Untangling Taganga

TAGANGA

**WHERE:** North-West Colombia
**WHY:** Pristine beaches, sublime diving, gateway to Tayrona National Park
**TIME:** 3-4 nights

more than just a fishing village

I never expected to reach Taganga. I’d never even heard of it until my taxi dropped me off there. By the time I had reached Cartagena, money was dwindling quickly, and my decision making was frequently being made on the basis of whether I should eat a meal that contained vegetables, or whether I should catch a bus south for a flight home. Times were tough (as tough as they can get for a backpacker on an overseas holiday). When faced with the decision to either head back to Bogota for an early flight home or to head east along Colombia’s northern coast the choice was an easy one. I’d been told by other backpackers of the town of Santa Marta - a small spot on the northern coast where the traveler could find endless blue Caribbean ocean, abandoned stretches of coastline, and scuba diving opportunities like none other. Yet, arriving one hot evening in the Santa Marta bus terminal I was told by every taxi driver and local that the town was closed off to cars and buses for the night for carnivale - nobody could get me any closer than 5 kilometers up the road. Faced with the option of the dusty trek along a deserted and unlit stretch of highway into a town that already seemed fit to burst struck me as a decidedly poor decision, so I asked the nearest driver what other choices I had.

‘Tagana is just down the road,’ he said.

I looked up the town in my guidebook - it occupied barely a half page, being jostled out by the much larger section on Santa Marta. Scanning through the list of things to do I found that the town seemed to offer scuba diving, fresh fish for meals, snorkeling, and lolling at the beach. I told the driver to take me to Taganga, and 10 minutes later, I was there.

first impressions

Colombia

Our guide to Colombia

Taganga is a tiny fishing village, and my first impressions of the township were that it was decidedly run-down, lacked infrastructure, and was yet to suffer form the crushing weight of a massive tourist influx (this was in 2014, however). Nestled right against the sprawling Parque Tayrona (Tayrona National Park), Tagana is crowded in by thickly forested hills and cliffs to either side. There is one road in and out, the sea and surrounding jungle provide a natural shelter for the tiny hamlet. While this might make some feel the slight sense of claustrophobia, to me these traits are what make the village special. Walking through the town on that first night, I took in the ramshackle nature of the streets and buildings, the streets were rarely paved, the hard packed dirt of the road being kicked up by stray dogs and passing trail bikes. The halogen light cast down by the swaying streetlights flickered constantly, and down by the shoreline the smell of cooking meat mingled with the tang of the salt air. Yet there were signs of development everywhere - dive shops nestled between rundown homes, big hostels were being built. This impression, whilst jarring at first, is the essence of Taganga - a fishing village that was in no way prepared to become a tourist mecca, but is becoming one all the same.

Taganga is generally best explored via its main street, aptly named Carera 1. This street runs along the foreshore of the town, and you’ll find everything you need along here; restaurants, a tiny supermarket, hotels and several small bars. The adjoining streets generally run parallel or adjacent to Carera 1 - some contain dive shops, but they are mainly residential.

HOW I SPENT MY TIME

Part of Taganga’s charm is the sheer lack of things to do there - this place is a far cry from the tourist hubs of Cartagena and Medellin. Anyone travelling here does so to get away from the milling crowds at Santa Marta, and does so with the intention of getting underwater. The water surrounding the town is legendary among divers, and rightly so. Transparent and electric blue, these waters provide perfect visibility for diving, and any reputable dive centre in town (there are dozens) offer a huge range of diving courses and experiences to the traveler. Prior to being in Taganga, I’d never gone Scuba Diving before, and after a quick snorkel around the main harbour, I decided that in water like this, I’d be an idiot not to learn. After walking the main drag of town for an hour, I’d narrowed my choice of dive shops down to two, either Poseidon Dive Centre (Calle 18 # 1 - 69), or The Calipso Dive Centre (Calle 12 No. 1 - 4). After completing an introduction dive with Juan at the Poseidon Dive Centre I made up my mind - this was the place that would get me certified for underwater travel. The staff here were on the whole experienced, professional and entirely lovely. Juan took particular care to ensure that each diving experience was exciting, safe and immersive. Over the course of my two weeks in Taganga I completed 8 dives with him, generally completed around the Tayrona national park and the small island Aguja. See my related post ‘Scuba diving in Tayrona”, for a more detailed breakdown of the diving experience - but rest assured, each dive was fantastic, comprising lessons around safe diving and free exploration of the reefs and ocean shelves surrounding the ocean floor of the waters off Taganga. A particularly memorable experience from my days spent diving stands out - catching the boat back from a long day diving a pod of dolphins emerged at the prow of the boat. Amidst the glowing gold of the sunset they followed the boat all the way back to harbour as we looked on amazed. This is the kind of thing that just seems to happen in the North of Colombia - sublime natural wonder springs out at you, and all you can do is look on in loving wonder, a slack smile on your face.

