The Tayrona National Park is located in the north of Colombia on the Caribbean coast, east of the city Santa Marta, with tropical jungle and white beaches.
background
The Tayrona National Park was named after the Tayrona Indians who lived there until the 16th century when they were driven out and exterminated by colonial powers.
history
Tayrona National Park was established in the late 1960s.
landscape
Flora and fauna
climate
There is a tropical climate.
getting there
The easiest way to start your journey is from Santa Marta. Here buses run regularly every half hour past the main entrance of the park all day from Calle 11 and Carrera 11. You can recognize the right bus on the board with the main stops if it says "Parque Nacional Tayrona" or something similar. The journey takes about an hour and costs around 6,000 COP.
It is advisable to take food with you. There are a few restaurants within the national park that also sell snacks and drinks, but the prices are very expensive by Colombian standards (e.g. 0.3l soft drink 4,000 COP).
entry
- Locals: COP 13,000
- Foreigners: COP 38,000
A yellow fever vaccination is not only recommended, it is mandatory. Evidence is sometimes checked.
Camps
mobility
In the Tayrona National Park you can only get further on foot. The distance from the main entrance Canaveral (where the bus stops) to Canaveral itself can also be covered by van (~ 2,000 COP) or your own car; But this is the only paved route, all other paths are unpaved. Horses can be taken from Canaveral to Arrecives.
Tourist Attractions
One of the main attractions and a destination if you are just taking a day trip to Tayrona National Park is "La Piscina", west of Canaveral. If you walk all the way from the main entrance to Canaveral to "La Piscina", you will be on the road for about 2.5 hours. "La Piscina" is a beautiful beach and is one of the few beaches in the national park where you can go swimming at all. Many other beaches are closed to bathing due to dangerous currents.
plants
Animals
From 15 cm tall grasshoppers to snakes to lizards, you can actually see all sorts of animals that can be found in the tropics. If you are lucky, you can also spot monkeys with black and white patterns in the trees.
activities
to buy
There are no supermarkets or the like in the national park itself.
kitchen
accommodation
There is the possibility to spend the night in sheltered campsites or in permanent accommodation, whereby the prices for permanent accommodation far exceed the usual prices for budget accommodation in Colombia.
Camps in the park
Outside the park
security
You are safe within the national park, although you should of course be aware of possible dangers from the animal world. There are always warnings about snakes.
