Guide to Casa en el Agua in the San Bernardo Islands
Casa en el Agua is an eco-friendly hostel backpackers hostel run by a cheerful, local crew. A capacity of 35 people in 4 private rooms, 1 dorm and 15 hammocks. It’s located in the San Bernardo Islands and The San Bernardo Islands is an archipelago (cluster of islands) of ten smaller islands that feel like paradises, Islands like Isla Roots and Tintipan. The hostel itself is an island and you can jump into the Caribbean Sea and dive down to see crab, starfish, and fish that burrow themselves in the sand. A solar-powered, eco-friendly
How to Get There
From Cartagena
Duration: 2 hours
It’s so close to the Clock Tower it ain’t funny. It’s literally across the street to where you see the body of water and the guys selling hats and shades. That’s the spot and you cant miss it. You’re looking for Muelle de la Bodeguita. Make sure you ask them for Terminal 6 and you're going to look for Tranq-it Easy. Bring your passport to check-in with them. A photo copy of your passport will work buying you tickets and will work when you at the island. Make sure you find out how much a round trip cost. There is only one boat that leaves at 9:00AM. The trip is approximately two hours. Be on time!
How Much Do Things Cost
On the Tranq-it Easy website, it costs 100,000 COP (about $22 USD), but they charged me 219,000 COP per guest (about $45 USD). I may have gotten gringo priced (overcharged by being a foreigner) or this was the “at the door” price, or it may be because of which island on the archipelago I chose, but make sure you find out in advance.
As of January 2023, I was told there that the standard breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all included, but if you wanted any specialties, like crab and lobster, then those were extra it ranged from 40,000 - 90,000 COP (≈ $11.28 - $25.38 USD). There are vegetarian options as well. The special cocktails were not that expensive. Two drinks were for 40,000 COP (≈ $11.28 USD), while regular ones were for two drinks for 30,000 COP ( $ 6.60 USD).
The Night Plankton tour isn’t included, and it may cost 50,000 COP. Make sure you ask. The archipelago tour was included for me (JAN 2021), but if it is not, find out from them how much it costs.
[As of March 2021] Hammocks cost 160,000 COP ( ≈$45.12 USD)/per night and rooms cost about 320,000-490,000 COP (≈ $90.24 - $138.18 USD) per night
Recommendations
It’s very humid here, especially at night. Since you only get a bucket of fresh water to bathe with and the heat from the salty air bonds with your body, it can be quite uncomfortable to get a cool breeze to cool you off if you take a shower. Instead, prioritize getting a hammock to sleep on since you get maximum airflow, giving you the best sleep possible. Bring a couple of fresh bottles of water and a medicine bag just in case. If you need to shower and have problems feeling salty all the time, then one night is good enough to enjoy the hostel. If dinner happens to be fish balls, I recommend spending a few bucks to get their crab dinner instead. Most of the guests weren’t fans of it. I ate everything, but I discovered that the crab tasted so much better!
Bring cash, this is important because they do not take credit cards (as opposed to Tranq-It Easy. They are just boat transportation)
Bring your travel medications if you need them and make sure you have travel insurance just in case. Nomad Insurance is one but you can find your own
A small duffle bag of clothing would be enough. a shirt or two and spare underwear for like an overnight trip
With that being said, hang out and have fun!
