Cartagena is the starting point for most travelers visiting the Caribbean coast of Colombia, thanks to an international airport with plenty of affordable direct flights. But too often, visitors to Cartagena don’t venture outside of the city limits and explore the rest of this amazing region. That’s a HUGE mistake!
There are a zillion amazing destinations to visit outside of Cartagena, from Minca to Palomino to Isla Baru to Taganga to Parque Tayrona to the Lost City to the Tatacoa Desert.
If your’re headed to Cartagena for the warm Caribbean water & sunny beaches, the best beach in Cartagena is actually on an island just offshore – read our guide to Isla Baru and Playa Blanca.
But before you can dive into all that the coast has to offer, you’ll have to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta, which is the jumping-off point for most of these spots. Luckily for you, we’ve traveled between Cartagena and Santa Marta many times over the years.
Here’s a step by step guide to getting from Cartagena to Santa Marta!
Table of Contents
Psst: Planning a trip to Colombia? We’ve got a BUNCH of posts about Colombia that will help you plan your visit.
- What to Pack for Colombia: The Ultimate Packing Guide
- A Traveler’s Guide to Transportation in Colombia
- 30 Things Nobody Tells You About Backpacking in Colombia
- 12 Hostels in Colombia: Where to Stay & Where NOT to Stay!
- The Best Colombian Food: What to Eat in Colombia
- Travel Guide to Playa Blanca & Isla Baru
Get the Colombia Packing Checklist!
Subscribe and we'll send you a FREE printable Colombia packing checklist, plus our favorite tips for visiting Colombia. It's everything you need for your trip (except the yellow fever vaccine. Psst: you need that.)
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta?
The bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta should take about 5 hours. That’s Colombian time, though, which means don’t be surprised if it takes much longer for absolutely no reason – plan for 6+ and hope for 5.
The bus first heads to Baranquilla, which is about 2 hours away. It makes a few stops in town, sits in traffic for a while, and then heads up to Santa Marta, where it makes a few more stops.
If you take a private shuttle, you’ll cut some time off the journey and reduce the time to about 4 hours.
Can you take a private shuttle from Cartagena to Santa Marta?
Yes, you can! It’s much more expensive, but if you’re traveling in a group or as a family, it might be worth it to avoid a hassle. You’ll save a bit of time (total transit time will be about 4 hours) and not have to deal with the headache of navigating the confusing Colombian bus system.
You can find a few options for private shuttles on Bookaway, one of our favorite sites for booking international transportation. This private shuttle is about $170 for up to 6 passengers.
Before you get the idea to rent a car and drive yourself, STOP! Don’t do it! It isn’t easier, faster, or cheaper to rent a car and drive yourself. I would absolutely not recommend anyone to rent a car in Colombia. Just don’t do it.
Here’s why: the insurance will cost you an arm and a leg, you won’t be able to find parking anywhere (not because there are a lot of cars, but because there are so few of them that most tourist destinations don’t have any place to park at all), the road rules are confusing at best (not that anyone ever follows them) and there’s simply no reason to do it when private transportation is inexpensive and will get you anywhere you need to go.
Which bus should I take? Berlinas vs. MarSol
There are two primary bus companies servicing the route between Cartagena and Santa Marta: Berlinas and MarSol. (There’s also Unitransco, which is a newer kid on the block that we haven’t had a chance to try ourselves.)
We’ve taken both. They’re a bit different: MarSol is cheaper and the buses are larger. Berlinas is more expensive and the buses are smaller.
But we’ve done this trip enough times to know which option we prefer: we hands down recommend Berlinas over MarSol.
Why do we recommend Berlinas? Well, the only time we took MarSol, our bus broke down and we ended up spending 3 hours standing on the side of the road in the rain with our luggage while our poor driver flagged down 18 buses to try and seat all of the stranded passengers. It was not fun.
We did make it to our destination … eventually. We were just wet. Also, we had to stand for 45 minutes on the way back.
