Tayrona National Park: The Complete Guide to Colombia’s Crown Jewel

What is Tayrona National Park?

Tayrona National Park is a nature reserve in Colombia made up of rainforest and stretching along the Atlantic coast. It’s known for its paradise-like beaches, lush landscapes, and an incredible variety of wildlife.

No wonder Tayrona National Park is a favorite not only for Colombians but also for international travelers on a road trip through Colombia. The park gets busy — really busy — but it’s absolutely worth it for its unique beauty.

Where is Tayrona National Park located?

Tayrona National Park sits in northeastern Colombia, wedged between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

The nearest major city is Santa Marta, about 30 kilometers from the park’s main entrances.

How do you get to Tayrona National Park?

Your first step is getting to Santa Marta. The city has its own airport with domestic flights from cities like Cartagena, Medellín, and Bogotá. You can also travel by long-distance bus.

Book your long-distance bus in Colombia through Bookaway
Also check out our tips on Santa Marta:

From Santa Marta to Tayrona National Park

From Santa Marta, you have several options for reaching Tayrona National Park: by public bus, a transfer, or your own car.

If you’d rather visit Tayrona on a guided tour instead of going it alone, you won’t need to think about transportation at all.

Private tour to Tayrona National Park from Santa Marta

We don’t recommend driving yourself — traffic in Santa Marta is pretty hectic, and it’s much more relaxing to go by transfer or bus.

To book a transfer, just ask at your accommodation or at one of the many travel agencies in Santa Marta.

How to get to Tayrona National Park by public bus

The cheapest option is the public bus. Catch it at the Mercado Público in Santa Marta (search “Bus Parque Tayrona” on Google Maps to find the stop).

The buses are usually already waiting there — just hop on. They run roughly every 15 minutes.

As far as we know, the first bus leaves at 7 AM and the last one returns from the park at around 7 PM (double-check this locally, as times can change).

Depending on traffic, it takes one to one and a half hours to reach the central park entrance at El Zaino. The fare is 10,000 COP per trip.

How much time should you plan for Tayrona National Park?

Day trips to Tayrona National Park are the most popular choice. Plan for at least a full day. If you have plenty of time on your Colombia trip, you can also stay overnight — and we’d honestly recommend it.

Spending the night in the park is a real experience — you get to enjoy the nature without the daytime tourist crowds. That said, accommodations are very basic and you’ll have to deal with mosquitoes and heat. We cover all of that in the “Accommodations” section below.

Entrance fee for Tayrona National Park

By Colombian standards, the fees for visiting Tayrona are on the higher side. As a tourist, you pay 62,000 COP in the low season and 73,500 COP in the high season.

On top of that, there’s a mandatory insurance fee of 3,000 COP per day in the park. If you stay two days, that’s 6,000 COP total.

The entrance fee itself is only charged once, regardless of whether you stay one or two nights. However, if you leave the park and return on a different day, you’ll pay the full price again.

Note: Buy your ticket at the park entrance. You’ll need your passport or a photo of it.

Day trip to Tayrona National Park

Since most people visit Tayrona National Park on a day trip, we’ll walk you through the routes for a single day in detail. Of course, you can take more time at the beaches and on the trails by staying overnight.

We’ve marked the most popular trails and beaches in the park on this map.

This map shows the hiking trails and beaches in Tayrona National Park.

The Classic Route

Tayrona National Park has a classic route that almost every day visitor follows. To do it, head out from Santa Marta early — ideally right at 7 AM.

Get off at the El Zaino bus stop. You can find it on Google Maps by searching “Taquilla El Zaino” — it’s right at the park entrance.

At the entrance, you first pay the park insurance fee and get a wristband, then pay the entrance fee.

From there, shuttle buses run about 4.5 kilometers to the start of the hiking trail. You can walk this stretch too, but it’s not particularly scenic. The shuttle costs 5,000 COP.

The shuttle drops you at a parking area where there’s a small museum about the national park — worth a quick look.

The hiking trail to Playa San Juan de Cabo

The trail to Playa San Juan de Cabo starts from the parking area. It’s by far the most popular path in the park — about 6 kilometers long, mostly flat, and totally manageable even if you’re not a regular hiker. Along the way, keep an eye out for monkeys and toucans.

The first section winds through the jungle. After a few kilometers, you’ll emerge at a viewpoint overlooking the sea, then hike parallel to the coast past several beaches.

The most beautiful beaches along the hike (in order):

• Playa Arrecife: The trail doesn’t lead directly here, but a short detour (about ten minutes) is worth it for some great photos. No swimming and virtually no shade — but also almost no tourists.
• Playa La Piscina: A gorgeous palm-fringed beach that’s safe for swimming. Lots of visitors stop here, but the beach is big enough that you can still find a quiet spot.
• Playa San Juan de Cabo: One of the most beautiful beaches in Colombia! It gets crowded — this is where most tourists set up camp — but it’s great for swimming and snorkeling.

Extra tip: From San Juan de Cabo, walk another ten minutes or so to reach a much quieter beach. Swimming is unfortunately prohibited there too, but the peace and quiet is worth it.
Getting back

Head back along the same trail in the afternoon. Don’t leave it too late — the park officially closes at 5:00 PM and you should be back at the entrance by then. It’s worth double-checking the exact times at the entrance, as they can change.

