hope your trip is great. I’d love to know what method you decided on and if you agree with me that the charter buses are the best way to get to Santa Marta from Cartagena.

And please do check out all the other content on the site to help you plan your trip to Cartagena and beyond!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!