How to get to Tayrona National Park, Santa Marta?
Here you can read about the different modes of transportation to Tayrona National Park.
Most visitors of Tayrona National Park, travel from Santa Marta, which is 35 km away. This is also where the nearest airport is located. There are flights to Santa Marta from Bogotá (1.35min) and Medellín (1.15 min). If you fly to Cartagena or Barranquilla, you can catch a bus or colectivo to Santa Marta and there you can take the bus to Tayrona. You can also get to Tayrona National Park from Palomino.
If you’d rather not visit the park on your own, you can check out options for a guided tour to Tayrona National Park.
Transportation by bus
From Santa Marta
Buses depart every 30 minutes from the Mercado Público, at the corner of Calle 11 and Carrera 11. Tayrona National Park has two entrances, the main entrance El Zaino (the most used entrance) and the Calabazo entrance, which is 10 minutes before the Zaino entrance. Take the bus toward Palomino and tell the driver at which entrance you want to be dropped off, The trip takes over an hour and costs about COP10,000 /$2.50.
From Palomino
The ride takes around about an hour and costs about COP8000/$2
From Cartagena, Barranquilla or Minca
Coming from these destinations, you must first go to Santa Marta and catch the bus there. Tickets for Cartagena-Santa Marta cost around COP45,000/$11, Barranquilla-Santa Marta COP26,000/$6.50 , Minca-Santa Marta COP9000/$2.25 (colectivo).
Private transport
If you want to travel comfortably and/or save time, you can arrange private transportation, that drops you at your hotel near Tayrona. Stopping along the way to withdraw money at an ATM or running an errand is usually no problem. A private transfer from Santa Marta costs around 150$ (up to 6 people) and a private transfer from Cartagena costs about 200$ with 2 people. For private transport from Barranquilla to your hotel near Tayrona, you should count on a minimum of COP 420,000/$105 for 2 people.
By car
If you come to Tayrona National Park by car, you can go to the main entrance (Zaino). You can drive to Cañaveral and park the car there. Parking costs COP20.000 per day for cars and COP14.500 for motor bikes (rates 2025).
There is another entrance you can go to by car, which is the Palangana (Neguanje) entrance. This is the first entrance from Santa Marta, about a 20-minute drive. From here you do not have access to beaches like Playa Arrecife and Cabo San Juan, but you can go to Playa Neguanje and take a boat to the beautiful beach Playa Cristal. There are no hotels or camping spots here so you have to leave the park the same day.
By boat
The popular Cabo San Juan beach del Guía can be reached by a boat trip from Tatanga. The boat leaves around 9:30am, or when the boat is full. The boat returns at 4 p.m. The trip takes about an hour. Agree clearly where the captain will pick you up for the return trip. The ride can be very rough and is not recommended for everyone. Price indication is around COP80,000 /20$ one way. From December to the end of March, the sea is extra rough and the boat trip can even be dangerous and take over 2 hours instead of 1 hour. Therefore, check the forecast for wind and waves before you decide to book the boat trip.
Continue reading here for more information about Tayrona National park; beaches and hikes, staying in the nicest hostels and hotels in Tayrona National Park, what is the best travel period, how much does an entrance ticket cost and other practical information for your visit to Tayrona National Park. Are you going to take a tour of Colombia’s north coast? Then read here about the trip we made from Barranquilla to Santa Marta.
