On our last morning on Isla Grande, I woke up early to take my newly resurrected Canon out for a spin. I explored the grounds and snapped a bunch of photos before the others got out of bed and joined me. We worked our way back toward the lagoon, running across a pair of white ibises, some termite nests in the trees, and a beautiful blooming hibiscus tree.
When we reached the lagoon, a local man showed us red corals growing on the roots of some mangrove trees, and some tube worms under the docks. We had a bit of fun poking the worms to watch them retreat into their tubes, only to slowly fan back out again.
Then we headed back to the beach since we still had our second day of kayak rentals. We paddled away from the resort in the opposite direction of where we had gone the previous day, eventually stopping when we found a hidden beach. We pulled the kayaks onto shore and got out for a swim in the little alcove which was surrounded by low coral cliffs. There were live corals under the water and colorful fish so we snorkeled for a while. Then we climbed up the rock face and did a bit of mild cliff jumping.
After leaving the secret beach, we paddled back to our favorite snorkeling spot from the previous two days and were surprised to find many more fish than we had seen before. Little silver fish teemed in schools of thousands, glinting as sunlight trickled through the waves.
After returning our kayaks, we still had a bit of time before the ferry would arrive to take us back to Cartagena, so we used it to walk around the island one last time, heading into the woods to pass by some of the colorful buildings and the elaborate banyan trees.
Finally we returned to Majagua to board the ferry and took the hour long ride back to the mainland. We arrived at the docks in the early evening and took a cab to our last hotel, the Hilton in Boca Grande. Highlights of the Hilton include its giant pool, and extra comfortable rooms. We explored Boca Grande a bit, as this was the only major section of Cartagena that we hadn’t set foot in yet. The area is basically a long beach with a strip of tall condos and hotels built up on it. It is nowhere near as pristine as the Rosario Islands. The area is loud and bustling with tourists and vendors.
After sunset, we retreated to the hotel for dinner and a quick dip in the pool. Then we went to bed to rest up for the day of traveling ahead of us. Our time in Colombia came to a close when we boarded our flight back to the US the next morning.
I have to end this with a giant thank you to Jared and Rachel of Percussive Tours for planning this trip, finding amazing accommodations, and being all-around awesome travel companions!
Birds of the Air 