Have you ever wondered what are the transport options to travel from the Cartagena to Santa Marta? Whether you’re looking to use buses, taxis or private minivans, we have it all covered! Just keep reading our post and you’ll discover the fastest and cheapest route that connect these two beautiful cities.
By Bus
If what you have is time and not money, then going by bus to Santa Marta is the way to go. In Cartagena all buses leave from the Terminal de Transportes which is located at 8-9km from the walled city, but how do you get to there?
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There are only two options to get to the terminal: one short but expensive and the other cheap but long. If you have big bags you might prefer to get a taxi from your hostel but don’t expect to pay less than 15k COP for the ride; on the other hand, you could also get a local bus for a much cheaper rate.
Yellow city bus Cotransurb going to the terminal
To get the local bus you’ll have to walk (or take a taxi for 3000COP) to the Monumento de Catalina (15min at most if you’re staying inside the city center), which is where the unofficial bus city terminal is, and look out for the Cotransurb (bright yellow bus) that has a label saying Bicentenario on the screen. This bus takes 1h15min to get to the terminal and the price is 2300COP; it used to be 1800COP but on January 2018 the fare increased.
Once in the terminal there are 4 bus companies that connects the two cities (Superstar Flamingo Sprinter, Copetran, Brasilia & Berlinas) each of them having different times, buses facilities and price. Superstar and Berlinas leave very frequently (every 30min and 15min respectively) and are the cheapest with a fare of 24-25kCOP. Copetran only operates at night (fare of 30kCOP) and Brasilia is more less every hour but the fare is the most expensive settling at 32kCOP.
Last but not least, depending on the times some buses will be direct (not gonna go through the city center of Barranquilla) taking around 3½h or will make a stop and take 4½h.
Estimated Time | 4h 45min – 5h 45min
Price | 26-34k COP (9-12$)
By Shuttle
The only known shuttle service that operate between Cartagena and Santa Marta is called MarSol. This company offers a direct route to Santa Marta with smaller vans (12 seats max) but at nearly double the price. If you book your spot at their office located in Marbella (see map below) the price of the ride will be 42kCOP but they also offer pick up from your hostel for an additional 8000COP.
If you prefer reaching the terminal by yourself you have two options; either getting a taxi, which would be roughly 5000-7000COP so wouldn’t be a big saving or you can use the same Cotransurb that you would get to reach the Terminal de Transportes. If you go with the bus make sure to hop down after 10min when you get to Marbela, then walk a bit and reach terminal MarSol.
Estimated Time | 3h 30min
Price | 44-50k COP (16-18$)
By Taxi
The last most expensive option is going by taxi all the way but expect to pay something around 150kCOP each; sometimes you might be lucky and be asked 125k COP but you have to be really good at bargaining to get such rate. The ride will take less time and you’ll be able to make stops along the way (e.g. stop at Cienaga to see the fisheries and the people living there) but whether its worth that’s up to you!
Estimated Time | 3h
Price | 125-150k COP (44-53$)
Summary
For the low-budget traveller who has time: Take public transport all the way
For the middle-budget traveller who wants to be comfy: Take public bus and then MarSol
For the high-budget traveller who wants to be completely independent: Take taxi all the way
PLANNING A TRIP TO COLOMBIA? CHECK MORE GUIDES BELOW!
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