Cartagena: Bay Dinner Cruise with 3-Course Meal & Wine

4.53

(144 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing that hit me was the smell of salt in the air—somehow sharper as we stepped onto the boat at La Bodeguita Pier, right across from the bus station. I’d been in Cartagena for a few days already, but seeing the Old Town from the water felt like a whole new city. The crew greeted us with these easy smiles (one guy, Andrés, had this laugh that carried over the engine noise), and we found our table by the rail. I was weirdly nervous about spilling my wine as we pulled away—maybe because I’m clumsy or maybe just because everything felt a bit special right then.

We drifted out into Cartagena Bay just as the sky started turning that wild orange-pink you only get near the equator. There was music playing—soft enough that you could still hear people chatting or just the splash of water against the hull. Our guide pointed out Castillo San Felipe way off in the distance; it looked tiny from here, almost like a toy. The food came out in courses (I picked fish for my main), and honestly, I didn’t expect to care much about dinner on a boat, but it was actually really good—fresh, not fussy. My partner tried to order in Spanish and got teased by one of the servers (in a nice way). We all laughed, even though I think she blushed harder than she meant to.

I kept looking back at Cartagena’s skyline—the lights flickering on one by one along those colonial walls—and thinking how different it all seemed from out here. There were twelve of us on board, tops, so it never felt crowded; you could lean on the rail and just let your thoughts wander for a bit without anyone bothering you. By dessert (something sweet with coconut—I should’ve asked what it was called), there was this hush over everyone, like we were all just trying to hold onto that last bit of light before heading back to shore. I still think about that view sometimes when I hear boats now.