Tayrona National Park is one of Colombia‘s most iconic destinations, where lush jungle meets stunning Caribbean beaches on the country’s north coast. It’s the kind of place travelers dream about, and increasingly, also travel to.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Tayrona twice, in 2019 and 2024, and the difference was striking. It was already a popular destination back in 2019, but by 2024, the spots everyone recommends had become flooded with people and loud.
But we found ways to beat the crowds as much as possible and still enjoy the essence of Tayrona National Park. Which is why I wrote this guide on how to visit Tayrona National Park so you can also beat the crowds as much as possible.
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Table of Contents - How to visit Tayrona National Park: A practical guide to beat the crowds
When to visit Tayrona
Tayrona can be visited year round, but the timing of your visit does make a difference. The dry season runs from December to April and again from July to August, with January to March generally considered the best months. The rainy season falls in April to June and September to November, but even then it normally doesn’t rain all day, so you can still enjoy your visit. The upside of visiting in the rainy season is that there are far fewer crowds.
One thing you can’t escape regardless of when you visit is the humidity. Even the months with lower humidity still have average levels of above 70%. I visited in June and August, which aren’t ideal months, but I still enjoyed my visit. I was lucky and didn’t get any rain in June and in August the humidity made the hike from Calabazo very tough, but it was definitely doable. Just take it slow and take plenty of water!
â›” Tayrona has 3 closing times per year. Normally these are: February 1-15 (Kugkui shikasa season), June 1-15 (Saka Juso season), and October 19-November 2 (Nabbatashi season). Confirm these dates on the National Park Website.
How to get to Tayrona
There are a few different ways to get to Tayrona, depending on where you’re coming from and where you want to get off. Most people start at the Zaino entrance and hike from there. It’s also possible to hike from the Calabazo entrance, or you can even take a boat and arrive directly at Tayrona’s most popular beach! No hiking required.Â
There is also Playa Bahia Concha, on the other side of Tayrona National Park where you can even drive too, but this is not the area most travelers visit, and I haven’t visited this area myself either.
| From | How to Get There | Extra Details |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Marta | Van | From the market, carrera 9 between calles 11 & 12 more or less. These vans stop a lot, so if you're staying between Santa Marta and Tayrona, hop on along the way. |
| Minca | Van via Santa Marta | Take a van to Santa Marta and change to a van to Tayrona near the market or on the outskirts (ask driver). |
| Cartagena | Bus via Santa Marta | Take a bus to the Santa Marta bus terminal and change to a bus to Riohacha (confirm Tayrona stop). For a van, taka local bus or taxi to Santa Marta center first. |
| Riohacha / Palomino | Bus or van | Take a bus to Santa Marta from Riohacha, this bus also stops at Palomino. From Palomino you can tak a van as well. |
| Taganga (no hiking) | Boat | Directly to Cabo San Juan. |
Zaino entrance
Zaino is the main entrance. It’s the easiest and cheapest way into the National Park, but also the busiest. Not only with hikers, but also with horses. Back in 2019 there were a lot of hikers already, but going on horseback wasn’t popular yet. But now it has gotten extremely busy on the trail, and honestly a little oncomfortable to hike. The horses have turned the trails into muddy paths and you need to make space for the horses that are going up and down, with or without tourists frequently.
Having said that, the trail is still very pretty and you’ll hike along the coast for a big part of it. It’s also relatively flat which is nice considering the hot and humid weather in this part of Colombia.
Calabazo entrance
The Calabazo entrance is a less popular entrance which I wanted to try when visiting Tayrona for the second time. It’s a much tougher hike, but there are almost no people on the trail, which made the experience much more special.
The main downside of this entrance isn’t the tougher hike though, it’s the villagers at the entrance who demand 5.000 COP to let you pass to the entrance. They’ve formalized it and have a little ticket book, and unfortunately, there is no way around them (as far as I could tell). They say they invest it into the park, but it’s just to cross a little road that goes past the village to the National Park, where you pay the actual fee which does go to the maintenance of the park. The park rangers are aware, but don’t care.
It’s a bit of an uncomfortable experience when virtually the town is sitting at the entrance blocking the way for any potential tourists coming in. Most tourists also get talked into a moto-taxi but we did avoid that one and hiked from the entrance.
⚠️ The Colombian government has decided to temporarily close the park due to safety issues. The main issue is the villagers at the Calabazo entrance who have been causing problems. It’s not clear yet when Tayrona will open again, so keep an eye on the website for information. You can find the park status here or check their news section for more detailed information.Â
Beaches in Tayrona
Not all beaches in Tayrona National Park are good for swimming though, some have high waves and strong currents. Playa del Cabo at Cabo San Juan is one of the few that has calm waters, just like its neighboring beach Boca de Saco. Which is why Cabo San Juan is such a popular place to stay. Boca de Saco is technically a nude beach, but there are plenty of people with swimsuits or clothes on.
Personally, I loved Playa Arenilla! It’s great for swimming and sunbathing and it’s very quiet compared to Cabo San Juan. There are some rocks in the corner where you can even get shade. Piscinita is another lovely swimming beach.
There are other beaches on the other side of Tayrona National Park as well, like Playa Bahia Concha where you can even drive to. However, when people refer to visiting Tayrona National Park, this normally means the area between the Zaino entrance and Cabo San Juan.
