South for the Summer: Taganga and Parque Nacional Tayrona

Taganga, y Parque Nacional Tayrona, Colombia

I spent the next four days after Cartagena in a small fishing village called Taganga, and one night in the national park Tayrona. Taganga was a four-hour bus ride from Cartagena. I took a private bus that picked me up from where I was staying in Cartagena and dropped me off right in front of the hostel I stayed at in Taganga.

I arrived in Taganga on a Sunday at around 4pm, and apparently Sunday is party day, because literally the entire town was out on the beachfront (which only stretches about a quarter of a mile) drinking. There are only four paved roads in Taganga and the rest are really uneven dirt roads littered with trash. My guidebook had described Taganga as a cute touristy fishing village that was a great alternative to Santa Marta. Upon first impression, I didn’t agree with the book. At first, it seemed a little dangerous, and because the entire town had been drinking when I first got there, I felt like I had to really watch my back around town. However, as I settled in, met people at my hostel, and got a little more used to the environment, I came to realize that its actually a relaxing, beachy place, that is in fact really touristy. In small towns like Taganga, you always feel safer in numbers. The main beach in Taganga isn’t very nice….its kinda dirty and usually overrun with people. But, only a 15 minute walk around the peninsula, you arrive at playa grande, a much nicer, beautiful beach with chairs that you can rent. My second day in Taganga I spent the entire day there with some friends I met at my hostel, and managed to down another fried fish lunch. This one was special though because I got to pick the fish I wanted to eat (freshly caught that morning). It was awesomely delicious.

So the main reason I went to Taganga in the first place was to go to Tayrona. Tayrona is a national park that is known to have the most beautiful untouched beaches on the carribean coast of Colombia. After two nights in Tanganga, I took an hour bus ride from my hostel to the park entrance. I managed to only pay the student fee by just showing my Javeriana ID card, and saved 20 000 pesos (always nice). I bought a couple snacks to last me for a day and a huge bottle of water. Equipped with my backpack, a bathing suit, toiletpaper and a change of clothes, I began the two hour hike through the jungle/forrest to get to Cabo San Juan, where I would camp that night. The hike was awesome. I met a dutch guy who was going to the same campsite, so we walked together. We passed through jungle terrain, walked along deserted beaches, and along muddy trails for two hours…while sweating though our clothes. It was a great hike, and I even enjoyed the sweat. Didn’t manage to see any wildlife, but saw armies of ants, and one neon green lizard.

Cabo San Juan is a campsite steps away from the beach, where you can rent hammocks to sleep in for about 30 000 pesos, $15. (A little pricey for just a hammock, outdoor showers, and shared bathrooms, but, totally worth it for the beach, and the atmosphere, you’re in paradise). Almost everyone at this campsite was a traveling backpacker: all were tourists. Ill let the pictures speak for themselves on this one, check them out below. There are really no words to describe how pretty it was.

I only spent one night in the Tayrona park as I was essentially there alone. I probably could have easily slept in a hammock for a week, and enjoyed paradise a little longer though, but only if the bathroom/shower situation had been better equipped. Instead, I headed back to Taganga mid afternoon on the 20^th of July, just in time for the Independence day festivities. Taganga has a couple really nice open air bars/clubs that over look the ocean. My favorite was called “El Mirador,” which is up on cliff from which you can see the entire cove in which the town is situated.