Category: Colombia

Crossing the border into Ecuador from Colombia

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The border from Colombia to Ecuador is known as a relatively dangerous one, however it is also a convenient way to travel between the two countries for those doing a long South America journey. Many people who want to visit both Las Lajas Sanctuary and Otavalo will find that this is much more convenient than flying between the two countries despite the long journey’s involved in travelling overland.

Ipiales is a necessary stop to cross the border, but it is like any other border town – don’t hang around here there is nothing to do and its not safe. Stay overnight if you need to as the border crossing does take a while and you will likely have travelled quite a distance to get to the border. Allow plenty of time to get over the border in either direction.

Top Tip for crossing the border:

Visit Las Lajas Sanctuary (a stunning church surrounded by lush scenery) while you are here. It’s a must-see sight – see my blog post here.

Where to stay:

I don’t have any specific recommendations for places to stay in Ipiales other than I recommend you don’t if you can help it. BUT as always you should be able to find something good on Booking.com as they have a few passable options. I suggest spending a bit more to get a nicer hotel here as you won’t want to leave it while you are in Ipiales and also suggest booking something with a restaurant as there is nowhere nice to eat in Ipiales.

Getting there and away:

Ipiales is a 12 hour bus journey from Cali (the closest city in Colombia of any interest to tourists) or if you are arriving from Ecuador it’s a an approx. 3 hour journey from Otavalo in Ecuador (not including time spent crossing the border).

To get to the border from Ipiales you just need to take a taxi or a colectivo – your hotel can call a taxi for you or let you know where to catch the colectivo from. The border crossing is called Frontera/Rumichaca so you will want one heading in this direction.

Preparation needed:

Before you head to the border spend all your Colombian money – purchase water and snacks for the bus journey into Otavalo. I recommend not buying anything at the border crossing as it is all overpriced.

Also check the exchange rate for COP to US Dollars before you leave for the border so you know what a good rate is as you will likely need to change money at the border (they can sometimes rip you off – make sure you know how much you should receive and count your bills). 

What to expect:

If arriving at the Colombian side of the border, turn left to queue at the Colombian Immigration office to get your exit stamp. Take the right gate to leave the immigration office and head towards the bridge (only a short walk).

On the Ecuadorean side of the bridge turn right and head towards their immigration office. Get in this line to get an entry stamp – you will be asked to leave your big bags outside.Turn right out of the office and follow the road across to a carpark – here a collectivo will take you to Tulcan Terminal (15 min trip from the border).

Allow a few hours for this border crossing process due to queues. Also, there is no fee to enter or exit so do not pay anyone. Buses leave regularly to Otavalo from Tulcan and take 3 hours. There are great mountain views on the road. Also the buses often get stopped by police so be prepared for this. 

Let me know if it all goes smoothly for you and if any of this information is out of date!

Erika xx

Visiting Las Lajas Sanctuary

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Las Lajas is a stunning church surrounded by lush scenery on the Ecuador Colombia border. In any other country it would be top of the guide book but unfortunately due to its location its very under-appreciated. I hope to inspire more people to visit and stop here on an overland journey from Colombia to Ecuador or vice versa!

Top Tip for visiting Las Lajas Sanctuary:

My top tip is to not hang around in the area – visit the sanctuary and then leave! There isn’t really anything else to do here – its near the border with no places nearby. We stayed the night in Ipiales but only because we absolutely had to. I suggested spending as little time as is humanly possible there. The border crossing takes a while though so make sure to allow plenty of time for that in either direction. See my post here for information on how to cross the border into Ecuador.

Where to stay:

I don’t have any specific recommendations for places to stay in Ipiales (the closest town to get to Las Lajas Church. You should be able to find something good on Booking.com as they have a few passable options. I suggest spending a bit more to get a nicer hotel here as you won’t want to leave it while you are in Ipiales and also suggest booking something with a restaurant as there is nowhere nice to eat in Ipiales.

