Getting To Isla Palma

The destination that we considered to be, at lest during the planning phase, the main event, was the 3-day all-inclusive visit to Isla Palma, an island resort which used to be the summer home of famed drug cartel boss, Pablo Escobar.

The island is located a 3-hour bus ride south of Cartagena, followed by a 30-minute boat ride out into the Caribbean. The island is beautiful and has a great mixture of refined resort, island charm and overgrown development which makes for some great exploration. Though most people would go gaga over the beaches and crystal clear water, I care little for the white sands of the beach and am much more thrilled by the system of elevated trails we found in the jungle which made us feel like we had stumbled upon something long-forgotten.

Between the jungle flora and fauna and the sense of adventure that this forgotten section of the island provided us, it was exploring back here that I most loved.

*this is an excerpt from a longer article which tells the full story of my time in Colombia reuniting with friends from my Rotary Youth Exchange year in Germany.