Meanwhile, we’ve never had an issue with Berlinas, and we’ve made this trip around 10 times.
I’m not saying MarSol is going to break down and leave you on the side of the road, but we’re not particularly eager to try our luck again.
That said, MarSol does offer one huge advantage over Berlinas, which is that you can book it online in advance on Bookaway. But you can also book Unitransco buses online in advance, and they’re even cheaper.
Where should I disembark in Santa Marta?
We usually disembark at the first Berlinas bus station, because there’s usually a taxi nearby which makes it easier to get to our next destination.
Often when we’re visiting Santa Marta we’re actually on our way elsewhere, like Minca or Parque Tayrona, which requires another leg of transportation.
The 1st bus station is close to the city center, so we usually take a cheap taxi to the city center to hop on the final leg of our journey.
Important note: don’t be alarmed when locals start hopping off at seemingly random destinations, like along the side of a highway or at someone’s house. Most of the locals taking the bus probably live in Santa Marta or know their way around the city, and you may end up being the last passengers off the bus and the only ones who actually head all the way to the bus station.
This is because the buses in Colombia will drop you off anywhere along the route that you like, if you’re able to ask the driver for it and they’re willing to accommodate you.
Don’t worry: you’re not going to miss your stop! The driver or another passenger will likely let you know if you need to get off. This is one of those general Colombian travel rules: Colombians will go out of their way to help you, particularly if you’re very clearly a traveler/gringo.
For example, on our most recent trip, the entire bus spent a good 20 minutes giving us restaurant recommendations just because one of us said we were hungry. It was the sweetest thing.
Incidentally, it turns out that there’s a pretty good restaurant right outside of the Berlinas bus station.
How to Take the Berlinastur Bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta
Taking the Berlinastur mini bus is our preferred way to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta. It’s easy, it’s fairly comfortable (not much legroom, but blessed A/C), and at 60.000 COP (about $12) per person, it’s relatively inexpensive.
Buses leave every 40 minutes from 4:40 am to 6pm.
- Note: We’re not totally sure what the difference is between Berlinas del Fonce, which doesn’t list Cartagena to Santa Marta on its site, and Berlinastur, which …. really seems like it’s part of same company, even though it has a completely different website. But the Berlinastur bus is the one you want. We double-checked with Berlinas del Fonce to just to make sure!
How to Get to the Bus Station in Cartagena
The first step is to get yourself to the Berlinas bus station. This is the easiest bit: simply step outside with all of your luggage and look lost, and a taxi will pull up immediately and offer you a ride. It’s like a magic trick.
I’ve never had to wait more then 8 seconds for a taxi anywhere in Cartagena, night or day.
Once you’ve flagged down a taxi, tell your taxi driver that you want to go to the Berlinas Bus Terminal. If your Spanish isn’t great, just say something like “Berlinas a Santa Marta.”
It’s important to specify “Berlinas” and “Santa Marta,” because there are several bus stations in town, and it’s all very confusing, even to us, and we’ve done this like 5 times. But don’t worry – your taxista will know what you mean.
You shouldn’t need the address or much more information than that – if you do, you managed to find the only taxi driver in all of Cartagena who doesn’t know where this bus station is (or is pretending not to, which is a huge red flag). Say adios and find someone who knows where they’re going instead.
This is very important: confirm the cost of your trip BEFORE you get into the taxi.
Taxis in Cartagena do not have meters, and prices should be discussed before the trip. You’re well within your rights to haggle and negotiate the price, but it helps to know what a trip SHOULD cost before you attempt it – just ask any local “cuanta cuesta para un taxi a Berlinas?” and they should be able to help you.
The taxi ride should cost around 10.000 COP from the Walled City or Getsemani, maybe a little more from Bocagrande. The bus station is on the way to the airport a ways out of town, but it should take under 30 minutes to get there depending on traffic.
