Caribbean Sailing Expedition

• Begin your trip with a stay at a boutique hotel in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Cartagena
• Next, meet your crew in the marina to depart for a week-long sailing voyage through the most beautiful Caribbean islands: Tintipan, Isla Verde, Isla del Sol, and Isla Rosario
• Explore one of Colombia’s most remote rainforest coasts in the Darien Gap
• Visit the pristine fishing island communities of Capurganá and Sapzurro
• On your final day in Cartagena, explore largest bird aviary in the Americas and identify many of the coastal tropical birds you saw during your sailing trip

You will be received at Cartagena’s Rafael Núñez International Airport and taken to your boutique hotel, located in the historic, walled old town of Cartagena. Depending on your flight arrival time, enjoy a walking tour through the colorful colonial neighborhoods of San Diego and Santo Domingo.

Pass by significant sites and romantic, European-influenced architecture such as Plaza de Los Coches, Parque Bolívar, Plaza de Santa Teresa, Plaza de Santo Domingo, and more. Enjoy the bright colors in the old town and the warm, welcoming Cartagena. Dine on fresh seafood with Afro-Caribbean fusion, Stay overnight in your boutique colonial hotel.

What To Bring:

• Walking shoes
• Notebook, Camera
• Sunhat, sunblock
• Repellent
• Bathing Suit
• Refillable water bottle

After breakfast at your hotel, meet your crew at 8 a.m. at Club Náutico. Depart from Cartagena’s marina and sail to the island of Cholón for an afternoon visit. Cholón is famous for its lively social beach scene that attracts many Colombians. Here is your chance to dine and celebrate the start of your sailing adventure in pure Cartagena style.

Enjoy a special lunch of lobster and other seafood delicacies. In the afternoon, swim in the warm sea and enjoy the beautiful sunset. If you prefer a relaxed ambience over a fiesta, return to your sailing boat for a siesta in Cholón bay. Anchor in the bay and enjoy a restful night of sleep in your comfortable room onboard the sailing boat.

What To Bring:

• Close-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Refillable water bottle

Enjoy breakfast from the deck of your sailboat and begin a six-hour sail along the coast to a remote section of the Caribbean. Fish along the way and arrive at the paradise island of Tintipan around 4 p.m. A totally different scene from Cholón, Tintipan is hardly visited by tourists.

It is one of the dozens of green, verdant islands that make up the San Bernardo archipelago. Take the opportunity to visit with local artists, island dwellers, and snorkel in the clear, emerald water. A playful environment exists here, with thriving marine life where fish skip across the sea as pelicans nose dive towards colorful sea stars.

What To Bring:

• Close-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Refillable water bottle

After your visit to the island of Tintipan, sail to Isla Fuerte, one of the small islands of Rosario Islands. Isla Fuerte has a unique culture of around 2,000 local people, mostly of African descent.

The island is encircled by coral reefs and scattered rocks that make for a wonderful marine habitat. Royal Palms, mango trees, mangroves, and a giant ancient Walking Tree, “Árbol Que Camina”, make the 3.74 km island an ideal home to over 80 species of birds. Try local cuisine or return to your onboard chef. Stay overnight on your sailboat in the protected bay at Isla Fuerte.

What To Bring:

• Close-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Refillable water bottle

Relax with a sunrise sail to the island of Sapzurro. The small island of Sapzurro, “where jungle meets the sea”, offers hiking to Diana Waterfall. From Sapzurro, you also have the option to walk to Playa Blanca, “the White Beach”, to palm-fringed La Miel, Panama, or to Cabo Tiburon, “Shark Cape”, the coastal border between South and Central America.

Sapzurro is a naturalist’s paradise with tropical birds and monkeys. Twice a year the village welcomes a spectacular natural event of thousands of migrating hawks and vultures. Enjoy local cuisine from the comfort of your sailing boat before resting overnight in the beautiful bay of Sapzurro.

What To Bring:

• Close-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Refillable water bottle

Take pleasure in a relaxing breakfast, a morning swim or snorkel from your boat in the beautiful coral reefs of Sapzurro Bay, and then sail along the coast of Cabo Tiburon to Capurganá.

If you prefer to try out your land legs, enjoy a one ½ hour intermediate hike from the village of Sapzurro to the town of Capurganá, where your sailboat will meet you. On your hike, climb over a hill that separates the two Colombian villages for spectacular views of the Darien Gap, the remote border between Colombia and Panama.

Spend the afternoon discovering Capurganá, a remote, car-free village known for abundant dive sites and quiet bays circled by dense rainforest. We recommend relaxing on Aguacate Beach, or Avocado Beach, an ideal swimming spot named for its green water. Sleep overnight on your sailing boat or if you prefer, we can help you make arrangements to stay overnight in a highly recommended hotel in Capurganá.

What To Bring:

• Close-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Refillable water bottle

After breakfast, return to your sailboat for a full day and night of sailing en route to Cartagena. Enjoy food prepared by your local chef and relax on board in comfort. Sleep overnight aboard your sea chariot.

What To Bring:

• Closed-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Bathing Suit
• Refillable water bottle

After breakfast, arrive to the popular Isla Rosario for an optional visit to the aquarium before continuing to Isla del Sol, a private, relaxing island with white sand beaches. Isla Rosario is one of the coral islands that make up Colombia’s natural national park in the Caribbean.

On Isla del Sol, indulge in a day of relaxation at a tasteful beachfront resort with a private beach and swimming pool. Enjoy your last flavors of island living with a final day of relaxation on the island before returning to the lively coastal city of Cartagena. Arrive in Cartagena and stay overnight in a boutique hotel in the historic city.

What To Bring:

• Close-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Refillable water bottle

After breakfast at your hotel, your bilingual guide will meet you to drive 14.5 km outside of the city to visit the Aviario National Park. This is the largest aviary in North, Central, and South America and is home to 138 bird species and 1,800 genetic copies.

Here, you can observe pink flamingo, tropical birds, and birds of prey in three different ecosystems (rainforest, coast, and desert). You’ll have the chance to examine many of the coastal birds you previously saw on your sailing trip. Return to Cartagena in the afternoon for your last romantic evening in Colombia. Stay at a boutique hotel, ideally located in the walled city.

What To Bring:

• Close-toed shoes for sailing
• Windbreaker and a warm layer
• Bathing suit or shorts
• Notebook and camera
• Repellent
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Refillable water bottle

Enjoy a quick airport drop-off to Rafael Núñez International Airport (about 20 minutes from your hotel located in the historic town of Cartagena).

Extend your trip by one day and one night to join a local guide and visit the musical and language stronghold of Palenque. This tiny village was honored by UNESCO in 2005 as a world heritage site due to its living musical, linguistic, and cultural traditions. Founded in the 17th century by escaped African slaves, it is considered the first free town in the Americas.

Here, historical memory is not forgotten and is expressed by the 3,500 residents in an intergenerational exchange of song, dance, food, customs, dress, hairstyles, political organization, and social structure. Another unique aspect of Palenque is its Afro-roots creole language distinctly developed from Spanish.

After meeting the community leaders of Palenque, it becomes clear how this historically marginalized inland community, located about one ½ hours south of Cartagena, has profoundly influenced Colombia’s Afro-Caribbean coast culture.

What to Bring on Your Extension:

• Appropriate clothing for hot weather
• Walking shoes
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Headlamp
• Camera
• Bathing suit or shorts