Travel guide: Caribbean Coast

Sea breeze, the ocean and fincas with hammocks in the shade of coconut palms

• Most fincas are around Cartagena.
• Tolú and Coveñas: beaches on the Gulf of Morrosquillo.
• Minca, in the Sierra Nevada, for cooler air near Santa Marta.

Around Cartagena

Turbaco and Arjona are 30 to 45 minutes from central Cartagena. Here a finca means a pool and a kiosco (an open-sided thatched shelter), not a beach. It is the option for large groups who want to see Cartagena without staying in the city.

Tolú, Coveñas and San Onofre

The Gulf of Morrosquillo is 2.5 to 3.5 hours from Cartagena by road. Tolú and Coveñas have beachfront fincas, and boats leave from Tolú for the San Bernardo Islands. San Onofre, in the department of Sucre, has the beach at Rincón del Mar.

Santa Marta and Minca

The fincas around Santa Marta are in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Minca (about 650 m above sea level), less than an hour from Santa Marta, is cooler, with coffee farms and waterfalls.

Getting there

There are direct flights from Bogotá to Cartagena, Santa Marta and Barranquilla, about 1.5 hours, with Avianca, LATAM, Wingo and JetSMART, among others. From Medellín, about 1 hour. By road, Bogotá to Santa Marta takes 16 to 18 hours and Bogotá to Cartagena 18 to 20. Once on the coast, you almost always need a car to reach a rural finca.

What they won't tell you

The dry season runs from December to April. Between September and November it rains hard, and downpours can cut the power or flood rural roads. In December and January, occupancy in Cartagena and Santa Marta is also high and the listed prices stop applying. Ask whether the finca has a backup generator and air conditioning in the bedrooms.