How to get to Tayrona National Park

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How to get to Tayrona National Park, Santa Marta?

Read about the different modes of transportation to Tayrona National Park here.

A trip to Tayrona almost always goes via Santa Marta, which is 35 km away. This is also where the nearest airport is located. Flights to Santa Marta go from Bogotá (1.35min) and Medellín (1.14min), among others. If you fly to Cartagena or Barranquilla, you can catch a bus or colectivo to Santa Marta and there 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 which entrance you want to be dropped off at. 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
Then you must first go to Santa Marta and catch the bus there. Cartagena-Santa Marta 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, where you will be dropped off at your hotel near Tayrona. Stopping along the way to get an ATM, or run 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). Je kunt doorrijden tot Cañaveral en daar de auto parkeren. Parkeren kost COP19.000 per dag voor auto’s en COP13.500 voor motoren. (tarief 2024).

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 away. 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, when the boat is full. At 4 p.m., the boat returns. The trip takes about an hour. Agree clearly where the captain will pick you up for the return trip. The boat trip can be very rough and is therefore not recommended for everyone. Price indication is around COP80,000 /20€ one way. From December to the end of March, the sea is extra wild and the boat trip can even be dangerous and take over 2 hours instead of 1 hour. Therefore check first the 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 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 round trip we made from Barranquilla to Santa Marta.