The Best Time to Visit the Rosario Islands

The best time to visit the Rosario Islands is the dry season, December to April; May to November is the rainy season (Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia). Whatever the month, go early: boats leave Cartagena between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, and the harbour master sets the time to come back by the state of the sea. Coco Cartagena Tours’ Cartagena: 5-Stop Rosario Islands Tour, Lunch, & Beach Clubs runs from 8:00 or 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, from $73 on promotion, usually $81 a person (checked November 2026).

The calendar above is the island-hopping day, with 6,600 reviews (checked November 2026) and free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.

The short answer

Book for a dry-season day between December and April if you can, and keep a spare day in your Cartagena stay in case the sea closes on the one you picked. In the rainy months, check the forecast the day before. Because every carded day can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours before it starts, booking early and moving the date if the forecast turns costs nothing.

Dry season and rainy season

Parques Nacionales gives the park’s climate as a dry season from December to April and a rainy season from May to November. The crossing to the islands is open sea for part of the way, and the boat ride can be bumpy whatever the month: on KevinTour02's party boat, seasonal winds can make the sea choppy during the transfers. A dry bag for your phone and passport is worth packing.

The busy periods

Resolution 551 of 2025, which sets the national parks’ 2026 fees, counts 1 November to 31 January, 15 June to 15 August and Holy Week as high season for this park. The Rosario park’s fee is the same all year, COP 13,500. The park as a whole received 1,246,374 visitors in 2025 (Parques Nacionales), so expect company on any day, and the most of it in those weeks.

Rough-sea days and the flags

The Capitanía de Puerto, Cartagena’s harbour master, flags the state of the sea for the boats at La Bodeguita: green when navigation is open without restrictions, yellow for caution or partial restrictions, red when navigation is closed (Corpoturismo). Under a red flag no boat leaves for the islands; a yellow flag means caution or partial restrictions. Weather can change the carded days too: on the sailing catamaran the itinerary is subject to minor changes for weather or by the captain’s decision, and on the private speedboat the trip back takes 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the weather and the waves. If your day is cancelled for the sea, contact the operator through your booking about a new date or a refund.

Check dates with free cancellation

The time of day

Boats leave Cartagena between 8:00 and 10:00 AM (Parques Nacionales). On the island-hopping day the Eco ticket starts at 8:00 AM and the VIP and Party tickets at 8:30 AM, and every ticket is back by 4:30 PM. Corpoturismo opens the pier gates at 7:00 AM, so arrive with time to pay the dock fee at the desk before your boat. The one carded day with an evening program is Freedom Beach Club's 10-hour Barú day, which ends with a plankton tour after dark; the plankton tour has the detail.