You’ve already been bewitched by Colombia. You’ve felt the salt-flecked sea spray on your face in Cartagena. You’ve eaten fish off a plantain, drunk aguardiente in the rainforest and meandered the wandering alleys of Bogota. You’ve scuba dived in Taganga and are looking for one last adventure before you take the long bus south. Welcome to Parque Tayrona.

PARQUE TAYRONA

**WHERE**: North-West Colombia
**WHY**: Gorgeous beaches, rainforest, snorkelling
**TIME**: 1 NIGHT

UNDERSTAND

Parque Tayrona can be found on the north-western edge of Colombia’s Caribbean coastline. It is about 40 km west of Santa Marta, and encompasses an area of 150 km². Containing gorgeous untouched coastline, dense rainforest, forested hillsides and meandering pathways through the jungle, Tayrona is stunning and enchanting. Designated a protected area in the mid sixties, Tayrona has long been the traditional home of the Tayrona tribe - remnants of this tribe can still be found today within the park - maintaining many of the cultural traditions that have made this park special. Most people visiting Tayrona come for El Cabo, the postcard-ready beachside and lagoon that is part hostel, part unexplored rainforest. However, the magic of the park is found off the crowded beaches and amidst the trees. Spend the night here, wake up to the sound of birds above, buy a fresh juice and immerse yourself in the Caribbean - you’ll struggle to regret it. The park itself has three main areas of interest, Arrecifes, La Piscina and El Cabo, which are all conveniently accessible via paths through the jungle or along the beach.

PREPARE

Tayrona, whilst not exactly unexplored, is remote. As such, it is wise to bring everything that you could possibly need with you. Prices for any necessities within the park are exorbitant. Genuine highway robbery. To avoid a wallet gouge, bring the following with you.

Passport (seems obvious, but you’ll need your actual passport to book campsites)
Mosquito repellant (preferably DEET)
Sunscreen
Rain jacket
Cash ($150 US should absolutely cover you)
Walking shoes (the path can be dodgy)
Water/food/beer (beers cost $3 US inside the park - absolute insanity in Colombia)

PLAN

I would advise anybody entering the park to plan out their visit. Whilst parts of the park have good signage, many of the trails and campsites are mysteriously un signed, and it will take you asking a few questions to figure out where you are. Figure out where you want to sleep (choose between either El Cabo or Arrecifes) and plan your route accordingly. whilst you can do a day trip in and out of the park, I would suggest at least spending the night at a campground.

GET in

There are two ways in and out of Parque Tayrona - by bus or by boat. The park itself is somewhat remote, so the road in is bumpy, unpaved and somewhat rollercoaster-esque. However, despair begone - this park is worth your while.

If you’re coming in from Santa Marta, the bus will take about an hour and costs roughly $3 US. From Taganga the bus will cost about $1 US and takes 20 minutes. All buses will drop you off at the park entrance, El Zaino - the entrance fee is $10 US for non-Colombians. From here you’ll take a smaller collectivo van to the start of the hiking trail at Canaveral - you could avoid taking this collectivo by walking, however the road is pretty boring and will take you about an hour.

Alternatively, you can also take a boat from Taganga straight to the main beach of Tayrona, El Cabo. The boat leaves in the morning from the main beach front in Taganga (approximately 09:00 am) and takes about an hour to drop you off at El Cabo. The boat ride will set you back $8 US. The sea around here is notoriously rough, and it would be extremely wise for you to wrap your electronics up tight prior to boarding.

THE HIKE IN

I personally cannot recommend the hiking option. The walk from Canaveral to your final destination, whether it be El Cabo, Arrecifes, or La La Piscina is hardly arduous. While you might see the occasional backpacker hiring a mule or donkey to ferry their belongings, I’d advise just strapping it all to your back and making the hike - it’s rewarding to hike the old trails without any external support. Once hiking, you have a few main points of interest.

