Parque Tayrona

Last October I had the opportunity to visit Parque Tayrona and it was truly something straight out of a dream. It was the first big trip that I took outside of Cartagena, and I went with three women I befriended from a dance class that I happened to take when I first got to the city. There were a lot of things that I did this way during my grant; just by chance, because I was open to new experiences, and because I said “yes” without many expectations. I think this is part of why I had such an enriching experience, as one big thing that I learned during my time in Cartagena is that everything doesn’t have to be planned to a T for it to work out wonderfully. With this flexibility I encountered a lot of beautiful surprises! I forgot whose idea it was to go to Tayrona initially, but we decided to take the trip together, Vicki, Silvana, Stella and I, we made it happen in a matter of weeks, and it was sooo worth it.

If you’ve never heard of Parque Tayrona, here's some quick background info:

Tayrona is one of Colombia’s national parks on the Caribbean coast located just outside of a city called Santa Marta
The park has major cultural significance, as it is the ancestral land of a few different indigenous groups, many of which who currently live in the park
The park is known world-wide for its biodiversity and the duality of its robust jungle landscape and pristine beaches

It's recommended to stay in the park so that you don’t have to hike all the way in and all the way out on the same day with haste before the sun sets (you can enter the park between 7am-12pm and can exit up until 5pm). What we did was leave Cartagena Friday afternoon, spent Friday night in Santa Marta, then we went to the park early on Saturday morning and spent the night there. Early Sunday morning we hiked back out of the park and bussed back to Cartagena Sunday afternoon, and it worked out flawlessly. Since we all lived on the coast already, the bus ride from Cartagena to Santa Marta took just a little over 4 hours, and it went by relatively quickly. We went with a bus company called Berlina and bought our tickets about 10 minutes before leaving that Friday afternoon. The driver played salsa, vallenato, and champeta throughout the entire ride, and I remember shazaming many of the songs to add them to my Cartagena playlist. It was really nice to get to see and travel through the pueblos (small towns), between Cartagena and Barranquilla where we stopped after the first two hours of our journey, and then from Barranquilla on the way to Santa Marta.

When we arrived in Santa Marta that night, we went downtown (to the Center) to look around a little bit and eat dinner. It felt similar to el Centro Histórico in Cartagena, but a lot smaller and more concentrated. The Center in Santa Marta was packed with a lot of people, music, dancers, and singers. We ate Mexican food and called it a night with plans to head to the park early the next morning.

literally one of the best *arepa de huevo* that I have ever eaten

Saturday morning, we got ready, ate fritos for breakfast, and took a 30 minute bus ride from el Mercado Público de Santa Marta (the main market in the Center of Santa Marta) to Parque Tayrona. Sidenote: I will never forget that arepa de huevo (a fried corn cake with an egg in the middle) that I ate. They were made with white corn flour, opposed to the yellow corn flour that they are commonly made with in Cartagena and other cities, and they were so deliciously soft on the inside and crispy outside rather than crunchy throughout. I’ve eaten a ton of arepas at this point, but that one was one of the best that I ate during my entire grant!

En Camino

Aside from the exquisite arepa, I was also awed by the view of the city from the bus. The ride from Santa Marta to the park really showcased the natural beauty of the area, and I remember thinking that Santa Marta was like Cartagena but way greener. As we got closer to the park we were swallowed by tons of trees, shrubs, and flowers on either side of the road and the view of the heavily forested mountains in the distance began to grow closer and closer. The bus had all the windows cracked open, which allowed in a delicious breeze that made the ride even more ethereal. All of this nearly put me to sleep- I definitely felt more like closing my eyes for a siesta than preparing for a hike!

Once we arrived at the entrance of the park (El Zaino), we had a quick tinto (black coffee with sugar) to shake off the sueño. We paid the fee to enter the park, went through security where the park rangers ensured we weren't bringing in any possible pollutants (like plastic bags) or anything dangerous, and we hopped on another small bus to get from the entrance of the park to the start of the trail. We packed light, which is something I definitely recommend because what you bring in is what you’ll be carrying for the entire 9 km (5.5 mi) trek, both in and out of the park. At the park there is no guide, you just follow the path, and that's what we did. The terrain varies as you go; dusty dirt paths, tiny wooden foot bridges, stepping stones, sand, stairs, and even little creeks that you cross balance-beam style via logs. There were also some huge mud puddles because of rainwater pooling in areas that were trampled by horses. You have to take care to dodge the horse droppings too! Aside from horses I also saw monkeys, birds, and ants marching along the hike. It is hot and humid along the trail as it always is on the Caribbean coast, but thankfully most of the path is well shaded by the jungle plants. Like I said before, the park is a mix of tropical forests and beaches.

Many other groups of visitors were also hiking along the path, but thankfully it wasn’t crowded at all. We also crossed paths with a handful of members of the indigenous communities who live in the park. Some were just going about their daily activities, and others had little kioskos where they sold coconut water, mochilas, arepas, and other goods to visitors. Along the way we stopped by this famous panadería (bakery) that sells artisanal bread. There I had another one of my most notable culinary experiences in Colombia, where I ate THE most delicious pan de bocadillo y queso (guava and cheese bread) that I have ever eaten. The bread was freshly baked, so it was warm, soft, perfectly salty and sweet; uuufff it was truly one of a kind. That flavor combination is not uncommon in Colombia, but I truly never ate another that was comparable to that one in quality!

