Playa Blanca in Cartagena, Colombia: Honest Guide

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Oh, Playa Blanca!

It will always have a special place in my heart. I spent lots of time here when I volunteered in a nearby town as a teacher my first year in Colombia back in 2011, and returned many times over my years living in Cartagena.

Back in the day, it was a true paradise, with the white sands befitting of its name, crystal clear waters, and little development. That made an escape to Playa Blanca from Cartagena a near must do.

In more recent years, it has suffered from haphazard development and ever larger crowds. For that reason, some people advise avoiding it entirely.

While I do usually recommend other places over it now, I don’t go as far as saying you should avoid it entirely. It’s still a beautiful beach.

However, it’s worth knowing what to expect and following some tips to avoid the most common issues visitors face. If you want to visit Playa Blanca, Colombia or are on the fence about doing Playa Blanca while in Cartagena, read on for a complete guide to enjoying the beach and whether it’s a good fit for your trip.

People walking on the beach and swimming at Playa Blanca, Colombia. — Learn how to navigate the crowds and get the most out of a day at Playa Blanca here.

Playa Blanca in Cartagena, Colombia Quick Tips

So, first things first, let’s talk about why you might avoid Playa Blanca.

There’s a few reasons:

It can get very crowded
It’s been haphazardly overdeveloped with little beach left
There’s a lack of infrastructure
Pushy vendors, including some that overcharge

All of these reason are why I tend to recommend the Rosario Islands or the far end of Barú, where there are more private and less crowded beaches, over Playa Blanca.

You can learn more about the Rosario Islands here, compare the different areas of Barú here, or compare the different islands in Cartagena here if you want some more options.

If you do want to consider a visit to Colombia’s Playa Blanca, I recommend avoiding weekends and holidays if possible and walking towards the far end of the beach, often called Playa Tranquila.

You can hire a taxi or driver for the day and go on your own, negotiating your beach chairs and food once there, but doing a day pass at a beach club that offers shared transportation is the most convenient way to get from Cartagena to Playa Blanca.

Here are a few good options for day trips to Playa Blanca from Cartagena:

A lot of multi-island tours that go out to the Rosarios also conclude the day here for lunch and time on the beach. You can book a 5 island tour like this one to do that and get a lot into a day.

Doing a Cartagena private boat rental is also a great way to do the islands and you could choose to end your day at Playa Blanca. Learn about booking a private boat with our partner agency here.

You can also spend the night at a Playa Blanca hotel or hostel. Due to limited infrastructure, accommodations tend to be pretty basic with electricity by generator and water from tanks, but there is some newer construction in the Playa Tranquila area.

There is also the all-inclusive Decameron Barú on its own private beach next to Playa Blanca and that has electricity and proper running water. The Sofitel Calablanca and Isla del Encanto are two other beach resorts in different areas of Barú nearby that also offer more comfortable accommodations and amenities.

If you want to stay on Playa Blanca itself, once again, you can go on your own and negotiate a stay at one of the many beach bungalow style hostels, or you could reserve at one of the following Playa Blanca, Colombia hotels you can book online ahead of time:

Those are the basics for how to enjoy Cartagena’s Playa Blanca.

I’ll go into more detail, including tips for dealing with vendors, how to visit the aviary nearb y, and more ideas for Playa Blanca tours and day trips in the sections below.

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Where is Playa Blanca in Colombia?

Well, actually, there’s more than one Playa Blanca in Colombia.

There’s another lesser known beach named Playa Blanca outside of Santa Marta further north. There’s also a Playa Blanca in Panama.

To be clear, here, we are talking about Playa Blanca on Isla Barú just south of Cartagena.

Barú, usually referred to as an island, was actually a peninsula that was severed from the mainland by a canal during the colonial era. Playa Blanca, Barú lies on the northern coast about half way down this island peninsula.

I’d hazard to say that a lot of the time when people talk about the beach of Barú, they are talking about Playa Blanca since it’s the most well known and easiest beach to reach on Barú.

However, there are other beaches that get much less crowded around the town named Barú near the southwestern tip of the island. Here, you’ll find some great resorts like Hotel Las Islas, the Hotel Isla del Encanto, and Sabai. I recommend all of these for overnight stays in the hotels on Playa Blanca, especially if you’re looking for more comfortable accommodations.

Again, you can also compare the different areas and beaches on Barú in this complete guide to Isla Barú.

Shade tent that says Playa Blanca Barú with a person sitting on the beach behind it. — Cartagena’s Playa Blanca is located on the island peninsula of Barú.

