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Overview
This 8-hour private boat tour from Santa Marta visits three pristine Caribbean beaches accessible only by water: Playa Santo Cristo (3hrs — walk and swim), Inca Inca (drinks and photos stop), and Playa Blanca (3hrs — private beach space with chairs under palm trees, swimming, and free time).
Traditional Caribbean lunch available at Playa Blanca beach restaurant (not included). Private boat, private guide, private hotel pickup/drop-off. Tour may be cancelled same day due to weather/sea conditions — full refund applies. Temperature range on coast: 15-28°C year-round.
Itinerary
Highlights
Board a private boat from Santa Marta's port and spend the full day visiting three of the Caribbean coast's most pristine beaches — Playa Santo Cristo, Inca Inca, and Playa Blanca — each with crystal-clear water, white sand, and no crowds beyond your own group.
Swim in the blue, pristine Caribbean waters of Santa Marta — some of the cleanest on the Colombian coast — with a private beach space at Playa Blanca where your group can settle in under the palm trees for the afternoon.
Stop at Inca Inca for drinks and photos before continuing to Playa Blanca, where the afternoon is entirely unstructured — swim, lie in the shade, read, or simply do nothing in one of the most beautiful natural settings on Colombia's Caribbean coast.
Taste traditional Caribbean lunch made with local ingredients at a beachside restaurant — the right food in the right setting, as the natural conclusion to a day on the water (lunch not included in tour price).
What's Included
Private guide.
Hotel pickup and drop-off in private transportation.
Private boat.
All risk insurance.
What's Excluded
Breakfast and lunch (traditional lunch available at beach restaurant — not included).
Extra purchases.
Know before you book
Bring extra clothes, a swimsuit, and a towel. You will spend most of the day on beaches and in the water — a dry change of clothes for the return trip to your hotel makes the day more comfortable.
This tour may be cancelled on the same day due to weather and sea conditions. A full refund applies if the tour is cancelled for this reason. The captain and guide make the safety call based on actual conditions on the day.
Wear light, cool clothing that protects you from the sun. Sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen are essential for a full day on the Caribbean coast. Comfortable shoes or sandals work well for the beach sections.
The boat is equipped with life jackets and all required safety equipment. The captain is professional and experienced on this coastal route. Follow all safety instructions given before and during the boat ride.
More Info
Cancellation Window
12 hours before starting date
Difficulty
Easy
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 12 hours before departure. Cancellations made within 12 hours of the tour start time are non-refundable.
Guest Reviews
Why Book With Cielo
1,200 five-star reviews from real travelers — read them before you book.
Best Price Guarantee — find this tour cheaper elsewhere and we'll match it.
Private transportation door-to-door — no shared shuttles, no waiting around for strangers.
Booking directly with us means your money stays with a Colombian-owned company, not a platform commission.
Our team coordinates everything — pickup timing, pilot briefing, and return logistics — so you focus only on the flight.
Other Info
The Coves and Headlands the City Beaches Don’t Show You
A Santa Marta beaches private boat tour is the most direct way to access what the Caribbean coast here actually looks like — which is considerably different from what you see at the city’s own waterfront. Santa Marta sits at the base of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and opens onto a bay that is, by urban Caribbean standards, reasonably clean. But the beaches that define this coastline’s reputation are not the city beaches. They are the coves and headlands that require a boat to reach — Playa Santo Cristo, Inca Inca, and Playa Blanca — where the water runs clear over white sand in sheltered bays with no road access and no development beyond the basic infrastructure of a beach restaurant and some shade.
The Coastline: Sierra Nevada to the Sea
The boat ride from Santa Marta’s port takes you along a coastline that transitions from the urban waterfront into a stretch of green hillside dropping directly into the sea. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta — rising behind the city to over 5,700 meters — shapes the entire coastal geography here. The mountains trap rainfall, feed the rivers, and create the conditions for the dense tropical vegetation that makes this stretch of the Caribbean coast look the way it does: green hills behind, turquoise water in front, white beaches where the two meet.
The Beaches: Three Stops, One Long Afternoon
Playa Santo Cristo
The first stop — a beach framed by tropical forest, with the kind of quiet that comes from a place that can only be reached by water. You walk the beach and swim before the boat continues.
Inca Inca
A briefer stop for drinks and the particular mid-day light that makes Caribbean water photograph the way it does.
Playa Blanca
The final and longest stop, where the afternoon stretches out with nothing specifically required of it. Beach chairs under the palm trees, the Caribbean water available at any point, and a traditional lunch at the beachside restaurant when the day begins to wind down.
Lunch at Playa Blanca: Worth Planning For
The lunch is not included in the tour price, but it is worth planning for. The restaurants at Playa Blanca serve traditional Caribbean dishes — coconut rice, fried fish, patacones, fresh fruit juices — made with local ingredients and served in the right setting. It is not a formal meal and it is not designed for tourists. It is the food that people on this coast eat when they spend a day at the beach, and eating it here is more appropriate than skipping it.
A Note on Weather and Sea Conditions
This tour may be cancelled on the day of departure due to weather and sea conditions. The captain makes the safety call based on actual conditions, and a full refund is provided if the tour cannot run. The Caribbean coast around Santa Marta can be windy and rough in certain seasons, and the team does not take risks with sea conditions. If your travel schedule is flexible, this is not a concern. If you have a single day available, it is worth knowing in advance.
Continue Exploring Santa Marta
If you want to extend your time in Santa Marta’s natural environment beyond the beaches, the Tayrona Park Tour takes you a full day into the national park — the same coastline seen from the jungle trails rather than from the water. For the history and culture of the city itself, the Santa Marta Old City and Tayrona Gold Museum Walking Tour covers the historic center in a focused three-hour walk with a local guide.
Ready to spend a day on Santa Marta’s best beaches? Book the private boat tour above and your guide will handle everything from hotel pickup to the return drop-off — all you have to do is bring sunscreen and show up at the dock.
See the rest of what we run there: all our tours in Santa Marta.
Before you go: our Colombia guides
Written by the team that runs this tour.
FAQs
Wear clothes that keep you cool and protect you from the sun — sunglasses, a hat, and comfortable shoes or sandals are the most important items. Bring a change of clothes since you will spend the day on the beaches and in the water. Apply sunscreen before departure and reapply throughout the day. Drink plenty of water.
Santa Marta's coastal weather varies by season. Summers are hot, humid, and arid. Winter months are cooler, dry, and windy. Temperatures range from 15°C (59°F) to 28°C (82°F) over the course of the year, with a minimum of 13°C (55°F) and a maximum of 31°C (87°F). On a typical beach day you can expect warm temperatures and strong sun — dress and prepare accordingly.
Yes. The boat is equipped with life jackets and all required safety gear. The captain is professional and experienced on this coastal route. The guide and the rest of the team ensure a smooth trip. Note that this tour may be cancelled on the day due to adverse weather or sea conditions — a full refund is provided if this happens.
The tour visits three beaches: Playa Santo Cristo, Inca Inca, and Playa Blanca (White Beach). These beaches are known for their crystal-clear water and white sand — they are among the most pristine on the Santa Marta Caribbean coast and are differentiated from the city beaches by their natural setting and water clarity.
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