Barú Island Tour: Playa Blanca, Aviary, Plankton

Discover Barú’s wildlife and nature on a full-day tour. Visit the National Aviary, relax at Playa Blanca, and marvel at bioluminescent plankton.

Duration: 14 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Cartagena - -We start with the pick up at your hotel, hostel, accommodation or whatever your location is. between 6:00 am and 7:30 am in an air-conditioned transport We will pick up other travelers as well. You must be patient because traffic is sometime a problem. We will enjoy a panoramic tour of approximately 45 minutes through the beautiful…
What's Included
  • Travel insurance
  • Bilingual guide
  • Entrance to the national aviary
  • Welcome drink
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Bioluminescent plankton activity
  • Lunch voucher of 30,000 pesos for use a la carte
What's Not Included
  • On-board WiFi
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Towels
  • access to showers. *Additional cost
  • Balinese beds
Additional Information

Experience an unforgettable full day on the Island of Barú, featuring Playa Blanca, the National Aviary, and bioluminescent plankton. This tour is ideal for those eager to explore the marvels of Colombia’s wildlife and natural beauty. At the National Aviary, visitors can admire a variety of vibrant parrots, peacocks, flamingos, and other species…

Location
Monumento Los Pegasos
Calle 24
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.5
(15 Ratings)
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1 star
Jhoselin_n
Mar 3, 2026
A magical experience - It was a magical experience. Waiting for the sunset, swimming in the lake among the bioluminescent plankton was beautiful. For the aviary it is recommended to use repellent, even if I do not need it, but better to be prepared. It's a long day but it's totally worth it.
Review provided by Viator
15zhangp
Mar 12, 2024
Best Cartagena Bilingual Guide - Franklin. - Franklin is a nice, friendly, thoughtful, patient Cartagena bilingual guide with full of sense of humor. Partner with a good DJ driver. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Relax06383106968
Jan 2, 2024
Relax 😎 - Everything great. The food was delicious and the people were very humble. I enjoyed and drink a cocktail in the bed they have
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kris7654
Aug 22, 2023
beach vacation - Good tour, delicious food, calm sea, warm weather and the attention of the guide Sergio was very good 10/10
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roam13597340466
Jan 23, 2026
Regular - In general the tour I give 3-4, the aviaries loved it but of the rest we did not seem several things: - They let the sellers into the buses offering cell phone items, cards, cases, etc... it is enough to board it on the street and beaches so that also in the “private” bus. ⁠The bioluminescence tour was too messy, the gentlemen who put people on the boats shouted at people and treated them badly. Many people beat themselves and my knee-deep wife was left bloodied. - ⁠The photo shoot was a disaster, the lady did not decide which side of the boat to take the picture and made us change sides several times. ⁠On the way back in mambo there was no light so changing wet clothes was complicated, and more so with the short time we were given. The tour has potential but is very messy.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Travelerkirk
Jul 31, 2025
Playa Blanco is fairly disgusting - The bus trip to the Aviary took over 2.5 hours since ‘the road is under construction’. Horrible trip on bad road. The Aviary was great and nicely designed. Unfortunately since we got there an hour and half late, we were rushed. We all recommend visiting the Aviary!! The drive from the Aviary to Playa Blanco made the first drive seem smooth!!!! Even at very low speed we were jerked around to the point of my children complain about their backs. Playa Blanco is very, very trashy. Garbage everywhere you look. Literally piles of trash and litter all over the place. The water is warm and also trashed. My wife found a sanitary napkin in the water! The lunch was not very good, the fish much better than the steak. While the tour guide did his best, it was hard to overcome the disgusting environment. We travel the world, but this was something else! Colombia is a beautiful country with wonderful people, this does not reflect their values. The tour operators for Playa Blanco are making a lot of money off of the tourists (we spend over $600 for the tour and the food/drinks) and should clean it up and fix the roads. Obviously we don’t recommend this place until reviews saying how clean it is!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Floracb2098zq
Oct 16, 2024
Aviary, playa blanca and plankton excursion! - Full day excursion, very nice aviary to do! Beautiful beach, large and warm but dirty enough, smell not very nice with animals who make their need and after that goes directly into the sea ... Catering space and deckchair correct, compared to others, very good and local meal, but drinks not included and no bcp dish included either... Plankton, a disappointment we saw nothing at all, be careful not to expect to see what is on the photos presented or to inquire about the adequate weather conditions... driver of mini van on the way that drives really bad, attention bad transport... return bus much more pleasant considering the state of the road... It remains nevertheless one of the nice excursions to do to get away from the city I think... thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
L3533nmrenatod
Mar 6, 2025
Good and bad things - If you are looking for peace and quiet, don't go on this tour. Mambo Beach Club is horrible. The space is small, and when I went there was no water in the bathroom. Electronic music was playing at full volume. There is no privacy, and there is always a salesperson trying to sell you something. We had a problem with one of the women who offered massages, she wanted to charge double the agreed price. It's the kind of thing that changes your mood. However, the beach is wonderful! The aviary is also worth it. Oh, the bus broke down halfway there, and it took 40 minutes for them to send another one. It is a complete experience in an underdeveloped country.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lawyercatlady
Apr 23, 2024
Terrible! - Do not book this tour. First, despite stating they will do hotel pick up and drop off, they will suddenly tell you the day before on WhatsApp that they can’t do it because the “vehicle is too large for the roads.” This is a complete lie, as the vehicle was not an air conditioned bus but a 8 passenger van which would have easily fit on the roads. Second, the beach club accommodation is in plastic chairs in direct sunlight with no shade or umbrellas. They require you to pay extra for any shade. They showed no understanding for my pregnant friend who could not sit in directly sunlight for 5+ hours. Third, only two items on the menu are actually within the lunch voucher price. The toilets at the beach club do not flush and they did not even have soap. I do not recommend eating at this nasty place. The van itself was terrible, we were crammed next to each other for hours on a bumpy road. There is no tour for the aviary, only a flight show entirely in Spanish. And finally, if they decide the conditions aren’t good for the plankton tour they will not refund you. Terrible experience all around. Do not recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Juhi_t
Apr 23, 2024
Horrible experience. - Do not book this tour. First, despite stating they will do hotel pick up and drop off, they will suddenly tell you the day before on WhatsApp that they can’t do it because the “vehicle is too large for the roads.” This is a complete lie, as the vehicle was not an air conditioned bus but a 8 passenger van which would have easily fit on the roads. Second, the beach club accommodation is in plastic chairs in direct sunlight with no shade or umbrellas. They require you to pay extra for any shade. They showed no understanding for my pregnant friend who could not sit in directly sunlight for 5+ hours. Third, only two items on the menu are actually within the lunch voucher price. The toilets at the beach club do not flush and they did not even have soap. I do not recommend eating at this nasty place. The van itself was terrible, we were crammed next to each other for hours on a bumpy road. There is no tour for the aviary, only a flight show entirely in Spanish. And finally, if they decide the conditions aren’t good for the plankton tour they will not refund you. Terrible experience all around. Do not recommend.
Review provided by Viator
From $90
up to 10 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).