In 2012 I spent a couple of nights in Santa Marta but it was only on the way to other places. That was a pity because the oldest colonial city on the Caribbean Coast offers a couple of nice sights and plenty of restaurants and hotel options. I arrived to Santa Marta late in the afternoon, with the rain and after some searching I found a hostel in front of the promenade: if I did all the way up to the Caribbean I wanted to see and hear the ocean from my room!
Santa Marta’s massive cathedral claims to be Colombia’s oldest church and it is nice to wander around the surrounding streets with its colorful architecture or chill out with a coffee at the courtyard of Juan Valdez . This time I also visited the city’s small Museo del Oro which is a nice introduction to Tayrona Culture through their golden artifacts.
Of course, there was always the Ocean, just two minutes far from the hostel but for this I preferred the pristine waters of Tayrona, the jewel of the Colombian’s Caribbean Coast.
Parque Nacional Natural de Tayrona combines perfectly gorgeous beaches with the jungle at the foot of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and it is a must of any visit to Colombia. A well signed walk links the park’s different beaches through the thick forest and it is also a good opportunity to see some local species, like the blue lizard, or taste the endless choice of fruit juices proposed by some small stalls.
The spot chosen for my Caribbean bath was playa La Piscina, a small beach protected from the sea currents. It does not look bad, right? 😉
After some relaxing days in Santa Marta it was time to reach Bogota to catch my next flight but not without a little bit of action first!
My Tips :
- PNN Tayrona has a daily quota of visitors. I did not have any problem in June but it seems that in high season it gets full quite quickly so try to arrive to the park as soon as you can. And don’t forget the mosquito repellent!
