Tubará

Bob and I both chose to do the Rosario Island Tour excursion.
We departed the ship into a very industrial port. It reminded us of home with identical cranes and the so very soothing noise of backup warning signals on forklifts.
That being said, the Port of Cartagena was very clean and well appointed. There was a charming historic building at the end of the pier which was also adorned with planters containing luscious tropical plants. At the entrance to the port, the Columbians developed a "Port Oasis" which hosts numerous tropical birds, reptiles and plants.
Our excursion group was split into two groups. We boarded our boats and off we went.
We sailed by a fort at the entrance to the bay where Cartagena is located. There are actually 2 forts, one in each side of the channel. This allowed canons to be fired from both sides providing a very effective defensive strategy.
After an hour boat ride in which several people were turning green around the gills, we arrived at the Rosario Islands. We sailed by several small islands which only had one or two villas. Hermit that I am, I thought this would be an ideal place to live. I even found a fixer upper.
Next we sailed by Pablo Escabar's abandoned villa (white building with large buoy in front pictured below) on our way to our snorkeling spot.
Unfortunately, the reef was not very healthy and there were relatively few fish. We did see one huge school of fish 🐟🐟 with probably close to 100 fish. But, again, I was in the water so I was happy.
The day continued with us stopping at a local bar like none other we have ever been to. This bar was located on a rocky outcropping. We had a glass of champagne but avoided any of the snacks and located a crab in the tide pool.
The subsequent stop was at another island's beach resort where we had brunch and basked under a palapa.
After about an hour, we boarded our boat for the hour boat ride back to the port. Bob and I decided to take one for the team and sit in the bow of the boat where the ride is a bit more intense than in the stern.
When we got back to the port, we quickly walked through the Port Oasis and took some quick photos of some tropical birds.
Back onboard the Neptune, we showered and headed to dinner at the Chef's table for Norwegian themed menu. This was one of the best dinners we have had anywhere onboard.Read more