Cartagena City GuideCartagena Tours (2026): All 36 Compared By Category
Thirty-six Cartagena tours split into categories: walking the old town, the fort, a day in the Rosario Islands, street food and cooking, San Basilio de Palenque, sunset boats, a chiva or party boat after dark, the mangroves, Volcán del Totumo, the Aviario Nacional and an airport transfer. Every category on this page is set against what the venue itself charges at its own gate where one exists, so the premium a listing carries is never hidden. The Cartagena city guide ranks the places these tours go to.
Quick answer Which categories earn the markup, which just resell a gate ticket
Cartagena's bookable tours split into two honest groups. Most of them wrap something you cannot arrange yourself: a boat onto the Rosario Islands, a licensed guide into San Basilio de Palenque, transport to Volcán del Totumo, a sunset slot on the bay. A smaller group resells a ticket the venue sells itself, and the two ends of that group sit far apart. Castillo San Felipe's guided option costs $14.81, only $2.75 over the $12.06 (38,000 COP) solo gate ticket, for a guide through the tunnels. The Aviario Nacional tour with hotel pickup costs $97.10 against a $28.60 (90,000 COP) door price, more than triple the gate fee for the ride. The full table sorts every category the same way.
Key takeaways
- The best arithmetic on the page: Castillo San Felipe with a guide at $14.81, barely above the $12.06 (38,000 COP) solo ticket, see it against five other categories by time.
- The worst arithmetic on the page: Aviario Nacional with pickup at $97.10 against a $28.60 (90,000 COP) gate price, what the difference buys explains when the transport is worth it.
- No DIY exists for the water. Sunset boats and the Rosario Islands day have no walk-up alternative at all, unlike the walking and food categories.
Every Category, Against What the Gate Charges
Thirty-six tours grouped into thirteen categories, sorted the way visitors actually choose between them. The gate column is what the venue itself charges an international adult where one exists, taken from each venue's own page, so you can see exactly what a listing adds on top of it.
| Category | Tours | Listed price | Gate price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town & Getsemaní Walking | 6 | $14.81–$80.87 | Free, both areas are public streets | A first orientation walk, or something different on a bike or in a vintage car |
| Castillo San Felipe | 2 | $11.52–$14.81 | $12.06 (38,000 COP) | A guide inside the tunnels for barely more than the solo ticket |
| Rosario Islands Day | 5 | $71.10–$121.75 | $3.49 (11,000 COP) park fee alone | Lunch, snorkel gear and a boat slot arranged for you |
| Sunset Boats | 4 | $28.80–$51.84 | No gate, no DIY route onto the bay | An hour on the water at golden hour |
| La Boquilla Mangroves | 2 | $72.41–$210.00 | No single published base price | The canoe-and-fishing listing over the canoe-only one, price for price |
| Beach Horseback | 1 | $43.00 | Free beach, no published horse-rental rate to compare | A different half hour on the sand |
| Street Food & Cooking | 6 | $40.00–$79.79 | No gate, public streets and stalls | Tastings and context a solo walk can't buy |
| Mercado Bazurto Tour | 1 | $74.00 | Free entry alone | A guide who knows which stalls and corners to skip |
| San Basilio de Palenque | 2 | $27.55–$131.66 | No gate, an inhabited village | The cheaper listing for a straightforward visit |
| Chiva & Nightlife | 2 | $49.37–$61.38 | No gate | A party boat or bus, not a quiet evening |
| Volcán del Totumo | 1 | $47.00 | No published entrance fee | Anyone without a car making the drive north |
| Aviario Nacional | 1 | $97.10 | $28.60 (90,000 COP) | Only if the hotel pickup matters more than the price |
| Airport Transfers | 3 | $15.40–$29.29 | Fixed-fare taxis apply instead | A driver waiting at arrivals, no queue to negotiate |
Tour prices and the gate figures beside them are current Figures current in Q3 2026.
On Foot: Old Town, Getsemaní and the Fort
The walled city and Getsemaní cost nothing to walk, so these eight sell the history and the street art rather than access to anything gated. Castillo San Felipe is the exception with an actual gate: $12.06 (38,000 COP) for a foreign adult walking up alone, and one listing below adds a guide for only $2.75 more.
from $14.81
Cartagena: Historic Center and Getsemaní Shared Walking Tour
A shared 2.5-hour walk through the Walled City and into Getsemani, covering the slave-trade history, the Clock Tower and the plazas behind it. Groups can run large since it's a shared departure, and there's no seating or shade break built into the route.
