Pickpockets and con men may be the tourists' biggest security concerns in this city of 800,000 people. On the barier peninsula separating the marsh, or cienaga, from the ocean is the village of Boquilla. It is safely reachable only by air, but there are no longer any direct flights from North America or Europe. Few Cartagena restaurants are spectacular, despite having some of Colombia's highest prices. Car rentals are expensive and not worth the trouble.
Taxis are cheap and plentiful in Cartagena, just a few dollars for any destination in the city.
For day trips to the Rosario islands for snorkeling and a typical stop at the Bari beach, travelers fluent in Spanish can bargain for boats at the docks near the Convention Center. The driest, most popular season with tourists is November through March. The Colombian peso has lost about 20 percent of its value this year against the U.S. dollar, to the advantage of foreign tourists. One dollar is currently worth 1,550 pesos. Do NOT attempt to change money on the street.