Things to Do at Playa Blanca

Well, beach it, of course!

There’s not a ton to do out here besides enjoy the sun and sand of the beach, swim in the crystal clear water, and enjoy a fish lunch with a cold beer or three. I encourage getting a Coco Loco drink in a coconut too!

Besides that, you can also check out the Colombian National Aviary nearby. It’s well done and worth the visit if it interests you. I’d recommend going early, before going to the beach if you want to do it. I’ll mention some options for how to do it in the section on tours and getting to Playa Blanca on your own below.

Toucan perched in some bamboo at the aviary near Playa Blanca. — A toucan at the well done aviary near Playa Blanca.

There’s also decent snorkeling just off the end of Playa Blanca, sort of in front of where the Decameron hotel is located. Some tours do include snorkeling, and you should be able to wrangle a boat to take you out there for a bit too.

Finally, you can see bioluminescent plankton near Playa Blanca too. We’ve done this in the San Bernardo Islands, and it’s neat, if not exactly like photos often show it to be. It’s best to do it around a new moon so it’s darker and you can better see the plankton. During a full moon, it can be very difficult to see.

If you’re spending the night (suggestions below), you can probably arrange this there. There are a few tours that provide overland transportation back to Cartagena in the evening after viewing it too, like this one that offers the aviary, beach, and plankton in one package, this one that includes the beach, snorkeling, and the plankton, or this one that goes to the beach for sunset and the plankton.

Playa Blanca vs Playa Tranquila

Around a decade or so ago, some people began to refer to the far end of Playa Blanca as Playa Tranquila to differentiate it from the more crowded and more developed end of the beach closer to the parking lot and main entrance.

That probably made sense at the time. In fact, back in 2011, there was nothing at all on this end of the beach.

I’m not so sure makes sense anymore.

There’s basically nothing along the Playa Blanca beach that hasn’t been developed nowadays. It’s just one long line of beachfront construction except for the narrow stretch of sand between the sea and a lagoon at the very, very end of the beach known as Playa Puntilla.

People sitting against a log on the beach of Playa Blanca, Cartagena. — Enjoying what is now known as Playa Tranquila way back in 2011, before all the construction.

However, I also think there’s at least some degree of clever marketing at play here calling this a separate beach due to the reputation Playa Blanca has earned (more on that below, by the way).

It’s common that people will say they are going to Playa Tranquila, many agencies and vendors sell tours to Playa Tranquila, or many hotels advertise themselves as being on Playa Tranquila and not Playa Blanca.

Because this end of the beach is a long walk from the parking lot, it does tend to get less crowded, especially if you go all the way down. Also, because it was developed later, there is some newer, nicer, and larger construction there.

Why I Usually Don’t Recommend Playa Blanca Anymore

What’s happened out on Playa Blanca in the last decade or so is frankly a crying shame. It’s a lesson in a lack of planning, lack of infrastructure, and short term thinking over sustainable development.

Playa Blanca Was Once a Paradise and Hidden Gem

As I mentioned above, I spent lots of time out here when I volunteered as a teacher in 2011 in the town of Santa Ana, Barú. Playa Blanca is only about 15 minutes away from Santa Ana.

Back then, there was no bridge across the canal to the island, and it was just a dirt road. So, to get out here was a real adventure.

For how to get to Playa Blanca from Cartagena, you could take a taxi or take the bus to the town of Pasacaballos on the outskirts of Cartagena.

Then, you’d have to cross the canal on one of the ferries, which were big metal barges that could hold a few cars and were pushed across by small motorboats not much larger than canoes.

Or, you could take one of the small boats across, some of which were piloted by oars.

People on a canoe with a ferry to Barú in the background crossing the water. — Before the bridge, you had to cross by tiny canoe, or by the metal barge ferry.

Finally, you’d take a motorcycle taxi to the beach.

I made this trip both ways most weekends in 2011, going into town to stay in one of the Cartagena hostels on Friday afternoon and returning to Santa Ana on Sunday afternoon.

The weekends I didn’t go to Cartagena, I usually went to Playa Blanca. Back then, you could pay a pinnace to sleep in a hammock for the night.

Coming out here via bus, canoe, and mototaxi was practically a right of passage for backpackers coming through Cartagena.

Two girls riding on the back of a motorcycle to get to Playa Blanca from Cartagena. — After the canoe or ferry, you’d have to take a mototaxi out to the beach.

There were some organized Playa Blanca from Cartagena tours on boats, and locals would also do day trips to Playa Blanca on big buses on the weekends, but they mostly concentrated around the main entrance to the beach.

