COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN COAST : A WEEK ITINERARY

ONE WEEK ON THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN COAST

 We decided to travel along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. We departed from Cartagena and visited Santa Marta, Parque Tayrona, Palomino, and Minca. This is a full week trip; if you have more time, we advise you to also explore the Guajira region. We didn’t have time for it, and with the COVID situation, not everything was open. So, we will definitely have to come back later to do it.

Day 1: Cartagena to Santa Marta: Road and City

We rented a car in Cartagena and drove to Santa Marta. We left around 7:30 am and arrived in Santa Marta at 12 pm, taking about 4.5 hours. On the way, we were stopped twice for car and paper checks. So, don’t bring anything suspicious with you, and rent your car from a trustworthy place. We rented ours right next to the Cartagena airport at Turoll. The road landscapes between Barranquilla and Santa Marta are really nice. You'll have the sea on one side, the lagoon on the other, and lots of cacti and pink flowers – really pretty! Just before Santa Marta, there's a seaside village that lives off fishing. You'll see little cabins on the water and vendors on the street selling fresh fish. We stopped for a few minutes in the city center of Ciénaga, but there wasn't anything particularly interesting, so we continued towards Santa Marta. Santa Marta is one of the main cities in this region, located on the sea and surrounded by mountains. We arrived at our beautiful hotel, “Casa Carolina,” which was perfectly located in the center. There was plenty of parking around, so it was easy to park the car. It cost around 6,000 COP per day and 8,000 COP per night.

In the afternoon, we visited the center of Santa Marta. The main street with all the restaurants is Carrera 3. We had lunch at LamArt, which was really good, with big portions and good prices. We continued walking along Carrera 3 until the cute little Parque de los Novios. By the way, this street is really lively and crowded at night, with a really nice atmosphere. Then, we turned towards the sea on Calle 20 and discovered a really nice craft souvenir market. We walked on the pier and the beach of Santa Marta, which, by the way, isn't that great as the industrial port is really close. Then, we continued walking and got lost in the streets of the old town of Santa Marta, where we discovered a lot of beautiful street art. The old town of Santa Marta has a really hippie and hipster vibe. We stopped to see the Cathedral Basilica of Santa Marta, which was apparently the first built under ecclesiastical jurisdiction in South America. Then, we went back to the hotel to enjoy the pool before heading back to the lively Carrera 3 for dinner.

Day 2: Taganga and Parque Tayrona: Boat and Beach

We chose to discover one part of Parque Tayrona by boat and the other part by walking the next day. We took a taxi to Taganga, which cost around 13,000 COP from Santa Marta. Taganga is a fisherman's village surrounded by mountains. The landscape is quite amazing. From there, on the beach, you'll find many vendors selling day tours to Tayrona. We chose to visit two spots: Bahia Cinto in the morning and Playa Cristal in the afternoon. The boat ride is quite intense; be ready to fly, jump, and get wet. Lots of waves, but so much fun if you like little thrills and adventure. You'll also see a large part of the Tayrona coast – just super beautiful landscapes.

When we arrived in Bahia Cinto, it was just paradise. The landscape is amazing, and the water is calm and clear. People only come here by boat, which makes the beach really quiet. We really loved this beach.

Then, we went to Playa Cristal to eat because there are restaurants on this beach. Playa Cristal was definitely more crowded. But as soon as we arrived, we went to the restaurant that was on top of the hill. The view was just incredible! The food was typical, with fresh fish. Then, we went down to the beach and walked until the end. There, there are corals and many fish, so we spent our last hour snorkeling. It was incredible.

Then, it was time to go back to Taganga; the way back was a bit quieter than the way there. For this day trip, we paid 140,000 COP per person.

Day 3: Parque Tayrona: Jungle and Beach

We drove for about 45 minutes from Santa Marta to arrive at the last entrance of the park called El Zaino. We chose this entrance because it was the one with the shortest walk to the beach. We parked the car at the entrance; the parking inside was already full at 8:30 AM. Then, you have to pay the insurance, which is 5,000 COP per person, the entrance fee, which is 63,000 COP for foreign tourists (28,000 for foreigners with a Colombian ID), and then you have to pay for a minibus that takes you 5 km further to where the walk starts (that costs 5,000 COP per person).

On someone's advice, our first walk was 10 minutes towards a really nice lookout. We couldn’t wait to see more and do the big walk. Back at the main entrance, it was time to start. We first had a walk of around 45 minutes in the mountain/jungle with ups and downs to arrive at your first beach, Arrecifes. Beautiful landscape, but you can’t swim there. Be careful to swim only on authorized beaches; many people have died because they didn’t listen…

Then, you have about a 1-hour walk to arrive at the next beach where you can swim, called La Piscina. La Piscina has a huge beach; it was a bit crowded, but that’s because it’s one of the rare beaches where you can swim. The path between Arrecifes and La Piscina is flat; you will just have to walk in the mud and across rivers. You will even meet indigenous people selling coconut water along the way.

Then, you have to walk 30 minutes more to arrive at the famous beach of Cabo San Juan. The path between La Piscina and Cabo San Juan is super muddy and a bit challenging; at one point, you will have to climb a rock with the help of a rope. Beautiful beach, but super crowded. We stopped there to eat and rest. Then, you can go to the little cabin that has an incredible view!

We only spent the day in Parque Tayrona, meaning we had to leave relatively early to walk all the way back (more than 2 hours) and arrive before 5:30 pm, the park's closing time. Our advice, and what we will definitely do next time, is to sleep in Parque Tayrona. In Cabo San Juan, there are tents that you can rent for the night, and I can’t imagine how a sunset or sunrise would look there. So, that’s our only regret. That’s why we really advise you to spend a night in the park to enjoy it better. Because we felt a bit rushed, spending our day running and walking, and we didn’t really have time to appreciate the place as it should be.

