Colombia is colour, dance, wild forests, coffee, music, stunning cities, art and, of course, some of the best beaches in the world. With the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean on its coastline, Colombia has no shortage of islands and beaches with crystal clear water and fine sand to swim and stroll on. Read on to find out which are the best beaches in Colombia.
Best beaches in the Colombian Caribbean
Islas Corales del Rosario, Cartagena de Indias
The Corales del Rosario Islands, in the Bolivar region close to the coast of Cartagena de Indias, are part of the Corales del Rosario and San Bernardo National Natural Park. They form an archipelago of 28 islands and are unquestionably among the best in Colombia. Being in a protected natural park, the beaches of these islands are some of the best places to observe flora and fauna in Colombia. You can find a great diversity of aquatic species, coral reefs and other natural phenomena such as mangroves and lush vegetation.
The famous Isla Grande is the easiest to get to from Cartagena, with kilometres of white sandy beaches and a wide variety of water activities. The unspoilt beach of Playa Bonita is a must-see on your tour of the best beaches in the Colombian Caribbean. From Isla Grande you can visit other equally beautiful islands such as Isla Múcura and Isla Pirata. Another place worth a visit is the curious Santa Cruz del Islote, the most densely populated island in the world.
From Cartagena you can buy a ticket for a 40 minute boat ride. The price is less than €7 (30,000 $COP) and you can buy it on the spot at the La Bodeguita pier where boats leave frequently.
Playa Blanca, one of the best beaches in Cartagena, Colombia
Playa Blanca, on Baru Island less than 40 kilometres from Cartagena, is one of the most beautiful and popular beaches in Colombia. It is the perfect beach for activities such as scuba diving or snorkelling due to its crystal clear waters and colourful corals, as well as hiking through the wild mangroves in the surrounding area. But if this isn’t enough to convince you, Playa Blanca is also the perfect place to simply relax in the sun or eat a seafood platter of the day’s catch at one of its restaurants. At dusk, we recommend watching the beautiful Caribbean sunset from Las Cuevas, a rocky area of the beach where you get the best views.
One of the most common ways for tourists to get to Playa Blanca is by sea. At the tourist pier in Cartagena you can hire a boat (<€15) or a guided excursion to Playa Blanca from your hotel (<€30) with lunch included and a stop at other nearby islands.
A second option is going by taxi (<€20). If you decide to use this mode of transport, we recommend going as early as possible to avoid the crowds and ordering a taxi from your hotel.
Cabo de la Vela, one of the best beaches in La Guajira, Colombia
Cabo de la Vela is a place that is known for the strong contrasts in its orography. Here you can see everything from high cliffs to the dunes of the La Guajira desert, which go deep into the beaches. These are not the only contrasts in Cabo de la Vela, as it is a village where the inhabitants do not have basic goods such as drinking water and electricity and make a living by selling small handicrafts on the beaches. For this reason, you should plan to bring water with you on your visit to Cabo de la Vela.
One of the main activities to do on these beaches is kitesurfing, so if you like water sports, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity. The best beaches in Cabo de la Vela are Playa Arcoíris, Playa de Mayapo and Pilón de Azúcar with its red desert soil.
As it is such an unexplored place, the easiest way is to hire a guided tour from Riohacha, which can be reached by bus from Barranquilla and Cartagena. If you are not interested in this option and prefer to travel on your own, once in Riohacha you must take another bus to Uribia and then a taxi or Jeep to Cabo de la Vela. The total travel time from Riohacha will be more than 3 hours.
Palomino, La Guajira, Colombia
Palomino is the perfect destination for those looking for paradisiacal beaches in an environment of abundant vegetation. It has calm, crystal clear waters and white sand surrounded by green jungle and the rivers Palomino, San Salvador and Don Diego which are also worth a visit. Palomino is the perfect place to disconnect and get in touch with nature.
This place is also located in a strategic point as it is 2 hours from Santa Marta and 5 hours from Cartagena, which makes it a perfect getaway for a couple of days from one of these cities.
If you don’t have a private car, you can take a bus from Santa Marta for just over €3.
Islands of San Andrés and Providencia
Located about 230 kilometres east of Central America and about 750 kilometres north of the Colombian mainland, San Andrés boasts some of the best beaches in the Caribbean, an enviable blue backdrop and dreamy scenery. The island of San Andrés is one of those destinations you have to see once in your life.
The island of San Andres has all kinds of activities for its visitors, from excursions to the Jonnhy Cay Natural Park to snorkelling and diving sessions. On this island you can enjoy everything from busy natural pools such as La Piscinita to quiet beaches where the idea of “bustle” does not exist, such as Cocoplum Bay.
Once in San Andrés we recommend visiting the neighbouring Providencia. Unlike the crowded San Andrés, Providencia is a more remote island and much less visited by tourists. For this reason, many who come here will return saying that they have been to one of the best beaches in Colombia. This almost untouched island has a lot to offer. Examples are Manzanillo beach and Cayo Cangrejo, a small islet nearby where you can observe marine life.
The island of San Andres is about 800 km off the north coast of Colombia, in fact it is much closer to Nicaragua, only 220 km away, so the only way to get to San Andres is by plane.
