Santa Marta Beaches Boat Tour: Santo Cristo, Inca Inca and Playa Blanca (Private)

From $445 USD per person

The best beaches near Santa Marta have no road to them. Playa Santo Cristo, Inca Inca and Playa Blanca sit along a stretch of coast reachable only by water, which is why the day starts at a port rather than a trailhead and why the boat is private rather than shared.

Eight hours, three stops, and a long enough spell at each that it is a day on the water rather than a circuit of photo stops. Your driver handles both ends, the captain and guide handle the middle, and the only thing you decide is when to get out of the sea.

Check live availability and prices — or read on for how the day unfolds.

How the day works

• Early pickup and the drive to the port (about 30 minutes). Your guide and driver collect you from your hotel or chosen departure point and take you to the boat. The early start is about light and sea conditions, not tradition.
• Playa Santo Cristo (about 3 hours). The first stop, a beach closed in by green tropical forest. Walk it, swim, and take it in before you board again.
• Inca Inca, then Playa Blanca (about 3 hours). A stop at Inca Inca for drinks and photographs, then on to Playa Blanca, the longest stop of the day, where your group has its own space on the beach with chairs under the palms.
• Lunch and the run home (about 2 hours). A traditional Caribbean lunch at the beachside restaurant, not included, before the boat takes you back and your driver returns you to your hotel.

What’s included

• Private guide
• Hotel pickup and drop-off in private transport
• Private boat
• All-risk insurance

Not included

• Breakfast and lunch, though a traditional lunch is available at the beach restaurant
• Extra purchases

Good to know

• The tour can be cancelled on the day for weather or sea conditions, with a full refund. The captain and guide make that call on what the sea is actually doing, not on what was forecast. If you have one clear day in Santa Marta, book this early in your stay so there is room to move it.
• Bring a swimsuit, a towel and a dry change of clothes. You will be on beaches and in the water most of the day, and the drive back is more comfortable dry.
• Light clothing that covers you from the sun, plus sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen. A full day on open water is more sun than a full day in the city.
• The boat carries life jackets and the required safety equipment.
• Comfortable shoes or sandals are fine here; there is no trail on this one.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if it is cancelled?

You get a full refund. The call is made on the day by the captain and guide based on the actual conditions. We would rather tell you no than put you on a boat in a sea that does not suit it.

How is this different from Tayrona?

Tayrona is a four-hour hike to beaches you reach on foot. This is a boat to beaches you cannot reach any other way, with no walking in it. If somebody in the party will not enjoy a jungle trail in the heat, this is the one.

Can we swim at all three stops?

Santo Cristo and Playa Blanca are the swimming stops, with about three hours each. Inca Inca is a shorter stop for drinks and photographs.

Is lunch really not included?

Correct. There is a beachside restaurant at Playa Blanca serving traditional Caribbean food and you pay there. Bring cash.

Is the boat shared with other groups?

No. The boat is private to your party, as is the guide and the transport at both ends.

Just need the ride, not the tour?

Our private Santa Marta airport transfer and city transfers give you the same vetted driver with no itinerary attached.

Ready? Check your date and lock it in