Getting there and away:

The best location to visit the Sanctuary from is Ipiales – this is a 12 hour bus journey from Cali (the closest city in Colombia of any interest to tourists) or an approx. 3 hour journey to Otavalo in Ecuador (not including time spent crossing the border). If you are visiting from further afield, San Luis Regional Airport is nearby.

Getting around:

From Ipiales – you can taxi to Las Lajas Sanctuary. No need to ask the taxi to wait as there are colectivos (shared taxi’s) waiting to ferry people back into town from the church.

Food:

There are a few restaurants and shops by the church – nothing spectacular. If you are game you can try the local delicacy spit-roasted guinea pig. Im serious. Keep an eye out for the disturbing pictures outside restaurants advertising that this is for sale.

What to expect:

Expect to be wowed by the beauty of this church! There is no fee to enter and you can wander the area as long as you like – allow 3 hours.

Always keep your wits about you in this part of Colombia but otherwise – have fun!

Erika xx

Itinerary: 3 days in Cali

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Cali, Colombia – the world’s Salsa capital. A quirky, intoxicating city with a hint of danger. We visited Cali mainly for the Salsa clubs and because it was on our general path towards the border of Colombia – but it had so much more to offer us!

GENERAL INFO

Getting there and away:

Cali is well connected by bus to the rest of Colombia. We travelled to Cali from Armenia which takes 4-5 hours. From Cali we took a 12 hour bus trip to Ipiales (includes a lunch stop) to cross the border. In this part of Colombia I definitely recommend travelling during the daytime. We would usually take a 12 hour bus trip as an overnighter but its not super safe here you don’t want to take the risk. Also the trip from Cali to Ipiales has beautiful views.

Accommodation:

We stayed at Hotel Pajara Pinta which was clean and tidy and a great base to explore the area – you can book through Booking.com.

Food:

When you are in Cali you MUST try their street burgers!! Yes you heard me right street burgers! Unlike usual street food they are no light snacks easy to eat with your fingers but mammoth burgers filled with meat, cheese, bacon, sauce and sticks of crispy potato. DELICIOUS. Make sure you bring your appetite!

Alternatively, there are lots of nice restaurants around as there is definitely an upper class in Cali. In one Italian restaurant we went to a white guy walks in like he owns the place, speaks perfect Spanish to the wait staff, gets doted on like he does own the place and then while sipping his espresso at the end of the meal offers to help us get some cocaine if we would like. Cali is a crazy place!

Getting around:

Lots of Cali is very walkable – the only time we tried to walk around at night (A 15 minute walk back to our hotel) though some people tried to rob us. So – always have your wits about you and get a taxi if you aren’t sure about safety!

Don’t call a taxi off the street if you can help it in all of Colombia but particularly in Cali. Bars and hotels etc. will call a taxi for you if you need one. Buses in Cali are a better option during the day but are never on time – give yourself plenty of time to get around. But drivers are very helpful – ask them to tell you where to get off. You can only disembark from the back doors. 

Top Tip: Don’t get to caught up on fitting lots in while you are in Cali. The city doesn’t really have that many top attractions or things to do. We spent a lot of time wandering, eating and taking it all in. Its a great place to do just that! Also a great spot to have a sleep in after dancing the night away!

A dog sleeping off his big night in Cali

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES

  1. Salsa like there is no tomorrow! The clubs are good from about 11pm. Great options are La Topa Tolondra (plays exclusively salsa both foreigners and locals go here) or Tin Tin Deo. 
  2. Visit San Cipriano – this little town in the jungle outside Cali is a super unique experience. To get into the town you take a makeshift train made from a motorbike that goes along train tracks called ‘La Brujita’. The little village is situated along a calm river that is great for tubing down on a warm day. It’s a bit of a trip from Cali but worth doing for the experience! Make a full day of it. See my post about San Cipriano here for some tips for visiting.
  3. Chill in San Antonio Park – its a great place to people watch and have a beer with a great view of the city.
  4. On Sundays, Parque el Penon fills with artists and musicians and is worthwhile checking out.
  5. Head to the statue of ‘El Gato del Rio’ – and his ‘girlfriends’ which are other statues of cats designed by local artists. We loved the colourful cats and reading about all the different cat personalities. Such a great idea!

