First of all, why should you choose Colombia?
Okay, before we talk about all you need to know about Casa En El Agua in Colombia, let’s begin with some information about this beautiful country!
I feel like I always talk about this but this stunning country really does have a ridiculous amount of things to offer! Here are a few of them:
- Colombia is one of the most diverse countries in the whole world.
- Colombia has two oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans border it.
- It has a range of climates to suit everyone.
- If you love good big city life, Colombia will provide that! Medellin is one of the most socially buzzing cities in South America!
- This country has unbelievable wildlife. Some of the wildlife includes sloths, tapirs, bears, deer, capybaras, pumas, jaguars, and several types of monkeys.
- There are activities in Colombia to suit everyone! One of the most popular things to do in Colombia is to paraglide over the city of Medellin. Other activities include surfing, salsa dancing, rock climbing, kayaking, and rafting!
If you’re still not convinced and you have to see it to believe it, here’s a 10-second clip of Colombia that might sell it to you!
What route do I take in Colombia?
Colombia, like most countries in Latin America, is huge! You could spend weeks if not months exploring Colombia. Here is a full detailed blog post with my best tips for planning your itinerary around this beautiful country. I would say if you can add this hostel to your must-see places, it’s amazing!
What language do they speak in Colombia?
99.5% of Colombians speak Spanish. We did however find that some locals had very strong English so we could get by with our very little Spanish. However, there were areas where the locals naturally could not speak English. Therefore, as always I recommend even making an attempt to learn some phrases!
What is Casa En El Agua?
All you need to know about Casa En El Agua in Colombia; Casa en el Agua is an eco-hostel.
It is located in the San Bernardo Islands, on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast just in front of Isla Tintipan.
‘Casa En El Agua’ translates to ‘house on the water’ in Spanish.
It quite literally is an isolated hostel right in the middle of the ocean and it is quite literally paradise!
How do I book Casa En El Agua?
The best way to book this hostel is to book directly on the website which is linked here.
This hostel does book up very quickly, especially during peak season so I highly recommend pre-booking your stay.
Casa En El Agua sleeps only thirty-two people each night, which books up quite quickly so if you’re looking to go I’d recommend booking early in advance. When we traveled here, most people only end up staying one night because that’s all that was available.
How do I get to Casa En El Agua?
To get to Casa En El Agua you have to take a 2-hour boat from Cartagena which you book through the hostel.
The boat company ‘Tranq it Easy‘ brings the boat to the San Bernardo Islands and also to Casa Escuela Raizal from the port in Cartagena.
You are required to make the boat booking by yourself, to do this you can either email them or text them on Whats App. Here are the details that you need:
Email address: tranqiteasy@gmail.com
WhatsApp number: +57 301 404 3633
Where does the boat leave Cartagena from? The boat leaves from La Bodeguita port.
How much does the boat cost? The boat costs COP$150.000 per person each way.
What times does the boat leave each day?
Leaves Cartagena at 9.00 am.
Arrives at the island at 11.00 am.
Leaves the island at 12.00 pm.
Arrives in Cartagena at 2.00 pm.
Is it expensive to stay here? All you need to know about Casa En El Agua
I’ll be one hundred percent honest, this is a costly stay. The boat to get here is nearly the most expensive part. However, you do get three meals each day and it is pure paradise.
If you want to save a little money there is the option to sleep on a hammock instead of in the dorms or the private rooms. However, it gets super windy and sometimes cold at night time so you won’t be guaranteed a great sleep!
What is life like in the hostel?
Let me just answer this question with a picture of this in Casa En El Agua. Life in the hostel is pure paradise.
The Casa or hostel isn’t big in size at all! It is a two-story house. The lower floor is a common area with sun loungers, a bar, a kitchen, some swings, tables, and chairs. It’s where you can chill with the other people staying in the hostel, you can play games and have drinks together, etc.
Then the top floor is basically just all accommodation for the guests. There are private rooms, shared dorms, and also hammocks.
What is there to do on the island?
Casa En El Agua run activities during the day to keep everyone entertained. These activites are at an additional charge. Here’s a list of some of the options;
- A day trip to Tintipan beach.
- An island tour of the three biggest islands.
- A tour of Islote – the most crowded island in the world.
- A nighttime snorkeling trip to see the glowing plankton.
- A daytime snorkeling trip in the surrounding mangroves.
Is food included in the stay?
During your stay in Casa En El Agua, your breakfast is included. However, lunch and dinner will be at an extra cost. Usually, one of the staff will come around to everyone on the day and take orders for lunch and dinner. They usually have a couple of different food options to choose from. Lunch nearly always came with a bowl of soup too which surprisingly in the heat we really enjoyed.
The meals always consists of fish or other seafood. Then on the side they’ll usually have rice, plantains or arepas and vegetables. If you’re not usually a fish eater, I would recommend either bringing some food to cook or ordering the likes of chips etc.
The cost of the extra meals were usually 30,000 Colombian Pescos. This is currently (June 2023) is
1 Euro equals 4,510.26 Colombian Peso.
They actually catch fresh lobster and serve it daily, this of course is an extra cost!
They also offer two for one drinks all day, every day! So make sure to bring some extra cash for this!
Extra tips
- They don’t accept credit cards or debit cards on the island, so I highly recommend bringing cash. As mentioned above, you are provided three meals a day but you’ll want to buy drink or extra snacks!
- The only time you can shower is between 4-9 pm when they bring fresh water in buckets onto the island!
- There is no wifi on the island. I loved this but if you’re someone who needs data for work or other reasons, I would recommend buying a sim card before heading to Casa En El Agua.
Ways to travel to Colombia
I thought it would be handy to add how to get to Colombia. Here are the three most popular ways.
1. Take the boat from Panama
This is by far the most scenic and stunning way of travelling to Colombia. Take a boat from Panaman through the San Blas islands and finally into Colombia. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to do this but if I were to go back, I would one hundred per cent do this route.
2. Fly into Bogotá (the capital of Colombia)
As mentioned above, Bogotá is the capital of Colombia. However, there really isn’t a whole lot to do here. So if you are flying here, I would recommend flying from Bogotá to Cartagena.
3. Fly into Cartagena (a seaside city in the West of Colombia)
This is the closest airport to Casa En El Agua in Colombia. Of course you still have to get the boat to the island but flying into Cartagena is the quickest route.
Have any questions about staying in Casa En El Agua? Feel free to reach out to me!