If you walked a bit beyond this area, you’d find a mostly undeveloped and unspoiled beach that was mostly the domain of the intrepid backpackers who made the sojourn out here and well worth the adventure it took to get here.

Honestly, this was in many ways pretty darn close to paradise for me in my early 20s.

If you’re reading travel blogs originally published around this period (2010-2015ish), you’re likely to read about Playa Blanca as an unspoiled paradise and a must do on any trip to Cartagena.

People walking down the beach at Playa Blanca, Colombia. — Once you got past the more crowded entrance to the beach, you found a mostly undeveloped beach with hardly anyone besides the most intrepid backpackers who came out here to spend the night.

Paradise Lost

However, things have changed a lot.

After the paving of the road and the opening of the bridge connecting Barú to the mainland in 2014 made it easier to get to Playa Blanca from Cartagena, there was an explosion of tourism out here that the beach was ill prepared to receive.

I’m not incredibly well versed in the topic, but my understanding is there were originally plans to build a marina here and develop the beach in a more organized fashion.

However, there’s a complex dispute over land rights.

Colombia’s constitution gives Afro-Colombian communities, like those in Barú, certain communal rights to ancestral lands. In practice, this amounts to squatters rights for those that claim a piece of land on the beach and build something there.

My intuition is that the opening of the bridge set of a land grab, where locals feared they would be pushed off the beach entirely by larger developers, and wanted to get there’s while they could. I know for a fact that there are plenty of non-Barú natives that got in on this land grab too.

The fact is, you have a situation where there’s not the proper infrastructure like running water, sewage, electricity, or trash collection to support the growth in visitors and building on the beach.

There may have been an alternate reality where the beach was developed in a more limited fashion under a community cooperative or something of the like with the proper support of the government helping to provide better infrastructure, or even something like Tayrona Park.

My inner cynic’s intuition suspects the haphazard development that has occurred out here was allowed in part so authorities can come in later and claim they “saved” Playa Blanca by sweeping the locals off. To be fair, that’s just me speculating though.

However, I don’t think it’s speculation that a mentality of getting mine today greatly informs the most common complaints visitors have about Playa Blanca today.

Crowds on the beach at Playa Blanca near Cartagena. — Unfortunately, the crowds and haphazard development have spoiled what Playa Blanca used to be.

What to Watch Out For if You Go to Playa Blanca in Barú

Those common complaints about Playa Blanca primarily center around the crowds, pushy vendors, and price gouging, and, occasionally, the lack of infrastructure (don’t expect nice public bathrooms!).

How to Avoid the Crowds

First, I’d suggest doing everything in your power to avoid weekends, especially Sundays and Monday festivos (holidays), and the days around Easter, Christmas, and New Years. These are always the busiest times.

If you arrive by land, be sure to go down the stairs to the beach at the end of the road past the parking lot (this is the second entrance to the beach). Then head to the right along the beach until the crowd thins out. Be aware that there is an area of the beach where there are more rocks out in the water, so you may want to continue past that if you don’t find a nice spot before.

Just a tad before that is an old favorite place of ours: Pacho Lay. Pacho is one of my former student’s father, his wife is a good cook, and they’ve always treated us well.

You can also catch a boat from the beach down to Playa Tranquila from near where you come down onto the beach if you prefer.

Large crowds on the beach with boats in the water near the entrance to Playa Blanca in Barú. — If you come out to Playa Blanca, do yourself the favor and don’t stick around the main entrance where crowds are the worse!

Dealing with Vendors

First, if you arrive by land, expect to be approached, and likely surrounded by people trying to get you to come to their place on the beach.

This often intimidates people who aren’t expecting it. I’ve seen more than one comment of people saying they thought they were blocking the road to rob them. They’re not, they are just trying to corral you to their place of business. They’re mostly harmless, but occasionally can be very pushy and insistent, and sometimes they argue with each other over the right to claim your business.

I recommend you just tell them you already know where you are going whether that’s true or not (“Ya tenemos lugar”). Don’t let them try to help you with your bags or anything like that.

I say that for a few reasons.

First, because I’d encourage you to see where you want to be on the beach.

Secondly, while some of these guys are family or employees of wherever they take you, some are just trying to get a kickback from the place they take you and/or a tip from you. You’re better off just finding a place you like and dealing with them directly.

I suggest you just keep it moving towards the beach and engaging them as little as possible. They’ll eventually get the message and leave you alone.

Basically this same advice goes for all other vendors on the beach.