Let me know in the comments if you have been to Cali and have any other great spots for us to check out next time we visit!

Erika xx

Visiting San Cipriano

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This little town in the jungle outside Cali is a super unique experience. To get into the town you take a makeshift train made from a motorbike that goes along train tracks called ‘La Brujita’. The little village is situated along a calm river that is great for tubing down on a warm day. It’s a bit of a trip from Cali but worth doing for the experience!

If you want some tips on visiting Cali and things to do there see my post here.

Top Tip for San Cipriano:

If you are just doing a day trip I suggest hiring a tube from a place that has lockers for you to put your stuff – you don’t want to lug all your stuff on the long walk to the head of the river and then try to keep it from getting wet while you are tubing. Best to leave it in town! Take a lock though as the rental place isn’t likely to provide one.

Where to stay:

We only did a day trip to Cali and in our opinion it only needs a day trip but if you have kids or want to spend a bit of extra time just relaxing by the river then there are a few basic places here to stay overnight. I suggest finding something through booking.com as its a really user friendly site and you get a good feel for what to expect from the property you are booking.

Getting there and away:

We visited San Cipriano on a day trip from Cali – you can also visit from Buenaventura in the other direction. You will need to bus to the entrance to San Cipriano then take ‘La Brujita’ into the jungle.

From the terminal, take a bus to Buenaventura (tell them at the bus station you are going to San Cipriano) and get dropped at the Zaragoza entrance to San Cipriano. Buses in Cali are never on time (give yourself plenty of time to get around) but the drivers are very helpful – ask them to tell you where to get off. You can only disembark from the back doors. 

Once you have been dropped off on the side of the highway, cross the road and take the suspension bridge into the village to buy a return ticket for the La Brujita (there’s an office before the suspension bridge but its closed on weekdays).

Transport out of San Cipriano ends at 5pm so if you are doing a day trip make sure to get to the edge of town for 4pm to make sure you can get ‘La Brujita’ out of town before they stop. To bus back to Cali just flag down a bus heading back in the direction of Cali and pay the fare on the bus.

Getting around:

You have to take ‘La Brujita’ into town. There is no other way in. Make sure to allow plenty of time as they break down sometimes. Also, there isn’t a lot of organisation to the experience and sometimes one of the contraptions comes the other way while you are on the tracks. One of the vehicles then needs to be lifted off the tracks while the other gets past. It takes a while…

Also make sure to be ready for the walk along the river from town to start the tubing. The walk is 30-45 mins upstream to La Platina to tube down: should result in 1-2 hours of tubing down the river. It’s a bit of a hike in the heat and difficult if you have little ones who get tired quickly. Also think about wearing trainers even though you will be in the river later. Ones that you don’t mind getting wet or can put in a dry bag.

Food:

The speciality in San Cipriano is large river prawns in coconut sauce. There are lots of basic restaurants in town serving local fare. 

What to bring with you for the day:

  1. Money (There are no ATMs or eftpos facilities)
  2. Water and snacks – most of the day you won’t be near the shops and restaurants.
  3. Togs – you will definitely be getting wet tubing down the river
  4. A rain jacket or jumper in case the weather turns
  5. A dry bag if you don’t want to use the lockers or for any extra items you do want to take with you down the river like food and water.
  6. Bug repellant
  7. Sunscreen
  8. A lock to keep your things safe.
  9. A go pro if you have one or a phone with a waterproof case.
  10. Trainers as it’s a lot of walking.

What to expect:

You will have a great time! Don’t expect a smooth trip though. We went in dry season so the river wasn’t very high and we kept getting stuck! It was fun but hard work. There’s also a rest stop halfway down the river at Charro Oscuro. During weekends/holidays there are snacks and cold beverages for sale here.

