For some of the most beautiful beaches in Colombia and a truly unique experience look no further than Tayrona National Park. Set at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Tayrona offers some of the most iconic views of Colombia. These aren't views you can just drive up to and snap a quick picture of, instead you'll need to walk through the jungle for hours sometimes, just for this eventual payoff. All this being said, there is hardly a nicer feeling than slipping into the ocean after walking in the hot sun. Sound appealing? Keep reading to find out how you can spend 48 hours in Tayrona National Park, Colombia.
FIRST AND FOR MOST: HOW MANY DAYS DO YOU NEED TO VISIT TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK?:
For us, 2 days aka 48 hours was the perfect amount of time. It's a fairly large park, made larger because you have to walk everywhere. Certainly people come for just a day trip and that would be totally fine if you don't have additional time to spare. To really experience the park and spend time relaxing on its beautiful beaches I would consider doing an overnight inside Tayrona. Our night in the park was also super fun! A third day may be fine if you really wanted some relaxation time, but I wouldn't consider more than that.
HOW TO GET TO TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK:
After spending almost a week in the Cartagena and Santa Marta details here, we were long overdue for beach time and thrilled to be finally heading for 48 hours in Tayrona National Park. A lot of people seem to take the bus to Tayrona from Santa Marta but we had rented a car back in Cartagena, it was cheap and easy so I'd definitely recommend.
RENTING A CAR IN COLOMBIA
We rented our car directly through Alamo's website and paid around $200 for 5 days. Pick up was at the Cartagena airport and we returned it later in Santa Marta's neighborhood, Rodadero. The check out was easy and we had no issues. I will say if you are not a confident driver, driving in Colombia is not for you. The cities are very congested and the hundreds of scooters on any given road do not care about cutting you off or swerving in and out of traffic. You definitely need to stick up for yourself and just go for it!
From Santa Marta you'll drive just one hour to reach the entrance of Tayrona National Park. You're going to read a lot about how early you need to get there, how thoroughly they search your baggage, how difficult it is to get in - but we figured out a hack - stay overnight in the park. A hotel booking guarantees you entrance, at any time during the day so the park quota is not a factor either.
There are two entrances to the park but most people will enter through the main one - Zaino located here. Double check the hours but as of now its open from 7am to noon, we arrived around 10:00am. One person will stay in the car to wait in the car line, while the other goes through the park entrance line to buy ticket, insurance and car permits. The park pass costs $12 a person and you'll need to bring your passport. Because you are driving in and staying overnight, they do not search your car - meaning that wine we hid under the seat was unnecessary ha! If you're simply going in for the day, your baggage will be searched. Liquor and plastic bags are not allowed in. Once you have all your paperwork, you simply drive through.
WHERE TO STAY FOR 48 HOURS IN TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK:
You're going to have a few options, depending on how adventurous you are.
For the most adventurous, you can camp. The camping sites actually looked quite nice walking by and staying at Cabo San Juan del Guia looks incredible (although there are multiple locations). You can book either a tent or a hammock. One con is that for the most part, you're not going to be able to drive to the camp sites and the walk - with your luggage could be as far as 2 hours. The pros include not walking back and forth if you're staying multiple days and of course the cost.
For the lesser adventurous (that's me!), there are a few hotel options IN Tayrona National Park. As I mentioned, this guarantees entrance. The cost was relatively low and what we picked was super nice. Plus AC!
When I saw it on booking, I was immediately sold. Tiny Houses Unique Tayrona is just adorable and it cost us just 310,300 COP, thats $66 for the night with breakfast.
They are currently building more "chalets" and for the time being we were the only ones! Exciting to be literally the only ones in the jungle...at night.
You eat breakfast at a nearby hotel (5 minute walk) where you can also eat dinner if you pre request it.
There were so many pros to staying here and I highly recommend it. One consideration though is that you will walk back and forth a lot. We walked to Cabo San Juan on the first day and then alllll the way back to Piscina the next. The campers avoid this.
