HOP
THE CARIBBEAN COAST
It's 50 miles of Caribbean coastline between Santa Marta and Palomino and another 220 before you get to Venezuela. Try hard enough and you can find a deserted beach with only jungle on the shore. It has everything, why not enjoy the comfort of Costeño, the bohemia of Palomino and everything in between.
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when
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Colombia is a year round destination where the climate varies by altitude rather then season. Though there's subtle variations you can expect the temperature on the coast to remain just above 30ºC.
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December - March | High Season, plan early you can expect the most popular digs to sell out.
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March - September | Shoulder Season, our favourite time to travel. You can expect lower numbers and slightly cheaper prices. The Caribbean in Colombia remains drier for longer too.
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September - December | Low Season, lowest number and some rain though you shouldn't find your travels hindered.
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getting there
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Hopping the coast is easy. You can pick the Cootransoriente Tayrona bus up anywhere on Highway 90 which serves the whole route. Just put your hand out. They're around every 15 minutes but don't expect them to run to a strict schedule. They run from 6am until 9pm.
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They're the only public bus, though you will see numerous private coaches passing by. They're easy to spot, look for the white single decker's with the green and blue logo. There'll be a guy hanging from one of the open doors touting for custom. Just board, he'll come along for your fare shortly. Tell him where you want to get off and he'll give you a call when you get there. We did several short legs and the were always prices at 8,000Cop (£1.40) regardless of the distance. It was 12,000Cop (£2.10) from Santa Marta to Palomino and takes 2 and half hours.
The busses are in various states of repair and they get full, you can expect to have your bags on your knee too. We declined one rickety bus filled to the brim in Santa Marta only to be rewarded with a half full modern coach equipped with AC just 5 minutes later.
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Pick up and drop off points can be found:
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Here In Santa Marta
Here In Palomino
You'll usually find one waiting in Palomino. In Santa Marta the bus stops on the corner of Calle 11 and Carrera 9, technically there's an office but just park yourself on the steps and wait. You pay the stewards who will likely see you before you see them. It's walkable from most of downtown Santa Marta. Its also super busy, there's a large fruit market, supermarket and drug store for those last minute snacks and travel sickness tablets.
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Top Tip: Is the bus over full? Just get the next one.
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SANTA MARTA
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To Do | Dive Tayrona National Park
Santa Marta is one of the best places to dive in Colombia, being close to Tayrona National Park it has a vast array of marine life. You might not see huge mammals but you will see Cow fish, Angel Fish, huge Trumpet Fish, Box Fish and Octopai. We had a fun dive morning with Caribbean Pro who we recommend. For £35 each you get 2 dives, snacks and all your equipment. This does not include 11,000Cop (£2) port fee which you pay before you get on the boat.
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To Stay | Viajero Santa Marta
We caught the Viajero bug and decided to stay here, mainly because we had a 20% discount so 2 beds in a 6 bed dorm was £20 a night. It’s got a rooftop pool with a huge bar area, a kitchen and an on-site restaurant with outdoor seating to relax or work in the day. The dorm itself was the best we’ve stayed in. The pods are huge and there’s a lot of space compared to others. The bathroom was clean with hot water, not widely available. Breakfast is an extra 15,000Cop (£2.60) and then menu changes daily.
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Top Tip - Staying at Viajero? they offer 10% off if you've previously been a guest. Use code WEBVIAJERO at checkout on their site. Their website is usually cheaper than Hostelworld or Booking.com.
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To Eat | Dealer Taqueria
Small yet perfectly formed. A plate of 5 Taco's at Dealer Taqueria will set you back 20,000Cop (£3.50) and their frozen margaritas are to die for. There's room for around 15 to sit or an efficient take out counter. A must try in Santa Marta.
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TAYRONA national park
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Tayrona National Park is a 1 and a half hour bus journey from Santa Marta making it a good base for those wanting to visit. You can camp or visit just for the day. You can get the bus from the Mercado Central (The Palomino Bus) which leaves every 15 minutes starting from 6am and will drop you off right outside the El Zaino entrance. They stop on the corner of Calle 11 and Carera 9. There's no need to buy a ticket in the shop, just wait on the steps and speak to one of the stewards. They'll likely clock you first. The area is crazy busy, there's a supermarket, massive fruit market and other vendors if you need some last minute snacks.
Opening Hours: 8am - 5pm every day and closed all of February.
Start your journey early from Santa Marta to enjoy the most of it. If you can only make a day in Tayrona then we recommend staying in a town closer like Palomino or Buritaca or you can stay right outside the entrance.
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Entry tickets are 73,500Cop (£12.90) peak season and 62,000Cop (£10.90) off peak.
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Peak time's are between 15th June to 15th July, from 15th December to 15th January and holy week, which is between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Off peak is any other date.
Note - the park is closed during the month of February at the request of the indigenous who still live within the park to perform ceremonies and to allow the flora and fauna to recover
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If you don’t want to wait in the queue for a ticket then you can purchase them in advance online here.
Once you’ve got your ticket you can walk the 4km to the trails start point or hop on the shuttle bus for the 10 minute journey which costs 5,000Cop (£0.90). The trail then begins to the beaches of Tayrona through the forests. You will visit Arrecifes, La Piscina and Cabo San Juan which is the most popular. Here you can stay the night in tents or hammocks which you can reserve online or at the entrance.
If you are only here for a day keep track of how long it took to walk down to the beach as you will need to get to the entrance before it closes.
