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Did you know there was a pink sea in Colombia?
Located about 45 minutes north of Cartagena in the small town of Galerazamba is one of the more interesting and unique places to see nearby, the Pink Sea of Cartagena.
More properly referred to as the Salinas de Galerazamba for the sea salt mine where it is located, the Pink Sea, or Mar Rosado, of Colombia makes for a great full or half day trip from Cartagena and combines well with another unique attraction nearby, the Totumo Mud Volcano.
Read on to learn all about visiting the Mar Rosado from Cartagena, including how to get there, what to expect, and the times of year when the Galerazamba’s pink sea is visible.
Pink Sea of Cartagena Quick Tips
I’ll go into more detail below on what to expect at the Cartagena Pink Sea and your different options for getting there, but here I’ll cover a few quick tips if you’re in a hurry.
The Pink Sea is located north of Cartagena in the town of Galerazamba, about a 45 minute drive from the city. There is not reliable public transportation out here, so you’ll need to hire a driver or go with a tour.
The pink effect can be cancelled out when the salt is harvested or if there are frequent rains. Generally, the Colombia Pink Sea “season” is considered to be during the dry season from December to April, when conditions are best to see the pink color, but it is possible to see it other times of the year if conditions are favorable.
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*Note: Pink Sea of Colombia Closure
As of the last update to this post in May 2025, the pink sea near Cartagena seems to be closed, maybe permanently. This has been the case for at least a year.
There’s scant information about it online, but I did find this article that discusses how the shallow waters of the mine flooded in February 2024 and ruined the effect. I can’t find any more recent information, and the attraction is not mentioned much anymore.
If you start to see it pop up mentioned on Instagram and other places again, it may be that it’s reopened, and you can read on and learn all about it. However, for the time being it appears to not be worth trying to visit.
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Cartagena Pink Sea Tours
Since the pink sea is unfortunately not pink or open to visit now, I have not researched more tours for the time being. Below are a few tours that I previously recommended in the event that it opens back up.
To be honest, I probably would be leery of any tour agency that advertised seeing the pink sea, but it does sound like some agencies do still go to Galerazamba.
Why Visit the Pink Sea of Colombia?
Well, because it’s really, really pretty!
Cartagena is, of course, most well known for its gorgeous beaches, like those in the nearby Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca, the charming colonial architecture of its Walled City, its fun nightlife, and its historic forts.
That makes the Pink Sea a bit of a unique attraction.
The Pink Sea had a moment on social media around 2018 and into 2023 where lots of great photos starting popping up.
We finally made it out to visit in July 2021 with our niece and we thought it was really neat. I also appreciated that the guides are locals and are somewhat organized into a cooperative. I’m not entirely sure if it’s quite as amazing as some Instagram posts made it seem though!
Therefore, a visit to the Pink Sea near Cartagena is a nice chance to see a bit of the countryside and see one of nature’s many wonders. It can be visited in half a day, but it’s really nice to combine it with the Mud Volcano of Totumo, a unique attraction in and of itself.
More about getting to the Pink Sea of the Salinas de Galerazamba and tour options below.
Got your Cartagena hotel reservations yet? If not, be sure to check out our guide to the best areas to stay or see the best luxury hotels, best beach hotels, best boutique hotels, or best hostels.
Why is the Galerazamba Pink Sea Pink?
The pink beach in Colombia is pink due to a combination of two factors:
- The high salt content of the water, which is why this area is also a sea salt mine.
- The presence of a micro-algae that thrives in the salty environment.
It’s this algae along with a brightly shining sun that gives the Cartagena pink sea its pink color.
Where Exactly is the Colombia Pink Sea?
The pink sea of Cartagena is located just outside the town of Galerazamba, about 40 miles (or 60 km) north of Cartagena, roughly halfway between Cartagena and Barranquilla.
Galerazamba is a small town with not much else to see besides the pink sea. The pink sea is actually a salt mine, where there is shallow water enclosed by a rocky sea wall that allows the salt to be easily harvested and the algae to thrive.
For that reason, it almost looks more like a pink beach of Cartagena or a pink lake of Cartagena than a pink ocean of Colombia that stretches off into the horizon.
Galerazamba does have some interesting historical significance.
The town is thought to be the birthplace of the India Catalina, an indigenous woman who was captured by the Spanish. Later, she was the translator during the conquering of Cartagena by Pedro de Heredia.
After Cartagena’s independence, India Catalina was adopted as a civic symbol, and she remains on the city’s seal today. You can see her statue in a large park today too.
How to Get to the Pink Sea from Cartagena?
So, we actually were fortunate to have our friend Cesar drive us in his car, which is a great idea if you have a nice friend with a car like Cesar.
