When the temperature rises and the Caribbean beckons, a day trip to a nearby island beach is a must. Catch an early-morning tour boat to Isla de Baru, where you can snorkel with iridescent blue fish. Feeling adventurous? Hire a fisherman to cross the bay to the island of Tierra Bomba, where white-sand beaches face Cartagena’s modern Bocagrande strip. After a morning in the sun and sea, replenish your energy with a whole fried red snapper and icy Aguila beer, served to you on the beach. —Milena Damjanov

Photo by Juan Vinasco. This appeared in the March/April 2011 issue.