Erika xx

Visiting Valle de Cocora in Salento

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The hike to Valle De Cocora is gorgeous, easy going and leads to one of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen with some fun stops along the way. Getting to Salento is a bit tricky as its a bit out of the way into Colombia’s interior but everything is a bit of a distance in Colombia and this stop is definitely worth the journey!

Moody Views

Colombia’s national tree – The Wax Palm

Where to stay:

We stayed at El Viajero Hostel – its clean, comfortable, centrally located and has great views. It also isn’t a party hostel but is friendly – we met some really nice people to hang with there which is important when you are travelling alone or in a couple for a long period of time!

Getting there and away:

Salento is quite out of the way but the closest major town is Armenia and you should be able to catch a bus from many places in Colombia to arrive at the Armenia bus station. We travelled to Armenia from Medellin on an overnight bus (the trip was 10:30pm to 5:30am). You can also get to/from Cali in 4-5 hours by bus (this is where we headed next).

To transfer to Salento once you have reached Armenia, walk inside the bus terminal and up two flights of stairs – continue straight in the same direction until you reach the end of the terminal and walk outside to where the local buses run. Buses to Salento should be waiting here (there is a sign but easy to miss). The transfer costs 4,000 COP approx. and takes around 1 hour (buses start running at 5:20am every 20 mins).

Getting around:

Its easy to get around Salento as you can walk from one end of town to the other in about 20 minutes. It’s not large!

If you want to head out to Valle de Cocora (and who doesn’t???) you can take a ‘Willy’ (pictured below) from the main square.

Food:

Coffee coffee and more coffee! Definitely drink Coffee! Salento is in one of the coffee growing regions in Colombia and is a great place to learn, make, taste and purchase coffee.

Other than that the food wasn’t particularly memorable – there’s lots of places to eat around town.

My morning coffee at our hostel in Salento (honourable mention to that VIEW!

What to expect on your hike:

Make sure to head into the main square early in case you need to wait as the jeeps do fill up. You pay for a return ride at the beginning so when finishing the hike you can hop on any jeep to get back into town. Willys cost about 8,000 COP return. 

Directions to hike Counterclockwise:
Turn right at the blue gate and follow the path down the hill. This track takes you past the trout farm (which is not worth stopping at) and starts off un-inspiring through paddocks.
BUT then you enter the cloud forest and you cross 7 Puentes which is gorgeous. The hummingbird sanctuary Acaime (5,000COP entry) is a long walk off the main route (about 2 hours into the hike) but is definitely worth going to and signs direct you here. Entry includes a hot chocolate. On the way back from Acaime do not take the first right as this is a long hike heading somewhere different. The loop ends  with La Montana and the wax palms.

All going well this should be a leisurely 6 hour walk.

sdr
sdr

What to bring on your hike:

  • Some cash for your entry to Acaime (There are a couple of ATMs in Salento)
  • A rain jacket (The weather changes fast here and you will be heading up into the mountains)
  • Hiking boots – its not a difficult hike but its pretty long
  • Comfortable, warm, clothes
  • Directions as above – this hike is NOT well signposted
  • Food and water – Acaime is really just a stop for the hummingbirds – make sure you stock up with some snacks and water in Salento.
  • A camera to photograph the hike, hummingbirds and the incredible trees. 
Ready to go!

Other activities while you’re in Salento

Salento’s drawcard isn’t only the hike. It’s a great place to chill out for a day or two. The locals and houses are colourful, the town is picturesque and there are a few other cool activities you won’t want to miss.

