Isla del Sol

A group of 27 islands, known as Islas del Roasario, lies an hour's boat ride from Cartagena. We went on a day trip to Isla del Sol, which has a very tropical feel to it. There were lots of activities on offer, such as snorkelling, scuba diving, and kayaking through the mangrove swamps. We settled for some time on the beach and in the brightly colored hammocks swinging beneath the thatch.

At midday we caught the boat to a nearby island, home to the Oceanio, a rustic aquarium. There were boardwalks that extended into the ocean and the areas in between held the sea life. There was a small variety of sea animals, but the aquarium staff induced feeding frenzies to please the crowds. The highlight of the trip was Vanessa climbing into the shark enclosure to pet a shark!

After the aquarium we returned to the Isla del Sol for a buffet lunch with traditional grilled king mackeral and lots of starch - potatoes, plantains and yuca - washed down with some very strong Colombian coffee. We ended the day back on the beach, listening to the waves lapping against the shore and trying to remedy our pale Alaskan complexions.