When I wasn’t diving in Taganga, I devoted my time to the remaining activity left in town - heading to the beach. Here, you have several options. For the easiest option, the beach in town is fairly accommodating, but be aware, it shares water with the harbour, so the water is often slightly on the unclean side. Take Carera 1 west until you reach the main swimming spot, you’ll know it by the crowd of locals gathered on the foreshore. For a better swim, catch a boat from the harbor to Playa Grande - which is 10 minutes away by water. Don’t let the boatman charge you any more than $2.00 US each way. Playa Grande is a hugely popular beach for locals and tourists alike. Set amidst a small bay, the tranquil waters lap against white sand at Playa Grande. Behind the beach there are a series of small restaraunts that offer cold beer, oysters, and fish fried so well you’ll wonder how they’re doing it differently than back home. Give yourself an afternoon here to relax - the 5 hours I spent here reading, swimming and drinking are some of the fondest that I spent around Taganga. For a less crowded vibe, you can always ask the boatman to ferry you to one of the main unspoiled beaches in tayrona National Park. The boat ride will be longer, more expensive and possibly more choppy, but you can achieve real deserted bliss at either Bahia Concha, Chengue and Playa Cristal. For a boat ride to either, don’t let them charge you any more than $15 US. At any of these beaches itsa likely that you’ll be the only visitor, so soak up the Robinson Crusoe vibes, pull out a book, or build a sandcastle without fear of judgement from prying eyes.

Alternatively, there are a variety of walks and hikes that you can do starting from Taganga. At the extreme right of the beach (east) you can start a 20 minute walk to Playa Grande if you’d like to avoid the boat fare. The path will take you across cliffs and through some jungle, but its clearly marked for the most part. For a longer hike, you could also continue on to Bonito Gordo and from there onto Bahia Concha. Reserve a full day for either hike, and be sure to get a map from your hostel of hotel prior to leaving. Both hikes are idyllic and well worth your time - I certainly enjoyed the experience of washing away the sweat from hiking at each new beach I came across.

Planning on heading into Parque Tayrona? read my post on the topic over here.

WHAT I ATE AND DRANK

As much as I am ashamed to admit it, my choice of bar whilst in Taganga was decidedly limited - I alternated between two bars the whole time that I was there. My first choice was always El Bonito, where the barstaff coulod whip up a mojito that would make an angel weep with joy - I’m not lying, those things were beautiful. However, sadly, El Bonito is now closed, and with it, the perfect Mojito. For some alternate options, go for dinner and a drink at Pachamama, where Mediterranean food with a side of cold beer or an ice cocktail is served. While we are on the topic of excellent meals, restaraunt Babaganoush provides a fantastic range of meals and is also rumored to have an excellent mojito on hand. However, the prices here are steep. For a cheaper meal, walk down along the beachfront and stop by Bitácora - where you can get a fresh juice and a Pescado Marinero for a fair price. Sit back here and watch the tide rolling in, sip on the cold aguila - I know I certainly did, more than once even. Alternatively, head to cactus by the beach front - a decidedly locals joint, Cactus has been serving the fisherman here for generations, and will serve you up a plate of fish so fresh you’ll swear you swam with it earlier that day.

My pick for coffee around town was Cafe Bonsai - I stopped by here every morning on the way to the dive shop. The milk based coffee served up here isn’t too bad, and a straight espresso will put a fire into your underwater meanderings throughout the day - if you arrive after midday the owner can also brew you up a Mojito that is rumored to be the best in town nowadays.

My ultimate suggestion for eating and drinking in town however is this; go to the bottle shop on Calle 13 (20 metres back from the shoreline). Buy yourself a tall Aguila, and walk back down to the beach. No chairs? No problem - lay out a towel on the sand and enjoy that beer as the sun sets. I did this every afternoon that I was in town - the sunsets here are often a fiery red, and the beer will go down all the better as you watch fisherman bringing in their haul for the day.

Where I stayed

My companion, Cam, looking stunned on the beach of Taganga

Mercifully, accommodation options in Taganga are still fairly limited on the whole, yet there is still a distinct range of accommodation options to choose from. My advice for anyone looking to stay in town is to try and stay on the shore front - this will leave you staying near the main hub of activity, and will prevent you from any long walks home from the bar at night on unpaved and unlit roads. I stayed at Casa Blanca for the duration of my time in Taganga, which provided a fantastic excellent base for me whilst taking my dive course. Rooms were about $10 US per night whilst I was there, and the owner was friendly, accommodating, and full of advice. The Wi-Fi here was excellent, and there were secure lockers for hire on request. However, word around town was that the Bayview Hostel (next to hostel Moramar) also provides excellent rooms for a cheap price. The provision of an air-conditioned room won’t set you back more than $15 US per night here. Pick of the litter among accommodation a little further out is Casa Divanga, whose backyard has both a swimming pool and a shaded area - perfect for those who are finding that walk to the beach a little too far to commit to in the heat of the afternoon.

WHY GO?

If the above words and photos aren’t enough to convince you then hear this - Taganga is a paradise in the strictest sense of the word. The tourism boom is booming here slowly, the speed of life is slow, and the waters around sublime. You won’t find another town like it in Colombia or South America, and there has never been a better time to check it out.

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