Tayrona National Park travel guide: all you need to know

In this post, you’ll find all the practical information you need to visit Tayrona Park: entrance fees, opening times, closing dates, accommodation tips, park map, descriptions of the different sectors and beaches, etc.

If there’s one destination that’s on everyone’s mind when planning a trip to Colombia, it’s surely Cartagena tayrona Park! In fact, if you ask Colombians what they absolutely must visit in their country, 99% will tell you: “el parque Tayrona”. It’s one of Colombia’s pride and joys.

Contents

1. Tayrona National Park

2. Prices and opening hours

3. Tayrona Park map

4. Visit with a local guide

5. Where to stay in Tayrona Park

6. How to get to Tayrona Park

7. F.A.Q – Frequently asked questions

Related posts

• The beaches of Tayrona Park
• Our experience in Tayrona Park
• What to do around Santa Marta
• What to do in Santa Marta

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Tayrona National Park

A bit of history

Before Spanish colonization, the region was inhabited by the Taironas tribes, who left traces of their civilization such as the famous Ciudad Perdida, but also Pueblito Chairama inside today’s Tayrona National Park. It is estimated that they were decimated by the arrival of the colonists, until their extinction in the 17th century.

The indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Today, the indigenous peoples living in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta region are considered to be the direct descendants of the Tairona people. These four peoples still live in the mountains overlooking Tayrona Park: the Kogis, the Kankuamos, the Wiwas and the Arhuacos.

The park includes numerous sanctuaries, ancient cemeteries and ritual sites where indigenous communities continue to gather regularly for ceremonies. The natives consider the Tayrona Park to be their own territory, which is why they have been fighting for many years to recover parts of their territory, or at the very least to ensure that the sacred sites are respected and off-limits to tourists.

Natural reserve

Tayrona Park was established as a protected national nature park in the late 1960s . The park covers almost 20.000 hectares of land and sea. Here you can enjoy landscapes of beaches, coral reefs, cliffs, mangroves, swamps and tropical rainforest. There are hundreds of species of flora, and a wide variety of fauna: monkeys and rodents, large predators such as the American Crocodile, Jaguar, Tigrillo and Puma..

Respect

It’s important to understand that when you enter Tayrona Park, you’re entering a land that has been sacred to the people who have lived here since the dawn of time. So even if tourism has taken over the park, it’ s important to keep this in mind and to respect this magical place so that it remains so for a long time to come.

Prices and opening hours

Practical information Tayrona National Park

What are the opening hours of Tayrona National Park?

If you’re not sleeping inside the park, you’ll need to be out before closing time.

• El Zaino sector: daily, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry: 12 p.m.)
• Calabazosector: daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (last entry: 11 a.m.)
• Neguanje Sector (Palangana): Daily from 7am to 5pm (last entry: 2pm)
• Bahia Concha sector: daily from 7am to 4pm (last entry: 2pm)

How much does it cost to enter Tayrona Park?

Tickets can be purchased on site at the entrances to each sector. Prices are the same for all sectors except Bahia Concha.

Bahia Concha area

• Colombians or residents: $25.000 COP ( 25 years) / $14.500 COP (under 25 years)
• Foreigners: $41.000 COP

Your ticket is valid for the duration of your stay inside the park.

Tayrona Park map

The different beaches and sectors of Tayrona National Park in detail

Since early 2019 and at the request of indigenous communities in order to protect sacred sites and allow traditional rituals to be practiced, three beaches in Tayrona Park will henceforth be off-limits to tourists: Chengue, Los Naranjos, and the eastern area of Bahia Concha. Access to Pueblito is also closed to tourists: it is therefore no longer possible to visit it.

PRECISION: The trail from Calabazo to Cabo San Juan and Playa Brava remains open, bypassing the Pueblito site. It is also possible to link Cabo San Juan and Playa Brava.

Zaino / Calabazo area

The El Zaino / Calabazo sector is the part of the Tayrona Park most visited by tourists, and is home to Cabo San Juan beach, the best-known beach in the park, if not in Colombia..

