We finally had the opportunity to visit the San Bernardo islands! So far on the travel blog, we’ve let Vincent, one of our readers, tell us about his experience on Isla Mucura, but we had to go and have a look for ourselves.
So, in this post, we’re going to mix the two stories, because for our part, we didn’t play the game all the way… we were having such a good time in Rincon del mar that we didn’t feel like spending too much time on the islands, so we decided to take the famous day tour.
Except (!) we asked not to do the tour as proposed… we asked for the lancha to leave us directly at Isla Tintipan to spend the whole day there (the morning, in fact).
So, anyway! Here’s a cross between Vincent’s experience, who stayed the night on Isla Mucura, and ours, who spent the day on Isla Tintipan, two islands considered among the most beautiful in the Colombian Caribbean.
Isla Mucura and Isla Tintipan are among the alternatives to the touristy Baru and Rosario islands. And although their reputation is now well established, the atmosphere here is perhaps a little less oppressive than on the beaches of Cartagena.
Disclaimer: we apologize in advance for any grammatical or syntactic errors, as our native language is not English (we're a Colombian-French couple), so we hope you'll forgive us and still enjoy the information we share with you! Please note that all the information on our blog is based on our own experience, and is checked and updated regularly.
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Isla Mucura (by Vincent)
San Bernardo islands
It was to avoid the beaches and tourist islands off Cartagena, the Isla Baru and other islands of the Rosario islands, that we decided to discover the San Bernardo islands. We had a hankering for the beach, we had a hankering for the Caribbean, but we were looking for an alternative to the beaches of Cartagena, so Isla Mucura held out its arms to us!
So we headed for Tolu, a pleasant little town with little tourism. It was from here that we’d been told the boats were leaving for Isla Mucura.
After sleeping in Tolu, we set off in the morning with a local agency with the idea of simply spending the day on Mucura. We really liked the place, especially the fishing village and its surroundings, and soon felt the urge to enjoy it for longer!
In the fishing village, we met Juan who informed us that he ran a small “Posada” (the one just above the grocery store) which had no name or sign. We asked him if we could come back the next day to sleep there, and that was it!
So we came back the next day, still by boat, still via an agency, but this time the lancha trip included a stop at Santa Cruz del islote, the island reputed to have the densest population in the world. A tourist break that we found really formatted and of no interest to us.
Finally, the return to Isla Mucura marked the start of 2 fantastic days on this superb island!
SANTA CRUZ DEL ISLOTE TOUR AND sustainable TOURISM
Island tours do indeed include a stop at Santa Cruz del Islote, where for 10.000 pesos you are taken around the island in 10 minutes and given the chance to “swim” with a shark enclosed in a tiny pool. These practices are totally irresponsible and cruel, and responsible tourism also means rejecting and denouncing them. We therefore invite you not to take part in this activity.
Mucura Island and its fishing village
DISCOVER THE SAN BERNARDO islands
We disembark on the main beach, where there are little huts where we can eat and enjoy cold drinks. The sea water is an exceptional transparent blue and the setting is simply idyllic when there aren’t many people around. That said, beware of weekends and Colombian vacations, when it’s apparently packed!
There’s not much to do on Mucura, and that’s just fine!
The tour of the island is quickly done, especially as part of it is closed and inaccessible, unfortunately, due to the hotels who have privatized part of the island..
A charming little path takes us to the fishermen’s village, and here it’s another planet, where life is simpler, but very much alive! It’s an opportunity to chat, to discover the fishermen’s brooms, the children at play… People are used to tourism, so reactions vary from indifference to smiles.
As far as we’re concerned, the best plan is undeniably to sleep in the fishermen’s village, where you’ll find quality food and simple, clean accommodation– what more could you ask for?
Prefer to sleep on site
Vincent went to Isla Mucura at the beginning of December, so it was rather “out of season”. Apparently there weren’t many of them, and once the day-trip boats left (at around 3pm) they found themselves to be practically the only “foreigners” on the island: bliss! (The others were in their hotels).
