Taganga and Tayrona
Taganga was only a short journey up the coast which was quite a relief. It is a small fishing village that is situated just over a hill from the city of Santa Marta. The place is known for it´s scuba diving and relaxed beach atmosphere... a reason there were so many Gringos bumming around there!
We stayed at the recommended Casa de Felipe which was cheap, spacious, well run and had good facilities. We wandered down to the beach to swim and relax as the sun went down. I had a huge Ceviche platter with langoustines and other assorted seafood which was very satisfying. Chilling out in the twilight watching the sun go down was incredibly relaxing and I could understand very clearly how easy it would be to sink into this sort of lifestyle.
Casa de Felipe - a very nice hostel
Taganga beach
Mixte Ceviche with lobster
Chilling with the Gringos and watching the sunset
The next morning we were off to Tayrona National Park on a Chiva bus. This thing wouldn´t have passed a road test in Somalia but nonetheless it was an interesting if somewhat uncomfortable ride through to Tayrona. The only other option would have taken 3 different types of transport and would have been a lot more hassle.
Chiva transport. A cross between an old school bus and a safari jeep without the suspension
Upon arrival I had to pay a whopping tourist fee of 31 000 Colombian pesos (about 10 quid) whilst locals only had to pay 6000. We strolled through the lush jungle, being careful to step over the multitude of working lines of ants. There was a large amount of bird life present and we spotted some monkeys way up on the tree canopy. After almost an hour of walking we reached the first beach site called Arrecife. There were some facilities here such as a restaurant and camp site. This was a no-swimming beach owing to a strong rip current.
Jungle
Camp site at Arrecife
Arrecife beach
We carried on to La Piscina (The Swimming Pool) which was gorgeous. We stayed there a short while as I tested out my underwater camera casing and had some tinned tuna on salty crackers. The water was slightly colder than in Cartagena but this made it all the more refreshing when you jumped in to escape the heat. I even spotted a dog that looked really similar to my dog, George, back in Cape Town in South Africa!
This is small beach just preceding La Piscina
This mutt looks just like my dog George from back home in SA
Ninja poses are great for underwater pictures
I even managed to spot some fish who had a tendency to hang around your ankles for cover
The next stop we were aiming for was the famous Playa del Cabo San Juan (Cape Saint John Beach). This was clearly the most popular beach so far. There was a large camp site with tents and hammocks dotted around and loads of Gringos present. This beach was really stunning with a small circular bay ending at a point jutting into the ocean with a small Gazebo built on it. You could even sleep in a hammock in this structure but we had been advised against it due to the strong winds that actually made it quite cold. We arranged for some hammocks more inland before hiring some snorkeling equipment and going for a swim. There were a lot of fish around here but they were all very shy of me and my camera which made taking good photos a bit difficult.
Playa Cabo de San Juan with the Gazebo out on the point
We relaxed the rest of the day before having a fish dinner at the local restaurant. Most of the people there seemed super relaxed and were from all over world, especially a lot of Aussies and local Colombians. I even bumped into some people I had met in Mancora in Peru.
The following morning we made a visit to the so-called nudist beach which was also really pretty and much quieter than Playa Cabo. After getting a great tanning session in we needed to get back to the park entrance. We stopped for a tinned tuna lunch at Cabo again before moving onto a small beach just past La Piscina where we swam again and I managed to make it out to a shallow submerged rock. I got a few cuts climbing onto it but once out there I had some great views.
The nudist beach
Standing on the submerged rock in the middle of the bay
The last part of the day was spent walking back to Arrecife and the entrance to the park where we hopped in a taxi back to Taganga. More food and relaxation on Taganga beach was followed by an early night and an early wake-up to catch the bus back to Cartagena. Next mission was to get on a boat out of Colombia and into Panama. Almost the end of my South American experience!!
More chilling out
Waiting for the bus back to Cartagena
A novelty Sombrero building on the way back
We stayed at the recommended Casa de Felipe which was cheap, spacious, well run and had good facilities. We wandered down to the beach to swim and relax as the sun went down. I had a huge Ceviche platter with langoustines and other assorted seafood which was very satisfying. Chilling out in the twilight watching the sun go down was incredibly relaxing and I could understand very clearly how easy it would be to sink into this sort of lifestyle.
Casa de Felipe - a very nice hostel
Taganga beach
Mixte Ceviche with lobster
Chilling with the Gringos and watching the sunsetThe next morning we were off to Tayrona National Park on a Chiva bus. This thing wouldn´t have passed a road test in Somalia but nonetheless it was an interesting if somewhat uncomfortable ride through to Tayrona. The only other option would have taken 3 different types of transport and would have been a lot more hassle.
Chiva transport. A cross between an old school bus and a safari jeep without the suspensionUpon arrival I had to pay a whopping tourist fee of 31 000 Colombian pesos (about 10 quid) whilst locals only had to pay 6000. We strolled through the lush jungle, being careful to step over the multitude of working lines of ants. There was a large amount of bird life present and we spotted some monkeys way up on the tree canopy. After almost an hour of walking we reached the first beach site called Arrecife. There were some facilities here such as a restaurant and camp site. This was a no-swimming beach owing to a strong rip current.
Jungle
Camp site at Arrecife
Arrecife beach
We carried on to La Piscina (The Swimming Pool) which was gorgeous. We stayed there a short while as I tested out my underwater camera casing and had some tinned tuna on salty crackers. The water was slightly colder than in Cartagena but this made it all the more refreshing when you jumped in to escape the heat. I even spotted a dog that looked really similar to my dog, George, back in Cape Town in South Africa!
This is small beach just preceding La Piscina
This mutt looks just like my dog George from back home in SA
Ninja poses are great for underwater pictures
I even managed to spot some fish who had a tendency to hang around your ankles for coverThe next stop we were aiming for was the famous Playa del Cabo San Juan (Cape Saint John Beach). This was clearly the most popular beach so far. There was a large camp site with tents and hammocks dotted around and loads of Gringos present. This beach was really stunning with a small circular bay ending at a point jutting into the ocean with a small Gazebo built on it. You could even sleep in a hammock in this structure but we had been advised against it due to the strong winds that actually made it quite cold. We arranged for some hammocks more inland before hiring some snorkeling equipment and going for a swim. There were a lot of fish around here but they were all very shy of me and my camera which made taking good photos a bit difficult.
Playa Cabo de San Juan with the Gazebo out on the point
We relaxed the rest of the day before having a fish dinner at the local restaurant. Most of the people there seemed super relaxed and were from all over world, especially a lot of Aussies and local Colombians. I even bumped into some people I had met in Mancora in Peru.
The following morning we made a visit to the so-called nudist beach which was also really pretty and much quieter than Playa Cabo. After getting a great tanning session in we needed to get back to the park entrance. We stopped for a tinned tuna lunch at Cabo again before moving onto a small beach just past La Piscina where we swam again and I managed to make it out to a shallow submerged rock. I got a few cuts climbing onto it but once out there I had some great views.
The nudist beach
Standing on the submerged rock in the middle of the bayThe last part of the day was spent walking back to Arrecife and the entrance to the park where we hopped in a taxi back to Taganga. More food and relaxation on Taganga beach was followed by an early night and an early wake-up to catch the bus back to Cartagena. Next mission was to get on a boat out of Colombia and into Panama. Almost the end of my South American experience!!
More chilling out
Waiting for the bus back to Cartagena
A novelty Sombrero building on the way back
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