Hikes Tayrona National Park
There are several hikes to do in Tayrona National Park. The hiking trails run through the jungle to some spectacular beaches , where you can enjoy nature, wild monkeys and beautiful views. The hike most travelers do is from Zaino -via Arrecife- to the most beautiful (and busiest) beach Cabo San Juan. The hike from Calabazo to Playa Brava is a lot less popular. Here you hike off the beaten track and won’t encounter many tourists.
In this article you will find information and tips on these and other hiking trails from the Zaino and Calabazo entrance to Tayrona National Park. This will help you know which hike suits you best!
trails – ZAINO INGANG
Zaino (40 km. from Santa Marta)
Opening hours of the main entrance of Tayrona National park are from 7 a.m.-5 p.m., you can enter until noon. From Zaino, you can access the beaches Cañaveral, Castilletes, Arrecife, La Piscinita, Cabo San Juan, Arenilla, La Piscina, Playa Nudista and Boca del Saco
Cañaveral is the starting point of two trails: the hike to Cabo San Juan via Arrecife (4h total) and the -not popular- 9 Piedras Trail (1h). From the Zaino entrance, you can start hiking right away (about 4 km) to Cañaveral, or take the shuttle (COP5000). 
The shuttle buses leave when full and you usually don’t have to wait long. The shuttle bus is a must, because the path to the beginning of the trail is not a special hike. From here you can continue walking or horseback riding. 
We ourselves had doubts about horseback riding and we ended up not doing it because we did not want to miss the experience of the hike and we doubted whether we would do any good for the well-being of the horses.
Cabo San Juan Trail via Arrecife
The trail to Playa Arrecife/Cabo San Juan is a well-maintained path that alternates between jungle and beach, over a wooden boardwalk and boulders. The path goes up and down but is not steep and is well manageable. 
Several times we saw cute monkeys that we could observe very quietly up close.
Playa Arrecife can be reached (depending on your pace) in an hour
Just before Playa Arrecife you will find vendors selling ice creams and coco frio.
At Playa Arrecife you can have some food and drinks in the restaurant.
Here you can find more info about staying near Arrecife. Just past Arrecife you will find Bera bakery, where you can buy delicious chocolate caliente (and go to the toilet!). From here it’s about an hour’s walk to Cabo San Juan, where you can swim and snorkel and enjoy the view of the bay. 
At Cabo San Juan you will find a restaurant and a store. Here find more info about staying overnight at Cabo San Juan.
The 9 Piedras trail is located near Cañavaral and leads through some large boulders to a lookout point, from which you have a nice view of the park.
Since most people do the Cabo San Juan trail, this trail is generally very quiet. The hike takes about 1 hour. Update: When we were in the park in September 2023, the trail was closed for maintenance.
On this trail, you can camp at Playa Arrecife, Castilletes, Cañaveral and Cabo San Juan. Hotel Ecohabs Tayrona is located in Cañaveral at the beginning of the trail. You can also overnight at cabañas Arrecifes and Ecohabs Cañaveral.
trails – CALABAZO INGANG
Walk to Playa Brava
The Calabazo entrance (25 km. from Santa Marta) is a 10-minute drive before the Zaino entrance. Opening hours are from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. You can enter until 11 a.m. There are mototaxis in Calabazo, if you don’t want to walk the first 3 km. A mototaxi costs about COP20,000/€5.
Calabazo is the entrance for the hike to Pueblito (approx. 2h) and Playa Brava. (3h) (update 2023: Pueblito is closed to the public, but you can pass it to go to Playa Nudista).
Because this hiking trail is much quieter than the hiking trail to Cabo San Juan from the Zaino entrance, you are more likely to spot wildlife here.
You can stay at hotel Playa Brava Teyumakke in a cabana or tent
Read here “the other” travel story about the intensive hike we did on our first trip to Tayrona National Park, from Calabazo to Zaino.
ToColombia tips
Tip #1
If you’re still unsure which hike is best for you, check out our additional tips here:
Hike from Zaino if you…
Want to do a not too intense hike on a well-established trail and visit several beaches. The trail from the main entrance to Cabo San Juan del Guía is doable. The trail alternates between wooden decks and rocks and boulders.
The trail does go up and down but is not steep. You cannot get lost as the trail is very well marked. This is the most popular entrance to the park so it can get very crowded on this trail. It takes you about 2 hours to get to Cabo San Juan. Tip: If you do not want to do the whole route to Cabo San Juan, walk in about an hour to Playa Arrecifes, which is in the middle of the park.
Even if you don’t walk the entire trail to Cabo San Juan, you can enjoy beautiful views of the coast and have a good chance of seeing monkeys up close.
At Playa Arrecifes, you can have a drink and eat at the restaurant before walking back to the park entrance.
Another option is to spend the night in a cabaña or tent/hammock in Playa Arrecife, so you can do the hike to Cabo San Juan the next day, splitting the hike into two parts.
Hike from Calabazo as you….
Have a good level of fitness and want to do a challenging hike, then spend the night on an isolated beach away from the many tourists. This is a steep, more difficult hike on a more difficult trail. Especially the first hour is steep. On this trail you will encounter far fewer hikers than from Zaino. This gives you a better chance of seeing wildlife along the way. The trails to Playa Brava and to Boca San Juan take about 3.5 hours. If you have the time, you can spend 1 or 2 nights at Playa Brava and then hike to Cabo San Juan and the Zaino exit in 1 day. This will take about 4.5 hours including a stop for a swim at La Piscina. Tip: Want to do this long route Calabazo-Zaino? Then start in Calabazo and not at el Zaino. The climb from Calabazo to Playa Brava is steep and then you have already had the most difficult part of the trip at the beginning. In Playa Brava there is nothing else, (not even a first aid post) but it is a cool place to chill.
Tip #2
Check out sample trips for a multi-day stay in Tayrona National Park here
Continue reading here for more information about Tayrona National park; beaches, the best places to stay in Tayrona National Park , camping, what is the best travel period, how much does an entrance ticket and other practical information for your visit to Tayrona National Park. Read about our own experience in Tayrona National Park, during our first trip where we did the intensive hike from Calabazo to Zaino and our second trip, where we did a short hike from Zaino to Playa Arrecife. Are you going to take a tour of Colombia’s north coast? Then read about the roundtrip which we made from Barranquilla to Santa Marta.