The beaches follow each other along the coastal path between Cañaveral and Playa Brava, in the following order:

• Cañaveral (closest to the El Zaino entrance)
• Arrecifes
• Arenilla
• Punta Gaviotas
• La Piscina
• Cabo San Juan
• Playa nudista
• Playa Brava (closest to the Calabazo entrance)

All the beaches are accessible from either the El Zaino or Calabazo entrances, but the distances to each will vary depending on the entrance!

Neguanje (or Palangana) area

The entrance to Neguanje or Palangana is located at km 5 of the main road between Santa Marta and Riohacha, but the poor condition of the road to the beaches today makes land access difficult.

While it’s still possible to be dropped off by bus at the junction with Neguanje, there are now few options on the spot for continuing along the road, and you’re likely to find yourself very much on your own with no further options.

To get there, it’s now best to take a day trip from Santa Marta or Taganga.

This is a completely separate sector from the traditional Zaino/Calabazo one. Here you’ll find some beautiful, lesser-known beaches:

• Bahia Neguanje
• Gayraca
• Playa Cristal
• Playa Cinto
• Siete Olas

The entrance fee for the Neguanje sector is supposed to be the same as for the Zaino / Calabazo sector.

Bahia Concha area

Located on a private estate on the edge of Tayrona National Park, you have to pay an entrance fee to get to the Bahia Concha beach. Last I heard, the rate was $5000 COP. Once there, you can pay for a lancha to go snorkelling on the surrounding beaches.

This is the closest beach to Santa Marta in the park. To get there, take a buseta from “Bastidas” (Avenida 5ta and 14) to the end of the line, then take a motorcycle or cab to the end of the road. Make sure you catch the last bus back at around 5 p.m.

Visit with a local guide

Practical information Tayrona National Park

If you would like to be accompanied by a guide to discover Tayrona Park and learn more about its unique ecosystem, flora and fauna, please contact our local partner.

This is your chance to talk to a passionate local guide, and not just walk through Tayrona Park without realizing its ecological, historical and cultural importance!

Where to stay in Tayrona Park

Accommodation in Tayrona Park

There are two options for accommodation in Tayrona Park:

• Lodging outside the park: if you’re only planning a quick day trip to the park
• Lodging inside the park : if you want to enjoy more and stay at least one night

Inside Tayrona Park, all types of accommodation are available: hammocks in shared shelters, tents with mattresses, small private cabins, luxurious Ecolodges.

Accommodation inside Tayrona Park

There are numerous campsites all along the park’s coastal trail to Cabo San Juan. The best-known is of course the Cabo San Juan campsite with its sublime beach, but it looks more like a tent city than anything else.

Best option for accommodation inside the park:

Camping Tequendama and Cabañas Tequendama are surely the best accommodation option and the best value for money on the trail inside Tayrona Park. Located at Playa Arrecifes, the campsite offers tents with mattresses, hammocks with mosquito nets and even small cabins for 4 to 6 people. Ecohabs are sublime accommodations for those who want to treat themselves.

Inside, Tayrona Park

Eco Lodge

Ecohabs Tequendama Cañaveral

A luxury ecolodge located on Cañaveral beach inside Tayrona Park, ideal conditions for those who want to indulge themselves.

See prices

Inside, Tayrona Park

Eco Lodge

Cabañas Tequendama Arrecifes

Cabins and glampings for comfortable accommodation on Arrecifes beach. One of the best quality/price ratios in Tayrona Park.

See prices

Inside, Tayrona Park

Camping

Camping Tequendama

Clean and confortable camping on Arrecifes beach. With lot’s of space, this is the best campsite in Tayrona Park without a doubt.

See prices

• Hammock: between $20.000 and $40.000 COP
• Tent: between $30.000 and $40.000 COP
• Cabin: between $150.000 and $200.000 COP

List of campsites :

As we said, we just recommend one and only Campsite in Tayrona Park wich is Camping Tequendama (Arrecifes).