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from $80.87
Cartagena: Walled City & Getsemani Private Tour
A private version of the Walled City and Getsemani route, with two Colombian snack tastings and an optional 30-minute drive out to Castillo San Felipe de Barajas at extra cost. Private pricing makes it one of the more expensive walking options here, and the castle stop isn't included in the base price.
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from $22.40
Cartagena: Walking Tour - 6 Language Options
The same Historic Center and Getsemani ground covered by most walking tours here, but with a live guide offered in six languages including French, German, Portuguese and Italian. It suits mixed-nationality groups, though reviewers say the content overlaps heavily with other walking tours if you've already done one.
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from $24.69
Vintage car ride with photo shoot in Cartagena das Índias
A vintage-car ride and photo shoot through the Walled City in a classic 1930s to 1950s car, ending with a styled photo session. It's built around the photos more than sightseeing narration, so it's not the tour to pick if you want a detailed history walk.
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from $78
Getsemaní, CTG Walking Tour: Culture, Street Art, and More
A 2-hour walk through Getsemani's mural-covered streets with one complimentary local drink included, listed as wheelchair accessible. It skips the Walled City entirely, so pair it with a separate tour if that's also on your list.
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from $63.75
Fun Bike Ride with Lunch at Anthony Bourdain Favorite Spot
A 3-hour bike ride through Manga, Getsemani and Bazurto Market with lunch at the spot chef Anthony Bourdain featured on television, capped at 10 riders. It mixes street traffic with market crowds, so it suits confident cyclists more than beginners.
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from $14.81
Cartagena: San Felipe de Barajas Castle Guided Walking Tour
A 2-hour guided walk through Castillo San Felipe de Barajas with skip-the-line entry through a separate gate, covering the fortress tunnels and the 1741 siege. One reviewer flagged historical inaccuracies from a specific guide, so it's worth asking follow-up questions if something sounds off.
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from $11.52
Tour Compartido al Castillo San Felipe de Barajas Cartagena
A cheaper shared alternative to the castle tour, starting in Getsemani's Plaza de la Trinidad before walking up to San Felipe de Barajas. One review describes ending up on a Spanish-only departure with no English guide present, so confirm the language before booking if that matters to you.
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On the Water: Islands, Sunset, Mangroves and the Beach
Nothing in this group has a walk-up alternative worth taking. The Rosario Islands park fee is only $3.49 (11,000 COP), but the boat, lunch and the port charge the park itself does not collect add up to most of what these twelve listings actually charge for. Sunset cruises and the mangrove canoe routes have no gate at all.
from $72.90
Cartagena: 5-Stop Rosario Islands Tour, Lunch, & Beach Clubs
A 6.5-hour speedboat run to the Rosario Islands with two sightseeing stops, three island or beach club visits and lunch, plus an optional Oceanarium add-on. The Eco and VIP ticket tiers change which islands and boats you get, so the beach club shown in listing photos isn't guaranteed for every ticket type.
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from $75
Cartagena: 6-Stop Rosario Islands Snorkel, Aquarium, & Lunch
A full 7-hour speedboat circuit with six stops, including an optional 30-minute snorkel session and the Oceanarium with its dolphin and shark show. The Oceanarium itself carries a separate roughly 40,000 COP entry fee that isn't part of this tour's price.
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from $74.06
Cartagena: Rosario Islands and Playa Blanca Excursion with Snorkeling or Aquarium
Combines the Rosario Islands with a stop at Playa Blanca on Isla Baru, letting you choose between the Oceanarium or a snorkeling session at San Martin de Pajarales. Both the aquarium visit and snorkeling gear are listed as optional extras, not part of the base fare.
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from $121.75
Cartagena: Rosario Islands Catamaran with Lunch and Snorkel
A 7.5-hour sailing catamaran trip to the Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park, with a crew-cooked lunch, welcome drink and snorkeling gear included. Alcoholic drinks are not part of the package and are billed separately on board.
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from $71.10
Cartagena: Full Day in the Rosario Islands with Snorkel and Beach Club
A full day at the Rosario Islands with a beach club stop and lunch, plus an optional snorkel session and a look at a sunken plane near Isla Grande. Both the Oceanarium and the snorkeling gear are marked optional in the itinerary, meaning they can carry an extra charge.
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from $28.80
2-hour tour in Cartagena Sunset View in party boat
A 2-hour open-bar boat party around Cartagena Bay with nightclub entry included afterward, departing at 5, 7 or 9pm. The listing states it's not suitable for anyone prone to seasickness or motion sickness, and the meeting point can shift by ticket option.