The worse offenders for being bothersome are usually the massage ladies, oyster mongers, and bracelet sellers (this goes for the beaches in town too, by the way). Be aware a common tactic, especially with the massage ladies and oyster vendors, is to offer a “free sample” that they later charge for because they continue massaging you or feeding you oysters.

Just be insistent in your no gracias even if it takes being a tad rude. Trust me, even after a decade, I struggled with this at times too, but it’s really not worth engaging them unless you want what they’re offering.

If that’s the case, be absolutely sure to agree on price before accepting anything and don’t be afraid to negotiate. That goes for everything out here.

Man drinking out of a coconut on the beach at Barú's Playa Blanca. — I encourage buying a drink in a coconut at Playa Blanca, but make sure you confirm the price and don’t be afraid to negotiate!

How to Avoid Being Overcharged on Isla Barú’s Playa Blanca

First, follow the same rule as above. Be absolutely sure to ask what things cost and agree to prices for everything!

If you’ve come on your own and not on a tour or day trip with lunch included, I’d recommend negotiating your beach shade, chairs, and lunch all together.

If you’re ordering beers or other drinks, also be sure you know the prices, and try to keep a running tab to avoid any surprises come time to pay. It’s not unheard of that some unscrupulous vendors show one menu when you order and another with higher prices when it comes time to pay. So, you can take a photo if you want an extra layer of security to avoid this bait and switch.

It is worth keeping mind that prices here will be higher than in comparable places in town. It’s a very touristy, isolated beach that requires stuff to be transported from town and kept cold by ice or generator. Expect to pay nice restaurant prices, not street food prices.

That being said, you shouldn’t be spending outrageous sums for fresh fish and a cold beer either.

Fried fish lunch at Playa Blanca on Isla Barú. — I’d recommend trying to negotiate having chairs and umbrellas/shade thrown in with your lunch, and I definitely recommend a tasty fried *mojarra* with coconut rice and a cold beer out here!

I also strongly advise asking if there are any service fees.

Tacking on a fee for bringing food and drinks to where you are on the beach is a way that some vendors try to overcharge. This is another good reason to consider just booking a day pass somewhere that includes lunch and beach chairs rather than coming on your own.

It’s an even better reason to just negotiate chairs and lunch together when you choose your spot. Sometimes what’s happening is guys are working as intermediaries and going somewhere else nearby to get the food and are charging for bringing it to you.

If you’re on your own, negotiate with someone who is from where you’ve chosen to stay, not someone who has tagged alongside you down the beach.

So, Should I Even Bother Going to Playa Blanca?

If you’ve read this far, I wouldn’t say I’ve painted the most beautiful picture.

Playa Blanca is still a beautiful beach though, and if you go with a clear idea of what to expect and can grit your teeth through some bargaining while keeping your guard up, you can still have a nice time.

The truth also is, in my experience, there’s plenty of hard working people who have had businesses out here for years trying to make a living and are not out to rip you off.

Unfortunately, the ones that do get attention on social media and the like.

People on the beach at Cartagena's Playa Blanca on Barú Island. — Look, the beach at Playa Blanca is beautiful, and it can still be enjoyed as long as you know what to expect and take some steps to avoid the worse of the crowds and vendors.

How to Do Playa Blanca on Isla Barú Right

So, just keep in mind all the tips above if you do decide to go.

To be honest, back before the bridge or even in the years that immediately followed when there was a reliable and cheap shuttle service, my advice would have been to go on your own, have the adventure, and just pick a spot.

Now, I tend to think for most people, doing a day tour that includes transportation, your beach chairs, and lunch is best for most people, and it will definitely save you the headache of having to deal with most of the issues discussed above.

I’m going to give some recommendations for that first, but then I’ll discuss how to get to Playa Blanca from Cartagena on your own after that.

Good Day Tours to Playa Blanca

If you want to go this easier route, there are a few decent options that can be booked fairly easily online.

Nena Beach Club has a pretty good reputation, one of the nicer set ups, and even has a little pool. I’ve heard mostly good things about it, and if you want something you can book ahead online that’s a touch nicer than a beach shack, it’s probably the best option.

You can book a day pass at Nena Beach Club here.

For something cheaper and a bit closer to the old school backpacker budget friendly vibes of Playa Blanca back in the day, Mambo Beach Club seems to be fairly well regarded, and it’s pretty much the most affordable and easily bookable day tour to Playa Blanca online.

You can book a day pass at Mambo Beach Club here.

