Tayrona National Park

In Santa Marta, Colombia, you will find Tayrona National Park which is a protected area with stunning beaches and dense jungle vegetation, where you can spend the day or stay overnight. Most travellers will opt to sleep at the main beach Cabo San Juan (CSJ), however I decided to spend an extra night at Playa Brava. You can access the beaches by boat from Santa Marta or Taganga, otherwise your only other option is to utilise the park's hiking trails, and if you choose to experience the park in this way, here's how I did it...

Bag?

Regardless of how long you're going to be in the park, you will be carrying your own bag the whole time, especially if you choose to hike. I carried my small 20L backpack with a change of clothes (I just wore a sports bra and shorts), a long sleeve top and bottoms to sleep in and keep the bugs off me at night, bikini, towel, rain jacket, bug spray, sun cream, toiletries, power bank and cable (there's nowhere else to charge your phone), water bottle, headlamp and some cash. I wore my running trainers which were okay, however if it did rain I would've been in trouble so I'd recommend walking boots if the forecast isn't looking clear.

Entrances

There are two road entrances to Tayrona National Park, the main entrance El Zaíno and the second entrance El Calabazo. When planning your trip, it's important to note that the El Zaíno entrance closes at 5pm and El Calabazo closes at 2pm, so if you haven't entered the park by then, rangers won't usually let you in as the trails can become unsafe in the dark. Depending on when you decide to visit, check online as three times a year they close the entire park for two weeks for maintenance, I was here in June and managed to visit a few days before this was happening.

If you're only planning on spending one day/night most people enter from El Zaíno as this entrance is closer to CSJ. From this entrance you can take a shuttle (at a cost) that takes you further into the park and drops you off at the start of the dirt trail which is still an hour walk away from the beach. The walk isn't flat and the temperature in Santa Marta is a constant 30 degrees celsius, so if this sounds like too much for you, choose the boat option. If you decide to walk from the entrance, it takes about 2.5 hours to get to the beach.

I got the local bus from Buritaca to the Calabazo entrance of Tayrona National Park which took about 40 minutes, I just had to tell the driver the name of the entrance and he let me know when to get off. There was barely anyone there and it was the quieter option to avoid the crowds. I had my passport on me which was checked at the entrance and you need a lot of cash as almost nowhere takes card. Before I could enter, I had to pay in cash for the  park entry fee which was 77,500 COP (Colombian Pesos) and 5,000 COP per day for a mandatory insurance fee (regardless of whether you have your own travel insurance). The entry fee is the same no matter how many days you plan to stay in the park, however this figure may differ during high season. I was then given a wristband with the number of days I was going to be in the park written on it. The walk from El Calabazo to Playa Brava is around 4 hours but because of time, I decided to pay 20,000 COP at the entrance for a motorbike driver to take me most of the way, and I was dropped off by the dirt trail which was about 1.5 hours from the beach. According to my journal, the 4 hours of walking 'would have killed me because the 1.5 hour walk already did a number of my knees', so again, it's not flat and it's hot AF.

Playa Brava

When I got to Playa Brava there was only a handful of people of there. There was a small reception area where you could buy snacks and drinks and also check in and pay for your accommodation. I went for the cheapest option and paid 35,000 COP for a hammock for the night, but there were also small cabins to rent as well. There is only one restaurant and meals are served at set times so make sure you have your own snacks in case you get hungry later. I entered the campsite and there were two covered areas with hammocks and you could pick a free one to sleep in (first picture above shows the view from my hammock). There was no one on the beach so I chilled, read my book, and hung out with other people who started arriving at the camp. In total there was probably less than 20 people staying here. During our down time, a member of staff came around to each person and asked for their dietary requirements for dinner, which was served at the tables near the reception area and honestly, my expectations were low but the meal was so good! The vegetarian option was pasta with red sauce, garlic bread and teriyaki vegetables on the side *chef's kiss*. In comparison, my night in the hammock was awful. I've slept in hammocks before but this was one of my worst night's sleep as there was no wind, it was really humid and the mosquito net around me felt damp, and overall the hammock was just super uncomfortable. The bathrooms were decent enough and a short walk away from the sleeping areas but you would definitely need a head lamp at night to get them. The next morning I packed up, had breakfast which I think was an arepa and some fruit, and just as I was about to leave, I spotted some monkeys in the trees nearby so I watched them for a bit (third photo above).

En Route to Cabo San Juan!