One note, the location on google maps is very misleading. The driveway is located closer to here. Look for the tiny road on your left, there are signs for two other hotels there but not Tiny Houses.
WHAT TO BRING FOR 48 HOURS IN TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK:
Sunscreen, sunscreen and more sunscreen
Bug spray
Water
Food - we brought sandwiches to have for lunch but up to you!
A towel to lay on at the beach
Hat
Waterproof shoes or shoes you don't care about getting wet/muddy
Backpack
WHERE TO EAT FOR 48 HOURS IN TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK:
There are a handful of small restaurants inside Tayrona National Park, they seem to be primarily focused around Piscina and Cabo San Juan. It's an easy stop for lunch if you're hanging on those beaches or just walking by and a great option for dinner should you be staying in those areas. Prices seemed to be reasonable.
We had prepared, not totally sure of the food situation prior, and brought in groceries to make sandwiches to carry with us.
HOW TO GET AROUND TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK:
Surprise you will be walking!
Use this handy guide courtesy of tomplannytrip.com
One thing, we didn't necessarily know was that you can drive all the way down to Canaveral and park there. Definitely do this, you'll save a lot of time.
It is possible to get around on horseback, we didn't do it but you'll see the horses directly after the parking lot at Canaveral.
The trail is super clear and there are a few directional signs with walking distances to help. The first 15 minutes starts off with a climb - don't worry though, after this its quite easy.
Keep your eyes peeled for monkeys! We saw them 3 times through out our time here.
A view of Arricefes on the way in.
You can't swim at all of the beach here due to heavy tides. A guide here
Castilletes (longest, calm beach)
Arrecifes (no swimming)
Cabo San Juan de la Guía (iconic view, popular, can swim)
La Piscina (small but great for swimming)
Nudist Beach (can swim, can be nude)
We've almost made it to La Piscina, a look at the calm waters on the way in.
La Piscina is a great place for a stop if you need one and the first place you'll come across food and drinks to purchase. Make sure you have cash. We actually brought in sandwiches and snacks so carrying in is of course an option as well. La Piscina actually consists of two beaches, the first Piscina 1 and second Piscina 2 approximately 8 minutes further. In my opinion Piscina 2 is much nicer and it's worth the extra walk.
Continue on to Cabo San Juan del Guia for an ever better view. The trail does get quite muddy here and there are some streams you cross that its pretty hard not to get your feet wet in. It's all part of the adventure in my opinion, but you can always switch into flip flops for this part.
2 hours later - YOU FINALLY MADE IT!! The pay off is incredible and its definitely worth the walk. There are more food vendors here as well should you need something.
You can continue even further to the nudist beach but we were pooped at this point and opted to stay put.
INDIGENOUS OF TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK
You can find better sources of information about the indigenous tribes that live to this day within Tayrona National Park - but what I'll say is this: you should be aware that there are native people that live here. That means don't leave your garbage on the beach. It means if you see someone, please leave them alone. For years, it was possible to visit their village and see more about their life by walking in land towards Pueblito. That experience is now off limits due to bad behavior by other tourists.
On your second day in Tayrona National Park, you could choose to turn in land on this path - but as I've said Pueblito is closed so I'm not sure you'll see much more than you've already seen along the coast.
Instead opt for more relaxation by heading towards the beach that caught your fancy day 1. We picked Piscina Beach 2 (just slightly past the main beach) and did not regret our choice.
BACK TO REALITY
We left Tayrona in late afternoon, the gates close at 4 so make sure you're out by then. We returned our car at the Alamo in Rodadero, Santa Marta and stayed near by at Blu Hotel by Tamaca. We had a super early flight which is why we did this but it is possible return at the airport as well. You'll be right in the mix of things staying here. It's a similar experience to Old Town, Santa Marta with a very going out vibe that seems a bit more local and authentic. If you see a food truck selling stuffed arepas, this is where you need to eat. It was located on Calle 6 and what originally was supposed to be a snack turned into dinner when we went back 20 minutes later in search of more!