Day 4: Palomino: Rio

Palomino is a little seaside village with a laid-back vibe, really appreciated by backpackers. We arrived in Palomino around 11 am, time for us to check in and have lunch. We booked the hotel TIKI HUT, a really nice hotel with bamboo cabin rooms. There's also a pool, a bar, and a good restaurant. Palomino is a small village by the sea.

In Palomino, you have the sea but also the river. And one of the most popular activities here is tubing down the river, so we decided to give it a try this afternoon. We were picked up by motos at the hotel and driven into the mountains on dirt roads with our inner tubes on our shoulders. It was so much fun, with a bit of thrill sometimes! Then, we walked 20 minutes up and down. On the way, we met indigenous people who had just finished harvesting coca leaves. Then, we arrived at the river, sat on our inner tubes, and went down the river. It was really relaxing, and the landscape was incredible. Our guide was also amazing; he explained a lot of things about the region. It took about 2 hours to arrive at the end of the river, where the sea and the river meet. We finally walked through the beach to come back to the hotel. Tubing was a super activity; we really recommend it.

Day 5: Palomino: Beach

We normally wanted to meet an indigenous community today. Unfortunately, because of COVID, we couldn't meet them as they need to protect themselves. So, we decided to enjoy the beach and relax today. Palomino is known for its beaches and for surfing. So, if you are passionate about surfing, take a class in Palomino. We also walked around a bit, bought some souvenirs, enjoyed the pool, and played pool. From Palomino, you can go up to La Guajira if you decide to do it. We advise you to book at least 3 days to fully enjoy the experience and go with an agency because you need a 4x4 and a guide. This time, we didn’t have time for it, but next time, we will definitely do it.

Day 6: Minca: Coffee and Cacao Farm

We left Palomino around 8:30 am and arrived in Minca around 10:30 am. Minca is a town located in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Minca is also called the “ecological capital.” Many hotels in Minca are located up in the mountains; to reach them, you need a really good 4x4. So, the best option is to park your car in one of the parking lots available in the city and take a 4x4 taxi or a moto taxi if you are alone. Our hotel, Mundo Nuevo, was 30 minutes from the center by car. The way up to our hotel cost us 90,000 COP.

The hotel Mundo Nuevo is really well located. First, you have an amazing view of the Sierra Nevada. There's an indigenous village below, and one of the children from this village is always around playing. The staff was super nice, and the meals were good, costing between 15,000 and 25,000 COP, with good portions. And because you are far from the center, you will likely eat there for your entire stay. Mundo Nuevo is also a 20-minute walk from a coffee and cacao farm, which we decided to visit in the afternoon. The coffee tour cost 25,000 COP per person, and it was super interesting. We learned all the processes from the plants to the coffee in our cup. The coffee produced there is organic and eco-friendly. And of course, we tried it! Then, we also decided to do the cacao tour, which also cost 25,000 COP. It was also really interesting; we understood the difference between dark, milk, and white chocolate. We made some chocolate, drank hot chocolate, and even made a chocolate facial mask. We really recommend doing both because they are both super interesting, and the owner explains everything so well!

We came back to the hotel still wearing our facial cacao masks to enjoy the sunset. The sunset in Minca is just incredible with the view – a moment you can’t miss!

Day 7: Minca: Bird Watch and Waterfall

We woke up early today to go birdwatching with a guide. Departure was at 6 am for a walk in nature with binoculars. Our guide was just incredible at finding all the birds; he explained everything well, and we even saw a toucan, which was a bit of our goal for the day. The experience cost 30,000 COP per person.

We came back for breakfast and decided to go to Pozo Azul, which are natural pools with waterfalls. From our hotel, we had a long walk in nature, so be prepared. It took us about 2 hours to get there; we crossed rivers, walked in the mud, crossed villages, and also got lost many times. The way to Pozo Azul isn't really well indicated, and we had somewhat forgotten the instructions we were given at the hotel… oops… Pozo Azul is really nice, but unfortunately, it was super crowded, so we couldn’t enjoy it that much. You can eat there if you need to. Dani went for a swim; I couldn’t as it was too cold. And then we walked back to our hotel. The way back wasn’t easy at all because this time we were going uphill, not downhill. We arrived at the hotel exhausted but on time for lunch at 1:30 pm.

The rest of the day, we enjoyed the calm and peacefulness of our hotel. It’s just incredible to be in the middle of nature with this incredible view. We also enjoyed a last sunset there – such an amazing moment.

Day 8: Minca to Cartagena: Road and Stops

It was time to go back to Cartagena. From Minca to Cartagena, it’s a bit less than 5 hours of driving. So, we decided to drive all morning and stop for lunch. At lunchtime, we stopped at Santa Verónica, a small town popular for kitesurfing. There are many restaurants on the beach. We enjoyed a really nice lunch with our feet in the sand, watching the sea.

Then, on the road between Santa Verónica and Cartagena, you can stop to see the pink salt lake, Galerazamba. If you want to see the water really pink, apparently the best month is March. Because in December, it wasn’t pink at all. So, double-check before going there as the way isn’t easy. When you arrive, you will have to give something to the locals to enter, around 5,000 COP.

You can also stop at the Totumo volcano and do a mud bath. Inside the volcano, there is mud that is apparently really good for your skin. This experience costs around 20,000 COP per person. Then, from there, it’s just less than an hour's drive to arrive in Cartagena.