From
Cartegena, most people travel East to the fantastic beaches of Park
Tayrona or to Ciudad Perdida. A beautiful alternative and less visited
route is to the west along Colombia's Carribean coastline.
San Bernardo Islands
On
the Western stretch of Colombia's Caribbean coastline, in Sucre
department, one finds the rarely visited areas of Tolu, Covenas and the
islands of San Bernardo. The ten small islands and fine beaches of San
Bernardo are the real travel highlight of this area. To visit you must
travel overland by bus (or private vehicle) from Cartegena to Monteria
or Sincelejo, from where you can travel onwards. The region is very
much undiscovered by international tourists, but very popular with
Colombians. It's a good place to get off the Gringo Trail.
During high season (late December to January & Easter Week)
this part of Colombia area is heaving - whilst outside of such high
seasons it is normally quite quiet.
From Tolu one can travel by boat to the island Isla Palma, where Decameron has a 5 star beach resort and dolphins are often spotted. The swankiest place to stay at is the exclusive Punta Faro
on Mucare Island. Alternatively, Isla Tintipan has simple cabanas that
accommodate up to 12 people, while Isla Muruca has basic cabanas (at a
place named Estrella de David) for up to 22 guests.
An alternative is to use Tolu or Covenas as a base to visit San Bernardo Islands. Tolu is more of a port town, while Covenas
is a much more pleasant place to stay, with much finer beaches in the
surroundings, though less tourism infrastructure. Consider Hotel Golfo
de Morrosquillo, Cispatá Marina Hotel, Ibatama del Mar, Hotel Caribe or
Villa Babilla Hotel
in Tolu, or Hotel La Fragata in Covenas. Another hotel in the area is
Hotel Los Delfines. There's dozens of other hotels along the coastline
between Tolu and Covenas in addition.
Various
tours can be made from Covenas. A popular trip is to kayak or go by
boat to see the egrets of the swampy Cienaga, or to the nearby volcanic
mud baths.