As we continued along the hike, we got peeks of the water along the trail that served as excellent motivation to keep moving forward. The hike is not a difficult one, but the heat and the weight of your backpack can bring on a little bit of fatigue. At first there was just a little peek of the water through the trees but soon after we arrived at the first real look-out spot. There was a kiosko there where you could buy a paleta (popsicle) to help cool you down. It seemed like everyone who reached this point took advantage of the shade, the sweets, and the chance to rest with a view.

The lookout points were so beautiful, and the second one really took my breath away. Something about it seemed prehistoric to me with the boulders, palm trees, and the calm, blue, lapping water. I could imagine the formation of the landscape when the boulders first rolled down the mountains and crashed into the ocean, where they would remain lodged there untouched. A curious fact about the park is that there are some beaches where swimming is forbidden. I think this is mainly for safety reasons, as I’ve read that some of the beaches have very strong currents that might not be so apparent just from looking at them. Aside from that, this rule surely helps to keep the beaches as serene as they are.

This view took my breath away

As you progress on the hike past the lookout points, the trail leads you to the shores of different beaches along the path. There are several of them whose names I didn’t catch. Our campsite, called Cabo San Juan de Guía, was all the way at the end of the trail so we just stopped in each of the beaches along the way to take a look where swimming was prohibited or a dip where it was allowed. All the while I couldn’t stop thinking about the pre-historic era when the dinosaurs likely roamed the beach- something about the landscape screamed Jurassic Park to me hahah.

Not sure which beach this was, but this was one where swimming was prohibited

You can spend the night (or a few) in the park camped out in a little cabin, tent, or hammock, but only in the designated areas. A few days in advance we had reserved hammocks via Whatsapp at the Cabo San Juan de Guía campsite. This is the most popular and most photographed site due to its proximity to the beach and beautiful views. There the campsite is just steps away from the beach, and once we arrived it was pretty full of folks visiting for the day who eventually left via boat before it got too late and the tide picked up. After they left, only those who stayed to camp for the night remained and it was a lot quieter. The water had a current and got deep close to the shore. After swimming for a little bit, we ate lunch at the restaurant, which was quite ordinary but tasty, and quite expensive. We planned to eat this meal in the park, but brought our own food, water, and snacks for the rest of our meals. In the restaurant I had pechuga a la parrilla and jugo de mango en leche, which was so satisfying after all that walking and swimming. The juice stand was awesome, and yes, they did give me la ñapa hahaha. As we ate, we had a laugh at the cute plump dogs who begged for everyone's food and about how sweet their lives must be eating and sleeping all day by the beach. After lunch we went back to the beach, and I had a little nap there. It was so peaceful.

We swam some more before the sun set then checked out the hammock situation. In the campsite you can either use your own camping equipment, or rent private shed/cabin thing, a tent, or a hammock like I mentioned before. We reserved hammocks for the night and they had rows of them set up underneath bungalows with a mosquito net draped over each one. They also came with a locker for your things that you secure with your own padlock. After getting situated we ate our dinner of canned tuna on tortillas that we brought into the park with us, along with avocado and little chocolates for dessert. Not too glamorous, but it was a good, filling, protein-packed option that wasn't too heavy for our backpacks. We wrapped up the night playing cards (there is no cell signal here fyi), taking our outdoor showers, and trying our best to get cozy in the hammocks.

Waking up the next morning I actually felt great. My hammock was not bad, and it got pretty cold at night with the breeze coming from the ocean. The other women I traveled with didn’t like the hammocks at all comfort wise, but we all felt safe throughout the night. It was also really cute to see that the dogs of the campsite slept under the little bungalows too. In the morning we ate canned salchichas and bread that we brought with us for breakfast (I was NOT a fan of this meal but it fueled me hahaha), and finally realized there was a power station before we left to start the trek out of the park. We took a ton of photos, charged up our phones and started on our way back.

On our way we stopped at the beach called La Piscina, and this was one of my favorite parts of the trip. There were much less people than at the beach by our campsite, the current was calmer, and it was the same clear beautiful water. The boulders at this beach were covered with vegetation underneath the water and there were tons of fish congregated there! I brought my snorkel for this exacttttt moment and with it I saw at least 6 species of fish all in huge schools. There was another woman snorkeling, and she kindly gave me tips to stop water from getting into my goggles and pointed out different areas to see other groups of fish. It was so awesome.

Playa La Piscina

The path from *Cabo San Juan* to La Piscina

When we initially left our campsite, a dog named Flipper left with us but went a different direction once we stopped at La Piscina. We encountered him again on the path a few hours later on the trail and it was such a sweet surprise. The hike out of the park went a lot faster than the hike in the day before. I didn't drink a ton of water, but I was fine, and once we got out of the park and back to the main road, we had cold coconut water and jugo de curuba as we waited for the bus back from the park to Santa Marta. This time the breeze on the bus plus my tiredness from all that hiking and swimming put me to sleep. We hopped off the bus to head to the bus station where we caught our Berlina bus back to Cartagena, and I gave thanks that everything went so smoothly. It was truly a wonderful experience, unlike any that I had before, and I absolutely recommend the trip to Parque Tayrona if you can go. It was incredibly refreshing to unplug, to be out in nature, and to recharge surrounded by so much beauty.

Cabo San Juan de Guía

DISCLAIMER: This site (octaviachristopher.com) is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.

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