Colombia’s Playa Blanca is like stumbling upon a Robinson Crusoe-esque settlement in the modern-day Caribbean. Ramshackle beach huts line a white sand beach and crystalline blue waters complete the look of paradise lost. Now take this image and imagine multiple Reggaeton party-boat crash into the south end of this beach spilling rambunctious day-drinkers and banana boat riders onto it between the hours of 9am – 5pm on a daily basis. The Reggaeton shipwreck creates the siren call for hordes massage ladies and beaded jewellery touts to also invade the beach and you have an idea of what happens on a daily basis on Playa Blanca. For this reason and others, Playa Blanca has mixed reviews. Is Playa Blanca worth visiting? This blog post explores different aspects and realities of visiting, so you can decide if Playa Blanca is worth visiting either as a day trip or an overnight trip.
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Contents:
- Practical travel tips for Visiting Playa Blanca
- Transportation
- Where to Stay
- Day-trip or Overnight trip?
- Final thoughts: Is Playa Blanca worth visiting?
Practical Tips for Visiting Playa Blanca
While only about 40KM away from the Colombia’s major Caribbean hub of Cartagena, the 2.5KM strip of Playa Blanca is still faces some surprisingly remote realities. It is only quite recently that some accommodations have featured running water and reliable electricity – for example. Most people visit on day trips from Cartagena, but in my opinion, you’re missing the best part of Playa Blanca when you visit with the horde of daily day-trippers. The tranquility of the area and activities such as the bioluminescent plankton are best experienced if you spend a night or two in Playa Blanca. Note that you can expect most of the more basic accommodations options to not offer electricity and give only a limited amount of fresh water for bathing daily.
If you plan to stay a night or two in Playa Blanca, travel as light as possible. Absolutely do not bring a suit-case unless you’re staying at a luxury hotel like the Decameron Baru – All-Inclusive – which has its own private transport services that take you door-to-door from Cartagena airport to their hotel in Playa Blanca. Otherwise, don’t bring anything bigger than a backpack, as there’s always a chance you’re going to have to walk a distance in the sand, or jump into shallow water from a boat depending on what form of transportation you choose, and exactly where your transport drops you off.
Get a Claro SIM card if possible when you arrive in Colombia. This is easily purchased in the arrivals hall at Bogota Airport at the cafe just to the right of the exit from the customs area (most international flights will transit through Bogota and therefore most passengers will pass through customs and immigration in Bogota – try to get your Claro SIM card in Bogota if possible as it may be more faffy to get it later on. Note avoid the Claro kiosk in the baggage hall, it was asking $27USD for 18GB – which is overpriced. I got a 40GB SIM card for 65,000COP (approx. $15USD) at the cafe just outside the customs area. The reason I specify Claro is because cellular signal can be spotty in Playa Blanca, not all providers have coverage; however, my Claro SIM had excellent coverage – I could even have video calls on it. Note that depending on where you stay, the property may not have WIFI all the time – especially if they turn off the electricity during the day – the router often goes with it. If you’re not able to get a SIM card in Bogota, or your phone is eSIM only, consider getting purchasing an eSIM ahead of time from Saily, which has the some of the best rates I found for Colombian eSIMs among various providers
Try to avoid visiting during the weekends. This is when most local visitors swell the beach. Visiting mid-week should allow for a more chill experience – as long as it’s not a holiday in Colombia.
Transportation
You can get to Playa Blanca in a number of different ways. I’ve taken the shuttle bus, boat, as well as a taxi from the airport directly to Playa Blanca.
If you’re arriving in Cartagena airport, you can actually take a taxi or Uber directly to Playa Blanca. I would recommend checking what the going Uber rate is at the airport, and then using that rate to negotiate with the authorized taxi drivers outside the airport. I would lean against taking an Uber from the airport as its legal status is still something of a grey zone, and there are a number of police check points on the way to Playa Blanca from Cartagena – so better to be in an authorized taxi. My taxi driver matched the going Uber rate, and it cost 140,000COP ($32USD) to get a ride directly from the airport to Playa Blanca.
Another option is to take one of the bus options that leave from Cartagena which cost generally less than $10USD per direction.
The boat and speedboat options typically start around $15USD. Note: due to wind patterns the boat ride from Cartagena to Playa Blanca is generally rougher than the boat ride from Playa Blanca to Cartagena – which is quite smooth by contrast.
My recommendation would be to take the boat or speedboat if you don’t get seasick. While a bumpy ride particularly in the high wind season from December – April – the boats actually drop you off right on the beach – which is both convenient and allows you to avoid the mayhem associated with ground arrival at the parking lot at Playa Blanca. While convenient, taxis and private cars get swarmed and harassed by touts at the parking area (particularly bad on weekends), and there’s no way to get out of the car without being swarmed. It’s an unpleasant experience. If I could rate how bad these touts were on a scale of 1/10 based on my experience of traveling to over 60 countries – these touts would be a world-class 10/10. Avoid it if you can. Note that if your hotel is quite far towards the north end of the beach, you can end up walking 30 minutes+ in the sand to get to your destination from the parking lot, or be forced to hire the boat service for 40,000 COP to get you to your hotel – so this is why I say just pay for the boat directly from Cartagena!
