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Tayrona National Park (Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona) is one of the most beautiful natural areas in Colombia. It sits just outside of Santa Marta.
Introduction to Tayrona National Park
Tayrona National Park is a place of exceptional beauty covering 150 square kilometers of land and coastline on the Caribbean Sea. You’ll find miles of trails, incredible beaches, coral reefs, and several species of plants and animals. It also offers an insight into indigenous culture. The park hosts a small community of indigenous people.
You can visit different sections of the park on day trips from Santa Marta or you can stay in the park in a hammock or tent. There are also some excellent hotels and hostels nearby. In any case, I guarantee you’ll fall in love with the gorgeous scenery and will want to stick around to see more.
Visiting Tayrona National Park
The park is open to the public from 8am to 5pm. Whether you’re on a tour or visiting on your own, you have to pay admission at one of the entrances. Admission for foreigners is COP$62,000 during low season and COP$73,500 during high season (as of July 2024). Some companies include the entrance fee in the tour price. Also be aware that the indigenous community periodically closes the park for two weeks a few times throughout the year. Check ahead of time if it will be open. Visit the official website for more info.
Getting to Tayrona National Park from Santa Marta
If you’re staying in Santa Marta, it’s a little time consuming to do Tayrona by public transport so I recommend booking a day trip. You can book through your hotel in Santa Marta or any tourism office in town. Companies offer beach days with hiking or no hiking as well as nature or cultural hikes. Most people visit Playa Cristal (no hiking) or La Piscina and Cabo San Juan (hiking).
It’s also possible to go by boat from Santa Marta or Taganga directly to some of the beaches for the day. The ride is very choppy and takes about 90 minutes. I don’t recommend this method because it can be very dangerous. Tourists have drowned.
Where to Stay Near Tayrona National Park
If you’d like to stay close to the park entrance and do the park on your own, rather than have to book a tour in Santa Marta, there are plenty of great places to choose from.
Villa María Tayrona
If you don’t mind splurging, I can highly recommend Villa María Tayrona, which is a short drive from the entrance to the park. This luxury jungle lodge features bungalows built into a spectacular natural setting and I’m pretty sure it will exceed your expectations. Staff is excellent and willing to everything possible to make your stay enjoyable.
Here are a couple notes before I get into the rooms and amenities. First, there’s a good WiFi signal but it’s only available at or near the restaurant. It doesn’t reach most of the rooms. Second, transportation to and from Santa Marta, which is about 45 minutes away, is also available for an additional cost.
Bungalows
Bungalows are scattered throughout the property. Some have sea views while others look upon the jungle. To get to my room, I had to cross a suspension bridge over a deep ravine. Some rooms are quite far from reception.
The bungalows are all beautifully decorated and very comfortable. They contain blackout screens, refrigerators, and good air conditioning. The only negative is that some contain small shower cabins while others feature nicely built bathrooms with large showers. Also, since it’s located in the middle of nature, you can expect bugs to creep into the room from time to time. Bungalows have balconies with hammocks, so you can relax peacefully in the comfort of your own room.
Double Rooms
On another visit to Villa María Tayrona, I stayed in a double room with a sea view. The design is very similar to the bungalow. The balcony had a hammock and a spectacular view of the Caribbean Sea.
Restaurant
The restaurant and bar at Villa María Tayrona serves a wide variety of dishes. It’s a pleasant place to sit and relax even if you aren’t eating. Food is served from about 2pm to 10pm.
The menu has a good selection. There are steaks, pasta dishes, Colombian favorites, and seafood. I’ve never had a bad meal there, and I’ve really enjoyed the ceviche, skewers, and pasta.
A delicious breakfast is included in the room rate. You have a choice of eggs, pancakes, arepa de huevo, or cayeye, which is a banana mash with sausage, cheese, and tomato.
Pool and Beach
Being so close to Tayrona National Park and other natural wonders such as Buritaca and Quebrada Valencia is an advantage, but it’s also worth spending a day relaxing at the lodge. You can enjoy a dip in the pool or lay on the beach.
