Santa Marta: a first-timer's guide to Tayrona, Minca and the Lost City

Why go

Santa Marta itself is a hot, busy port with a pleasant historic centre and a seafront promenade, but most people come for what surrounds it. Within an hour or two are rainforest beaches, waterfalls, coffee and cacao farms, Indigenous communities and one of the great treks of South America. It pairs well with Cartagena, around four to five hours away by road.

The city

The compact **historic centre** has a whitewashed cathedral, the small **Gold Museum** in the old customs house and **Parque de los Novios**, a lively square lined with restaurants. Simón Bolívar died at the **Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino**, a hacienda turned museum and garden on the edge of town. The promenade, or **malecón**, is lovely at sunset.

Tayrona National Park

**Tayrona National Natural Park** is where the jungle meets the Caribbean: golden beaches framed by giant boulders and palm trees, backed by forest full of monkeys and birds. Enter at **El Zaíno** and walk through the forest to **Arrecifes**, **La Piscina** and **Cabo San Juan**, where you can camp or sleep in a hammock. Many beaches have dangerous currents, so swim only where signs allow. The park is sacred to the Indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada and **closes for set periods each year**, often in February, June and October, for spiritual cleansing and nature recovery. Buy tickets and check opening dates on the official Parques Nacionales site, and bring your passport.

Minca

Up in the foothills, **Minca** is a small village surrounded by cloud forest, waterfalls and coffee farms, noticeably cooler than the coast. Hike or take a motorbike taxi to the **Pozo Azul** and **Marinka** waterfalls, visit a coffee or cacao farm, and watch the birds: the Sierra Nevada has many species found nowhere else.

Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City

The **Ciudad Perdida** trek takes four to five days through jungle, rivers and Indigenous villages to reach terraces of an ancient Tayrona city older than Machu Picchu, reached by around 1,200 stone steps. It can only be done with a licensed tour operator, includes all meals and hammock or bunk accommodation, and closes for a period each year. It is hot, humid and muddy but deeply rewarding.

Palomino and Taganga

**Palomino**, east of Tayrona, is a laid back beach village where you can float down the river on an inner tube to the sea. **Taganga**, just north of the city, is a fishing village known for cheap dive courses, though it has a rougher reputation and is best visited by day.

Food

Try fresh **fried fish**, **coconut rice**, **arepas de huevo** and fruit juices along the coast, and the cooler hill farms near Minca for coffee and chocolate.

Safety and practicalities

The region has seen armed group activity in parts of the Sierra Nevada and around some rural areas, so stick to established routes and licensed operators and check your government's current travel advice. Bring insect repellent and sun protection, and check yellow fever advice for the Sierra Nevada with a travel health clinic.