Colombia’s cruise industry was once a single-port operation. The ship stopped in Cartagena, the passengers wandered the walled city for the afternoon, and that was it. Not anymore.
The country is experiencing its strongest cruise season on record, and the numbers tell only part of the story. In the first quarter of 2026, Colombia welcomed 174,371 cruise passengers and recorded 103 port calls, according to a new ProColombia report based on figures from Colombia’s General Maritime Directorate. This represents a 4.8% increase in passenger numbers and an 8.4% increase in port calls compared to the same period in 2025.
But the real headline isn’t just that more ships are coming. That’s where they go.
For years, Colombian cruise itineraries made little sense other than Cartagena. This season, that map has expanded dramatically, with cruise lines sailing to destinations that weren’t in anyone’s brochures a few years ago: the Caribbean island of Providencia, the Amazon River port of Leticia, and the windswept desert coastline of Cabo de la Vela, La Guajira, one of the most strikingly remote destinations in the South American Caribbean.
Clearly Cartagena remains the undisputed anchor. The colonial port city accounted for 80 of the quarter’s 103 port calls and more than 158,000 passenger movements, a reminder that its UNESCO-listed old town, city walls and easy access to the Rosario Islands remain one of the region’s most reliable attractions. After Cartagena, Santa Marta, San Andrés, Leticia and Providencia come in, completing a line-up that appears to travel the entire region of Colombia rather than just a single stop.
This diversification runs throughout the season. There are records of two cruise ship arrivals at Providencia, a small, laid-back island located much farther in the Caribbean than its better-known neighbor San Andrés. And a new operation was launched in Cabo de la Vela, serving Puerto Bolívar. This is a truly new addition that opens the Wayuu indigenous center of La Guajira to sailor visitors for the first time in a meaningful way.
Announcing the figures, President ProColombia said: “These results reflect cruise lines’ confidence in Colombia and demonstrate that the country continues to expand its tourism offerings beyond traditional destinations.” “Each new route and each new arrival represents an opportunity for the region, boosts the local economy and strengthens Colombia’s international position as a sustainable and diverse tourism destination.”
The roster of ships visiting Colombia this season reads like a who’s who of the global cruise industry, several of which are docking in Colombia for the first time.
The Explora II, a new luxury vehicle from MSC’s premium Explora Journeys brand, made its Colombian debut in San Andres on January 8, carrying 781 passengers on a tour of the archipelago famous for its seven shades of blue. Cunard’s iconic Queen Mary 2 – the only ocean liner still in regular service – arrived in Cartagena on January 23 with 2,396 passengers on board. And on February 9, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape called in Cartagena for the first time, carrying 4,094 passengers per day, the highest number of passengers of the season.
Customers continued to come in until March. Azamara Cruises began operating from Cartagena and Santa Marta on March 17 when the 666-passenger Azamara Quest began sailing to Colombia. This is a notable achievement given Santa Marta’s growing appeal as a gateway to the Sierra Nevada and Tayrona National Park. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises sent the exploration vessel Hanseatic Spirit deep into the country and arrived in Leticia on March 26 with 204 passengers. This is a very significant handful and has firmly established the Colombian Amazon as a major player in expedition cruising.
And on March 27, Holland America’s Borealis chose Cartagena as its first Colombian port of call, bringing 1,110 passengers ashore.
If a first visit signals where the industry is headed, a returning ship sends an equally important signal as the line that tried Colombia signals that it liked what it found. The 2025-2026 season, which began in July 2025, featured many familiar names eager for a repeat. Compagnie du Ponant returned with Le Dumont d’Urville and Le Champlain. MSC Cruises sent the MSC Magnifica. Noble Caledonia’s Hebridean Sky is back. Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam is back. Windstar Cruises returns with its elegant motorsail-powered Wind Surf. (A note for those interested in the data: These arrivals span the entire season, so some arrived in months ending in 2025 rather than the January through March period that produced the headline quarterly numbers.)
Taken together, the picture is one of a marine tourism sector firing on all cylinders. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 25 cruise lines and 39 individual vessels operated in Colombian waters. This is a level of activity that signals both recovery and true momentum.
Perhaps most interesting to travelers is how this growth is reshaping what cruising in Colombia actually looks like. Nestled in the southernmost triangle where Colombia, Peru and Brazil meet, Leticia has quietly established itself in the exploration and specialty tourism sectors, offering river trips and rainforest experiences that bear no resemblance to a day at the beach in San Andrés. Providencia and Cabo de la Vela still attract the attention of other travelers. One is to pursue the path less nautical.
For a country long defined in the cruise world by one iconic port, its range is a true treasure. Colombia now offers Caribbean island time, historic colonial cities, gateway to the Sierra Nevada, desert coastline, and Amazon exploration. Sometimes in the same season, sometimes on the same schedule.
Traditional destinations aren’t going anywhere. Cartagena’s numbers prove that classics still sell. But the most notable statistics this season aren’t the 174,000 passengers or the 103 port calls. The list of places ships choose to go is growing, with locations across Colombia rewarded as the cruise map continues to expand.