Nature trails are located on the property as well as a trail to a private beach. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to walk to the beach, which is often completely empty. There are a few options for food and drinks on the beach. It’s swimmable at times, but the undertow can be strong.
Another nice plan is to sit in the common area, which is a great place to read a book or work. While you’re there, you can watch the hummingbirds.
Ecohostal Yuluka
For more of a budget stay, I can recommend Ecohostal Yuluka. This eco-friendly hotel is located right in the jungle and just 10 minutes from the park entrance. It only has a handful of small bungalows, each with a fantastic bathroom. Beds are equipped with mosquito nets and some rooms have air conditioning.
The hosts, Wilmar and Nellys, do their best to make sure you’re comfortable. They can also help book tours for the many activities in the area. The staff is laid back and friendly. There’s a swimming pool to cool off after your visit to the park.
A shuttle leaves the hotel every morning at around 8am to take visitors to the entrance of Tayrona National Park. For a little bit extra, the driver will take you all the way to the parking lot where the trail begins and even agree to pick you up at a set time in the afternoon. You can organize this with the hotel. The only drawbacks: WiFi is spotty or nonexistent, and the only restaurant in the area is at the hotel.
Tour to Playa Cristal at Tayrona National Park
On my very first trip to Tayrona National Park, my cousin Anna and I decided to take a beach tour to Playa Cristal. Our hotel was able to arrange it for us the night before. The tour is run by Magic Tour Colombia and costs COP$250,000 per person (as of March 2024), including transportation and the park entrance fee.
Pickup is around 8:30am from your hotel in Santa Marta. You’re taken to a bigger bus which takes you to the park entrance in about an hour. At the entrance, your IDs are checked and you’ll have a chance to buy souvenirs and use the bathrooms before continuing through the park. Guides gather their groups at 3pm to head back to Santa Marta. Overall, it’s a very relaxing and enjoyable day and I would do it again.
Siete Olas
15 minutes from the park entrance, we stopped at a lookout point called Siete Olas. It’s a cliff overlooking a beautiful bay. There’s a beach to one side that’s too rough to swim at.
Neguanje
Another half hour later down a bumpy road, we arrived at Neguanje. Here, we boarded a small boat that was to take us to our beach for the day, Playa Cristal. The ride took about 10 minutes.
Playa Cristal
Playa Cristal is a sandy beach with calm turquoise waters and coral reefs for anyone interested in snorkeling. It’s possible to rent snorkeling equipment at the beach and a small tent to keep your valuables. The best part about it is that the park only allows a maximum of 350 people per day to visit the beach, so you won’t have a terrible experience like at Playa Blanca near Cartagena.
A restaurant at the beach serves fish and meats. Anna and I had a very large and tasty local fish that came with coconut rice, salad, and patacón. The juice bar made fresh juices from many fruits I had never heard of. It’s more expensive than what you’d pay in the city.
Hiking to Cabo San Juan at Tayrona National Park
One of the best places to visit in Tayrona National Park is Cabo San Juan del Guía, which is only accessible on foot. You can visit on your own or take an organized tour. I’ve taken just one guided tour and the rest of my trips I’ve done on my own. The only major difference besides having transportation is that the schedule is tighter if you’re on a tour. I’ll explain more below.
Getting to Cabo San Juan
If you’re staying in Santa Marta, the easiest way to get to there is to take a tour. On our first visit to Cabo San Juan, we took a tour run by Magic Tour Colombia. It included admission to the park, a guide, and transportation. We were told to bring swimwear, sunscreen, and water. The total price of the tour is COP$250,000 per person for foreigners (as of March 2024).
Another way to get there is by public bus. Buses headed to points east of Santa Marta will drop you off at the El Zaino entrance where you can access Cabo San Juan.
If you’re staying near the park and don’t have your own transportation, you can arrange a ride through your hotel or hostel. Ask the driver to drop you off at the trailhead rather than the park entrance. You’ll save a lot of time walking that way. Also make sure to arrange a pickup time at the trailhead to get back to your hotel.
What to Expect on a Guided Tour to Cabo San Juan
For our guided tour, we were picked up at our hotel at 8:30am and driven to the park. When we arrived a little over an hour later, we signed in and went through security. We then watched a short video about the park.
