Isla Grande
Islas del Rosario, Bolívar, Colombia
Isla Grande anchors the Rosario Archipelago off Cartagena, Colombia, part of the Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo national park. Beyond the private beach clubs that line most of the shoreline, the village of Orika holds onto its own rhythm, sandy lanes, mangrove canoe routes, and an Afro descendant fishing community that's been here far longer than the tourism has.
The water and the reef are the real draw, but most of the shoreline has been carved up into private beach clubs, and locals will tell you Orika is the part worth your time, not the resort strip.
How we score beachesSpend an hour in Orika before heading to a beach club, a short mangrove canoe tour run by locals gives a better sense of the island than any resort stretch does.
No road reaches the island. A daily speedboat ferry runs from the Muelle de la Bodeguita in Cartagena, around thirty to sixty minutes depending on conditions, and a floating checkpoint in the channel collects the national park entry fee before you reach shore.
Arrival is by boat straight to a pier or beach club dock, sometimes with a short stretch of shallow wading depending on the tide. The island itself is flat and easy walking between the beach clubs and Orika.
December through April brings the driest, calmest weather for the crossing and the clearest water for snorkeling. The rest of the year sees more rain and choppier seas on the way out.
More South America beaches
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Baía do Sancho
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