Hence the advice to really prefer to spend at least one night on the island to be able to enjoy it. Beware, however, as the island is very small, the accessible beaches can quickly become crowded at weekends and in high season.
Editor’s note: If you’re looking for greater comfort.other types of accommodation are available on the island.
Things to do on Mucura Island
San Bernardo islands
Our stay on Isla Mucura went smoothly, with swimming, beer, chatting, walking, the arrival of fishermen and lounging… But I really wanted to discover those famous phosphorescent plankton I’d heard so much about!
Juan Guillermo calls us a fisherman and we set off with him at dusk (after a magnificent sunset)… After a stop on El Islote for petrol, we head for a mangrove swamp on the Isla Tintipan side, where, to top it all, we’re absolutely alone! Beware, our fisherman friend informs us that during the high season there may be a dozen boats or lanchas on the spot.
It was an absolutely magical moment to be alone in the water, surrounded by these plankton that light up with every movement! Unforgettable!
Activities on Isla Mucura
- Discover the fishing village
- Discover Isla Tintipan – 10min by lancha
- Snorkelling on the surrounding coral reef
- Swim among luminescent plankton
- Rent a kayak to explore the surrounding mangroves
Islands where access to resources is complicated
It’s important to be aware of what you’re getting into when you travel to Colombia. Here, you need to bear in mind that Isla Mucura and Isla Tintipan are isolated places, where access to resources is complicated.
- No vending machines: bring cash
- No drinking water: buy bottled water on site.
- Rationed water for showers (time slots or jump showers)
- Little telephone or wifinetwork
- Electricity may be rationed and run only at night. This depends on the type of accommodation.
- No waste collection system. Remember to bring your own garbage.
- Many mosquitoes: bring protection
- Suitcase up to 8kg authorized
Isla Tintipan (by us)
MUCURA’S BIG SISTER
We take over from Vincent to tell you about Isla Tintipan, another island in the San Bernardo islands, which can be an alternative option, or added to your stay on Isla Mucura.
While Isla Mucura is certainly the best-known island in the islands, it is also possible to stay on the island of Tintipan.
Tintipan is a larger island than Isla Mucura, dotted with canals, inland islands and mangroves. It boasts very rich ecosystems and a wide variety of fauna, including many birds.
Like Isla Mucura, it has sublime beaches, heavenly as they should be, but not the equivalent of Mucura’s “fishing village”.
To get from one island to the other, in either direction, it will cost you around $15.000 COP by lancha.
Tintipan Island day tour
San Bernardo islands
So we went for the day to Tintipan from Rincón del Mar, because we really didn’t want to leave Rincón, but we wanted to at least go to the San Bernardo islands to have a look around and be able to tell you all about the destination over here! But as we knew a bit about the tour, we decided not to do it as it was, but to ask to stay the whole “day” at Isla Tintipan. We managed to do so by paying an extra 10.000 pesos.
We left at around 8.30am with a group, but the lancha dropped us off first on Tintipan. So we were the first on the island. We docked on the main beach, the largest (albeit small), where there are a few “nativos” kiosks where you can sit or have lunch. This is the only truly public place where the island’s population can do business. Like Mucura, all the other beaches on the island are occupied by hotels. Nevertheless, the beach areas are public.
We walk along the beach away from the pier. It’s quite strange, as the beach is divided into mini-beaches bounded by small stone dykes. We walk until we reach a hotel, where we realize we can go no further.
We meet the owner of the hotel, a “paisa” who quickly complains about people (like us) who always come to her hotel like this. She tells us that she no longer allows people to stay on “her” beach if they don’t have a reservation (because “it annoys her customers”). As there’s no one there, she offers us a coffee anyway, and asce tells us all about her love of the islanders: jealous, unreliable, uneducated, etc., so we decide to make a quick getaway!
So we retrace our steps and decide to set up on a stretch of beach as far away from the main beach as possible, next to the beautiful Casa Tinti hotel.