- Berlinas Marbella Office: Calle 46C # 3-80 (again, you really shouldn’t need this – your taxi driver should know where the Berlinas Terminal to Santa Marta is)
Buying a Ticket from Cartagena to Santa Marta
Once you get to the Berlinas bus terminal, head to the ticket desk to buy a ticket. You will need to bring enough cash for your tickets – they don’t take credit cards.
We don’t recommend purchasing a ticket online, only because the site never seems to work for us and we’ve never once had a problem buying a ticket upon arrival.
Once you’ve bought your ticket, you can immediately board the next shuttle leaving for Santa Marta, and you shouldn’t have much more than 20 minutes to wait. Psst: the bathroom at the bus station costs money and they don’t give you much toilet paper, so it’s best to go before you arrive.
Your luggage will go in the back of the van and you’ll usually get a sticker to claim it after your trip, even though the van only seats around 20 people. I’ve never had a problem with my belongings getting lost or stolen with Berlinas, and we’ve taken them probably 10 times now.
You’ll have an assigned seat on your ticket that nobody will tell you about unless you happen to sit in someone else’s spot and they get cranky about it.
One of the numbers on your ticket is the number of the van, and corresponds to the giant painted numbers on the side (someone may or may not alert you to this). The other one is your seat number.
I literally did not realize there were seat numbers until the 10th time I took a Berlinas bus, when someone got pissy at us for sitting in their seat. To avoid irritating locals, you should probably just take your assigned seat.
Now sit back, and relax! You’ll be in Santa Marta in about 5-6 hours. (5 if there’s no traffic, 6 if we’re being realistic.)
Tips for taking the Berlinas Bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta
Taking transit in Colombia is a LOT easier than it seems at first, but it took us a while to get used to. (Psst: we have a whole guide about transportation in Colombia).
Here are some of our most useful tips for taking the bus from Cartagena to Santa Marta.
- There is A/C blasting constantly, and it will get very cold. Bring a sweater! Yes, even though it’s insanely hot out.
- There’s not like, a LOT of legroom. Imagine the legroom of a budget airline, and that’s about what you get. It’s manageable for the 5 hour trip, but it’s not what I’d call comfortable. If you want comfort, you’ll have to upgrade to a taxi, which isn’t cheap. To strike sort of a comfort/budget middle ground, you could take the Berlinas bus 2 hours to Baranquilla (20.000 COP/$7) and then pick up a private shuttle, which isn’t the cheapest option I could find.
- If you’re prone to nausea, pop a Dramamine before you board. The roads are generally very good, but in Colombia, it’s really common to do things like veer into the other lane to pass somebody only to immediately veer back to avoid a collision, which makes me queasy for multiple reasons (we’ve never been in an accident in Colombia, but I would also NEVER drive here myself).
- Don’t be alarmed if/when your driver starts breaking road rules. If it makes you feel better, everyone expects everyone else to break the rules, which I guess creates its own kind of weird sense of safety.
- At night, the bus will play a movie that’s usually in English with Spanish subtitles. Often they’re movies about Pablo Escobar, which is a lot of fun to watch while you’re traveling in Colombia. Often, the English is played so quietly that you can’t hear it at all. Reading the Spanish subtitles is a great way to practice your Spanish, but make sure you pop a Dramamine if you’re prone to reading-induced nausea.
- Your bus will probably make frequent stops. Some of them are at police checkpoints or other bus stations, like in Baranquilla, which will be about 2 hours into the trip. You can disembark here and use the restroom if you need, but make sure your driver sees you so he knows to wait if you plan to take a while (or make friends with a local and ask them to help you out – Colombians are insanely friendly). The stops are usually around 5-10 minutes.
- During these stops, vendors will board the bus selling snacks and drinks. We HIGHLY recommend purchasing some bus snacks! They’re delicious and as safe as the rest of the street food in Colombia. If you see a guy selling fresh tamales in a plastic bag (3 for 3.000 COP/$1) get them!! They’re freaking delicious.
What to Do in Santa Marta
I’m going to be honest with you: we’ve stayed in Santa Marta exactly 2 nights total, and they were underwhelming. Santa Marta is primarily a jumping off point for the surrounding areas.
