Tayrona National Park in 48 Hrs
We only have a week in Colombia but we felt we had to squeeze in two nights at Tayrona National Park. Some may say it was silly because we definitely could have benefited from slightly longer in our three Colombian locations however we bit the bullet and booked a flight from Bogotá to Santa Marta (the nearest city to Tayrona) on Wednesday lunchtime.
Landing in Santa Marta was unlike any other airport experience. The airport was tiny for domestic flights only and the runway was approximately 5 metres from the edge of the Caribbean ocean so it felt like you were about to land on water until the very last second. From the airport we got a taxi to Momotoco roundabout in which the local busses to the National park stopped. Hopping on a local bus was a very cool experience all be it sweaty and squashed with our backpacks but doing it this way was significantly cheaper than getting a taxi directly to the hostel.
The busses drive at an insane speed (I’m not sure there’s much time for road rules in Colombia) and subsequently we went one stop further than we were supposed to which did result in us having to cross the road and get on another bus back to the nearest point to the hostel.
The one thing I said I didn’t want to do before backpacking was to go on a motorbike so you can imagine my face when we step off the bus and realise that we were faced with either a mototaxi up to the hostel or a 25 minute hike in 35°c heat with all our luggage. And just like that I was on a motorbike crossing over streams and jungle paths up to The Valley Hostel.
Our stay at The Valley was surreal, it’s almost more of a resort than a hostel. There are bunks with mosquito nets which are quite open, we stayed in a 6 bed which we found perfect and not too hot in the night despite the lack of A/C. We did however realise that a lot of people staying there appeared to stay in double rooms with A/C, on top of this they have a wristband payment scheme which is insanely easy as you just tap to pay however this makes it very easy to spend, especially when happy hour is every hour.
The views from The Valley were honestly incredible & we enjoyed the mix of social spaces and little nooks so you could decide how social you wanted to be. For us this was social, all the people we met here were incredibly friendly. We joined them watching the sunset from one of the nets before showering, the showers have a half walk which make for an interesting experience with a view out into the trees and for us being joined by a jungle frog (I was so incredibly happy about this). We then made a pub quiz team on the first night and partook in their bizarre take on a pub quiz, followed by dancing which was incredibly fun and incredibly sweaty too.
The following day after good sleep we rose and got breakfast before hopping on a mototaxi which for 5000 COP more than the 10000 COP trip to the hostel entrance took us to the park entrance.
When visiting Tayrona National Park you need a passport, cash for health insurance and a park entry ticket. We panicked at the realisation of our lack of passports at this point but were great full to be accepted with images of them. There are lots of options when you are inside the park, different beaches, places to stay over etc. We intended on walking to the first swimming beach and going for a dip before heading back.
Our stroll to the beach was definitely not as easy as anticipated, it was heavily pitched as a beginners hike and although we didn’t struggle with anything other than the heat I can only imagine how you would feel if you were a beginner hiker because the start of the walk involved drastic steps up and down for quite a chunk of it, once you’ve made it past this point the rest of the route is entirely flat however but just be warned.
The sights across the whole hike are unbelievable, the sights of jungle onto beach feel like AI. The animals that accompany you along the route if you keep an eye out are so special, we saw monkeys (including babies), lizards of a variety of sizes, hundreds of ants carrying leaves triple their size and so many more. Find the animal reel on Insta <3
The first swimming beach we reached was unfortunately closed due to the water conditions but that made it even more special when we finally got to dunk. The water was warm and even sparkled, the sand along the whole beach was flickering with gold which was beautiful. The waves were wild and we had sand absolutely everything when we came out of the ocean. The gold sand as so sticky, I’m sure if you looked hard enough you’d still find flecks of gold on my skin. We relaxed and refuelled before heading back, it was easier going back as it always is when you know the route.
It was incredible to see how well maintained the park was with only one or two pieces of litter spotted in the entire 6 hours. Another thing that came as a surprise was the peacefulness. The entrance to the park was filled with many tourists and locals ready for a day in the park yet inside it seemed that we didn’t cross that many people and everyone we did was very respectful of the surroundings. Perhaps everyone had walked further towards the beach where you can stay over?
When we made it back to The Hostel we relaxed and enjoyed some food and happy hour cocktails. We made some friends at the hostels salsa class and spent the evening teaching them Chase the Ace and then having a late night hot tub session.
Waking up to pack the next morning was hard work, it’s hard to keep track of your belongings in the bunks because the lighting is mostly natural and it was quite dark in the day to keep it cool. We managed to have a few hours by the pool before heading back to Santa Marta Bus terminal to embark on our bus journey with Rapido Ochoa to Medellin. When we got to the bus station I very quickly realised how hungry I was and Fin thankfully found me some cheese free street food, an egg and potato hash brown of sorts. We then hopped on the bus which was intended to be 15hours and ended up taking 21. You win some you loose some.
Despite our long journeys both into and out of the jungle and the money spent to make it happen the adventure was definitely worth it. The views were unforgettable and I am eternally grateful we managed to squeeze it in.
See you soon,
ele @theflowerandfrog
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