Getting Here

Tips

  • The best time to book international flights is 1-2 months prior to departure. However, if you find any flight from the US (not including Florida - see below) for around $600, this is likely the best fare you will find. Book it!
  • The best place to start looking is on Kayak and Bing Travel. Then head over to the sites manually to get a range of flight and fare options to fit your schedule.
  • If flying domestically within Colombia, visit the sites of Avianca, Copa Air, or LAN (Aires)not from the aggregators and select the option to purchase from Colombia. This gives the price in Colombian Pesos, which depending upon the exchange rate, will be cheaper by up to $100.
  • Check out Orbitz.com too, we've found flights cheaper on Copa Air from IAD (Washington DC) and JKF (New York City) than on CopaAir.com. Plus there is a price guarantee.
  • Despegar.com.co may have cheaper flights than booking directly, plus a best price guarantee. Look at the taxes too, they apparently vary by airline. A more expensive ticket might have lower taxes, especially on Avianca/TACA and LAN. Copa Air seems to have higher taxes. Despegar.com, the US/English site may have higher prices beware.
  • Finally, if you need any help, please let us know!

Via Bogota

There are numerous daily flights from all areas of the States into Bogota, Colombia, the capital. Most of these flights however do not connect on the same ticket into Cartagena, however there are several national carriers that fly daily to Cartagena. If you wish to spend time in the capital city, the recommended option is to book two separate itineraries, one round-trip to Bogota and a second round-trip to Cartagena. With Bogota in the middle of the country, flights are about one hour in length.

Those on a serious budget with backpacker intuitions may be interested in traveling by bus. While the bus through the Colombian mountains might sound fun, keep in mind it is a very long ride of 16-20 hours. The price per one-way ticket is between $50-75. In Cartagena, the long distance bus station is located 30-45 minutes from the city. It's almost always a better, easier option to fly.

Example Fares

Direct to Cartagena

The easiest way to get directly to Cartagena if you live in the Northeast is to fly on Avianca. If you live in one of the few cities that Spirit flys to, that can be a very affordable option. However, keep in mind that Spirit is a LCC (low cost carrier) and charges up to $30 per carry-on and checked bag.

Example Fares

  • New York City (NYC) to Cartagena (CTG)
  • Washington, DC (IAD) to Cartagena (CTG)
  • Atlanta (ATL) to Cartagena (CTG) - via Fort Lauderdale
  • Dallas (DFW) to Cartagena (CTG) - via Fort Lauderdale

Via Florida

The most affordable ticket between the United States and Cartagena (CTG), Colombia is from Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Florida on Spirit Airlines. These tickets generally cost between $250-400 round trip. An alternative to flying into Bogota is to book two itineraries, one into Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and a second into Cartagena (CTG). Spirit Airlines also has daily flights from a small number of other US cities via Fort Lauderdale if you wish to book on a single itinerary (see above).

Example Fares

  • Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Cartagena (CTG)
  • Orlando (MCO) to  Cartagena (CTG) - via Fort Lauderdale

Via Cental or South America

You can also fly into Cartagena directly from Panama City, Panama; Lima, Peru; and Caracas, Venezuela on Copa Air and Avianca/Taca.