Santa Marta
Santa Marta is one of the oldest cities in the Americas, founded by the Spanish in 1525 at the Caribbean coast. Although it has a lot of colonial architecture, local markets and a beach, in this kind of city you don’t want to stay more than a day or two. What makes Santa Marta so interesting is all the things to do around in the area! Tayrona park, Costeño beach, Minca… There is a lot to see!
Santa Marta is 4 to 5 hours north from Cartagena.
Tayrona is Colombia’s the most visited national park. It’s located one hour north from Santa Marta and is known for its incredible nature and its fascinating wildlife.
You pay an entrance fee, but once you are in the park, you can stay as long as you want. There are a lot of different options to spend the night in the park.
Make sure to bring your passport and enough cash, there is no ATM and you have to show your passport at the entrance.
Note: Once at the entrance, you will be charged an extra 4 000 COP per person for ‘insurance and rescue’. This doesn’t make any sense but you have no choice to pay it.
Most people hike all the way to Cabo San Juan, the main beach of Tayrona Park as you can see in the banner above. I have to say, it is not easy to get there, so start your day as early as possible. The park opens at 8 am so try to be there at 8. This way you’ll have enough time to relax at the beach.
Tip: There are busses that take you from the entrance of the park to the beginning of the hiking trail. I recommend taking this bus. The start of the trail is a 10 min drive or a hour walk on an unpleasant concrete road. They will ask some money for this bus, but not a lot.
Best way to get to the park is by taking the collectivo in Santa Marta, right next to the Central Market. The bus departs from the corner of Calle 11 & Carrera 11, every 30 minutes. The drive will take 45 minutes to one hour, the first bus leaves at 6 am.
If you come from Costeño, you can take a moto taxi, the park is only 15 minutes away.
The hike to Cabo San Juan will take more than 3 hours through jungle landscapes, finishing at the beach. It is a really hot and rough parcours to get there. Remember, it is a 3 hour hike back to the entrance, so make sure you leave in time if you don’t spend the night in the park.
An alternative on hiking is taking a horse, which I did. It will cost you 20 euros for the whole day, but it makes the trip more doable. It is a real adventure riding a horse through the rocky jungle of the park.
There is a lunch restaurant and bar at the beach.
North of Santa Marta are a lot of popular beaches. The best known are Costeño and Palomino. As most people choose to go Palomino, I would recommend you going to Costeño. Why?
For starters, Costeño beach is in a protected area which makes it really safe. The beach has 4 hostels, close to each other, right on the beach. It is really fun to go have some drinks in the different bars of the hostels and play beach volleyball against each other. There is always something to do somewhere! Party, karaoke or live bands. In Costeño Beach Surfcamp you can rent a surfboard to catch some waves.
Palomino beach doesn’t have hostels on the beach. They are all located 5 to 10 minutes walking away from the beach.
Getting to Costeño is the same route as going to Tayrona Park. Take the collectivo in Santa Marta, right next to the Central Market. The bus departs from the corner of Calle 11 & Carrera 11, every 30 minutes. The drive will take a little bit more than one hour, the first bus leaves at 6 am.
There is no bad choice of hostel at Costeño beach. I stayed one week at Los Hermanos Beach Hostel, the biggest hostel on the beach. It has a pool and great accommodations. I can also recommend staying in Costeño Beach Hostel. Amazing pool and great vibe!
Why do all these hostels have a pool? The waves in the Caribbean part of Colombia can get really high and strong which might be unpleasant for swimming. One day it can be really rough, the next one it can be just flat.
What to do in Santa Marta City?
Rodadero
Rodadero in Santa Marta is the area around the beach. Here, you’ll find many restaurants, bars and hotels. The beach is open to the public and easy to access.
Note: all the cargo ships nearby make it an unique setting for a day on the beach!
Make sure to pay a visit to Carrera 5, one of the busiest shopping streets with a lot of street vendors.
Central Market
Located on the border of the old city center, the Central Market is the biggest market of Santa Marta. It is an authentic Colombian market with not only local food and crafts but also clothes, shoes, electronics,… You name it, they have it!
Try some of the local food. Really fun to sit around the market, have some food and watch people.
From here busses leave to Tayrona and Costeño.
Where to stay?
República Hostel Santa Marta is located right at the beach and is a new and calm hostel. It has a small pool, backyard to have a beer and a chill vibe. The building is an old colonial house, what makes it really cool.