Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park, Marine sanctuary in Caribbean coast, Colombia.
The Rosario and San Bernardo Corals National Natural Park covers 1,200 km² of Caribbean Sea about 45 km southwest of Cartagena Bay, in Bolívar and Sucre departments. Most of it is marine: coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, sandy beaches, rocky shoreline, sediment bottoms and dry-forest formations. The reefs shelter microscopic animals, fish of many shapes and colours, crustaceans, molluscs, anemones, sea urchins and starfish, plus seabirds such as pelicans.
Colombia established the park in 1977; the Chinese Wikipedia entry gives an area of 1,200 km². Its marine surface lies in Bolívar Department, about 45 km southwest of Cartagena Bay and within that city's jurisdiction, while the park also reaches into Sucre Department. The Spanish Wikipedia article records no later enlargement of the protected area.
The park's reefs and seagrass beds lie about 45 km southwest of Cartagena Bay, within Bolívar Department. Pelicans and the seabird known locally as ave lobo nest and feed around the islands, and the shallow reefs shelter crustaceans, molluscs, anemones, sea urchins and starfish alongside fish of many shapes and colours.
Reaching the park requires traveling by boat from Cartagena, where tour operators can arrange guided snorkeling and diving trips for visitors of different levels. Plan your visit during drier months when water visibility improves and conditions for water activities are most favorable.
Certain shallow bays in the park glow at night when microscopic organisms in the water undergo a chemical reaction that creates faint light. This rare occurrence is unpredictable, but when it happens, visitors witness an otherworldly display created entirely by nature.
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