Santa Marta Holidays
Santa Marta
Holidays
Colombia's oldest city — gateway to Tayrona, the Lost City trek and the Caribbean coast
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Flight Time
10–11h to Bogotá, then 1h 30m domestic to Santa Marta (SMR)
Best Time
December to April (dry season on the Caribbean coast)
Country
Colombia
Suppliers
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Santa Marta Holiday Guide
Santa Marta is the best base on Colombia's Caribbean coast — well-connected, with excellent accommodation and restaurants, and within easy reach of Tayrona National Park, the Lost City trek and the cloud forest of Minca.
The historic centre is the best place to stay — the revitalised streets around the Parque de los Novios have excellent boutique hotels and restaurants. El Rodadero is the beach resort alternative — more hotels, less atmosphere.
Tayrona is the main day trip from Santa Marta — the park entrance is 45 minutes by colectivo from the city. Day trips are possible but staying overnight in the park is strongly recommended.
The Lost City trek (4–6 days) is the most ambitious activity from Santa Marta — book with a licensed operator at least a few days in advance. The trek is challenging but not technical; good fitness is required.
Minca (45 minutes above the city) is an excellent half-day or full-day trip — particularly for birdwatchers. The cloud forest is extraordinary and the views over Santa Marta and the Caribbean are spectacular.
We search across Travelpack and JTA Holidays for the best Santa Marta deals — call us on 01282 960 460 for tailored advice.
Areas & neighbourhoods
Average Temperatures
Jan
28°C
Feb
29°C
Mar
30°C
Apr
29°C
May
28°C
Jun
29°C
Jul
30°C
Aug
30°C
Sep
29°C
Oct
27°C
Nov
27°C
Dec
28°C
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Call 01282 960 460Top 8 Things To Do in Santa Marta
The Lost City trek, Tayrona beaches, cloud forest villages and Caribbean coast that make Santa Marta the best base on Colombia's Caribbean.
The Lost City Trek — Ciudad Perdida
The Ciudad Perdida (Lost City) trek is one of the great multi-day hikes in South America — a 4–6 day round trip through dense jungle to a pre-Columbian city built around 800 AD, predating Machu Picchu by 650 years. The city was built by the Tairona people on a series of terraces cut into the Sierra Nevada mountains at 1,300m; it was 'rediscovered' by treasure hunters in 1972 (it had never been lost to the indigenous Kogi people, who still consider it sacred and call it Teyuna). The trek involves river crossings, steep jungle climbs and camping in the forest — arriving at the 1,200 stone steps that lead up to the terraces of the Lost City is one of the most dramatic moments in South American travel. All treks must be done with a licensed operator; the trail starts from the village of Machete Pelao, 3 hours from Santa Marta.
Tayrona National Park
Tayrona National Park is 35km east of Santa Marta — the most spectacular national park on Colombia's Caribbean coast, where the Sierra Nevada mountains plunge directly into the Caribbean Sea. The park's beaches (Cabo San Juan, La Piscina, Playa Cristal) are among the most beautiful in South America — white sand, turquoise water and jungle-covered headlands. The park is accessible only on foot (2–3 hour hike from the El Zaino entrance) or by boat. Santa Marta is the best base for visiting Tayrona — the park entrance is 45 minutes by colectivo from the city. Day trips are possible but staying overnight in the park (hammock camp or eco-lodge at Cabo San Juan) is strongly recommended.
Minca — Cloud Forest Village
Minca is a small village in the Sierra Nevada mountains, 45 minutes above Santa Marta by road, at 600m in the cloud forest. The village has become one of the most popular destinations on the Caribbean coast — a cool, green escape from the heat of the coast, with excellent birdwatching (over 300 species in the surrounding forest), coffee farms, waterfalls and extraordinary views over Santa Marta and the Caribbean. The Pozo Azul waterfall (30 minutes walk from the village) and the La Victoria coffee farm (a working farm with tours and accommodation) are the main attractions. Minca has a good range of eco-lodges and hostels — staying overnight allows you to experience the forest at dawn, when the birdlife is most active.
Taganga — Fishing Village & Diving
Taganga is a small fishing village 5km north of Santa Marta — a horseshoe bay with a colourful fleet of fishing boats, a long beach and some of the cheapest diving in the Caribbean. The bay is sheltered and the water is clear; the dive sites around Taganga and the nearby Playa Grande have good coral reefs and a variety of marine life (parrotfish, angelfish, moray eels, sea turtles). Several dive schools in the village offer PADI courses at very competitive prices. The village has a relaxed, backpacker atmosphere — good budget accommodation, fresh seafood restaurants and a lively bar scene in the evenings. Taganga is a 10-minute taxi ride from Santa Marta's historic centre.
Historic Centre — Colombia's Oldest City
Santa Marta's historic centre has been revitalised in recent years — the streets around the Parque de los Novios and the Catedral Basílica (the oldest cathedral in Colombia, begun in 1766) have been pedestrianised and filled with restaurants, bars and boutique hotels. The city was founded in 1525 by Rodrigo de Bastidas — making it the oldest surviving European settlement in South America. The Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, on the outskirts of the city, is where Simón Bolívar died in 1830 — a beautifully preserved colonial hacienda with a museum dedicated to the Liberator. The Museo del Oro Tairona in the historic centre has an excellent collection of pre-Columbian gold artefacts from the Tairona culture.
Birdwatching — Sierra Nevada Endemics
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is one of the most important birdwatching destinations in the world — an isolated mountain range that has evolved its own endemic species found nowhere else on earth. The Santa Marta region has 19 endemic bird species — more than any other mountain range in the Americas — including the Santa Marta parakeet, the Santa Marta antbird, the Santa Marta bush-tyrant, the Santa Marta woodstar (a tiny hummingbird) and the white-lored warbler. Minca is the best base for birdwatching — the cloud forest above the village is home to most of the endemics. ProAves operates the El Dorado Bird Reserve above Minca, with guided tours and accommodation.
El Rodadero — City Beach Resort
El Rodadero is Santa Marta's main beach resort area — a strip of hotels, restaurants and beach clubs along a sheltered bay 4km south of the historic centre. The beach is popular with Colombian tourists (particularly families from Bogotá and Medellín) and has a lively, festive atmosphere — beach vendors, jet ski hire, parasailing and a constant parade of people. The water is calmer and cleaner than the city beach. El Rodadero is the most developed tourist area in Santa Marta and has the highest concentration of hotels. The Acuario y Museo del Mar (aquarium) at El Rodadero is popular with families.
Palomino — Surf & River Tubing
Palomino, 80km east of Santa Marta on the road to Venezuela, is a small Caribbean village that has become one of the most popular destinations on the Colombian coast — a long, wild beach backed by the Sierra Nevada mountains, with a relaxed atmosphere and excellent budget accommodation. The Palomino River flows into the sea at the village — tubing down the river through the jungle and out into the Caribbean is the defining Palomino experience. The beach is long and wild (not always safe for swimming — check with locals) and the sunsets are extraordinary. Palomino is 1.5 hours from Santa Marta by bus and is a good base for visiting the eastern entrance to Tayrona National Park.
Explore Santa Marta on the Map
Key areas, beaches and attractions across the island.
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