Unforgettable things to see in Colombia: Part 2 Tayrona Park
How about a jungle trip for a weekend? Tayrona park is one of the largest national parks in South America which is placed on the North coast of Colombia. Wild beaches, a variety of flora and fauna, and local tribes sound attractive, right?
How about a jungle trip for a weekend? Tayrona park is one of the largest national parks in South America which is placed on the North coast of Colombia. Wild beaches, a variety of flora and fauna, and local tribes sound attractive, right?
How much time do I need?
Taking into account that the trip to the national park takes a few hours from Santa Marta I would say you should go for 3 days minimum. For sure it depends on your plan, if you would like to track around you’ll probably need more time.
How to get to Tayrona park
The nearest big city to Tayrona is Santa Marta so you can fly there. Frights are pretty cheap, around 100$ for a round trip from Medellin. Once arrive at the airport you have two options:
take a taxi. It’ll cost around 180k COP for a one-way trip. Please note that Uber isn’t working here, so you’ll need to take a local taxi.
go to the city center and take a bus. To get to the city center you can use a bus from the airport which cost 2k COP or take a taxi. The bus to Tayrona park entrance costs 5k COP. You can find a bus close to the market Mercado Público de Santa Marta.
Now you’re at the entrance, what are the next steps?
buy the insurance. It’s mandatory and costs 5k COP per day. Can be paid by cash or card as well.
buy an entrance ticket. It costs around 55k COP and is a one-way entrance so if you’re planning to access the park every day you’ll need to buy a ticket for each entrance.
My recommendation will be to stay in the park directly. In this case, you’ll save time every day going to the park and back, and also you’ll save money on entrance tickets. There are not many hotels so book it in advance. We’re staying in ECOHOTEL YACHAY TAYRONA and I would recommend this place. Also, you can stay in the tent in the camping area.
Tracking. There are plenty of places where to track, the most popular leads from the entrance to through the beaches to Playa Brava. The track goes through the jungles so you’ll get familiar with local flora and fauna.
Swim on the Playa La Piscina: The best beach in Tayrona park. It will take around 2 hours to get there from the entrance but it is worth it. The beach is stunning. Not overcrowded, with beautiful palms under the water and pristine water, you will enjoy it!
Get to know the local tribe: Kogi People. The Kogi are the last surviving civilization from the world of the Tairona, and their cities in the Sierra Nevada mountains are untouched by our world. They have their language, they walk barefoot, and have a unique history. Can you imagine meeting people who live outside of civilization? Who doesn’t know anything about the internet and other technologies? You can meet these people in the park, they are selling juice or coconuts for tourists.
Horse riding. Considering high humidities and high temperatures long tracking can be exhausting. So there’s an option to ride a horse, it cost around 100k COP but depends on how far you want to go.
Diving & Snorkeling. At La Piscina beach you’ll find a diving station where you can rent the equipment and enjoy beautiful corals.
Tips
Be prepared for the mosquitoes. Buy some protection sprays but better to wear long pants and long sleeve shirt. They are pretty aggressive in the park.
There are not so many restaurants and no shops so buy water and food ( in case you’re not staying in the hotel) in advance.
There’s no mobile internet so make sure you saved all the places and downloaded the map.
Climate is high humidity so take more t-shirts because you’ll be changing them often.
You will need cash for the food, horses, or fresh juice, be prepared.
The local guide doesn’t make much sense, he will lead you the same way as you can walk by yourself.
Tayrona is a lovely place that deserves your attention. Take our advice, and enjoy your journey!