Many folks who stay in Santa Marta are interested in the beach. But primarily, those who are visiting Santa Marta are continuing on to nearby destinations, like Minca and Parque Tayrona. If you are planning your trip for the start of the year please note that Parque Tayrona is closed from January 28 to February 28 at the request of the indigenous communities.
That said, if you’ve got a day in Santa Marta, we recommend doing a walking food tour. You’ll get to spend the day exploring the city and eating some delicious food – what’s better than that?
Where to Stay in Santa Marta
If you’re planning to spend some time in Santa Marta and looking for a budget place to stay, we recommend Santa Marta’s famous Dreamer Hostel!
It’s located away from the main areas in town, but this always-busy hostel is the place to be if partying is on your to-do list. (And if you’re in Santa Marta, it probably is.) The atmosphere is super social and you can’t help but have a good time – but it’s not so loud that you can’t sleep peacefully. They have a pool, bar, and even a party bus! Check current prices.
There are also some pretty great VRBOs in Santa Marta, we really like this luxury apartment which is within a Marriot resort. All the hotel luxury in your apartment suite! It is right in the center of Santa Marta and has great views over the city and the bay.
How to Get Back from Santa Marta to Cartagena
The trip back to Cartagena is the exact reverse of the trip to get there.
If you took the bus, you’ll need to get yourself to the Berlinas bus station, buy a ticket (same price, same hours) and boom, you’re on your way!
Simple as that.
We hope this guide to getting from Cartagena to Santa Marta is helpful for your trip! Don’t forget to check out our guides to Minca and Parque Tayrona, two of our favorite destinations to visit in Colombia that are both accessible from Santa Marta.
We’ve also got a BUNCH of posts about Cartagena & Colombia that will help you plan your trip!
- Travel Guide to Isla Baru: Cartagena’s Tropical Island Paradise
- The 10 Most Instagrammable Places in Cartagena, Colombia
- What to Pack for Colombia: The Ultimate Packing Guide
- A Traveler’s Guide to Transportation in Colombia
- What and Where to Eat in Cartagena, Colombia
- Travel Guide to Playa Blanca & Isla Baru
Do you have any questions about taking transit from Cartagena to Santa Marta? Drop us a comment below!
FOLLOW US!
Hey, did you find this pin useful? Save it to reference later on Pinterest!
Our Top Travel Tips & Resources
- Booking Flights: To score flight deals, search on Google Flights or Kayak. Money-saving tips: fly mid-week or on the weekend; fly carry-on only on a budget airline; and take red-eyes or early morning flights.
- Accommodations: We usually stay in budget-friendly vacation rentals, boutique hotels or private rooms in hostels. We use Booking.com to book hotels (we love their flexible cancellation policy) and Hostelworld to book hostels (low deposit, easy change/cancellation, and excellent reviews). For vacation rentals, we prefer to book using VRBO because they've got lower fees and better support than Airbnb, and we're not fans of Airbnb's unethical track record. You can also book vacation rentals on Expedia and Hotels.com. We also use TrustedHousesitters as both hosts (for our home and our fur-child) and travelers!
- Travel Insurance: We always, always, ALWAYS buy travel insurance for international trips, and we STRONGLY suggest it - visit our Travel Insurance Guide to find out why. We recommend either World Nomads or SafetyWing for international travel insurance. SafetyWing is one of the few policies that covers Covid-19, and they have excellent monthly policies that are perfect for Digital Nomads and long term travelers!
- Travel Credit Card: We book all of our trips on our favorite travel credit card. Not only do we earn cash back that we can spend on more travel, but the card offers fantastic travel perks like travel insurance, trip delay and cancellation coverage, lost baggage reimbursement, and rental car coverage, which helps protect us on our travels. Learn more here.
- Vaccines & Meds: We use the travel guides on the CDC website to research recommended medications and vaccines for international trips. We always recommend getting every vaccine recommended by the CDC! You can get them at your primary care doctor's office or a walk-in pharmacy.
