Tayrona National Park, Colombia
This park is perhaps Colombia’s most well-known natural preserve.
This 37,000 acre ecotourism park includes reefs, beaches, mangroves and Tayrona
Indian ruins. The foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta submerge into
the sea in the Tayrona Park Blessed with awesome beaches of white sand, located
the foothills of the highest coastal mountains on the earth. Tayrona national
park is 34 km out of Santa Marta on the Riohacha road.
Places of interest
include Canaveral (camping area), Neguange, Arrecifes, El Cabo beach, Playa Linda and La Piscina (quiet beaches); Los Naranjos; Playa del Muerto, Playa Coralina, Bonito
Gordo, Bahía Concha, Ensenada de Chengue, Ensenada de Gayraca, Cinto,
Guachaquita. Its white beaches below the exotic humid forests makes the Tayrona
one of Colombia´s most visited Nature Parks. Climate is
usually temperate to warm.
Flora and Fauna:
Tayrona National park has crystalline waters and a tropical lush green landscape. Rich in Flora and fauna you will find more than 100 species of birds and animals including monkeys, iguanas, bats, deer, skunks, white eagle and snakes. The main attraction of most tourists who come here is to relax and swim in the designated sections of calm and azure waters with breath taking views of hillsides and beaches. This is a protected area and tourists can visit archeological site of Pueblito and its people, Pueblito is considered sacred by the Kogi, descendants of the Tayrona who were the original inhabitants of this land.
Activities:
Apart from beautiful beaches you can get hammocks to rent for the night, food, water and surf. There is a pretty consistent surf. For surfers the winter and spring are the best time to visit. It prohibited to swim in the sea near Arrecifes due to the danger of strong tides. You can walk beyond Arrefices until Cabo de San Juan for more stunning beaches. As the tourists walk along these beaches they find themselves in a complex system of rock paths, which link a network of indigenous villages to the coasts of the Sierra Nevada. Chairama (Pueblito) is one of the most important centers of craftwork as well as fishing and farming, and they pay for their public services with what they produce.
If you decide to purchase food and water from inside the park it will be quite expensive, so you should consider bringing some of your own. There are 3 restaurants, 2 in the Cañaveral zone and one in the Arrecifes zone. The cabins (ecohabs) in Cañaveral conserve the characteristics of the Tayrona architecture, and sleep 4-6 people. In Arrecifes, there are also camping zones with a capacity for 76 tents. For the camping area, take a tent, mattresses, sleeping bag, torch, food and cooking implements. If you don´t want to cook use one of the restaurants. Most beaches right next to the camping grounds are relatively unsafe for swimming due to heavy currents, the locals mostly advise to walk to the Piscina natural, about 20 minutes away from the camping grounds.. This is a natural pool protected from the waves and the currents by a reef.
Hiking:
Several tourists hike through the forest, A 60 minute uphill walk from El Cabo is El Pueblito. The treck through the jungle lasts approximately an hour on a clearly marked path, be sure to carry water with you as it can be dehydrating.
Tayrona National Park Entrance Fees:
The main entrance to the park is from El Zaino, 43km west of Santa Marta and there is a small entrance fee of about 15 dollars. If you are not traveling by your own rented car then a local park jeep further in for a small charge, otherwise its a 1 hour walk to the beaches.