Tejo is exhilirating! That gunpowder is LOUD when it goes off
  1. Play Tejo – Colombia’s national game which essentially involves throwing targets at gunpowder (Sounds fun right?). Salento is a great place to play as Tejo is very popular here and the nearest local can always direct you to the closest place to play. When we were in Salento a man who we could only deduce was the town Pimp (a short man in a full length fur coat) led us into a dingy basement under a dive bar where we got to play Tejo for free (as long as you are buying beer!). Gunpowder and beer – I would expect nothing less from Colombia’s mountain cowboys. The game is really fun and actually requires a lot of skill.
  2. Take a coffee tour! I recommend Finca el Ocaso. As I mentioned above Salento is within Colombia’s coffee region – and what great coffee it has. Finca el Ocaso is close to the town and a great spot to learn about how coffee is made, issues of production and sustainability and taste test it! You can get here on a willy for 4,000 COP otherwise its a 1 hour walk from town.
  3. Explore the town of Salento – Calle Real is a street filled with interesting shops and places to eat and at night is filled with music and dancing. At the end of this long street you can walk up to Mirador Alto de la Cruz via the colourful stairs and check out the view.

Make the time in your itinerary to head out of the way to Salento – you won’t regret it!

Erika xx

Visiting Guatape: Day Trip from Medellin

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Colombia has a lot of big cities. Medellin is to me just that (unpopular opinion – lots of travellers love Medellin). Yes it has some fascinating history but really these days its a mild city with mild weather and mild activities. Most of the ‘things to see’ here are tours trying to re-create some of the excitement of Medellin’s sordid past by making you feel like you are visiting somewhere dangerous.

However, if you do find yourself in Medellin I do suggest taking a day trip to Guatape. This country town is definitely worth seeing – it is one of the most colourful places you have ever seen with bright paint everywhere and murals on every building. Also, it is home to Piedra Penol – a giant rock with 700 steps so you can climb to the top and see an amazing view of the beautiful Colombian countryside.

Top Tip for Guatape:

The town of Guatape is super cute but the best thing to do here is Piedra del Penol so don’t miss this! It’s a massive climb with lots of steps but its worth it for the view! Allow plenty of time to get to the top if you aren’t super fit and don’t think you can manage it. There is a place to purchase refreshments at the top if you need to rest for a while once you get there.

Definitely don’t discount the town though! It’s a great place to relax and breathe in the cool mountain air after your climb!

Where to stay:

Guatape is a pretty small town – I definitely think a day trip is plenty of time. BUT if you want a relaxing weekend away or want to take things a bit slower (ie. you are travelling with children) then I definitely suggest booking a stay through Booking.com – their search function is super user friendly to customise what you are looking for and its easy to find the information you need.

Getting there and away:

The best way to get to Guatape is by bus from Medellin. Buses to Guatape leave from Terminal del Norte and cost approx. 20,000 COP. The trip takes 2 hours – buses leave approximately every 30 minutes so there is no need to book in advance.

You can get to Terminal del Norte from Poblado via Metro Line A (get off at Caribe Metro station as this station is connected to Terminal del Norte).

You can book your return ticket at the Guatape bus station in advance – if you want to travel later in the day I suggest doing this as these buses can fill up quickly with day-trippers like yourself!

Getting around:

I suggest getting off at Piedra Penol first – you can ask the bus driver to drop you here directly so that you don’t need to catch a taxi from town – it will save you some time and a bit of cash. After visitng the rock you can take a taxi into the town proper – it shouldn’t cost you more than 15,000 COP and there are plenty of taxi’s waiting around the rock.

Food:

Walking up Piedra Penol sure makes you work up an appetite: Once you are back down to the base of the rock there is a small restaurant on the left as you exit the steps of Piedra Penol that does a great Bandeja Paisa (share one!) and has beautiful views over the lake. 

What to bring:

Take lots of water for the climb, good walking shoes and your camera to capture the view and all the quaint colours of Guatape.

What to expect:

Entrance to Piedra Penol is 20,000 COP. It is open from 8am to 6pm every day.

In Guatape town itself, just soak up the atmosphere. Wander the cobblestone streets and plazas, drink coffee and people watch in the main square. EVERYTHING in Guatape is art.


