Tayrona National Natural Park

Parques Nacionales Naturales De Colombia, National Natural Park (1964). Dry Tropical Forest, Boulder Strewn Beaches And Coral Coves At The Foot Of The Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta, On The Ancestral Land Of The Tayrona Peoples And Sacred To The Kogi. · Santa Marta, Magdalena

Tayrona is a strip of Caribbean coast where the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta drops straight into the sea, and it is one of the most beautiful and most visited parks in Colombia. Dry tropical forest, huge granite boulders, palm-lined beaches and small coves are linked by forest trails, and you get in by walking, since vehicles stop at the gate. It is also ancestral land: the Kogi, Wiwa, Arhuaco and Kankuamo peoples regard this coast as sacred, and there are old Tayrona terraces in the forest. The park is hot, muddy in the rain, and crowded in holiday weeks. Most beaches are NOT safe for swimming, because rip currents have drowned many visitors; only a few sheltered spots are. Come for the walk, the forest and the views, not for easy beach time. Facilities are basic, food is simple and pricey, there is almost no signal, and the best rewards go to people who start early, book their bed ahead in busy weeks, carry their own water, and take the ban on plastic and the closure rules seriously.

Caribbean coastal park about 35 km east of Santa Marta, entered at El Zaino and walked or ridden in to the beaches at Arrecifes and Cabo San Juan, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia

Open daily from early morning, with the last entry in the early afternoon so that you can reach the beaches before dark; you must be out of the sheltered camps or on the way out by evening. The park closes for periods of ancestral rest requested by indigenous communities, traditionally a few weeks in February and one or two other short windows in the year, so check the national parks office dates before planning. The main entrance is El Zaino on the highway; Calabazo is a quieter alternative. Hours and closure dates change, so verify.

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