At this point I should mention the app maps.me which was extremely helpful when walking along the trails. The offline map let me see my location and throughout the hike, let me check how far I was, which way to go and what the terrain would be like. The walk between Playa Brava and CSJ felt easier than the walk to Playa Brava as the terrain was steadier and time seemed to fly by quicker. The walk takes about 2 hours however I stopped along the way for snack breaks and to enjoy some of the jungle scenery. On my walk, I spotted more monkeys and at one point, a small group of them rushed across the trail in front of me which was pretty cool and I also spotted some blue crabs. In my opinion, CSJ beach is extremely busy and not the nicest beach in the National Park so luckily I spent most of my time at the other beaches along the way. I stopped for an hour at Playa Nudista, yes it's a nudist beach but it was completely empty and quiet, however the waves were a bit rough here so you couldn't really chill in the water. A bit further from here, but just before you reach CSJ is another beach where the water is a lot calmer and you can sit or wade in it. There was quite a few people here, but nothing compared to the crowds at the main beach. From CSJ beach it can be difficult to find the trail that takes you to this quieter spot and the only reason I found it was because I was walking from Playa Brava and maps.me took me past it, but if you walk to the far left of the beach, you'll see a bunch of small rocks you have to climb up and then the trail should be there.

Cabo San Juan

CBJ was full of people when I got there around 3pm and there wasn't really anywhere nice to lay down your towel because it was so busy, however in comparison to Playa Brava, there are a few restaurants here and quite a few vendors for snacks. I decided to check in and find my hammock and the booth for this is by the entrance to CBJ beach which you would pass if you entered via El Zaíno. You can choose and pay for your accommodation once you get here but I had pre-booked my hammock as I was told it gets busy here, so it's best to secure your overnight accommodation beforehand, however once I got to the park, as it was low season, there were still lots of hammocks available. But if you want to be safe than sorry, What's App +573112589907, choose your accommodation type from their catalogue and you have to prepay for it by card. I chose the cheaper option of a hammock at the mirador which was 60,000 COP, and although it felt sketchy at the time and I didn't get a receipt, it was legit. At the reception/check in booth I showed them my What's App chat with the guy I paid and I was given a bracelet and my hammock number. In the third picture above, you can see the mirador and the first picture shows you the view from my hammock. I can't exactly vouch for the hygiene of these hammocks as when I went up to the mirador, random people were laying in them and eventually once they left, new people were sleeping in them, but if you are going to book a hammock, pay an extra 20,000 COP for the mirador over the the cheaper hammocks on the ground. Having spoken to people who slept in the campsite hammocks, it was very much like my night in Playa Brava with no breeze, humidity and lots of bugs, whereas at the mirador, there was a breeze throughout the night so there weren't any bugs and I did get a little chilly, but covering myself with my rain jacket was warm enough. The only downside to this is if you have pee, you have to walk all the way down to the campsite area to use the bathroom, the showers are also located here so make sure you take everything you need because this one isn't a nudist beach...

For dinner, there is a basic restaurant that was open that most people who were staying the night went to, you choose your dish from the menu and order and pay for it at the desk, then wait at a table for it. The food here wasn't anything compared to Playa Brava and I assume because there's so many more people to feed, the quality takes a hit. In the morning I comfortably watched the sunrise from my hammock, then got ready, packed some snacks and started walking.

Out We Go!

I exited CSJ from it's main entrance and began the final 2.5 hour walk to the Zaíno entrance. On my way out, I spotted a capybara which was cool as I'd never seen one before and also a few more blue crabs. Initially the trail was sandy and I passed some other campsites/accommodations which looked a lot comfier and nicer than where I had been sleeping, however the price per night reflects this. After a while the trail was really muddy and sludgy even though it hadn't been raining and it was testing my patience. Up until now the dirt/mud trials on the hike had been solid but these last couple of hours were real squishy and I was not in the mood for it. When I eventually got to the point where the shuttle stops, I was so aggy, but was told the shuttle wouldn't arrive for another 30 minutes, and with an hour to go, I decided to keep walking. The last hour was rough and I took a lot breaks as my shoulders were hurting from carrying my bag but as I kept walking, I refused to pay for the shuttle because I thought I was so close to the end, but it didn't help when I saw people walking in front of me hail the shuttle and get on. Eventually I made it out and the bus stop was right across the road from the entrance and off I went.

Tired sweaty girl, just returned from her long hike, shower food sleep now!

Want more of a challenging hike? Check out The Lost City Trek or see more of Colombia here!