The Tayrona National Natural Park is a nature reserve located about 45 minutes from the urban area of Santa Marta, on the Colombian Caribbean coast . Tayrona Park bears this name in honor of the Tayronas indigenous people, a pre-Columbian tribe that inhabited this region for centuries. This tribe left a number of archaeological remains, such as the ruins of Ciudad Perdida, an ancient indigenous city dating from the 8th century. After the arrival of the Spanish, this area was used as a place of rest and recreation by the colonizers. During colonial times, construction was made in the region to grow crops, including cotton. In addition, in 1969, the Tayrona Park was declared a natural reserve and open to the public. Since then, Tayrona Park has been a tourist destination and a very important place for biodiversity conservation in Colombia. Likewise, the Tayrona park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994 , due to its ecological and cultural value. The reserve is home to a large number of flora and fauna, it is a perfect place for hiking and nature walks. Ecotourism lovers will love this site.
How to get to Tayrona Park?
It is easy to access this place and you have several options of course, first you must reach the city of Santa Marta . Some of those options are:
By car , if you have a vehicle, you can get to Tayrona Park by following the road that goes from Santa Marta to the town of El Zaino, which is the main entrance to the park. From this site, you must follow a dirt road for at least 20 kilometers until you reach the park.
Note: if you want to get to Cabo San Juan from the entrance of Zaino, you will find a path that will guide you along the route that takes about 2 or 3 hours walking. While you do this tour, you will go through other beaches in Tayrona Park.
By bus , taking it from the city's transport terminal to El Zaino, which can cost you approximately 15,000 COP. From this point, you can reach the camping areas and some of the Tayrona Park beaches such as Cañaveral, Arrecifes, La Piscina, among others.
By taxi, you can hire a taxi service from Santa Marta to Tayrona Park. You must bear in mind that the price is high, but you must be careful that they will not charge you a higher price than normal. Before getting into the taxi, agree on the price with the driver.
By yacht or boat, you can rent a boat in Santa Marta with a group of people who set sail from the International Marina of Santa Marta, from Rodadero or from Taganga and gives you the chance to take a tour of several of the beaches in this area . You must bear in mind that the most remote area, which is Cabo San Juan, is not visited by yachts because its draft is large and there is a coral reef there. They can reach but not approach the beach.
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It is important that you take into account that before going through the Zaino ticket office you must purchase medical assistance insurance that can cost around $5,000 COP. The ticket price depends on whether it is high or low season (high season in Colombia are the months of June, July, December, January, Holy Week and weekends with holidays) and if you are Colombian under or over 25 years of age or Foreign. The prices in 2022 were as follows:
For low season: Colombians up to 25 years old paid $18,500 COP, those over 25 years old paid $24,500 COP and foreigners paid $54,500 COP
For high season: Colombians up to 25 years old paid $20,500 COP, those over 25 years old paid $29,000 COP and foreigners paid $64,500 COP.
From that point of the entrance, you will find buses that can take you for $5,000 COP to the beginning of the trails. Access to the Tayrona Park is via a dirt road, so it is recommended that the vehicle be a 4x4 or that the type of transport that provides this service be of this type until the beginning of the trails. Also, it is advisable to bring water and sunscreen during the trip. Also, there are two more entrances to Tayrona Park, which are Palangana and Calabazo. On the Palangana side you have easier access to the Neguanje, Gayraca and Playa Cristal beaches; while, through Calabazo you have easier access to the Boca del Saco and Cabo San Juan beaches. If you don't want to do the walk, people offer a horse rental service so that you get to the beaches more rested because it is a fairly long journey. The price of horse rental has an approximate price of about 6 dollars each way.
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Why visit Tayrona Park?
Tayrona Park offers a large number of outdoor activities that you can enjoy during your stay. Some of them are:
Enjoy the most beautiful beaches in Colombia and some of the most wonderful in the world . For example: Arrecifes, Cabo San Juan, Neguanje, Cinto, Playa Cristal, Bahía Concha, among others. You can spend the day taking a dip, swimming, using snorkeling or diving equipment so that you can observe the marine life more closely and have that experience in this beautiful place.
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You can go hiking and walking thanks to its number of extensive trails and paths that cross the reserve and from where you can admire the flora and fauna of the place.
You will be able to visit the ruins of Ciudad Perdida which, as mentioned above, is an ancient indigenous city and is one of the most visited places by foreign and local tourists in the city of Santa Marta. Ciudad Perdida is located in the jungle of Parque Tayrona.
You will be able to see birds and wild animals ; since, this place is an area that contains an impressive number of animal species such as monkeys, birds, reptiles, mammals. You can bring binoculars and enjoy watching wildlife in the park.
You can camp and spend the night ; since, there are several areas where you can camp that can cost approximately $60,000 COP or up to 20 USD per person. But, it is worth mentioning that there are also hotels, cabins, hostels, rooms with beds or hammocks, and restaurants.
Tayrona Park Beaches
Playa Cañaveral is the first beach you will find at the entrance to Zaino and the first in Tayrona Park. You must be very careful, because swimming is prohibited on this beach because it has strong waves. On this beach there are many corals.
Playa Arrecifes is located about 45 minutes from Playa Cañaveral. This is one of the largest beaches in the Tayrona Park and there you can find camping areas, restaurants, as well as a great barrier reef with landscapes accompanied by large rocks. In fact, swimming in this place is also considered dangerous; so, it is better to refrain from bathing on this beach.
Playa Arenilla is located about 500 meters from Playa Arrecifes, it is small and with turquoise waters where you can take a dip. This beach is normally quite crowded because it is one of the closest and where you can bathe because its waters are calm.
Playa La Piscina is about a 15-minute walk from Arenilla beach and where you can also swim and practice snorkeling.
Playa Cabo San Juan del Guía is the most touristic and famous beach in the Tayrona Park. It is another 15 minutes from La Piscina beach. This beach is quite easy to identify, when you see a hill in the middle of the sea with a kiosk from where you can have one of the most beautiful views of the country, when you see that, you have already arrived in Cabo San Juan. On this beach you can find restaurants that offer breakfasts from about $17,000 COP and main dishes from approximately $40,000 COP.
Boca del Saco Beach is the only nudist beach in Colombia. This beach is located about 20 minutes from Cabo San Juan.
Playa Brava is one of the loneliest beaches in the Tayrona Park and you cannot enter the sea here; since it is prohibited.
Bahía Concha is one of the beaches most visited by tourists due to its crystalline waters, its large extension, surrounded by mountains, many trees that provide shade and a stream on the right hand side that flows into the place, which makes this beach one of the the most beautiful
Gayraca , this beach is located between Bahía Concha and Neguanje, it has very fine white sand, it is not crowded and it is ideal for diving, snorkeling and snorkelling; since, there is a coral reef and fish.
Neguanje is considered the largest bay within the Tayrona Park beaches, it is centrally located. Bathing is allowed in two areas; since, the waves are not so calm. The surrounding vegetation is composed of 60% dry vegetation, 40% humid forest.
Playa Cristal many consider this beach as the most beautiful of all. It is located approximately 1 hour and a half from Cañaveral and about 15 minutes by boat or yacht from Neguanje.
among other beaches.
If you want to make a vacation plan and enjoy with your family, friends or colleagues, it is recommended that you rent a boat that can comfortably take you to the beach you want to visit in a faster way and will allow you to enjoy the dip for much longer. the beauty of the beaches while you can decide to walk along one of the trails. The approximate time to get to the Tayrona beaches is from 45 minutes to 1 hour. You can enjoy the exotic beauty of these wonders of nature in the Tayrona National Natural Park.
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