Where to Stay
Generally-speaking, I would avoid staying in the South end of the beach – as that is where the majority of day-trippers congregate during the day. The further North along the beach you go, the quieter it will be – however note that the section between Raw Koko Hotel and Princesa del Mar is washed out and generally does not have a beach at higher tides – the water often goes right up to the buildings.
Luxury:
A range of accommodations options now exist in Playa Blanca. The 4 Star All-Inclusive Decameron Baru is located on Northern end of the beach – conveniently separated from the rest of the beach by a small water channel, this hotel could be a good option for those who want a luxury option (ie: 24 hour electricity, hot water, air conditioning) on Playa Blanca – and given the hotel is its own private compound, there should be minimal disturbances from the touts – which was my least favorite thing about Playa Blanca.
Mid-Range:
Mid-range hotels should run about $35 – $70USD on Playa Blanca, and will feature running water, reliable electricity. Depending on the property, there may or may not be air conditioning. Most rooms in Playa Blanca will at least include a fan. I stayed at Soy Local Baru, located in the centre of Playa Blanca, and really enjoyed my stay. All rooms have an ocean view and private bathrooms, and the sunbeds and loungers are reserved for guest use – no purchases required to use them. There is running water, but no hot water. Electricity is turned off between 11am – 3pm for generator maintenance – but was otherwise reliable. I just charged my powerbank and electronics overnight and I was good to go for the next day. Another mid-range hotel I would recommend is Hotel Calamari Baru, I often had dinner at the restaurant here, the staff are great, and the hotel is of excellent quality with oceanview rooms. These two hotels are located at the best section of the beach on Playa Blanca in my opinion.
Budget:
Budget accommodations can cost as little as $10 – $15USD a night, but be aware that anything under the $20 – $30USD range will often be a basic hut – often ramshackle – which may or may not have a door, no running water, and you’ll likely have to use shared bathroom facilities. You may have a limited amount of fresh water – 10 – 20 Liters to bathe with, bucket-shower style. It’s kind of a cool experience if you’re prepared for it – but maybe not so much if you have no idea what you’re getting into. I recommend bringing a PacSafe net, or portable safe for your valuables if you’re staying in such accommodations – as there’s no other way to secure your belongings in such places, as well as bring a headlamp, and powerbank for the limited amount of electricity that the property may offer. The Wizard Bar Baru is a solid budget accommodations option on Playa Blanca on the best section of the beach.
Day-trip or Overnight Trip?
If what I have described in terms of staying overnight in Playa Blanca sounds like too much for you, then you might be better off visiting on a day trip. There are many well-reviewed and affordable day-trip options to Playa Blanca from Cartagena. The good thing about traveling to the area on a day-trip is your tour group would not likely be harassed as much upon arrival as guided tour groups are much harder pickings for the touts than individual travellers. If you choose a daytrip, I recommend this one – which includes round-trip transportation from Cartagena to Playa Blanca, includes lunch, the use of sun loungers, as well as the bioluminescent plankton tour in the evening.
I highly recommend a day trip that includes the bioluminescent plankton as they are a very unique phenomenon. However, if you’re short on time/not keen to be in the water at night, consider this very well reviewed day trip that includes round-trip transportation from Cartagena, lunch, and use of use of sun loungers.
Final thoughts: Is Playa Blanca, Colombia Worth Visiting?
Playa Blanca is one of Colombia’s finest white sand beaches. The natural beauty of the area cannot be understated. The sand is powder white, and the water a stunning aquamarine blue – and at the most perfect temperature possible – not too cool or hot – just comfortably refreshing. Its location just a 45 minute boat ride away from Cartagena makes it an easy destination to get to from a major city in Colombia. Paradise comes with some pitfalls however; for me, the touts are an annoyance that has grown considerably since my first visit to the beach in 2017 – they were bad enough I would recommend coming and going by boat just to avoid being swarmed in the parking lot.
In the 7 years between my first visit to Playa Blanca in 2017 to my most recent visit in 2024; Playa Blanca has changed dramatically. In 2017, few properties had electricity and running water, by 2024 many now feature 24 hour electricity as well as running water and even air conditioning. Overall, if you have an adventurous spirit, Playa Blanca is worth visiting. If you’re worried about staying the night, try it out on a day trip first.
There are few places in the world where you can get a private beach-front bungalow on a stunning white sand beach for less than $500USD a week. Playa Blanca is a rarity in that sense. If you don’t mind feeling a bit in the wild west with all the touts in a remote area of Colombia, it is a beautiful place that offers outstanding value for money.
