The next Colombian city was Santa Marta which lies only 230km away to the north east from Cartagena. However, with Colombian traffic, flooding highways and the condition of our van being a tad questionable, it took nearly 6 hours to get there. Unfortunately, our misfortune did not stop there with our quest to Parque Tayrona taking a few turns for the worst with an illegal driver and road closures. Nonetheless, we finally arrived at our destination and spent the night enjoying one of South America's loveliest coastlines. Click here for Part 2 of Parque Tayrona where I discuss all this more in-depth.
What was to be a 1 hour drive + 2 hour hike to the campground took a slight delay with our driver from Santa Marta being illegal and his car being impounded. After 2-3 hours stuck on a closed highway, we finally arrived at the entrance nearing dusk. With only an hour left before dark, we had no choice but to wander the jungle by horse. It was actually pretty awesome so we did it again the next morning ;)
Summary Days spent: 2 nights, 2 days Type of Lodging: Hostel Name of Lodging: La Brisa Loca Activities: Parque Tayrona There isn't too much to do in Santa Marta as most people travel here to get to Parque Tayrona. Hoping your trip to the national park will take only 30 minutes as oppose to 8 hours. Allow for extra days in Parque Tayrona as you may want to checkout other islands accessible only from there via boat. Click HERE to read more about our trip and reviews.