- Tours: We love booking guided tours, especially food tours and walking tours, to get a local's perspective and a history lesson while sight-seeing! We book our tours using Viator and GetYourGuide.
- Transportation: We use Rome2Rio to figure out how to get from place to place, and book local transportation online using Bookaway wherever we can. When we book a rental car, we use DiscoverCars to compare rental companies and find the best deal.
- Luggage Storage: Whenever we're checking out early or taking advantage of a long layover, we use LuggageHero to safely store our luggage while we're running around. Use the code PRACTICALW for 2 hours of free luggage storage on us.
- VPN Service: A VPN keeps your digital information (like website login details, bank info, etc) safe, even when you're connected to an unsecured network while traveling. Plus, it lets you use Netflix & other streaming sites abroad! We use NordVPN. Use the code WANDERLUSTPROMO when you sign up!
- What to Pack: Here are the travel essentials that we bring on every trip. We also have packing lists for hot weather, cold weather, and many more. Take a look at all of our packing guides!
Liam says
Hey, thanks so much for this, so helpful! Just thought I’d provide an update – did the Cartagena to Santa Marta bus today with Berlina and the tickets are now 60 000 COP each.
(Dec 9 2022)
Cheers!
Lia Garcia says
Awesome, thank you so much! We’ve updated our post.
Phil says
Hello, your posts are so helpful! Thank you so much.
I have a question about transport, especially about taking a taxi. Where does the backpack go? Is it likely that if they drop it in the trunk that they will drive off and you are left without it? Or do you make ot you passenger and take it with you?
Talking about a 65L backpack.
Appreciate your reply.
Lia Garcia says
We’ve always put our backpacks in the trunk and never had anyone drive off with our luggage – the taxi drivers we’ve interacted with have all been lovely and usually get out to help us load and unload our bags. That said, I’d still suggest keeping your valuables (electronics, passports etc) in a smaller bag that you keep on your person at all times, for ALL transit situations (bus, taxi, etc).
Alison says
Hey guys your website is awesome I used it for booking my trip to ecuador in 2020 now im planning colombia,visiting cartagena, medillen, leticia, and bogota im thinking 5 days in each, my questions is would you stay longer in one and less in the other, we are off to ecuador for three weeks after colombia, for just relaxation, we explored ecuador for a month in 2020 so we want to see more of SA do we end our trip in peru for 2weeks, i may be back to ask more questions on peru
Lia Garcia says
Personally, I would want to spend less time in Bogota and I would consider spending more time up near Cartagena visiting areas on the coast, such as Minca or Playa Blanca or even Santa Marta. The giant city vibe of Bogota is a bit much for me after more than a couple days, and it’s also a little challenging to get around – and you’re getting the same kind of vibe in Medellin (but with nicer weather and better public transit), so that would be my recommendation! I sadly have not had a chance to visit Leticia, but I’d also consider spending more time there to really make the most of that trip (cuz it is kind of a schlep to get there) and really experience the incredible Amazon! Hope that’s helpful.
Karen says
Hi, Athough I’m not your main audience demographic (I’m in my 70s!) I enjoy your blog and your tribute to your grandmother. I backpacked through Europe and Central Asia almost 50 years ago and I imagine the totally disconnected travel we did is unimaginable; only occational letters kept us in touch with anyone at home. It’s been interesting to experience how travel has changed.
We’ll be in Caribbean Colombia for ten days next month and will go from Cartagena to Minca for a few days. I’d love your advice on what it might cost and how to go about hiring a private taxi for a day for this trip, (at least as far as SM) to give us the possibility of stopping at the pink sea and maybe one or two other spots. We would need a driver who speaks at least basic English. Thanks.