In the case of Providencia, you can choose to go by plane or by boat from San Andres.
Read Things to do in San Andrés for an in-depth look at this Caribbean island.
Tayrona National Natural Park, Santa Marta
In this immense landscape, considered one of the most beautiful natural parks in the world, you will find some of the best beaches in Colombia.
Cabo San Juan del Guía is, without a doubt, the most popular beach. It is surrounded by vegetation and the sea perfectly combines with the blue of the sky and the green that reflects the thicket that surrounds it. But it has many other less crowded beaches that are well worth a visit, such as Bahía Gayraca, Playa Arenilla and Playa Arrecifes, among others.
If you like adventure, we recommend taking the 2.5 hour route through the park that ends directly at Cabo San Juan. The entrance fee to the park is less than €1. If, on the other hand, you prefer to skip the hike, you can take buses from Santa Marta to these beaches.
Discover all the details of this natural environment in our post Tayrona National Park.
Capurganá, Chocó, one of Colombia’s best beaches
Capurganá, in the region of Chocó, whose name means land of chilli peppers, is a small town of 1500 inhabitants. The main income is tourism due to its marvellous beaches and tropical rainforest. If you visit Capurganá we recommend visiting the beaches of La Miel, Aguacate and Esperanza, but especially Playa Soledad. This beach does justice to its name as it is a four hour drive across a mangrove plain or by boat from Capurganá. The beach has white sand, the water is clear and the scenery is like something you only see in films.
This remote village has no land connection with the rest of the country. Therefore, you must first get to the towns of Necoclí, Turbo or Acandí and from there hire a boat.
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
Best beaches of the Colombian Pacific
Nuquí, Chocó, one of Colombia’s best beaches
Nuquí is a town in the region of Chocó that has nothing to do with Capurganá except for the beauty of its beaches and lush vegetation. This beautiful place is bathed by the waters of the Pacific, with waves several metres high and a deep blue colour that contrasts with the black of the rocks.
One of Nuquí’s main attractions is humpback whale watching, which is possible from July to October. But this is not the only thing you can do in this unexplored place where there is no internet connection. Nuquí is also home to some of the best beaches in Colombia for surfing thanks to its high waves. You can also dive in the nearby Ensenada de Utría National Natural Park. When you arrive in Nuquí we recommend not just staying at Playa Olímpica, but also visiting the beaches in the villages of Guachalito and Arusí. If you are interested in surfing, the beaches of the Islote de Terquito are a must on your trip.
The quickest option is to fly from Medellín to Nuquí’s own airport, Aeropuerto Reyes Murillo, in less than an hour.
You can get there from Bahia Solano by boat in about 2 hours or from Buenaventura in a journey of over 18 hours by boat.
La Barra, Chocó, Valle del Cauca
La Barra beach is in the town of Buenaventura, in the Cauca Valley, specifically in Bahía Uramba Málaga. It is one of the most beautiful and biodiverse natural parks in Colombia and the world. This beach on the Colombian Pacific coast is very quiet, unlike some of the beaches in the Caribbean. For this reason, many tourists looking to get away from the hustle and bustle consider La Barra to be one of the best beaches in Colombia where they can feel at peace.
Although we highly recommend La Barra, this isn’t the only beach in Bahía Uramba Málaga Natural Park that’s worth visiting. Other essential stops in Buenaventura are Juanchaco and Los Ladrilleros.
First you need to get to the town of Buenventura, which can be reached by plane from Bogotá or by land from Cali in 2.5 hours. Once there, take a boat to Juanchaco at 10 am, 1 or 4 pm, for €15 return. When you get to Juanchaco you can go by land to La Barra, by taxi, motorbike or even walking on a 40 minute route.
Map of the best beaches in Colombia
How to prepare your trip to the best beaches in Colombia?
- Get inspiration from the experiences of other travellers.
- Create your own itinerary and add the app’s suggestions to it.
- Add the spots you are most interested in, as well as the restaurants and bars where you want to eat (you can use the points of interest listed in this post as a reference).
- Organise your itinerary by days and according to their location (you can take inspiration from the routes presented in the post).
- Check the travel budget that the app calculates for you based on your travel stops, restaurants, and leisure activities.
- Make the necessary modifications and you are ready for your trip.
- Finally, share your experience. Upload photos of each of the places you have visited to the app so you can inspire other users.
If you have any doubts, read our post: How to create your travel itinerary with Passporter.
Frequently asked questions
Some of the cheapest beaches in Colombia are the aforementioned Palomino and Bahía Solano, in the region of Chocó. Bahía Solano is a municipality with equally paradisiacal beaches with great biodiversity, water activities, jungle trekking routes, whale watching, etc… In short, nothing to envy of its neighbours Nuquí and La Barra. Other cheap beach destinations in Colombia include San Bernardo del Viento Punta Gallinas.
All of the above are spectacular destinations where you can appreciate breathtaking nature and the blue sea.
The closest beaches to Medellín are those in the region of Chocó, approximately 200 kilometres away. Bahía Solano and Nuquí on the Pacific and Necloclí and Turbo on the Caribbean.
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