The Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park is located in the Caribbean Sea, 45 km southeast of Cartagena Bay, about one hour away by boat. The average year-round temperature is 24.7°C (76°F). This is one of 46 national parks in Colombia, created to protect one of the most important coral reefs along the country’s Caribbean coastline. The park covers 120,000 hectares and extends from the underwater platform and coral reefs west of the Barú Peninsula, through the reefs of the Nuestra Señora del Rosario and San Bernardo archipelagos and the platform between them, to the Tesoro, Rosario, Múcura, and Maravilla Islands.
Three ecosystems thrive here: coastal lagoons, the mangroves surrounding them, and tropical forest.
The Barú Peninsula lies next to the Rosario National Park, about 45 minutes by boat from Cartagena Bay or a three-hour drive by land. Within its 7,000 hectares are the charming towns of Ararca and Santa Ana, as well as white-sand beaches such as Playa Blanca, Punto Iguana, Playita Cholón, and Playa del Encanto. All of them are blessed with crystal-clear turquoise waters and surrounded by multicolored mangroves and dreamlike landscapes, where locals welcome visitors with delicious seafood and lobster dishes.
The native inhabitants of this peninsula are descendants of the Caribe tribe, the first settlers of the Rosario and Barú area in pre-Columbian times. Later, during the colonial period, the islands were inhabited by enslaved people brought from Africa, who dedicated their lives to fishing and gathering shellfish. Today, the region is not only a must-visit destination but also offers a wide variety of experiences: from full-day excursions at different hotels across the Rosario Islands and the Barú Peninsula to extended stays in accommodations that allow travelers to fully enjoy the calm and beauty of this Caribbean paradise.