Lia Garcia says
Honestly, it’s hard for me to imagine being THAT disconnected from my family and friends for so long! And even though my parents did it (my dad, who is in his late 60’s, backpacked around Europe and Southeast Asia) I don’t know if they could handle the anxiety 😛 it gave them so much peace of mind to know that no matter where we are in the world, they can get ahold of us and even see what we’re up to each day as we travel. I have to imagine that being so disconnected makes for some truly incredible personal growth and self-dependence, though! That’s definitely something I could use more of.
edward says
Hello everyone,
We plan on taking a shuttle between Cartagena and Santa Marta. Is this road very windy like a roller coaster? My wife tends to get carsick.
Lia Garcia says
It’s not, really! It’s mostly a flat highway next to the ocean. I typically get carsick too and this ride isn’t bad at all.
Matt says
If you’re going in the opposite direction, i.e. Santa Marta to Cartagena, you might be interested that the Berlinas ticket office and bus stop is at Cra. 18 #23-4, Santa Marta. Taxi from the centre of Santa Marta to the office is COP 6.000 and takes 10-15 mins.
Maria says
Hello, can you tel me where the Berlinastur stations is (are) in Santa Marta. We are in the marina and need to know if we can walk or have to take a taxi.
Lia Garcia says
I believe you’ll need to take a taxi. I don’t know the exact location, but your taxi driver will know if you just tell them you want the Berlinastur bus to wherever you’re headed! Alternatively, try asking your accommodation host. Sorry we aren’t able to give more specifics, but in our experience locals are incredibly helpful and knowledgable when it comes to this sort of thing 🙂
Lauren says
Hey, your blog has been super helpful for planning our trip to Colombia in 2 weeks (can’t wait 🙂 )
We’ll be doing the reverse journey, so Santa Marta to Cartagena – I assume that Berlinastur do the journey in that direction too? If so, do you know which Berlinas bus station in Santa Marta we’d need, it looks like there’s a few on google maps!
Thanks!
Lia Garcia says
Yes, Berlinastur does take you back from Santa Marta to Cartagena! I’m not sure exactly which bus station it is (and wasn’t able to figure it out based on Googling – or the Berlinas website … very helpful, thanks everyone :P) sooooo my suggestion is to do what we did whenever we couldn’t figure out this sort of thing: ask a local! Many times we hopped into a taxi and just said something like “we’re going to Cartagena” or “Berlinas bus station” and the driver knew exactly where to take us – so that’s what I recommend doing. You could also ask your accommodation host. Sorry we can’t be more helpful!
Sequoia says
Thanks for the details! That address you gave for the berlinastaur brings me to a neighborhood in torices, i think Cra. 18 #57, Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia is the right address. Your blog has been super helpful!
Kumar Ram says
We are a family of five adults going from Cartagena (old city) to the Ecohab Tayrona inside Tyron Parque. Door to door. Shared transport or private vehicle is fine. Want to save time too. Any recommendations as to service providers and what to expect. We are not budget minded but definitely like value for money. This is in late November. Will rains be a problem ? Thanks.
Lia Garcia says
That’s on the tail end of the rainy season, so you might be in luck!
Clare says
Hi Thomas and Lia – Was the 48 000 COP for the door to door shuttle the per person cost? How many seats are in a shuttle? Did you have to wait around until they filled all of the seats (I read that that is a problem with Marsol – they can stop in Barranquilla for ages trying to collect people and wont drive unless there is a full car which can make your journey much longer) – was this your experience? Did you book through a hostel or how with Marsol? We may be a group of 5 and would be more ideal to book a shuttle for our group to avoid a big bus journey.
Thanks for any more tips!
Lia Garcia says
I can’t answer for that Marsol shuttle as I haven’t done it, but if it is a colectivo then yes, you would likely be waiting for the driver to fill up all of the seats of the shuttle before leaving. That’s the trade-off with an inexpensive option like a colectivo – you’re saving money but losing time. You’ll definitely encounter that with pretty much any bus or colectivo that you take in Colombia, even with Berlinas (although they are popular enough that we’ve never had to wait more than 30 minutes, and they don’t re-fill the bus entirely in Baranquilla). I hope that helps!
