- 27/08/2023
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Summary
On the northern coast of Colombia, where lush green jungle meets the turquoise Caribbean Sea, lies the Tayrona National Park. Our one-day-trip to the park was a mix of hiking through the jungle, breathtaking landscape views, and, most importantly, plenty of relaxation on Colombia’s most beautiful beaches. This stunning destination offers enough exploration to extend your stay for several days.
With our definitive guide to Tayrona National Park we collected all essential information you will need to plan your trip and have an unforgettable stay in Tayrona.
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Things to do in Tayrona National Park
Tayrona is a perfect destination for adventure seekers and nature lovers alike. Whether you’re spending multiple days in this park or opting for a quick one-day escape from nearby cities, Tayrona has something for everyone. As we had already embarked on the Lost City Trek and were staying at the neighboring Mendihuaca Beach, we decided to visit Tayrona for one day only. Still, the park surprised us with its breathtaking beauty through picturesque landscapes, intriguing rock formations, and beautiful hiking trails. Here, we’ve gathered the absolute best things to do in Tayrona, ensuring your time in this natural wonderland is nothing short of extraordinary.
1. Take a walk in the Park
It is important to know that Tayrona National Park can only be explored on foot. Well, almost. There is an alternative to ride horses, but we strongly discourage supporting animal exploitation in this manner. The trails are well maintained and easy to follow, with a lot of signs. When we hiked through Tayrona we never got lost, so were pretty sure you won’t as well.
Along your way you’ll walk through a dense jungle with trees and giant rock formations surrounding the trail. In fact, we were surprise how large a single piece of rock can be.
When you are entering the park from the El Zaino gate, the hiking trail starts a bit further away from the gate. You can opt to hike from the beginning which would take about an hour to reach the starting point or there are also bus shuttles to bring you there. If you decide to take the transfer within the park, which we would recommend, then this will be your starting point (see “What does it cost to enter Tayrona“). If you follow the path it will take you around 1.5 hours until you arrive at Mirador Parque Tayrona. Make sure you bring good shoes (have your flip-flops and sandals in your backpack), as the trail has some ups and downs – but is totally do’able. So don’t worry if you haven’t climbed Mt. Everest before 😉
Mirador Parque Tayrona is the first stop on your trail, a beautiful beach with large rock formations around. From there you can proceed to Canaveral Beach, Arrecifes, Playa la Piscina and Cabo San Juan – which in total will take you around 30 more minutes.
Once you’ve reached Cabo San Juan, stay there and enjoy the most beautiful beach Tayrona has to offer. Save yourself a place in the shadow and jump into the cool water.
Even though there are hiking trails further into Tayrona National Park, in case you are staying for one day only, we would recommend to turn around at this point, as going back will take you another 2 hours of hiking. Keep track of the time and return a little earlier, so that -in case you went to Cabo San Juan right away- you can enjoy the other beaches on your way back.
2. Explore Tayrona's Best Beaches
By now, it’s no longer a surprise that the beaches in Tayrona are simply magical. For us, Cabo San Juan was our most favourite and beautiful beach during our trip in Tayrona – but for you it may be a different one. On your walk through the park, choose the beach you like the most. Just bear in mind that you cannot swim at some beaches. Indeed several people have lost their lives when ignoring the warnings. So look out for signs and red flags.
The Best Beaches in Tayrona National Park
- Cabo San Juan del Guia: This is by far the most popular beach. Swim in a bay, have a coconut from the trees and take a look around from the hut built on top of a giant rock. You can also camp there, sleeping in hammocks and listening to the sound of the sea while you peacefully fall asleep.
- La Piscina:Â A “swimming pool”-like beach, surrounded by rocks and perfect to have a safe swim.
- Castilletes and Canaveral: Located closest to the El ZaÃno entrace of Tayrona, these two beaches are the most quiet ones within the park. Not too crowded and the perfect spot to relax and have a swim. You will come along both beaches when following the main trail.
- Arrecifes: A beach in which you aren’t allowed to swim (sadly they counted over 100 accidents there and surely you don’t want to be part of that statistic), but it’s a very picturesque place to be.
- Playa Cristal: As the name already reveals, a beach with the crystal clearest water and the perfect spot for to cool down and snorkel around.
- Playa Brava:Â A remote beach accessed via the Calabazzo entrace of Tayrona, but not suitable for swimming, as the sea is quite rough.
3. Spot Wildlife
We’re not the best wildlife spotters. And if you follow us along our journey, you know our struggles – especially when it comes to spotting birds. However, one thing guaranteed, when walking through the jungle of Tayrona you will hear a lot of different bird songs along your way – making it an awesome experience. And for us it really felt like we arrived in nature.
Tayrona National Park is popular for spotting a lot of birds (in fact more than 300 different species are living in the park), monkeys and reptiles. We’ve come across a lot of interesting salamanders, each one of them having a different color. We saw colibris and while we were at the beach some brown boobies (yes, we looked that up – that’s their real name!) walked around and checked us out.
How to visit Tayrona National Park?
The Tayrona National Park is easy to visit. The park is neighbour to Santa Marta, Taganga and Palomino making it easily accessible via bus or (motorcycle-)taxi.
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How to get to Tayrona?
You can reach the park with the bus from Santa Marta, which will cost 7.000 COP (1.70 USD), starts a the local marketplace of Santa Marta (here is the exact location) and leaves about every 20 – 30 minutes. The ride to Tayrona will be a 45 – 60 minutes drive, depending on the traffic in Santa Marta. If you are in Taganga, take a taxi to the marketplace first.