We were there at Christmas so the town was even more spectacular with colourful Christmas decorations everywhere!

Erika xx

Cartagena Photo Essay

If you would like practical tips on visiting Cartagena – please see my post on this part of Colombia here.

The old town of Cartagena, despite being the most visited and only truly touristy part of Colombia – remains one of the most beautiful, romantic and fascinating cities in the world. Give me Cartagena over Paris any day.

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Magical right?

Erika xx

Itinerary: 4 days in Cartagena and its surrounds

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Cartagena is a city of contrasts between old and new, wealth and poverty, old-fashioned and edgy. But most of all its beautiful, romantic and fascinating.

GENERAL INFO

Getting there and away: Cartagena has flights and trains connecting it with all the main centres in Colombia. We arrived in Cartagena via overnight bus from Santa Marta (approx. 6 hours, 40,000 COP – the last bus is at 10pm).

We left Cartagena on a flight to Medellin (I have also taken the bus between Cartagena and Medellin and that is a loooong journey but perfectly manageable if you have the time).

Accommodation: We stayed at Hotel Leyendas del Mar which was located in the Getsemani area and nice enough but note that it does not have a 24 hour reception (not great when arriving in Cartagena in the early hours of the morning). I always recommend checking current deals on booking.com as the best value hotels change constantly particularly in places like Cartagena and its a great site for specifying preferences for a specific stay ie. breakfast included or luggage storage.

Food: I don’t really need to recommend any specific food locations here – Cartagena has plenty of decent food spots. Don’t expect amazing local food – but there are some really nice restaurants if you have the cash to splash and the standard of food everywhere is good. Lots of international options.

The only MUST TRY I have for Cartagena is the coffee. I don’t mean any special brewed luxury coffee in a cafe. I mean the street coffee. In Cartagena I live off the street coffee. You will locate it as soon as you get there. There are men wandering around all the streets of the old city with coffee in these big thermoses they carry around with them. Its served black and very sweet in a little plastic cup and its so cheap. The stuff is addictive. I have tried to re-create it. I can’t.

Top Tip: Don’t underestimate how fulfilling it is just wandering around in Cartagena and don’t forget to allow time for this. All of the charm of this city is found in exploring haphazardly with no idea where you are going.

DAY 1

On your first day in Cartagena, head down to the port and take a boat to Playa Blanca. It is exactly what it sounds like – an island slightly off the coast of Colombia that it is possible to visit in a day trip with a white sand beach and lots of facilities for tourists such as cocktails, beach massage, deck chairs for rent and places to eat.

Its a nice place to while away the day and enjoy Colombia’s Caribbean coastline as the beaches in Cartagena itself aren’t worth going to. Eat some fresh fried seafood and sip a cocktail on the beach for a day.

DAY 2

Take a tour to Cartagena’s Mud Volcano – this is quite far out of town and you will find tours available online – half and full day tours. The full day tours include another excursion and most tours include lunch. Mud is meant to have healing properties and the mud volcano is set up as a crude ‘spa’ – you can get a massage in the volcano covered in mud and then wash off in the nearby river.

If you have time after arriving back from the Mud Volcano I suggest checking out the Getsemani neighbourhood and the street art on Calle de la Sierpe – this is an edgy, artsy neighbourhood just outside the walls of the old city.

DAY 3

Bright and early on Day 3, head down to the port again and take a pre-arranged boat to La Casa en el Agua. Check out my full post on La Casa en el Agua here.

DAY 4

The boat back from La Casa en el Agua arrives back 2pm. Spend the rest of your 4th day in Cartagena wandering in the walled city.


If you prefer to have a destination or you have extra time, you can visit the Castillo San Felipe or the Inquisition museum. Make sure to head up onto the walls of the old city for sunset and watch from Cafe del Mar which has a view over the water (get there early for seats by the edge of the wall).

