To explore the Caribbean, a friend and I head out on a daytrip to the Rosario Islands, an archipelago of nearly 30 islands about an hour’s boat ride from Cartagena. We set out from Marina Santa Cruz wharf on a boat provided by the Hotel San Pedro de Majagua located on Isla Grande, the largest of the islands, where we discover we can enjoy two beaches and a chance to snorkel, bike ride, hike or relax for a swim. In 1955 the French painter Pierre Daguet made his home on the grounds where the hotel sits today.

The State Ecological Authority declared the Rosario Islands a Colombia National Park in 1977 for preservation purposes. The park’s coral reefs, mangroves and lagoons contain more than 1,300 species of plants and animals native to the islands. In addition, its 53 species of reef-building corals constitute 83 percent of the coral reefs in the Colombian Caribbean. We decide to explore the underwater world on a quick snorkeling excursion, surrounded by a variety of sea fauna and flora in shallow waters.

We also make time to swim at the pristine beach before being called for our barbecued fish lunch. Our host laments that there has not been rain for about eight months, but our lunch is punctuated by an intense squall of thunder, lightning and rain, making the boat ride back quite the adventure.