Colombian Caribbean Coast

Cartagena's walled old town with its colorful streets, Santa Marta, rainforest bays in Tayrona National Park, and the trek to the "Lost City."

The Colombian Caribbean Coast is the stretch of northern Colombia's coast facing the Caribbean Sea, crossing the departments of Bolívar, Magdalena and La Guajira. Travel itineraries mainly follow the line from Cartagena to Santa Marta to the La Guajira Peninsula. Highlights: Cartagena (the World Heritage–listed walled old town, colorful colonial streets, Castillo San Felipe, street art in Getsemaní) and nearby Rosario Islands and Barú's white-sand beaches; Barranquilla (its February Carnival is on the Intangible Cultural Heritage list); Santa Marta and the fishing village of Taganga; Tayrona National Park (rainforest and boulder-strewn bays, camping at Cabo San Juan); Ciudad Perdida, the "Lost City," in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (a 4–5-day round-trip trek to a Tayrona-civilization site older than Machu Picchu); the mountain town of Minca (coffee farms and waterfalls); and, at the northeastern tip, the desert of the La Guajira Peninsula, Cabo de la Vela and the culture of the Indigenous Wayuu people. A typical itinerary: Cartagena 3–4 days – bus about 4.5 hours to Santa Marta – Tayrona 2 days – Minca 1–2 days, for 8–10 days in total, plus another 5 days if you add the Lost City trek. Both Cartagena and Santa Marta have international/domestic airports. The weather is hot and humid, so use sun protection and stay hydrated; in Tayrona and on the Lost City trek, go with officially licensed operators and enter and exit on schedule.

Destinations

Itineraries