Erika xx

Visiting La Casa en el Agua

La Casa en el Agua is a boutique hostel that is situated on a rock in the middle of the ocean (well not quite but it does feel that way) with a cult following. Some travellers even get La Casa en el Agua tattoos after staying here. Its a destination in itself and I highly recommend spending a night here if you are in the area. I would recommend La Casa en el Agua over visiting Playa Blanca or any of the other islands near Cartagena (They are a bit over-touristed – this is gimmicky but still a unique experience!)

In the water at the hostel

Top Tip for La Casa en el Agua:

Book early! Their calendar opens 3 months in advance and you will need to book at this time to get a spot – particularly if you want one of their very limited private rooms. Hammocks are a little easier to come by.

Getting there and away:

Transport to Casa en el Agua is via a sister company that transports those staying at La Casa en el Agua directly to the hostel from the port of Cartagena. The boat travels daily at 9am to the hostel and leaves at 12pm (arrives back in Cartagena at 2pm) so you need to make your travel plans within these timeframes.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You can only take 8kg of luggage on the boat so you will need to store your luggage somewhere in Cartagena. The majority of hotels will be happy to look after this for you for free even if they don’t have a designated luggage storage area. I have never had an issue storing my luggage.

Peter choosing our dinner fresh from the sea

Food:

As the hostel is in the middle of nowhere – they do have a monopoly on food options. Breakfast is included in your stay, and they have amazing fresh seafood available for lunch and dinner (plus a vegetarian option). They also have snacks available but I suggest bringing some of your own (note there is no fridge or kitchen facilities available to guests).

One of their key rules is you cannot bring booze into the hostel. The hostel has a bartender and sells relatively affordable cocktails but costs soon rack up if you lie around drinking all day. Allow for this in your budget.

Jumping in

Activities:

There are definitely enough activities to last you a day or two here. The place is small but there are outdoor hammocks and couches for you to read or chill out on, some floaties and balancing games in the water, a ladder to climb up and jump off the side of the house; snorkels and kayaks to go exploring, and plenty of clear blue water around the hostel for swimming.

There are also a few organised tours and activities that are worth doing – the hostel runs a plankton tour at night to see the phosphorescent plankton in the area and also takes a small group over to the nearby island of Santa Cruz del Islote which is a tiny man made island and one of the worlds most densely populated places. It’s a great example of traditional Colombian life.

Have you been to La Casa en el Agua? Let me know what you thought!

Erika xx

Visiting Parque Tayrona

Parque Tayrona is a jungle that has just jumped out of a movie set. It’s pristine, perfect, wild and gorgeous. I didn’t visit this wonderful spot on my first visit to Colombia – I wasn’t so into hiking at that point and I had to prioritise due to time constraints but I wish I had. WOW. This spot was one of my trip highlights (although there are so very many).

Top Tips for Parque Tayrona:

  1. If you can – stay more than one night! We only stayed overnight which meant two long days of hiking and a short but sweet overnight stop at the most beautiful spot in the park. I would have liked to spend a day at Cabo San Juan relaxing and swimming AND/OR visited one of the other locations/campsites in the park.
  2. Bring plenty of your own food, even if you are staying at Cabo San Juan (which has a restaurant and a shop). The choices are pretty limited and its very expensive for Colombia. You will also want snacks/lunch while you are hiking. You want to be able to treat yourself with an ice-block or a cooked meal rather than feel like you have to pay outrageous prices every time you need to eat something.

Where to stay:

Cabo San Juan has the best and most popular accomodation. It has TONs of hammocks and tent spaces and its cheap to stay. It has a toilet/shower block plus a restaurant and a shop so its well set up for visitors. There are other places you can stay within the park such as other quieter campsites, luxury lodges you book in advance, and lodges just inside the borders of the park that you don’t need to hike to.

Also, Cabo San Juan is a can’t miss spot due to its beautiful double bay so you may as well stay overnight there! When I stayed the hammocks were 20,000 COP each. If you arrive early enough you can choose the hammocks on a rock outcrop in the middle of the double bays (pictured above). It gets a bit windy up there though and forget trying to get to and from the toilet in the middle of the night!

