Parque National Tayrona is an extremely well maintained, protected natural area, on the northern Colombian Caribbean coast.
The Tayrona national park has a land expanse of over 150 km2 with 30 km2 of ocean.
The city of Santa Marta and its surrounding areas, stretching up to and past Taganga, has a beautiful but arid, desert type landscape. I will write an article on the 3 beaches of Taganga soon.
Tayrona national park starts just north of the 3rd beach out of Taganga. The first beach in Tayrona park is called Bahia Concha. I did not get to visit this specific beach and yet, I imagine that the landscape in this area is a lot dryer than the rest of the park as it stretches toward the north.
I took the local bus from Santa Marta and got off at the third entrance gate into Tayrona Park. The common entrance to the park is the 3rd entrance, the one that is furthest to the north (la entrada - El Zaino). The hike to the first beaches is at least 40 min. walking along wooden footpaths, occasionally climbing over rocks, through the lush forest towards the insanely beautiful coastline. The beaches are stunning and many of them without a single person, because the currents on many of the beaches are very strong and have resulted in quite a few deaths.
I was told you needed to reserve your entrance ahead of time, at the hostel I was staying in, but that turned out to be false. On a pamphlet, I read that you need the yellow fever shot and that also turned out to be false. That was a good thing because I refuse to get any vaccines. I even refused to get the yellow fever shot when we traveled to the Brazilian amazon. Initially they refused to allow us to get on the plane but somehow eventually the Divine took over and they let us go.
Most tourists come to the park for a one or two night stay. You can reserve and stay in Ecohabs (Indian houses designed by "architect Fernando Samper Salazar) or camp in Cañaveral. You can also choose cabins, hammocks, or camping in Arrecifes. There is even a Spa located in Cañaveral where you can enjoy massages, Jacuzzi, and beauty treatments.
There are a few stunning beaches along the way, before arriving at Cabo San Juan del Guia. I like beaches but I am not one to sit around for a long time and so I decided to walk up by myself to El Pueblito which is a minor version of La Ciudad Perdida de la Sierra Nevada. The Lost City of Sierra Nevada is older than Machu Picchu. Recent archaeological research indicate that this city was founded around 660 A.D. and was abandoned between 1550 to 1600 A.D.
There were various times along the way when I thought I could not climb up the large boulders because I was alone and did not have anybody to give me a hand but somehow I made it there and can say I achieved one more goal all by myself.
As a final comment, this park is another natural wonder of Colombia and must not be missed.
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