Tayrona National Natural Park

The view from the hiking trail

Tayrona National Natural Park is located on the carribean coast of Colombia, about an hour east of Santa Marta. You can use Santa Marta as a launching pad for visiting the park, but I chose not do that. I wanted to spend more time in the middle of nowhere, so I stayed just outside of the park.

Getting to Tayrona

The motorcycle ride to the lodge. He might be 10 years old...

Taking a bus to Santa Marta and then another ride from Santa Marta to Tayrona, is the easiest way to get there. I was trying to skip over Santa Marta and go directly to Tayrona, and it proved to be very challenging. I spent the day hopping taxis, sitting on the side of the road eating chicken and rice, and negotiating rides in my elementary level Spanish to get to where I was headed. It was an adventure that never seemed to end. Even when we got to the town, we had to either hike for 30 minutes or pay for a motorcycle ride down the dirt road to the backpacker. Needless to say, we got on the bikes, despite my driver looking a little younger than driving age. 

Lodging

If you like camping, I highly recommend you hike into the park and rent a tent or hammock. The hammocks at Cabo San Juan are in a cabana up high overlooking the ocean. You can’t beat that experience.

Rent a hammock along the beach for the night

A field of tents is home for hikers

If you need slightly better accommodations, head over to one of the many backpackers at Costeno Beach. Tayrona Tented Lodge offers a safe, clean spot to relax and sleep, with minimal frills.

Electricity kicks on at 8 PM and meals are served in the one dining area. There’s no menu and no choices. Your meal will be set infront of you shortly after sitting down.

The view from the cabin

9 simple cabins on the water at Costeno Beach

If you choose to stay at Costeno Beach, I don’t think it matters much which spot you pick to stay. When you aren’t at the park, you’ll be strolling the beach, taking yoga classes, or drinking at the bars. Los Hermanos is a cool spot to get evening cocktails. A mix of travelers in beachy clothes and no shoes hang around this bar listening to mixes curated by the bartenders. I was lucky enough to be there when the bartender was in the mood for some 90s hip hop.

The entrance to the park

A day in Tayrona

Head to the park early before it gets too hot. Purchase your entry ticket (45,000) and your return horses (15,000) before heading into the park. Don’t forget to bring your passport. It’s required to buy an entry ticket. The horses are optional, but after a day of hiking and swimming, you either have to hike two hours out of the park, or you can hop on a horse who will carry you home. 

Just beyond the ticket booth, people will gather at vans. I highly recommend you pay the small fee to take the van ride to the entry of the park. You’ll save yourself a lot of walking on a boring, paved road to the start of the hike. The van will drop you off at the start of the walking paths, where things get more interesting. 

Some people showed up in dresses and gladiator sandals. Don’t be that girl! You need to wear proper hiking shoes and clothing. Some of the hike is flat, but there are plenty of parts that require you to climb up and down rocks.

A flat path along the hike

I hiked straight past a few beaches, stopping only when I got to Cabo San Juan. This was the recommended path. The average person can do it in about 2.5 hours. We did it in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Once you get to Cabo you can find your spot on the beach and enjoy the day.

The beach at Cabo San Juan 

The view at Cabo San Juan

Cabo San Juan waterfront 

The restaurant at Cabo San Juan opens at 12:30. People line up to get in, but don’t worry the line moves quickly. You enter the building and give your order to the guy at the table and pay for your food. He will give you a ticket with your number. Now you go find a table and wait for your number to be called. The food runners come out of the kitchen and yell out the numbers and you have to flag them over to your table. The food was surprisingly good. I had the fish!

Lunch at the dining hall at Cabo San Juan

I am not a horseback rider and I didn’t enjoy the ride home. I felt like a rag doll, flopping around on the horse. However, I still recommend taking the horse so that you can avoid hiking out of the park. I was all sandy and sweaty and I couldn’t imagine putting my wet hiking gear back on and hiking for two hours. If you decide to take the horse home, just be prepared for NO instructions. I was not told how to control my horse so it got a little hairy in a few spots. 

It was a comical ending to an otherwise perfect day. I loved enjoying nature in another mesmerizing place on earth. 

Nearly falling off the horse to get this picture!

The view from the hiking trail