There’sno one there, probably because it’s low season (March), and we’re on a weekday, so it stays that way (weekends, holidays and Colombian vacations are a different story…)
That said, with the lanchqs from the towers arriving little by little from 11am onwards , the place filled up very quickly. People concentrated mainly on the central beach. A little later, a few private boats arrived with music blasting, full of drunken revellers, the perfect picture…
But we were well and truly on our own little piece of paradise if you disregard the surroundings: white sand and crystal-clear seas like never before, it couldn’t have been more spectacular! There’s no denying it, the sea was truly sublime.
When the lanchero had dropped us off on the main beach, a young man offered to order lunch for us. Without thinking, we ordered the classic fried fish with coconut rice and the “waiter” told us he’d bring it to us, at the time arranged with him, directly to where we’d be on the beach. And indeed, when it was time to eat, our two plates arrived– incredible service! The food wasn’t exceptional, but it did the trick.
All in all, we spent our time there, swimming in the beautiful water until around 2 p.m., when the lanchero came to pick us up to prepare our return to Rincón del Mar.
Why so early? Because the sea here gets rougher in the afternoon, and the lancheros prefer to leave before it gets too rough. And that’s understandable. But when all is said and done, the weather on the islands stops in the early afternoon.
We return to Rincón with mixed feelings, confirming that if you have the means, and the time, it ‘s certainly better to stay at least one night in a hotel with a private beach to enjoy the crystal-clear water.
what are day tours on the islands?
Day trips to the islands of the San Bernardo islands are available from Cartagena (longer trip), Tolu and Rincon del Mar.
We took one from Rincon del Mar. These tours offer a quick overview of the islands of the islands. They leave between 8am and 9am and return between 2pm and 3pm before the tide changes and becomes complicated:
The tour includes :
- a stop at Isla Múcura lasting an hour or so, to see the island a little, take a stroll, etc.
- a second stop at Santa Cruz del Islote, known as the most densely populated island in the world. As we explained above, we don’t like this kind of “tourism” and we invite you not to take part. Even if you do take the tour, you don’t have to participate. You can wait for other people in the group on the lancha or on the quay.
- The 3rd and final stop is Tintipan Island, where you’ll have another 2/3h more or less to enjoy the beach and lunch.
Island tour prices from Rincon del Mar
- Prices are now set by the Rincon lancheros association and are fixed.
60.000 COP / person round trip
Supplement of $10.000 COP if you wish to be dropped off on Tintipan directly. - Visit to Santa Cruz del Islote: $10.000 COP
- Lunch : Around $20.000 COP
Where to stay in the San Bernardo islands
Accommodation in the fishing village of Mucura
This is where you’ll find the cheapest, simplest and most authentic accommodation on Isla Mucura, as it’s in the center of the fishing village, the island’s only inhabitants. An opportunity to meet and share.
To do so, go to the village and ask around, as each family offers more or less a room to sleep in. You canaccess the beaches simply by asking hostels/hotels that have them.
- Juan Guillermo’s “nameless” posada above the grocery store
- Hostal “El Nono
- Other families offer accommodation in their homes
Hotels on Isla Mucura
Isla Mucura
Hotel
Punta Faro Hotel
Double room : $400.000 à $700.000
Isla Mucura’s top-of-the-range hotel with bungalows, private beach, full board and all kinds of activities.
Isla Mucura
Hostal
Mucura Island Hostel
Dormitory : $50.000 to $100.000/Double room : $250.000 to $300.000 COP
Hostal Isla Mucura offers all types of accommodation at all prices, from hammocks and dormitory beds to bungallow beds with sea views. Possibly festive atmosphere, private beach access and activities.
Isla Mucura
Eco Lodge
Dalhandia Hotel
Double room : $400.000 à $700.000
A hotel in Isla Mucura, perhaps a little quieter than the others, with the same constraints and advantages. Cabanas and small private beach.
Hotels on Isla Tintipan
Located 10 minutes by lancha from Isla Mucura, Tintipan is the largest island in the islands.
Tintinpan, the best hotels
Hostal, Hotel
Tintipan Ashram Hostel & Glamping
Double room : $300.000 to $350.000 COP
Small hotel and Glamping well located to enjoy Tintipan. People appreciate the service, food and atmosphere. It’s also well rated.