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from $41.35
Cartagena de Indias: 2-Hour Sunset Cruise
A calmer 2-hour catamaran sunset cruise around the bay with a drink and appetizer included, boarding from the Bodeguita dock. It's listed as wheelchair accessible, and the route can shift for weather or at the captain's discretion.
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from $29.99
Cartagena: Sunset Cruise with Open Bar
A 90-minute open-bar yacht cruise with rum cocktails and soft drinks included, running Wednesday through Sunday only. The listing doesn't name a guide language, so this plays more as a bar cruise than a narrated tour.
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from $51.84
Cartagena Premium Sunset Pirate Adventure+Cannon Show+Drinks
A themed pirate-ship sunset cruise with unlimited drinks, a cannon show and a treasure hunt built for kids. No live guide language is listed, so it works better as an entertainment cruise than a guided history experience.
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from $72.41
Cartagena: Mangrove Eco Tour & Fishing with Transportation
A 2-hour eco tour through La Boquilla's mangroves with hands-on traditional fishing and hotel pickup included. Several stops in the itinerary are marked optional, so the exact route can vary by departure.
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from $210
La Boquilla: 3-Hour Canoe Tour through the Mangroves
A 3-hour traditional canoe paddle through La Boquilla's mangrove tunnels with a local fisherman guide and coconut water included, capped at 8 participants. It's not suitable for pregnant travelers or anyone with back problems, per the listing.
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from $43
HORSE TOUR IN CARTAGENA BEACH
A 1-hour horseback ride at Manzanillo del Mar, about 20 minutes north of the city, with hotel pickup and a welcome drink included. One review flagged a confusing pickup point near Port 1 that turned out to be a taxi rather than the operator's own vehicle, so confirm the WhatsApp instructions before you go.
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Street Food, Cooking, the Market and Palenque
Nine listings sell context you could not assemble on your own: which stall to trust at Mercado Bazurto, which street-food stops to sit down at, and the history behind San Basilio de Palenque, a living village with no gate and no admission fee of any kind.
from $71.10
Cartagena Food Tour: 10 Dishes, Street Food & Sit-down stops
A 3.5-hour, 10-plus dish crawl through Getsemani's street stalls and two sit-down restaurants inside the Walled City, run in small groups with skip-the-line entry at busy stops. It's priced for a full meal replacement, not a light snack, so come hungry.
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from $57.93
Cartagena: Guided Street Food Tour with 10+ Tastings
A shared 2.5-hour tasting walk through the Walled City covering 9 to 10 Colombian street foods and drinks, ending near a specialty coffee stop. It's a shared departure with no stated group cap, so it can run larger than the small-group food tours here.
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from $44.65
Cartagena Street Food Tour with Mouthwatering Tastings
A licensed-guide street food walk through the Walled City and Getsemani with tastings along the way, offered in English, Spanish and French. The route and dish list overlap heavily with this operator's other food tour, so it's worth comparing both before booking.
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from $42.30
Flavors of Cartagena Street Food Tour and Authentic Tastings
The same operator's other street food tour, covering nearly identical ground in the Walled City and Getsemani with a licensed local guide. Reviews here are fewer and rated slightly lower than the sister listing, so it's worth reading both before choosing.
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from $40
Cartagena: Traditional cooking class in a restaurant in the historic center
A hands-on cooking class in a historic-center restaurant kitchen with two chefs, making coconut rice, red snapper and patacones from scratch, capped at 8 participants. It runs about 2 hours despite a longer stated availability window, so confirm the exact start time after booking.
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from $79.79
Small-Group Cooking Class in Cartagena with Local Chef
A small-group Caribbean cooking class with a local chef covering regional coastal dishes and their African influences. The meeting point varies by which menu option is booked, so confirm the address after checkout.
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from $74
Cartagena: Bazurto Public Market Walking tour
A public-transport-and-walking tour through Bazurto Market, Cartagena's working local market, with fruit tastings, a dance stop and lunch. The listing itself warns the market can be crowded, smell strongly of fish and include encounters with homelessness, so it's not a polished experience.
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from $27.55
From Cartagena: San Basilio de Palenque Tour
A day trip to San Basilio de Palenque, the first free African town in the Americas, with a local lunch and an optional drum show. Round-trip transportation is a separate line item rather than built into the base price, which one reviewer used to book cheaper transport themselves.