Otherwise, the best way to get to Galerazamba and see the pink sea or pink lake of Colombia is with a tour, which in season should be fairly easy to find. Many include lunch and it’s often combined with the mud volcano. Combining these two into a day trip is a great option, and the best value if you are interested in seeing it as well.
If you’d like a private experience for only your group, you can book a private mud volcano and pink sea of Cartagena tour. with our partners at BnB Colombia. You can also book a shared tour via Viator. I’ve also seen tours on GetYourGuide in the past although they are sometimes taken down when not in season but you can check. Finally, your hotel or hostel may be able to arrange a tour.
If you’d prefer to not go in a tour, you can also opt to hire a taxi to take you, wait for you, and then bring you back to Cartagena. This can be a good option if you’d like to go on your own time at your own pace. Although, I do think the private tour above is a better option as it includes a guide that can give you some background information, and help with any translations.
Finally, you could opt to head to the bus terminal and take a bus or try to hire a mototaxi from the northern part of Cartagena.
I don’t think either of these are really worth the little bit of money you’ll save. The bus terminal is located far away from the main tourist areas, and given the distance I would not want to do a moto for safety reasons.
I’m generally one to look for the cheapest way to get somewhere and taking public transportation, but this is one of the cases where I’d say just opt for a tour.
What to Expect at the Pink Sea of Galerazamba, Colombia?
When arriving to the Salinas de Galerzamba, whether coming as part of a tour or on your own, your group will be assigned a local resident as a guide. It’s important to keep in mind that the area where the pink sea of Colombia is located is a working salt mine and you must have a guide to enter.
There may be parts closed as well if they are harvesting or recently harvested. This was the case when we visited and the larger main part was closed. This is where little pier of salt thing you may have seen in some photos is. So, while we didn’t get to see that area or take any photos there, the part of the Cartagena pink sea we got to see was still really, really pretty.
The guides will tell you a bit about the pink color and why it forms as well as about the history of the town.
It’s a good idea to make sure you have some sunscreen or a nice athletic style long sleeve shirt to protect from the sun. Taking along some water is a good idea as well, although you can get a drink or even a fresh coconut from vendors just outside the entrance.
Finally, don’t forget your camera! (all the photos here were taken with my Fujifilm X-S10 with the 16-80mm kit lens, which I have loved as a quality starter camera).
When is the Best Time to Visit the Pink Beach of Cartagena?
The very best time to visit the Pink Sea of Cartagena is from December to April.
This is the time of year where there is little rain and your odds are highest to see the brightest pink color, as rain disrupts it.
That being said, we went in early July and as you can see in our photos, it was plenty pink and plenty pretty then.
So, I’d say as long as it hasn’t been raining a lot the few days before your visit, you should still be able to see the pink in June and July.
Bright sunny days with a breeze create the best pink color.
When the salt is harvested, it also ruins the effect, but from what I understand, the guides have negotiated with the mining company to harvest in rotation at least during the “pink seasons.” It may be worth asking around as well to confirm the pink is in full effect just to be sure though.
I would not plan a visit during April or October, the rainiest months.
November can be iffy as it is sometimes very rainy and other years not so much.
However, given the normally heavy rains of October, I wouldn’t bet on their being much pink until at least towards the end of November.
March is the same for the opposite reason, sometimes it’s rainy, sometimes it’s not too bad.
One of the reasons I would recommend booking with our partners BnB is they are reputable and won’t take you here if it isn’t actually pink. As I mention at the top, you can actually organize your entire trip with them if you fill out this form. If you go that route, the pink sea is an additional free tour to the mud volcano tour when the pink season is active. You can also just book a day tour with them here.
Colombia’s Pink Sea of Galerazamba – Conclusion
There you have it, a complete guide to visiting the Pink Sea of Cartagena at the Salinas de Galerazamba, Colombia.
It’s really a neat attraction that is a bit different from most of the rest Cartagena has to offer. If you do go, I hope this was helpful for planning your trip, and more importantly, that you enjoy it and see some truly bright and brilliant pink! I’d love to hear about your visit in the comments below!
Cheers and Happy Exploring!
Did you like this post?
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Visiting Cartagena’s Aviary
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Travel Guide to the Mountain Town of Minca
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Travel Guide to Tayrona National Park
Planning a trip to Cartagena?
Be sure to check out the rest of the site to help you plan!
In particular, you might want to check out my complete guide to planning a trip to Cartagena, my guide to the best areas to stay, my list of over 75 things to do, my picks for the best Cartagena tours, the best day trips from Cartagena, my suggested packing list, my guide to the Rosario Islands, and my guide to all the beaches of Cartagena.