From the nearby town Palomino the bus will cost you around 10.000 COP (2.50 USD) and takes around 60 minutes to arrive at the Tayrona.
In general, buses can be taken from anywhere along the main road connecting Santa Marta with Palomino in both directions. Just waive to the bus and if it has space, it will pick you up. Your drop-off point to get to Tayrona will be El ZaÃno (main gate) or Calabazo (second, less popular gate). Make sure to tell the driver in case you want to be dropped of at the less popular Calabazo gate, as otherwise they assume that you want to enter the park at the main gate. However, we would recommend you to visit the park through the main gate (El ZaÃno).
You can also take a motorcycle taxi from nearby villages such as Costegno Beach and Mediuaca Beach.
There is also an option to arrive directly to the beaches by boat. Altough it would save you from hiking long distances, be prepared for a bumpy 50-min ride from Taganga. The comfort will also have to be paid, with prices about 50,000-80,000 COP (13-20 USD) for one way, excluding the park entrance fees which you still have to pay.
When to arrive and leave Tayrona?
The park opens it’s gates at 8 a.m. in the morning. Make sure to arrive early to avoid standing in queues to enter the park, as it can get busy on weekends and during the main-season. The park closes at 5 p.m., so it’s best to keep track of your time, especially when you are doing a 1-day-hike only.
The Tayrona National Park is closed every year for around 15 days in February, June and October as a consequence of the advanced state of the park’s deterioration and to allow the indigenous communities (Wiwi, Arhuaco, Kankuamo and Kogui) to perform rituals. Always check for the current park closure times, before you go.
What does it cost to visit Tayrona?
The cost to enter Tayrona are 73.500 COP (18 USD) during the high season and 62.000 COP (15 USD) in the low season. In addition to the entrance fee, there is an obligatory insurance which will cost you 6.000 COP (1.5 USD) per day.
It is possible to pay the entrance fee by card, but we still recommend that you bring some cash, for the case you would like to buy any snacks or drinks to stay hydrated. It is important to note that the prices in the park are higher than usual, so make sure to take enough money with you, depending on the length of your stay.
Also, don’t forget your passports, as they will required it to note down your personal information when you enter. Although usually required, they didn’t ask for our Yellow fever vaccination. We would still recommend to bring it with you just in case.
In case you’ve entered Tayrona through the El Zaino gate (which is the most popular), you have the option to take a mini-van transfer to the starting point of the hiking trail. The transfer costs 5.000 COP (1.25 USD) and we definitely recommend to take it, as within the 1-hour walk you would not see anything interesting anyways. Especially in case you are visiting the park for only one day, it would leave you with more time to enjoy the beaches. And the hiking trail is still long enough for you to get enough movement in the day. In fact, 6 km to the Cabo San Juan beach.
How to hike in Tayrona?
From the start of the hiking trail you can’t miss the route to the famous beaches. There is only one, but well maintained, hiking trail and you will find a lot of signs along the way. Bring enough water with you, as for the hike to and from the beaches there is some elevation to overcome. Following the route, you will pass by all the famous beaches.
We would recommend to directly hike until Cabo San Juan del Guida, the last beach and also most beautiful one. That way you arrive early before the crowds and can save yourself a decent spot in the shadow. Depart a little earlier, so you can visit the other beaches on your way back. This also will help you get your timing right to exit the park in time.
Where to stay in Tayrona National Park?
Staying inside the Tayrona National Park  is a great way to extend your time within Tayrona, allowing you to enjoy the park after the crowds have left. You can relax and spend the evening at the beach, without worrying about returning to the gate in time for closure. The accommodation options range from sleeping in the hammocks to eco huts.
Make sure you reserve your accommodation before you enter the park, as you will get a bracelet at the gate that allows you to stay at the reserved accommodation.
The most well-known campsite locations in Tayrona are Playa El Cabo (next to Cabo San Juan Beach), Arrecifes (next to Arrecifes Beach) and between Carnaveral and Arrecifes.
Tented Camping in Tayrona
Spending the night in a tent is a good sweet spot between an eco hut and sleeping in a hammock. You don’t need to pay the higher prices for a hut, but still have a good protection from flies, mosquitoes and rain. Also you are sleeping a little more comfortable than in a hammock (but that’s on you to decide).
Eco Lodges in Tayrona
If sleeping in a hammock or camping in a tent is nothing for you, than you have the option to stay a one of the eco lodges and huts in the Tayrona National Park. Definitely the most luxurious option, but it also requires a little more budget. The best accommodation options for lodges can be found near Carnaveral.
Hammocks in Tayrona
You can’t come much closer to nature, when sleeping in a hammock. Let the sounds of the sea send you to sleep. This is of course the most budget-friendly option.
Where to eat in Tayrona National Park?
There are many options to buy food and drinks when in inside the Tayrona National Park. So you don’t need to carry everything with you. Small vendors along the trails sell water and snacks to energize you along your hike. There are also local restaurants and little shops available next to the beaches, where you can have fresh seafood or a cold beer as your hiking reward. Just make sure to bring cash, as you can’t pay with your credit card in the park.
When is the best time to visit Tayrona National Park?
The best time to visit the Tayrona National Park is during the dry season between December and March and during the shoulder seasons between April and June, when rainfalls are rare. Expect temperatures around 31°C – 32°C (88°F – 90°F) during the day and 22°C – 24°C (72°F – 75°F) at night. Keep in mind that, as the Tayrona National Park is in the Sierra Nevada region, the humidity will be pretty high making it a little more challenging to hike. We visited the Tayrona National Park in August and we didn’t encounter any rain, but a lot of sun.
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