The rain was pouring down, the temperature had dropped, the sky was falling and as if that were not enough, there was absolutely nothing to be seen inside the cabin of the truck that brought us from Cartagena, so we arrived in Santa Marta.
We arrived in the city of Barranquilla a few hours later and the only alternative left was to take a bus to our next destination: Santa Marta.
The capital of Magdalena received us almost at night and under water, the double night face of the city made us a little uneasy, the night seems to disorient a little to those who visit a place for the first time.
For the next two days we stayed in a hotel, until we were able to locate ourselves and find an economical option.
If we had known earlier that ten minutes away there was a village with camping possibilities, we would not have hesitated a second longer to flee the city.
Taganga is a small fishing village with about 3,000 inhabitants, and has been a tourist attraction for many years.
Crossing a small hill on the other side of town is an exclusive beach area, where many Colombians and people from all over the world choose to relax, mainly on weekends.
Tayrona Park in Santa Marta
The trip continued its course, new airs to know and together with two other Argentinean couples with whom we had become friends in Baru we decided to coordinate a visit to the famous Tayrona Park, privatized everywhere you look at it and with an exclusive entrance fee of 20 dollars that we were not going to pay, a new challenge was coming.
Backpacks on the shoulder, food for several days and all the strength in the universe to enter unnoticed through the natural paths in the middle of the jungle.
The Zaino entrance is on the side of the road going towards the town of Palomino. A few meters from there is a bridge that crosses the Piedra River.
The main idea to enter the park is to continue along the side of the river, approximately 500 meters, until you see some palm trees and several banana plantations.
At this point, you can clearly see several roads, it is always advisable to turn left without leaving the marked road until you reach the main road (it is paved being part of the park, in any case if you are not located you can ask the locals to find your way around).
Once located on the route, without hesitation, it is possible to take a motorcycle (some locals offer this transportation service for only two thousand Colombian pesos: 1 dollar).
This way you can reach the area of Arrecifes to go unnoticed and be able to camp safely without anyone claiming any kind of entry.
You can ask for Jacobo who owns the cheapest campsite in the entire Park, as low as $5,000 COP per night (US$2.5).
Safe and sound, it's time to enjoy the place and relax a bit.
One of the most important natural parks in Colombia is located 34 km from the city of Santa Marta. It is the habitat of a large number of species that are distributed in regions with different thermal floors ranging from sea level to heights of 900 meters.
Of the 15,000 hectares that make up the park, 3,000 are marine areas.
There are several places that can be found within the Tayrona Reserve, such as the Chairama Archaeological Museum, located in the sector known as Cañaveral, the Los Naranjos Trail (where we entered, it is the first beach that is found when following the Piedra River to its mouth).
The "Playa Cristal", the Arrecifes Sector (area with lodging services, bathrooms and restaurant, the VIP sector), La Piscina, enabled for swimming, the fantastic Cabo San Juan de Guía (the best beach according to our taste), the Pueblito Chairama (archaeological ruins of Tayrona settlers who inhabited it more than 500 years ago), among others.
ES
EN
