Cartagena charters two quite different days out of the same harbour. One is a party boat to Cholon, a shallow bay on Baru where the boats raft up and the music is the point. The other is a run out to the Rosario and San Bernardo islands, an hour offshore, where the water is clear and the day is about swimming. The price gap between them is smaller than the gap in what they are.
Yacht rental Cartagena, Colombia: what the harbour charges
Read on 11 September 2026, Sailo lists 129 boats at Cartagena at an average of 2,689 USD a day, from 420 to 14,535. The listings run wide: a 38 foot Eduardoño sport boat licensed for 19 guests with a captain at 715 for eight hours, a 37 foot Sea Ray Sundancer for ten at 1,900 for eight hours, and a 38 foot Todomar for sixteen at 200 for two hours. Every one of them comes with a captain, which is the norm here rather than an upgrade.
Where to go when you rent a boat: Cartagena's Cholon or the Rosarios
Cholon is about an hour south inside the shelter of Baru and is where the local party fleet goes: shallow, crowded at weekends, vendors coming alongside, and a scene that is either the reason you came or the reason to go elsewhere. The Rosario islands are a further half hour out and are a national park with clear water, reef and quiet anchorages. Most eight hour bookings can do one properly. Almost none can do both.
What sits outside the price
Fuel is commonly quoted separately in Cartagena and it is the single largest variable on a fast boat going forty miles round. The Rosario national park charges an entry fee per person collected on arrival. Food and drink are normally the customer's to bring or to buy on board at a markup. And the harbour itself charges a departure tax on some bookings. Ask for the total before you pay a deposit rather than after.
Questions people ask about cartagena boat rental
How much is a boat rental in Cartagena?
Sailo lists 129 boats averaging 2,689 USD a day, from 420 to 14,535, read on 11 September 2026. A 38 foot sport boat for 19 guests with a captain is 715 for eight hours.
Is a captain included?
Almost always. The Cartagena listings are captained as standard rather than as an upgrade, and there is effectively no bareboat market in the harbour.
Cholon or the Rosario islands?
Cholon is the party bay an hour south inside Baru, shallow and busy. The Rosarios are a national park half an hour further out with clear water and reef. An eight hour day does one of them well, not both.
What is not in the quoted price?
Usually fuel, which on a forty mile round trip is the biggest single variable, plus the Rosario park entry fee per person, food and drink, and on some bookings a harbour departure tax.