If you are staying the night in the National Park then book in advance as these places will fill up quickly during peak season and check where they are located as you don’t want to be too far away from the entrance for your hike back the next day. It is recommended to only take what you need and leave most of your luggage at your hostel.
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los cocos
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To Do | Hit the Beach
Waste the day away with a great book, eat fish fresh straight from the sea or just wander along the shore for miles between giant surf and jungle.
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To Stay | Magdalena Beach Hotel
A favourite stop on the hop. You can get a Private double for £24 a night with an excellent breakfast at Magdalena Beach Hotel. A boutique Hotel with all the upmarket feel but all the sociability of a Hostel. Its a 10 minute walk to the beach which has 2 good fish restaurants, a bar and a handful of loungers. There's no crowds to be seen and you can hear the surf from you double bed while you drift off to sleep. There's not much else so a day or two will do.
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To Eat | Jauncho's House
Jauncho's is a hostel on the main road and really is the only other food option. We didn't mind because the the food was good and well priced. It's 2 for 1 cocktails for 15,000Cop (£2.66). The Bacon BBQ burger will cost you 20,000Cop (£3.54). The service is charming, if a little shakey.
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costeño beach
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To Do | Learn to Surf
Costeno Beach Hostel has a surf school, prices start at 13,000Cop (£2.30). Just because you can surf doesn't mean it it's safe to swim.
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To Stay | Palmario Hostel
A new spot, it's beach front, with lovely staff and a chilled atmosphere. A cabinesque double room with a sea view and ensuite will cost you 250,000Cop (£44.25) or 75,000Cop (£13.30) for a bunk in a dorm. Breakfast is not included but coffee is. There's mosquito nets but no AC option. The river is just next door where you can swim safely. If you want to party then Costeno Beach Hostel isn't far too.
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To Eat | Don Samuel
Prices start at 35,000Cop (£6.20) for shrimp rice and rise to 250,000Cop (£44.24) for a large lobster but it is worth it. The food is fresh and outstanding.
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BURITACA
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To Do | Party at El Rio
You will have probably come to Buritaca for El Rio Hostel and a party. They have DJs on a couple of times a week and organise events throughout the month. They have some huge events. So keep up to date on their social media to see what’s coming up. If you haven’t managed to bag yourself some Rio accommodation then stay in the town and take a Moto Taxi there. You can also use the facilities throughout the day for free.
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To Stay | Buritaca House
Located just off the main road. It's a 25 minute walk to both the beach and El Rio Hostel. It doesn’t have much going on but the hostel itself is lovely, quiet and clean. We'd recommend hanging out at El Rio and sleeping here. Its much cheaper and you'll get plenty of rest. Breakfast is not included but a double room with air con and private bathroom is £21 a night. It does have free coffee and water all day as well as 24h access.
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To Eat | Sor and Pan
If like us you have no breakfast included at your hostel then you you might struggle to find where to eat, there's not too many options. El Rio has great food but we loved Sor and Pan which is along the main road heading towards the river right by Hotel Caribe Brisas. They do tasty breakfasts with good coffee and it’s also a good spot for a sandwich lunch or a pastry snack.
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PALOMINO
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To Do | Dog Shelter Palomino
Dogshelter Palomino offer daily doggy walks to help with the costs of running the shelter and their vets bills. All dogs are up for adoption. Even those who have been rehoused and escaped back to the shelter (twice) - we're looking at you Mango.
If you are a dog lover then this is definitely something you have to do. We fell in love the the first day. We enjoyed coffee and cake at their on site cafe whilst playing with the dogs, and stayed 3 hours. The next day we took them for a walk. They offer two walks 8am and 3pm.
At 3pm you take the dogs for a 20 minute walk to the river, jump in, then float downstream. After some play time it's a 15 minutes walk back to the shelter. It takes around 2 hours in total and costs 50,000Cop each (£9).
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To Stay | Bikini Hostel
We stayed here for a whole week and enjoyed it. It has a pool with plenty of loungers, an on-site bar and pizza restaurant and also does coffee, cakes, waffles and ice cream. We had a double room with a private bathroom, breakfast was included for £21 a night - although breakfast was not the best. The location was perfect, in the middle of the main strip but quiet enough at night to get a good sleep. The staff were super helpful though english is limited.
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To Eat | Turcolandia Pizza
Turcolandia has the best pizzas we've tried in South America by far. We cant recommend it highly enough. A vast menu, lovely owner and the nicest homemade sweet and spicy accompaniments. It's so good we went twice. A large pizza costs 42,000Cop (£7.40) and a Club Colombia Beer is 4,000Cop (£0.70) - mini market prices.
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something else
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Infrastructure | You phone signal will be intermittent after leaving Santa Marta. Palomino has the next best coverage. WIFI too is hot and miss. It's sufficient to check your mail in most accommodation but not to binge your favourite Netflix show. Power cuts are a daily reality, embrace them.
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ATM'S | There are no ATM's in Tayrona, Palomino or Buritaca, withdraw enough cash while in Santa Marta. There's 2 reliable Davivienda ATMS here & here which have no withdrawal fee's. Remember to decline their expensive conversion though.
Swimming | The sea on the Caribbean coast is notoriously dangerous. Palomino is no exception. Red flags cover the beach, the shore is steep and the sea gets deep fast. The Rip tides that exist there are invisible and the surf is high. You'll sea locals ignoring all of that. Don't swim, it's not worth it.
NEXT STOP
The mountains of Minca are just an hour from Santa Marta and hide Coffee & Cocoa plantations. You'll find a laid back backpacker vibe, a slightly cooler climate and ninja level mosquitos.