The trail from Canaveral will first lead you to Arrecifes. Here you’ll find an expansive camping ground, a small restaurant/bar, and a gang of ducks that (hopefully) still terrorise the hiker. The walk from Canaveral to Arrecifes shouldn’t take you any longer than an hour - depending on the season the trail may be muddy and somewhat treacherous - hence packing the hiking boots.

From Arrecifes you’ve got two options - you can either walk along the beachfront to La Piscina or cut through the jungle straight to El Cabo. Both trails eventually lead to El Cabo - however, the trail via La Piscina allows the walker to walk past palm tree lined beaches. Neither walk should get you too out of breath, and both are well signposted. It should take you about 45 minutes from Arrecifes straight to El Cabo, and about an hour if you go from Arrecifes to El Cabo via La Piscina.

DO

Swim: The main activity of choice within Tayrona is swimming. However, beware - there are only a few beaches in the park where it is safe to do so - many of the deserted beaches are deserted for a reason - the undercurrent is alarmingly strong and more than one swimmer has been drowned swimming at the wrong beach. My pick for swimming spots is either at La Piscina or around El Cabo.
Snorkel: Rent a snorkel at La Pscina ($4 US). Look out for huge lobsters and manta rays in the natural lagoon formed by the corral atoll. If visibility is good you should come across schools of fish darting in amongst the coral
El Pueblito: From El Cabo you can take a 45 minute uphill hike to a small archaeological site left by the Tayrona tribe. The site, whilst small, is impressive, and will get you away from the milling crowds at El Cabo.
Sunset at El Cabo: this one gets a bullet point all on its own. I’m not really a “sunset type,” but I was genuinely challenged by the beauty of the sunset at El Cabo beach when I was there. this activity is free, but is enhanced by having a cold beer in hand as you watch the iridescent golden rays sweep across the beachfront.

SLEEPING

When planning on where to stay in Parque Tayrona, it pays to be prepared. The sheer popularity of this park ensures that no matter what time of year you head in, you can be sure that there will be a line of backpackers looking for a cheap place to sleep. In Tayrona, you’ve got two main options, Arrecifes and El Cabo. El Cabo is definitely the hot spot, which is no wonder, given how stunning the beaches are nearby. If you plan to stay at El Cabo, I would strong recommend making your way there as quickly as possible on the morning you arrive in Tayrona to secure a camping spot - by midday there will be a lengthy line of tourists waiting at the camping office and tents often sell out by the mid afternoon - I waited for an hour only to be told that they were booked out. Because of this, I stayed at Arrecifes, which was cheaper, less crowded, and definitely more mellow. However, read on for your definitive list of accomodation options in Tayrona;

Arrecifes

1) Camping Bermudez: $5 US per person to sleep in a tent or in a hammocks, July 2018).

2) Don Pedro: $6 US for a tent, $3 us for a hammock.

3) Aviatur: $10 US per person per night for a hammock.

El Cabo

1) Camping: book at the main office (located by the beach). Tents will cost about $8 per night, and should fit 2 people in fairly comfortably

2) Hammocks: again, book at the main office. These will set you back about $7 US. All hammocks should also include mosquito nets.

EAT AND DRINK

The food and drink in Parque Tayrona is far more expensive than the average fare for the Caribbean. Hence, bring cash. You can find a good range of food in either Arrecife, El Cabo or La Piscina. My advice is to opt for the local stalls that serve food from lunchtime till dinner - opt for prawns or arepas. Most stalls will offer a tropical fish plate, usually served on a plantain (pataconés). I’d advise anyone travelling into the park to avoid eating at El Cabo - the restaraunt here is extremely pricey, the food overcooked, and the wait for a meal to be extensive - eat in Arrecifes or at la Piscina.

My pick for a good quick feed is the bakery between Arrecifes and La Piscina - any footsore hiker should be able to get some fresh bread, sweet treat, and some cold water.

The quiet little beach between La Piscina and El Cabo offers the best option for lunch. Fresh Ceviche goes for $ 5 US, freshly squeezed juice (COP $ 1 US, and Arepas for $2 US.