Tintinpan, the best hotels
Hostal
Santa lova hostel
Dormitory : $50.000 to $100.000/Double room : $150.000 to $200.000 COP
A hostel with every comfort, located in a beautiful spot to enjoy the idyllic setting of the islands. Very good reviews. They offer several activities on the island.
Tintinpan, the best hotels
Hotel
Casa Tinti
Double room: $700.000 to $1.000.000 COP
A recent hotel that invites you to relax. Beautiful facilities facing the turquoise sea. Good service and comfort according to the reviews. We stayed next door to this hotel for the day and felt very comfortable.
How to get there
How to get from one island to the other
Isla Mucura and Isla Tintipan are right next to each other, so it only takes a 10-minute lancha ride to get from one island to the other. Lancheros will be available at the pier on each island to make the trip.
- Fare: $15.000 COP
How to get to Isla Mucura and Tintipan
Some important information
- Plan ahead to avoid being stranded, especially in high season
- Lanchas rarely accept large luggage, or only at extra cost
- Keep as far back as possible in the lancha to avoid jolts during the journey.
- Book a return ticket to avoid any inconvenience (more room)
By boat from Cartagena (2h)
- Fare: $130.000 COP / pers. (one-way) $20.000 COP (entrance to natural park)
- Departures every morning at 8:30 a.m. from Bodeguita de Cartagena.
- there are day tours from Cartagena that leave very early (around 5am), but they’re expensive and the journey is long. It’s best to stay at least one night if you want to make the trip from Cartagena
By boat from Tolu (1h)
- Fare: $45.000 COP / person (one-way) / “pasadia” fare: $70.000 COP / person (round trip) / $20.000 COP (entrance to natural park)
- Departures from the port every morning at 8:30 am / Return at 2:30 pm
You will be asked to choose the island on which you wish to be dropped off. (You can change once you’re there, if necessary)
By boat from Rincon del mar (45 min.)
- Fare: $60.000 COP return
- Departures every morning between 8:30 and 9 am. The lancha picks you up at your hotel
How to get to Tolu
Bus Monteria – Tolu (3h)
- Fare: between $16.000 and $27.000 COP
- Daily departures from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m
- Companies: Sotracor, Rapid Ochoa, Expresso Brasilia, Unitransco
Bus Medellin – Tolu (11h)
- Fare: approx. $100.000 COP
- Daily departures from 6:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m
- Companies: Rapid Ochoa, Expresso Brasilia
How to get to Rincon del mar
Bus Cartagena – San Onofre (2h)
- Fares: from $22.000 COP
- Departures: 5:45 a.m., 6:15 a.m. and 4:15 p.m
- Companies: Rapid Ochoa, Unitransco
From San Onofre, take a cab to Rincon del Mar
- Duration: approx. 20 min
- Mototaxi price: approx. $15.000 COP
- Cab fare: approx. $30.000 COP
Good day to you,
Thank you for your feedback on our experience in Colombia. We decided (thanks to this article) to spend 7 nights at Isla Mucura in the Dahlandia hotel
Quick question: where did you find these very attractive prices for outings?
After questioning our hotel, here’s the price list
-Outing to see the luminescent plankton: 45,000 COP
-Snorkeling: 80,000 COP
-Visit to a nearby island: 100,000 COP
Many thanks in advance!
Hello Jules,
Thanks for your comment! Great if the article convinced you to go to isla Mucura!
Regarding your question, I’ll have several answers:
– the rates shown are from 2019 and maybe they’ve had to change since then…
– As we said at the beginning of the article, it’s based on the experience of one of our readers, he chose to really stay in the village and go through the locals directly for his activities. I think you can get more attractive prices if you do the same thing directly on site and not through your hotel.
– The 100,000 price for a visit to another island must include other things, not just transport, because apparently it’s just a 10-minute journey between Mucura and Tintinpan, for example. Sometimes hotels or those selling these activities offer day plans including transport, lunch etc… maybe it’s a plan like that?