Alternatively, boats run from San Juan de Cabo back to Santa Marta. If your legs are done after the hike in, the boat is a great option.

The Route for Active Hikers

Want to do a bit more hiking and skip the tourist crowds? There’s a great alternative for you.

Instead of getting off at the main El Zaino entrance, stay on the bus until Calabazo. Let the driver know when you pay — the fare to that stop is only 8,000 COP.

From the Calabazo bus stop, it’s a short walk to the park entrance, where you pay the insurance fee and entrance fee.

The hiking trail from Calabazo to San Juan de Cabo

From the entrance, you’ll climb just over 3 kilometers with about 300 meters of elevation gain. It’s a real workout — but worth every step.

At the top, there are a few small shops where you can grab water and snacks. After that, the trail continues through the jungle.

For roughly 4.5 kilometers, you’ll hike mostly flat terrain before a steep descent — make sure you have shoes with good grip.

Note: There are two trails for the second section. One passes through an abandoned ancient Teyona city, which is reportedly stunning. Unfortunately, this trail is currently closed (as of 2023).

At the end of the trail, you’ll arrive at Playa Nudista — a genuinely dreamlike paradise beach.

It’s lined with palms and almost completely free of tourists — only the handful of hikers who took the same trail find their way here. Swimming is unfortunately dangerous, but the setting is spectacular.

From Playa Nudista, it’s about 15 more minutes to Playa San Juan de Cabo, where you can pick up the classic route back to the main entrance at El Zaino.

All in all, you’ll cover about 16 kilometers.

Alternative Excursions in Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park is much larger than what you cover on the classic routes. Besides Zaino and Calabazo, there’s one more park entrance: Palagana.

Palagana Park Entrance

Palagana is significantly less crowded. There’s no public transportation to this entrance, so your best bet is to book a tour in Santa Marta.

Popular beaches near this entrance include Playa Cristal and Playa Neguanje.

Warning: Boat tours to Playa Cristal are offered, but we’ve heard from several travelers that these can be dangerous and are sometimes run by unofficial operators. We’d steer clear of this option.

Bahia Concha

Bahia Concha isn’t an official park entrance, but it’s still within the park boundaries — and it’s the closest bay to Santa Marta. The beach is stunning and well worth a day trip.

There’s no public transportation here, so we recommend booking a transfer in Santa Marta.

We weren’t able to find out the exact entrance fee for Bahia Concha, but it’s definitely cheaper than the full national park fee.

Staying overnight in Tayrona National Park

You have two main options for spending the night near Tayrona National Park: inside the park or outside near the entrances. Both have real pros and cons.

Staying INSIDE the National Park

• You only pay the park entrance fee once.
• You can stay right on the beach.
• You get to experience the park in the evenings and mornings without the tourist crowds.

• Accommodations are very basic.
• Rooms with real beds are expensive.
• The alternative is sleeping in a tent or hammock.
• Expect sand flies, mosquitoes, and heat at night.

Staying NEAR the National Park

• You have a much wider selection of places to stay.
• You’re still surrounded by beautiful nature.
• Accommodations are more affordable and more comfortable.
• Many hotels are really nice and offer air-conditioned rooms.

• You’ll pay the park entrance fee multiple times if you visit on several days.
• You can only enter the national park during official opening hours.

Our hotel picks INSIDE Tayrona National Park

Almost every beach in the park has some form of accommodation. The selection is limited though — mainly eco-lodges and campsites. The only proper hotels are along the road inside the park, near the El Zaino entrance.

Our hotel picks NEAR Tayrona National Park

If you’d rather stay outside the park near one of the entrances, you’ll find a much wider range of lodging options here.

Practical tips for visiting Tayrona National Park

To wrap things up, here are a few key pointers for your trip to Tayrona National Park.

Also read our travel tips for Colombia

Swimming in the park

Swimming is prohibited at many beaches in Tayrona National Park, and warning signs are posted everywhere. The currents are strong and several people have drowned. Take these warnings seriously — only swim where it’s explicitly permitted (e.g., La Piscina and Cabo San Juan).

Aside from the water safety issue, Tayrona National Park is a very safe destination in Colombia.

Best time to visit Tayrona National Park

For the best weather, aim for December through March or June and July. These are the dry season months — you’ll usually get blue skies and sunshine, and it’s not quite as humid as the rest of the year. This is also the ideal window for the hike to Ciudad Perdida.

The downside? This is also peak season, and Tayrona gets seriously crowded — beaches packed, trails busy.

That’s why we actually recommend visiting in April, May, or August. Technically the rainy season in the Caribbean, but rain mostly falls in the afternoon or evening and not every day. Mornings are usually sunny or partly cloudy, and there are noticeably fewer people around.

We’d avoid September through November — this period brings very heavy rainfall and it’s not the most enjoyable time to visit.

For more on timing your Colombia trip, check out our dedicated article on the best time to visit.

Is there a maximum visitor limit?

Yes — as far as we know, there is a daily visitor cap. We couldn’t find the exact number, but it runs into several thousand per day. As long as you arrive in the morning, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting in.

What to pack for Tayrona National Park?

A few things you really shouldn’t forget:

• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Enough cash
• Snacks and water (though there’s plenty to buy inside the park too)
• Swimwear
• Snorkel