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from $131.66
Palenque tour from Cartagena: History and Tradition
A pricier, all-inclusive version of the Palenque day trip with hotel pickup, a dance performance and a Palenquero language mini-class built in. The listing leans heavily on sales language, so weigh it against the cheaper shared option covering similar ground.
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Chiva & Nightlife, Volcán del Totumo, the Aviary
Four listings with almost nothing in common except that none of them has a gate you could walk up to alone. A chiva or party boat, the mud volcano north of the city, and the aviary on the road to Barú, where the tour price runs well past what the aviary's own door charges.
from $61.38
Cartagena Urban Party Boat to Cholón: 5 Stops with Lunch and Drinks
A 7-hour speedboat party circuit to Baru, Isla Grande and the Rosario Islands, ending at Cholon with lunch, drinks and music included. It's built for a party atmosphere rather than a quiet sightseeing pace, so it's a poor fit for anyone wanting calm island time.
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from $49.37
Cartagena: Explore with a sightseeing tour on board a typical chiva
A 4-hour sightseeing loop on a traditional chiva bus with a skip-the-line stop at Castillo San Felipe de Barajas and photo stops at the Cartagena Letters and Las Botas Viejas. Its rating runs lower than most tours on this site, and one traveler found the historical commentary thin.
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from $47
Volcan del Totumo + Playa + Piscina
A full day combining the Volcan del Totumo mud bath with a beach club afternoon and lunch, with the volcano entry ticket and transport included. It's explicitly not suitable for pregnant travelers or anyone with mobility impairments, since getting in and out of the mud crater involves informal steps.
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from $97.10
Cartagena: Aviary National Park Tour with Hotel Pickup
A half-day trip to the National Aviary of Colombia with hotel pickup and the entry ticket included, seeing over 135 bird species across 17 acres. One reviewer felt the 5-hour duration ran long against roughly an hour of actual aviary time plus a bird show.
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Airport Transfers
Three private transfers between Rafael Núñez International Airport and hotels in the urban area, an alternative to Cartagena's fixed-fare taxi system, which does not use meters and prices by zone rather than distance.
from $29.29
Cartagena: Airport Transfer to/from Urban Area Hotels
A private, air-conditioned one-way transfer from Rafael Nunez Airport to any hotel in the urban area, priced per group of up to two passengers. It only covers the urban zone, so confirm your hotel qualifies before booking.
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from $19
Cartagena Airport: Private Arrival or Departure Transfer
A private arrival or departure transfer with a driver holding a name sign, flexible for flight changes with four hours' notice. One review noted the driver waited in a tinted-window car that was hard to spot, so look for the name sign rather than a specific vehicle.
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from $15.40
Cartagena: Rafael Nuñez Airport One Way Transfer
A one-way private transfer between Rafael Nunez Airport and any Cartagena hotel, with vehicle size scaled to group size. A round trip means booking the return leg separately with its own flight details.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Which Tour, By The Time You Have
Matching the category to the hours you actually have is most of this decision. This table sorts by time, with the do-it-yourself alternative and its real cost beside each one, so the premium is never hidden.
Two categories on this table have no DIY column at all, because there is genuinely no walk-up way to do them: nothing reaches the bay at sunset except a boat, and nobody sells a walk-up ticket to a mud volcano forty-five minutes north of the city.
| Time you have | Take this | Or do it yourself | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two hours | Old-town walking tour, $14.81 | Walk the walled city yourself, free | Nothing stops you doing this alone. The tour buys the history between the plazas |
| Half a day | Castillo San Felipe, guided, $14.81 | Walk up alone, $12.06 (38,000 COP) gate ticket | The guided price is only $2.75 over the solo ticket, and it comes with someone who knows the tunnels |
| A full day | Rosario Islands with lunch, $71.10–$121.75 | Park fee $3.49 (11,000 COP) plus a boat you would have to arrange yourself at the dock | The tour bundles lunch, snorkel gear and a boat slot. Nobody publishes a fixed boat fare to compare it against |
| Two hours at sunset | Sunset cruise, $28.80–$51.84 | No DIY route onto Cartagena's bay exists | The only category on this table with no walk-up alternative at all |
| Half a day | Aviario Nacional, with pickup, $97.10 | Buy the $28.60 (90,000 COP) gate ticket and arrange your own transport | The pickup adds roughly $68 to a $28.60 ticket, more than triple the gate price |
| Half a day, out of town | Volcán del Totumo, $47.00 | No DIY option published. No official entrance fee exists to compare against | The price is entirely the transport, since nobody sells a walk-up ticket to the volcano itself |
What The Platform Price Buys, And What The Gate Charges
Every listing on this page either wraps an entry the venue sells itself, or wraps a boat, a guide or a vehicle you have no other way to get. Those are two different products at very different premiums, and the gap between them is the clearest signal on this page for whether a category is worth booking.