After we jumped back on the bus, the guide gave us the rundown for the day as we headed for the trailhead at Cañaveral. Basically, we were free to go at our own pace but had to be back at the starting point by 4:30pm to head back to Santa Marta.
Once the entire group reached the trailhead, we hopped back on the bus. Our ride to Santa Marta started at 4:30pm but was held up by terrible traffic. We finally arrived around 6pm.
Overall, it’s a convenient way to visit Tayrona National Park and Cabo San Juan. The guide doesn’t offer much more than a brief introduction to the park. They’re mostly there to make sure everyone is safe and herd cats tourists back to the bus on time.
Practical Info for the Hike
If you’re on your own, I recommend getting there as early as possible. You can start when the park opens at 8am and avoid the crowds for the hike in. Guided tours show up in droves and usually start hiking at around 10am.
The hike takes roughly 90 minutes, but give it two hours including stops for photos and rest. The fastest I’ve been able to do the hike is 72 minutes, and that’s walking at a quick pace without stopping. I recommend wearing good walking shoes. You can do the hike in flip-flops at a slower pace.
If you don’t want to hike, you can go either direction on horseback. Horses can be hired near the trailhead or at Cabo San Juan for a reasonable fee. The only negative is you’ll miss all the great scenery along the way.
Finally, whether you’re on a guide tour or on your own, it’s a good idea to start walking back from Cabo San Juan by 3pm since the park closes at 5pm.
Where to Eat Along the Trail
Your best bet is to taking plenty of water and snacks, but take some cash with you. There are a couple places to eat a meal or buy drinks along the way, and sometimes you’ll encounter an indigenous person selling fruits or coconut.
There’s a restaurant located at Cabo San Juan, but it gets overcrowded and to be honest, the food isn’t that great. If you choose to eat there, you should order as soon as you arrive. We’ve been denied lunch because the servers said they had too many orders from the group tours.
On one trip, we had a fish lunch at a restaurant at Arrenillas. The food was decent and it wasn’t crowded. We stopped and ordered on the hike in and asked them to have it ready at 2pm. The only negative is we had to leave Cabo San Juan early to eat on the way back.
Camping at Cabo San Juan
At the entrance to Cabo San Juan is a campground for those who wish to stay overnight. Campers should take plenty of water, snacks, and supplies.
The First Part of the Trail to Cabo San Juan
The trail begins on a series of boardwalks. It’s very well marked and it’s easy to follow. The trail is pretty flat at the beginning then starts climbing up and around huge boulders. Once you reach the boulders, there’s a viewpoint overlooking the beautiful coastline.
If you start as soon as the park opens, you’ll have a chance to spot monkeys along the first part of the trail through the forest. They don’t stick around when the big crowds show up.
Arrecifes
As you continue along the trail, the first beach you’re able to walk on is Arrecifes. It’s a long stretch of powdery white sand but unsafe for swimming. There’s a coral reef just offshore and the undertow is very strong. (Note: On a hike I did in June 2021, the trail bypassed this beach altogether and passed through campgrounds instead.)
Arenillas
Just past Arrecifes is the first swimmable beach on the trail, Arenillas. It’s surrounded by large boulders and bordered by a reef that breaks the waves. There are a few booths selling snacks at this beach.
La Piscina
About 15 minutes further down the path is La Piscina (The Pool). The beach got its name because of a natural swimming pool formed by the reef offshore, softening the waves and making it an easy place to swim. It’s a nice long stretch of beach but in some parts the waves reach right up to the forest, giving very little room to lay out. It’s probably the best beach to swim at on this trail, and there are usually a couple snack booths located there.
Cabo San Juan del Guía
Roughly a half hour down a very muddy and sometimes slippery trail (it might better without shoes!) is Cabo San Juan del Guía. This is by far the most scenic beach on the trail and quite possibly the entire park. Waves are a little strong but it’s a beautiful place to relax.
There are two parts to the beach separated by a sandbar and a hill of rocks. On the hill is a cabana with hammocks and a great view of both sections of the beach. There’s another beach further along the trail but most people stop at Cabo San Juan and spend the rest of their time there.