Aliza says
Hi Lia,
Thanks for the excellent post! I was just checking the Ruta’s y Horarios section of the Berlinas site (that you link to) and they don’t show any service between Cartagena and Santa Marta at all. Then I tried to search for tickets and it says it can’t find the any tickets for that route on the day we want to travel (in just over a week from now). Maybe it’s only a seasonal route? Let me know if you know anything about this!
Thanks!!
Lia Garcia says
Nooo it’s definitely not seasonal – that’s an incredibly popular route. But good catch – that link wasn’t the right one. We’ve updated the link to the Berlinastur website instead of Berlinas del Fonce. What’s the different? No idea. Are they the same company? We don’t know. But the Berlinastur bus is the one you want. You can’t buy tickets online, but you should have no problem showing up and purchasing your ticket the day that you want to leave!
Lia Garcia says
Hey Aliza, I checked with Berlinas and they got back to me in this tweet. They said “the route doesn’t have online sale. The departure is from Marbella Office (Calle 46C # 3-80) from 4:40 AM each 40 minutes approximately until 6:00 PM .”
Hope that’s helpful!
Thomas Espeute says
Hey Lia!
There are many great tips in your article 😉 – I’ve never used Berlinas bus, but I should try next time ;).
I’ve got other information regarding the journey Cartagena – Santa Marta. Maybe it could add more value to your article :).
Marsol offers a door to door shuttle service. It means they pick you up at your hostel and drop you at your next hostel. We paid around 48 000 COP (we used them twice), and it took 4h30 something – But it’s true you never know exactly when you arrive at your next destination in Colombia.
We also took two times the “normal” bus, and we paid around 22 000 COP / 6 hours to get from Santa Marta Bus Station to Cartagena Bus Station. However, the bus station in Cartagena is far from the old city center. You have to take a cab for 20 000 COP.
I hope it helps!
Lia Garcia says
That is super helpful, thank you Thomas! I didn’t realize Marsol offered that service – that’s a great value, so really good to know!
Karen Goubleman says
Thanks for all the great tips! VivaAir cancelled our flight, so now we only have 2 days in Minca, so are trying to make the most of our time there. Do you think Berlinastur departs early enough in the morning from Santa Marta for us to be at the airport in Cartegena for a 2:00 pm flight? With no bags to check, about how early do you think we should be there for an international flight? If you feel that is cutting it too close, do you think it is safe (as far a roads and possible tourist danger) to take a bus at night from Santa Marta to Cartegena? I am guessing if we take one at night we should take a large bus to be safer but I am not sure how late they run? Thanks so much for any advice!! We have traveled all over the world with our kids, but this is our first time to Colombia.
Lia Garcia says
Honestly, I wouldn’t depend on the timeliness of any bus in Colombia! This trip has taken me anywhere between 4 hours and 8 hours, and there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to how long it takes – sometimes there’s traffic, sometimes there’s a randomly closed street, sometimes there’s a donkey in the road – you just never know and you absolutely cannot rely on it to be fast. (And of course now that I’ve said that, I bet you anything your bus trip is going to be 4 hours of completely smooth sailing and you’re going to be like “ugh this stupid travel blogger, we totally could’ve spent an extra night in Minca!” lmao).
Anyway, I’d recommend taking a bus the day before to be safe, and you don’t need to worry about danger taking a bus at night between Santa Marta and Cartagena. I think the buses run fairly late but I would check the timetables online just to make sure. But you don’t need to get to the airport super early – it’s a pretty small airport. 2 hours would be fine, 3 if you’re like my husband and you like to play things very, very safe.
Floortje says
Okay, so we took the berlinas bus and guess what? We had a flat tyre 🙁 but we only had a 1 hour delay. But then another berlinas bus the engine got on fire. So that passiengers were joing our bus.
So marisol or berlinas doesn’t matter you can have bad luck with both companies haha
Lia Garcia says
LMAO this is the most Colombia thing ever. Just add an extra 3 hours of travel time to absolutely everything you do, y’all!
klaudia says
where do i find any website for that shuttle?