Getting there and away:

We travelled to Parque Tayrona from Palomino (This is Colombia’s version of Bali). we stayed at a little guesthouse called La Case en el Arbol. Palomino is really close to Parque Tayrona and was a great place to organise ourselves before starting our hike. It was an un-scheduled stop on our part but we managed to get back from the far north of Colombia a night early but definitely one we are glad we made.

From Palomino, all you need to do isa flag down a bus headed to Santa Marta and let them know which entrance of Parque Tayrona you would like to get off the bus at.

After our Parque Tayrona hike, we headed back to collect the rest of our things from our Hotel in Santa Marta (we stored them there for 4 days). Again, all we did was flag down a bus heading to Santa Marta from the Parque Tayrona entrance. Santa Marta is a cute little beach town and you can get a connection to many parts of Colombia from here. There’s an airport to fly to Bogota and Cartagena is 6 hours by bus.

Getting around:

There are lots of ways to make your way into and out of Parque Tayrona depending on your fitness levels and where you are staying once in the park.

We chose to take the Calabazo entrance into the park. From here it is approximately 4-5 hours hiking via a little jungle settlement called ‘Pueblito’ to get to Cabo San Juan where we were staying. If you are taking this route make sure to start early in the day and give yourself enough time. We absolutely loved this walk as we saw almost nobody else and there were beautiful jungle views. A dog met us in the middle and walked us all the way to Cabo San Juan (turns out he belonged to one of the staff and just liked to wander through the jungle on his own). This hike was LONG though and very sweaty and exhausting in 30 degrees at 100% humidity, Take lots of breaks.

We left via the El Zaino gate. This is a much easier walk (approx. 2 hours) and is the more popular trail. It’s a nice walk via a few beaches and a bit of jungle. Its definitely worth allowing time to stop along the way and swim. La Piscina is a good beach on route. However, do note that there is a long boring road that it part of this route. There are shuttles waiting that allow you to skip this section but we didn’t know this having not entered the park via this route and it gets exhausting walking along what seems like a never ending road. Once you have started the shuttles won’t stop for you as they fill up at the entrance/exit. The road adds about another hour to this walk.

If you aren’t into hiking – you can actually also take a boat into Parque Tayrona. The boat leaves from Taganga. Its really choppy and most people get seasick but if you don’t like hiking this may be the way to go. I do like hiking and also had no desire to go back to Taganga (a party village filled with backpackers and rubbish) so we didn’t choose this option.

Food:

See my top tip above – I suggest bringing as much as you can carry yourself including TONS of water. However, there are facilities to buy food in the park. Also, the El Zaino entrance has some shops and restaurants. We definitely deserved our stop for Lulo juice and a beer on our way out of the park!

What to bring:

  • Lots of food and water
  • Light, breathable sports clothing (including leggings or long pants)
  • Hiking shoes and socks
  • Togs and Jandals (Swimming costume and sandals for those not familiar with the kiwi language)
  • Sunhat and sunglasses
  • Sarong for use as a beach towel or coverup
  • Sunblock and Bug repellant
  • Book or kindle
  • Bodywash and travel towel
  • Silk sleeping bag or sheet for the hammock
  • Lock for valuables (they have lockers)
  • Headlamp or flashlight
  • Passport (you will need this to enter the park)
  • Cash (with enough to pay the park fee if you haven’t pre-booked your tickets)
  • Photo equipment (Phone, Camera, Go Pro) and a battery pack to charge

Bring as few items as you can possibly manage as everything you bring has to be carried on your hike in the jungle heat.

What to expect:

Expect pretty basic camping facilities as you are pretty deep in the Colombian jungle and don’t expect to be completely off the beaten track – there are tons of people here like in any holiday location.

Enjoy Parque Tayrona!

Erika xx