Try to anchor within the designated areas or as close as possible to them. Be careful to allow frigates/cruise liners (plus tugs) maneuvering room to moor alongside the dock. Do not anchor close to the military base or you will be asked to move.
Bahia de Cartagena is a well-protected anchorage and for longer stays in Colombia offers a much more cost-effective solution than Santa Marta. Cruisers who have spent some time here, however, have reported rapid fouling.
It is advisable to anchor in deep water (10m+) with a long scope as the sudden southerly squalls can cause dragging in the shallower water.
Many cruisers choose to anchor off the Club Nautico and use the marina’s facilities including the dinghy dock, rubbish disposal and WiFi. The Club makes a small charge for this.
The anchorage is also busy with lots of boats creating waves and at nights can get very noisy with loud music, often until well after midnight.
There are two marina facilities in this harbor, Club Nautico and Club de Pesca y Vela.
If berthing in this harbor be aware that wave action and local weather (occasional violent squalls from June to November) can make conditions unpleasant at times. This is a harbor with a lot of speedboats, water taxis and activity. Wakes are constant during daylight hours. In order to guard against the swell, be sure to have very stretchy dock lines and make sure that your spreaders are not matched up to the boats beside you.
The Club Nautico continues evolving with several new projects completed including additional bathrooms, a kiosk, a small cruiser lounge plus installation of new transformer and pedestals to allow electrical access (all 60 hz) on 90 % of all berths. The Club is busy, but spaces do come available for transient yachts. Often busy with day charter boats and can be noisy at night.
Club de Pesca y Vela introduced deeply discounted slip rates for international cruising yachts in 2019 and in 2021 completed an expansion of new floating finger docks - all with 110/220V pedestals up to 250A. Club de Pesca y Vela is a private yacht club and visitors enjoy full access to all of the yacht club's amenities. Reported to be much quieter than either anchoring or the other marinas.
Barnacles and marine growth can be a problem for boats left for a period of time.
The new boatyard - Marina Portobello - has plans to develop a sizeable marina.
The Bay of Cartagena has seen a decrease in the number of dinghy thefts over the last few years, possibly due to better crime control by the officials and more awareness on the part of cruisers. The Coast Guard patrol the anchorage and Club Nautico also runs a patrol launch at night to keep incidents to a minimum. That said, thefts still continue to be reported so stay alert.
If you don't want your dinghy or outboard to be stolen, don't leave it in the water overnight, even if it's locked to your yacht. See the Noonsite's Colombia Security section for more information.
Information about thefts is shared on the United Cruisers Cartagena Whatsapp Group - join this group via this link: https://bit.ly/2X61RIF.
When going ashore don't wear expensive jewelry around town and be careful of unscrupulous persons trying to engage you in dubious activities.
If anchoring in a remote location or in an anchorage where there are no other boats - which is often the case - be cautious and keep watch overnight if at all possible - especially if approached late at night by "fishermen" seeking information or help. See this report from CSSN.
Last updated: June 2025
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