The two clearest examples sit at opposite ends. Castillo San Felipe's guided tour adds a licensed guide through the tunnel network for $2.75 over the solo gate ticket, which is close to the cost of the guide alone. The Aviario Nacional tour, by contrast, charges $97.10 for a ticket that costs $28.60 (90,000 COP) at the aviary's own door, meaning the hotel-to-hotel transport adds roughly $68 to the day.
That transport genuinely exists and genuinely saves arranging your own ride 50 to 60 minutes each way, but a taxi both ways is worth pricing against it before assuming the bundled tour is the better deal.
| What you book | Listed | Official gate | What the difference buys |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castillo San Felipe, guided | $14.81 | $12.06 (38,000 COP) | A licensed guide through the tunnels, for close to the price of the guide alone |
| Aviario Nacional, with pickup | $97.10 | $28.60 (90,000 COP) | Hotel-to-hotel transport 50–60 minutes each way. Price a return taxi against it first |
| Rosario Islands, lunch and snorkel | $71.10–$121.75 | $3.49 (11,000 COP) park fee alone | The boat, lunch, snorkel gear and a port charge no single figure resolves, the park fee is the smallest line in the day, not the whole cost |
| San Basilio de Palenque | $27.55 vs $131.66 | No gate at all | The cheaper listing is transport and a guide. The pricier one adds a dance show, lunch and hotel pickup, so read what each includes before assuming the expensive one is the better tour |
The Pages Around This One
This page compares the tours. The pages below decide the places and the days.
Things to do
Nineteen Cartagena sights ranked by area, eight of them free, each with the gate price this page compares against.
The rankingIslas del Rosario
The full cost stack for the island day, park fee, port charge and boat fare, beside the tours compared here.
$3.49 officialDay trips
Palenque, the Totumo volcano, the aviary and the mangroves, each with its own drive time and season.
Out of townPlan your days
Itineraries by night count, with these tours slotted around the walking and the weather.
The scheduleCartagena costs
Every gate fee and tour price on this page added into a daily budget, dollars first with the peso beside it.
The running totalCartagena Tours: Questions
What is the best tour to take in Cartagena?
For the fort, Castillo San Felipe with a guide at $14.81 is the clearest yes: it costs only $2.75 over the $12.06 (38,000 COP) solo ticket for someone who knows the tunnel network. For the water, the Rosario Islands day has no substitute, since the park fee alone is $3.49 (11,000 COP) and nobody publishes a fixed boat fare to arrange the crossing yourself.
How much do tours in Cartagena cost?
City walks run $11.52 to $80.87, food and cooking tours $27.55 to $131.66, a Rosario Islands day $71.10 to $121.75, sunset boats $28.80 to $51.84, and airport transfers $15.40 to $29.29. The full table sorts every category against the gate price it wraps, which is the number that decides whether a listing is worth it.
Are Cartagena tours available in English?
Most listings on this page run in English and Spanish, and several offer additional languages, noted on the individual tour card under guide language. Confirm the specific departure's language on the booking page before paying, since a shared tour can run in whichever language its majority books that day.
Do Cartagena tour prices include the entrance fee?
Sometimes, and it is worth checking before booking. Castillo San Felipe and most Rosario Islands listings bundle entry into the price. The cheaper Castillo tour and several sunset cruises do not, and charge for the guide or the boat alone while a gate fee, where one exists, is paid separately. Every card on this page states whether entry is included.
Which Cartagena tour category has no do-it-yourself alternative?
Sunset boats and the Rosario Islands day: neither the bay nor the archipelago has a public ferry or a fixed-fare boat you could book directly, so a private or shared tour is the only way onto the water for both.
Is it cheaper to buy tickets directly instead of booking a tour?
For Castillo San Felipe and the Aviario Nacional, yes: both sell tickets at $12.06 (38,000 COP) and $28.60 (90,000 COP) respectively at their own gate, well under most bundled tour prices. For the Rosario Islands, Palenque and the mangroves, there is no equivalent official ticket to buy directly, since the cost is the boat or the transport, not an entrance fee.
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