• Camping Castillete (Cañaveral)
• Camping Tequendama (Arrecifes)
• Camping Don Pedro (Arrecifes)
• Camping LUI (Arrecifes)
• Camping Bermudez (Arrecifes)
• Camping Cabo San Juan

Tarifs approximatifs :

• Hammock : between $50.000 and $100.000 COP
• Tent : between $100.000 and $200.000 COP
• Cabin : between $200.000 and $500.000 COP
• Ecolodge : more than $700.000 COP

General comments

We advise you to adjust your expectations to avoid disappointment:

• Generally speaking, rates inside the park are higher than elsewhere.
• We strongly advise you to use the campsite sanitary facilities early in the morning to ensure they are clean.
• Electricity and water are often rationed and limited to certain hours.
• The wifi is pretty bad and the network is virtually non-existent inside the park.
• Nearly all campsites offer scheduled expensive meals.
• Hammocks are usually placed under a shelter, really close to each other, with an individual mosquito net.

Accommodation in Playa Brava

Playa Brava, accessible from the Calabazo entrance (3h30) or from Cabo San Juan (2h30), has a single accommodation option built right on the beach: Playa Brava Teyumakke Ecolodge. Advance booking is highly recommended.

Other accommodation in Tayrona Park

Other accommodations are also located inside Tayrona Park, but not necessarily close to the most famous beaches. Most are located just beyond the El Zaino entrance and require either walking the 4km to Cañaveral or returning to the entrance to catch the shuttle bus. Posada Yachay is one of the best options here.

Totally isolated and only accessible by boat, Hotel Wachakyta is located between Playa Brava and Playa Cristal.

Where to stay outside (but close to entrance) Tayrona Park

It’s quite possible to sleep near the entrance to Tayrona Park (El Zaino) if you only want to spend a day inside.

Close to entrance, Tayrona Park

Hostal

Yuluka Hostel

Located around 5 minutes by bus from the main “El Zaino” entrance to Tayrona Park (bus every 15 minutes), Eco hostal Yukula is a green setting with swimming pool, hammocks, dormitories or rooms in lodge-style cabins.

See rates

Close to entrance, Tayrona Park

Hostal

Hostal Manigua

At the Calabazo entrance, a superb hostal, a little more expensive than the campsite but still relatively accessible. Accommodation ranges from dormitories to lovely double rooms, with a jungle atmosphere and swimming pool.

See rates

Close to entrance, Tayrona Park

Camping, Eco Lodge

Playa Los Angeles

A semi-private beach 5 minutes from the entrance to Tayrona Park, offering ecolodges and glamping tents on the beach… Recommended.

See rates

How to get to Tayrona Park

Transportation to Tayrona Park

Getting to Tayrona National Park from Santa Marta

1. Go to the bus terminal or Mercado Publico (Carrera #11 and Calle #9)
2. Take a bus “direction Palomino or Riohacha”
3. Ask the driver for the “Tayrona” or “El Zaino” or “Entrada Principal” stop.

Bus from Santa Marta to Tayrona (Zaino entrance)

• Price: approx. $15.000 COP
• Duration: 1 hour
• Frequent departures throughout the day (please note that there are certain times to enter the park, after which it is no longer possible to enter)

Cab option

• Price for Zaino area: $120.000 COP – Price for Neguanje area: $160.000 COP
• Duration: 1 hour

Getting to Tayrona National Park from Riohacha or Palomino

Bus from Palomino to Tayrona (Zaino entrance)
Take the first bus on the main road, ask the driver for a stop.

• Price: approx. $10.000 COP
• Duration: 1 hour
• Frequent service all day until 6:30 p.m

Bus from Riohacha to Tayrona (Zaino entrance)
Meet at the bus terminal to take a bus to Santa Marta, ask the driver for the stop.

• Price: approx. $20.000 COP
• Duration: 2 hours
• Frequent service all day until 6:30 p.m

Sea transport to Tayrona National Park

Tayrona Park can be reached by sea from Santa Marta or Taganga.

Lancha from Taganga to Cabo San Juan

• Price: between $100.000 and $150.000 COP depending on season.
• Duration: 1 hour
• Departure around 9 a.m., return around 4 p.m

Lancha from Taganga to Playa Cristal (Neguanje sector – daily plan)

• Price: $150.000 COP round trip mandatory
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Departures around 9 a.m. and return around 4 p.m

F.A.Q – Frequently asked questions

Rare information about Tayrona Park