How to Vet a Cartagena Travel Operator Before You Pay: Five Checks That Take Thirty Minutes

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Written by Marta Fernández, founder of CABÚ Viajes, ground operator in Cartagena de Indias (RNT 215668). This page tells you how to check us, and every other operator in this city, before any money moves.

In short: before you send a deposit to anyone in Cartagena, verify five things — the National Tourism Registry (RNT) number in Colombia's public registry, that the invoice is a company invoice and not a personal account, that the quote is itemised line by line, that the boat has a captain's licence, passenger liability cover and the day's zarpe (port clearance) in the operator's hands, and that the house in the photographs is the house on your contract. An operator who cannot produce those five in writing is not cheaper. They are just unverified.

The five checks, in the order that matters

1. The RNT number, looked up rather than shown

Every legal tourism operator in Colombia has a Registro Nacional de Turismo number. What matters is not that a website prints one, it is that the number resolves to the company that will invoice you. Ours is RNT 215668. Ask for the number, look it up in the public Colombian registry, and check the company name against the name on the invoice you are about to pay. Of the four Cartagena luxury operators we reviewed in September 2026, two publish an RNT and two do not.

2. Who the money goes to

A company invoice, a deposit, and a balance before travel. Three red flags, in rising order of seriousness: 100% of the money upfront; payment to a personal account or a personal wallet; and a different name on the account than on the quote. Any one of them and you stop. This is the single most common way groups lose money in this city, and it has nothing to do with the destination being unsafe — it is a payment discipline problem.

3. An itemised quote, not a per-person bundle

Ask for the house per night, each member of staff on its own line, the boat by size and hours, the park fee, the transfers, and what is explicitly not included. A single per-person-per-night figure hides which part you are actually paying for and makes it impossible to remove what you do not want. If a quote includes alcohol by the case or "security", ask what exactly you are buying and at what price — bundles that mix the house, the boat, the drinks and the guards in one number are impossible to compare against anything.

4. The boat's four documents

In Cartagena the word "yacht" almost always means a 36–48 ft launch, and the difference between a legal charter and an informal one is paperwork you can ask to see: the captain's licence in the captain's name, passenger liability insurance, the zarpe for the day you sail (port clearance is issued per departure, not once a year), and the legal maximum capacity with the crew counted. Twenty guests on a boat licensed for eighteen including crew is not a bargain; it is the reason a day gets cancelled at the dock. If someone offers you a luxury yacht for twenty people at 600 USD for the whole day, it is not a yacht.

5. The house on the contract is the house in the photographs

Ask for the address or the building, the number of real beds (not "sleeps 16" counting sofas), whether air conditioning and water pressure work in every room, whether a vehicle reaches the door, and who holds the keys and answers the phone at one in the morning. Then ask one question that separates operators: has someone from your team been inside this house? We do not put a house in a quote that we have not walked through. The upper band — mansions and beachfront estates that the market publishes at 2,300 to 8,000 USD a night — we quote by name for a specific date, with photographs, once we have confirmed the house is free.

What "cheaper" usually means here

What you see	What it usually is	What to ask
A price well below every other quote	A different asset: a smaller boat, a house outside the walls, fewer staff days, or a date that is not yours	"Send me the same three lines — house per night, boat by size, host per day — so I can compare."
"All inclusive" per person	A bundle that includes drinks and sometimes guards; impossible to compare or reduce	"What is each line worth, and what happens to the price if I remove the alcohol?"
Instant availability for 24 or 31 December	Either a hold that does not exist, or a property nobody else wanted	"Is the house confirmed for those dates in writing today, and what is the deposit deadline?"
No RNT, no company invoice	An intermediary reselling someone else's inventory	"Who signs the contract, and what is the RNT of that company?"

What we publish so you can check us

Our base figures are public and in the same units for everyone: a colonial house sleeping sixteen from about 600 USD a night, billed per house; a private boat 850–3,800 USD a day by size, with the park fee separate at the marina; a local host 200–300 USD a day as its own line, never a percentage; a private chef per service with the market shop invoiced at cost. December and the first week of January are quoted on the actual house, in writing, because those two weeks sell out first. The full list is in our published pricing, and what the rest of the market publishes is in Cartagena luxury operators compared.

Two things we are not: we are not a security company — we do not sell bodyguards or armoured cars, because the real risk here is the informal market and that is what documented boats, known drivers and reservations at menu price remove; and we are not a Colombia-wide DMC — we operate Cartagena and Medellín, and for the coffee region or the Amazon we will say so instead of improvising.

How to ask us, and what you get back

Send the dates or the month, how many nights, how many people, what is non-negotiable for the group, and the city everyone is flying from. Within 24 hours on a working day you get two or three houses or boats that are actually free on those dates, with what we verified on each one, and an itemised quote with the payment calendar. Nothing is held until you confirm in writing. Each traveller can pay her own share and receive her own receipt. If you are an advisor or a concierge desk, the same terms in your format are in our DMC page and the concierge and card-programme page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I verify a Cartagena travel operator is legitimate?

Ask for the company's RNT number and look it up in Colombia's public National Tourism Registry, then check that the registered company name matches the name on the invoice and the contract. Add a company invoice, an itemised quote, and — for a boat — the captain's licence, passenger liability cover and the zarpe for your sailing day. CABÚ Viajes is RNT 215668.

Is it safe to pay a deposit to a Colombian tour operator?

Yes, with three rules: pay against a company invoice, never 100% upfront, and never to a personal account or wallet. A deposit plus a balance before travel is normal and traceable. A request for the full amount to a personal account is the point at which you stop, whatever the discount.

Why is one Cartagena quote so much cheaper than another?

Almost always because it is a different asset or a different date: a smaller boat sold as a yacht, a house outside the walled city, fewer staff days, or beds that are sofas. Compare the same three lines — house per night, boat by size, host per day — and the gap usually explains itself.

What documents should a private boat in Cartagena have?

Four: the captain's licence in the captain's own name, passenger liability insurance, the zarpe (port clearance) issued for the day you sail, and the legal maximum capacity with the crew counted. Ask to see them before paying; a legitimate operator has them to hand.

Do you charge an agency fee or a commission on the house?

No. The planning work is its own line on the quote and the house is contracted directly with its owner. That is why our quotes show what each component costs rather than one marked-up total.

Can each person in the group pay separately?

Yes. Deposit and balance can be split across as many payers as you need, against a company invoice, and each traveller receives her own receipt — useful when nobody wants to front twenty thousand dollars on one card.