🌴Santa Marta & Tayrona – Jungle Treks, Secret Beaches, and the Chill Side of Colombia

While Cartagena gets the crowds, Santa Marta quietly wins hearts. This coastal city is the perfect base for beach lovers, jungle trekkers, and slow travelers looking to trade noise for nature.

Add in fresh seafood, palm-lined beaches, and access to Tayrona National Park, and you’ve got one of Colombia’s most underrated regions—ideal for soaking in Caribbean vibes without the chaos.

🏡 Where to Stay

There are three main zones for travelers:

1. Downtown Santa Marta

Great for restaurants, bars, colonial buildings, and a base for day trips.

• Republica Hostel – Stylish, social, but chill

• Viajero Hostel – Rooftop vibes and daily events

• La Brisa Loca – Full party mode (ideal for bachelor trips or backpacker mayhem)

2. Bello Horizonte (Beach Zone)

More local, calm, and ideal if you want beach access outside the city.

• Mercure Hotel

• Estelar Santa Marta – All-inclusive option, beachfront

3. Tayrona Park & Surroundings

Rustic eco-hostels and beachside cabins.

• Costeño Beach – Trendy and tough to book

• Los Hermanos – Incredible seafood + laid-back jungle vibes

• Viajero Tayrona – Fun, social, and close to the beach

• Playa Bonita – Calm hotel with beach access

• El Rio Hostel – Jungle paradise + secret raves + tubing

  
  

🚕 How to Get Around

• In the city: Taxis or walk. There’s no Uber here.

• Airport transfers & day trips: Use local taxis.

• Tayrona/mountain areas: Moto-taxis are king. Most hostels will help arrange one.

📌 Tip: Always agree on taxi prices beforehand.

🦐 What to Eat

You’re on the Caribbean coast—seafood is everything.

🦞 Donde Chucho

Hands-down the best seafood restaurant. Get the lobster or cold seafood salad.📍 Map

🐟 Cambiante Marina

Inside the marina—try the ceviche after a boat trip.📍 Map

Most beach hostels also serve cazuela de mariscos (seafood stew) and grilled fish straight from the ocean.

🌴 What to Do

🏛 Walk Santa Marta’s Colonial Center

Less polished than Cartagena, but more authentic. Great for a mellow night with a drink in the plaza.

🤿 Go Diving with Calipso

Not the best coral, but great conditions to learn. Do a full-day trip or the epic Tayrona Safari Dive (overnight on a private beach).📞 +57 315 684 30 75📷 Instagram

⛵ Sail to Tayrona

One of the best things to do. A full-day on a sailboat, fresh-caught lunch, and a beach stop inside the national park.📷 Veleros Santa Marta

🥾 Trek to the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida)

A 4-day jungle trek to ancient Indigenous ruins. Expect river swims, muddy trails, and no signal.📞 Teyuna Tours: +57 302 362 51 04

📌 Tips:

• Bring a sheet to sleep on hammocks/mattresses.

• Fast-drying clothes > hiking boots.

• Avoid weekends—more crowds, fewer guides.

  

🚣 Tubing on the Guachaca or Palomino Rivers

Float for hours through jungle rivers with a beer in hand. Hostels often organize this, especially El Rio or Los Hermanos.

💦 Waterfalls

There are several unnamed jungle waterfalls near Tayrona. For a local guide, try asking moto-taxi drivers!

🌿 Day Trips

🌴 Tayrona National Park

Jungle + beaches = one of Colombia’s most iconic landscapes.

• Best trek: to Cabo San Juan (2–3 hrs hike each way)

• Avoid weekends and check if the park is open (it closes for 3 weeks seasonally for nature recovery)

• Entrance tip: Buy your ticket the afternoon before to skip the morning rush

🌄 Minca

Hippie mountain town 2 hrs away. Great for:

• Waterfalls

• Coffee farms

• Yoga

• Jungle views

📌 Go for the day or stay overnight in an eco-lodge.

🧳 Final Word

Santa Marta is slower, cheaper, and more authentic than Cartagena—but no less beautiful. Whether you’re floating down a river, hiking to lost cities, or just sipping a coconut by the sea, this region gives you the Caribbean with soul.

Next up: Post 7 – La Guajira: Colombia’s Wild Desert Frontier