Where to stay in Tayrona National Park
There are several places to stay in the national park, or you can choose to stay just outside of it and visit for the day. There are many accommodation options outside the park between Calabazo and Los Naranjos. I recommend staying a night inside the park though, to make the experience complete and make the most out of your trip to Tayrona National Park
Most people stay at Cabo San Juan, which has become super busy and commercial. So I don’t actually recommend staying here. If you really have your heart set on staying right on a swimming beach and you don’t mind the crowds then you might enjoy Cabo San Juan.
But if you want to feel like you’re in the middle of nature there are better places to stay. We stayed at eco camping Lui, which is about 15 minutes walk from playa Arenilla. It’s also only 2 minutes from a cheap restaurant (for Tayrona standards that is) where you can get a meal for 30.000 and breakfast for 15.000.
Playa Brava is also quickly becoming a popular destination as it offers much better value for money than Cabo San Juan. While the resort grounds and the beach are beautiful, the beach is not suitable for swimming, which is a shame. They do have a pool though. I’d say Playa Brava is a nice stop if you’re staying 2 nights. The hike from Calabazo to Lui was quite intense with two hills that we needed to pass. If you have the time, you could spend 1 night at Playa Brava and one at Lui, or a nearby campsite.
Here's what we did for our Tayrona trip
Back in 2019 I hiked from Zaino to Cabo San Juan and back, the typical route everyone does. So this time, I wanted to do it a little differently and enter via Calabazo.
As I already mentioned above, this is a much tougher hike and honestly, I didn’t quite realize how much tougher! Our idea was to hike from there to Playa Brava, have lunch and a break there and then continue to Cabo San Juan to sleep. This meant we had to climb two hills though. This didn’t look too difficult on the map, but you need to add the humidity to it.
When we arrived at Cabo San Juan, the hammocks were all sold out already, and they only had tents left. But it was way too hot to sleep in a tent, especially one that had been in the sun all day and it felt way too busy for our liking. So we decided to continue and find another spot. We had met a fellow hiker at Playa Brava who recommended some places not too far. So after a brief stop to cool down in the water and enjoy a cold juice we continued.
We found a spot at the lovely eco camping Lui. This camping wasn’t directly located at the beach, but it was gorgeous nonetheless. And quiet. Here we did actually feel like we were in the middle of the jungle, whereas at Cabo San Juan we felt more like we were on a busy city beach.Â
After a bit of negotiating, we paid just a little more for a cabin here compared to the hammocks at San Juan, where you’re literally sleeping against your neighbor and meals were much cheaper here as well. A lot more bang for your buck if you ask me! We spent the night here and spent the morning on the nearby beach and after lunch, we hiked to the Zaino entrance.
Finishing thoughts about how to visit Tayrona National Park
Tayrona National Park is still absolutely worth visiting, even with the crowds. The combination of jungle, Caribbean beaches and that wild, untamed feeling when you get off the main route is hard to find anywhere else in Colombia. But finding this does require a bit of strategy these days.
Choosing the right entrance, staying somewhere other than Cabo San Juan, and timing your visit outside of peak season will make a huge difference. Don’t just follow the crowd to Cabo San Juan. Venture a little off the beaten path and stay somewhere quieter. That’s where you’ll find the Tayrona that everyone is actually looking for.
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FAQ about visiting Tayrona National Park
For foreign non-residents, the entrance fee is around 81.000 COP in low season and 96,500 COP in high season at the time of writing. On top of that, you’re required to purchase mandatory park insurance, even if you already have travel insurance, which costs around 10,000 COP. You can find the most up-to-date prices on the park website↗ as they tend to increase each year.
The entrance fee can be paid by card, but there are no ATMs near the park entrance, and many vendors inside the park only accept cash. It’s best to come well prepared and bring enough cash for food, drinks and accommodation.
Under normal circumstances Tayrona is generally considered safe to visit for tourists, and millions of visitors have explored it without any issues. That said, the park is currently temporarily closed due to safety concerns related to armed group activity in the region. And there are certain trails in less visited areas which have some safety concerns, like a trail going out of Taganga. Before planning your trip, always check the current park status on the official website.
The most important things to pack are good hiking shoes, a lot of water, sunscreen and insect repellent. The humidity is intense regardless of the season, so lightweight, breathable clothing is a must. Also bring a dry bag to keep your valuables safe at the beach, and download offline maps before you go as there is no phone service or WiFi inside the park. Bring a swimsuit and a towel for the beach, and a change of clothes for the night and the next day.
Yes, it’s possible to visit Tayrona as a day trip from Santa Marta, but I’d recommend staying at least one night inside the park if you can. Staying overnight means you get to experience the park in the early morning and late afternoon when it’s much quieter, and you actually get to slow down and enjoy it.
If you want to stay at Cabo San Juan during peak season it’s a good idea to book in advance. You can reserve via WhatsApp (+57 311 258 9907). Some other places allow for reservations as well, like Playa Brava↗ for example, but not all do. For park entrance tickets, you can technically book through the nation park website, but in practice many travelers find it unreliable and simply pay at the entrance. During peak season, arrive early as the park has a daily capacity limit.
The park is named after the Tayrona people, an indigenous civilization that inhabited this region long before the Spanish arrived. They were known for their sophisticated goldwork and built an extensive network of roads and settlements in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, many of which are still being discovered today. The indigenous Kogi people, who still live in the Sierra Nevada, are considered their direct descendants and still consider the land sacred, which is also why the park closes three times a year during important indigenous ceremonial seasons.