The price they give is just for the lancha ride and I think it must be some kind of public transport… That said, I imagine the fare must have gone up since then.
We haven’t yet had the chance to discover this place, so we can’t speak from our own experience. However, I can tell you that the cheapest way is always to go direct with the locals and avoid middlemen. You can organize this on the spot without worrying about comparisons. Unfortunately, we don’t know the current prices to be able to answer you with more certainty. It’s in our plans to discover all this on our next trip 🙂 So, your feedback will be most welcome to update our article!
Thanks and have a nice trip!
Hello I looked at your site
Superb Bravo?
What better place then to dive? Sur 4/5 jours
sincerely
Marc
Hello Marc, thank you for your message. We have a number of articles on diving that can help you make a choice according to your desires by clicking here.
We were very disappointed with our stay at the Mucura club hotel. Unacceptable value for money. Hotel in poor condition and in serious need of renovation. Ordinary food. I suggest you avoid this place.
Beware also of the shock on this island where three big hotels own the majority of the island with fences and guards, while there is only a tiny corner left for the locals who live in more than rudimentary conditions. A harsh reality for those with a conscience. Good luck.
Hi, sorry to hear you didn’t have a good experience in this hotel. You’ll see in our article that we don’t recommend this hotel. Our first recommendation is to stay in a fisherman’s village, for a more authentic (and simpler) experience that directly benefits the community.
It has not changed!!! we stayed 1 night at this hotel which for the price is unacceptable … when we pass the gate and want to walk on the island, it is a garbage dump with smells to vomit … finally you are sold that for an island paradise but they do not have the same sense of paradise
Hi!!! I really enjoyed your article. It was super informative and encouraging to visit Mucura Island.
I still have a question about accommodation. Could you give me more info on the alternative of staying in one of the houses in the fishermen’s town? Do you have a contact phone number?
Hi Maria, thanks for your comment 🙂 To stay in the fishing village I’m afraid there is no other solution than to go there and see it directly on the spot 😉 Saludos !
Hello,
Once again, thank you so much for all your invaluable advice. Your blog is great and was very useful in helping us prepare for our month-long trip to Colombia.
We would like to spend two nights there. One on Isla Mucura and the other either on Mucura again or on Tintinpan, what do you recommend? (For Mucura, we’ll probably go to Hostal Isla Mucura, the accommodation seems very expensive…) We can’t find much information or affordable accommodation on Tintinpan.
Is it easy to get a lancha ride between the two islands?
Is the Mucura-Cartagena connection by lancha a frequent one, and if not, do you have any idea of the departure times (you said it leaves Cartagena harbor at 8:30 in the morning, but not for the return trip…)?
Also, you advise us to “Book a return ticket to avoid any inconvenience (more space)”; where can we book this ticket? (at the port of Cartagena? )
Bonne continuation
Janne & Jeanne
Hi, and thanks for the message and your compliments on the blog! 🙂 So yes, accommodation is relatively expensive, as is often the case in places that are more difficult to access (no water, no electricity, everything is more expensive because you have to bring everything in from the mainland, etc.). As far as accommodation is concerned, we can only recommend what we’ve listed in this article, depending on your tastes. In fact, both islands are only 10 minutes away by Lancha, so sleeping on one or the other is equivalent in the end. You can buy a return ticket at the Cartagena tourist port. Returns are usually around 2 – 3 pm, and on the day of your departure, it’s best to go to the pier to confirm that you want seats on the Lancha departing that day. Isla Mucura is tiny, so you won’t get lost, and there will always be someone there to help you, so don’t worry 😉
Well, I’ll be damned… ! Wow!
This country is truly inexhaustible, just like your website! A real gold mine!
In 3 weeks I’ll be going there for the first time, and I’ll be serene thanks to all your articles 🙂
I’ll try to add Mucura to my itinerary!
Thank you François for your lovely message, which means a lot to us! 🙂 Enjoy your trip!
Super this little topo !
Thank you! 🙂