Options for Spending the Night You Can Book Ahead

I remember our first night staying out here in hammocks strung up in a little shelter in the “Hostal” Bellena Azul. Back in 2011, there were a few larger places like Hugo’s Place here, but most places were little more than little shacks.

Gradually bungalows with beds and fans replaced the hammocks, and some places now have multistory set ups with rooms complete with A/C, especially in the Playa Tranquila sector.

Some of these do look nicer, even with proper tiled bathrooms and showers.

This is my bit where I remind you there isn’t really sewage, running water, or electricity out here. I’m not sure what happens to what goes down the toilets, and I don’t think I really want to know. In other words, regardless of how photos look online, keep your expectations at a “this is a rustic beach bungalow on an isolated beach” level, not a 5 star luxury resort level.

If you want something on a nicer resort style level, consider the Decameron Barú, located on the other side of a lagoon at the end of Playa Blanca, the Sofitel Calablanca, located on a private beach north of Playa Blanca, the Hotel Isla del Encanto, located farther southeast on Barú, or Las Islas, located on a tiny island just off the coast of Barú. All of these offer much nicer ameneties and creature comforts, but, of course, also come at a higher price.

I’ve picked out a few hostels and hotels on Playa Blanca itself that can be booked online and have both a high volume and mostly positive reviews here for you too.

Nena Beach Club also offers overnight stays and seems to be the highest end experience all around, but is fairly pricey for what it is too.

La Cabaña Geronimo Glamping and Hotel Calamari offer pretty good looking quality at a bit more affordable price point.

Finally, The Wizard offers just about the best value for a decent looking and decently reviewed place you can book online.

If you do book a place online ahead of time, I’d reach out to them about what they suggest for transportation and if they have any contacts for drivers. You could compare with what you find based on the tips in the next section.

Man sitting in a beach chair looking over the beach at Playa Blanca in Cartagena. — One nice thing about spending the night is you can enjoy sunset and sunrise.

Going on Your Own

The main problem with going on your own nowadays is the issue of transportation.

To be honest, it’s been too long since I’ve done it to recommend trying the old Pasacaballos public transportation route route.

There was a time after the bridge was built that you could still get 4×4 collectivos and motos to Playa Blanca, but the last time I did that was probably in 2018, so I’m not comfortable recommending it due to not being sure about safety in Pasacaballos these days, where exactly to get off the bus and get transportation to the beach, and what price to expect.

If you’re feeling adventurous, speak good Spanish, and want to try it, I imagine it’s still possible though. I’d love for you to share in the comments if you do!

There are a handful of shared buses, shuttles, and vans, you can find online at sites like Viator, GetYourGuide, or Bookaway, if you want to click one of those links and search, but reviews seem to be mixed at best, so I’m not going to recommend one specifically. This is the cheapest option though, and you could do it and keep your expectations low.

There is also this shuttle bus that goes to the aviary first and then the beach. So, if you wanted to go on your own dime and do the Aviary, it’s an option.

You can also go to the main Muelle de Bodeguita docks and book a boat transfer to Playa Blanca. Be aware that this will be in a small water taxi style boat, and it can be very bumpy, especially on the return trip in the afternoon. It’s the next cheapest option though.

What I’d actually recommend though is to hire a driver for the day. If you encounter a particularly friendly taxi driver, ask if they go out here and what they charge. You could also try Uber or InDriver. It’s possible to book one way transfers but because of distance and logistics, I’d recommend just hiring them for the day and having them wait for you to take you back when you’re ready. As of this writing in April 2025, something in the neighborhood of $300,000 pesos should be about right.

If you want something a bit more comfortable, you can also hire a private driver via our partner travel agency here. They also offer private transportation to the Aviary.

I strongly recommend against renting a car. It’s possible to do it this way, but the roads are not always in the best condition, and you’ll have to deal with parking too. I don’t think it’s worth the extra hassle at all.

Regardless of how you go, keep in mind the tips above about how you will be approached upon arrival. I’d again advise you just ignore these guys and make your way down to the beach. Walk (to the right after getting down to the beach) and find a good spot. Negotiate your chairs and lunch, and room if you want to spend the night, and keep in mind all the above tips.

Will you brave a visit to Playa Blanca?

There you have it, a complete, honest guide to Playa Blanca, including why I generally don’t recommend it. I hope you found it informative and useful for planning.

More importantly, I hope that if you do end up deciding to still go to Playa Blanca, these tips helped prepare you for what to expect and avoid being disappointed.

Most importantly, though, I hope that you enjoy it or whatever beach you decided to do in its place!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!