Tips
The tips that are given in this section result from personal experience and are meant to help the traveller enjoy his or her time in Santa Marta a bit more and avoid unnecessary frustration.
Safety and security
For current information about safety and security, health issues, entry requirements, and crime, please visit the web page "Travel Advice-Colombia" of the Foreign and Commonwealth office of the government of the United Kingdom or the web page "Travel Information-Colombia" of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.
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Best time for a visit
Two factors influence the choice of the right time for visiting Santa Marta: the climate and the Colombian main travel seasons.
Climate:
Colombia is located in the tropical climate zone close to the equator. In Colombia, people distinguish between two seasons: the rainy season that lasts from april to december (with less precipitation in the months of july and august) that is called "winter, and the "summer" with low precipitation from mid-december to the end of march. The months with most precipitacion in Santa Marta are june and july. The temperatures are relatively constant in the course of the year and reach about 35°C during the day; at night they drop to about 25°C.
Colombian main travel season:
Santa Marta is the most popular travel destination of the locals. The main travel seasons are from the end of december to mid-january, during Semana Santa (Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, depending on the year in march or april) and from mid-june to mid-july. During these times the beaches are crowded, hotel rooms are considerably more expensive, and waiting times at the entrances of the Tayrona park have to be accepted.
The most pleasant time for traveling to Santa Marta therefore falls on the time outside the high season during the dry season or the months with less precipitation.
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Tours to Playa Cristal
In high season (especially from the end of December to January), the tours to Playa Cristal inside the Tayrona Park offered by most travel agencies can be a nuisance. People are picked up at their hotels (and some seem to have all the time of the world) and packed into buses, then arrive late at the park entrance where more buses with more tourists have to wait sometimes up to two hours before they can enter, arriving at Playa Cristal at noon or later. It is recommendable to go in small groups (up to 10 people) and to be at the entrance before the park opens. It is worth the extra expenses.
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Bahía Concha
Bahia Concha is one of the beautiful bays of the area with a gorgeous beach, not far from Santa Marta. The access road crosses private land and an entrance fee has to be paid to the owners. Camping directly at the beach is also possible at the camp ground. Bahia Concha can be reached from the center of Santa Marta by taking a bus to the neighbourhood Bastidas (until the last stop called Chimila). There is a bus going from this point to Bahia Concha (about 15 minutes) or a trip can be arranged by mototaxis.
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To Cañaveral by bus
It is possible to go to Cañaveral inside the Tayrona park independently. The public buses (to Palomino) depart at the corner of Carrera 11 and Calle 11 close to Santa Marta's market; travel time is about 1 hour to El Zaíno where the park entrance is located. From there it is about 50 minutes walking distance to Cañaveral or alternatively take the pick up transporter.
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Camping in the Tayrona National Park
In order to experience the Tayrona Park and its nature as close and intensive as possible, the camp grounds next to the beaches offer the best opportunity. It is not expensive to camp in the park (compared to the Ecohabs) and as a camper you have the advantage of being able to enjoy the park early in the morning and in the late evenings, when the day-trippers have not arrived yet or have already left. The most popular camp ground is next to Cabo San Juan, but precisely because of its popularity it is difficult to find a place there during the high season. The camp ground at Arrecifes has good bathroom facilities, but because of the dangerous currents, it is not recommended to go swimming there. There is another camp ground at Cañaveral. It is advisable to take provisions, as the costs of food and beverages inside the park are relatively high. If you do not want to carry your equipment yourself, there are donkeys for rent at Cañaveral.
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Bird watching at the El Dorado Reserve
About 23 kilometers from Minca at an altitude between 1600 meters and 2200 meters the bird reserve El Dorado is located which is administrated by Proaves. In the reserve of about 600 hectares more than 300 bird species can be observed, some of which are endemic. In the reserve accomodation and food is offered. More information can be found on the Proaves web page: www.proaves.org.
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The coffee farm Hacienda La Victoria
For fans of Colombian coffee a visit of the coffee farm Hacienda La Victoria is recommended which was established in 1892 and where the harvested coffee is processed according to the wet method with the original techniques and machines of the foundation time. The farm is is located about 6 kilometers from Minca at an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level with views on the Caribbean. Visitors are welcome and the guided tours are free (a tip to the friendly guide will be appreciated). Contact address: cweber@la-victoria-coffee.com
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Cerro Kennedy
The Cerro Kennedy is a mountain of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta with its peak at 3100 meters above sea level which can be ascended easily from Minca. In the early morning and under good weather conditions one can see from there the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada. About 500 meters under the peak the experimental station San Lorenzo is located where the night can be spent. The nights are cold and it is recommendable to take warm clothes. In the office of the natural parks of Colombia in Santa Marta opposite the cathedral tourists register and obtain a written permit after canceling the park entrance fee and the accomodation costs which has to be presented to the personel at the San Lorenzo station.
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Juan Valdez Café
There is a nice and shady Juan Valdez Café outdoors in a small park next to the Tayrona Museum opposite the Parque Simón Bolívar in Santa Marta with a good selection of different coffees, cookies, and ice cream coffees.
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Santa Marta's new nightlife
In Santa Marta's historical center at and around the tastefully restored Parque de los Novios a music and dance scene with a vivid nightlife has been developing, here a selection of the places to go:
PRAGA, electronic music, Calle 19 with Carrera 3
LA PUERTA, modern and mixed music, Calle 17 with Carrera 3
COMODORO, two dance floors, one with electronic, the other with mixed music, Calle 19 with Carrera 3
DISTRITO, mixed music, Calle 19 with Carerra 3
MARIA MUCANA, mixed music, Calle 17 with Carrera 3
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Useful phone numbers
area code for calls from other parts of the country: 5
directory assistance: 113
ambulance: 420 0453
police: 123 and 421 1116
airport Simón Bolívar: 432 0106 and 432 0010
bus terminal: 430 2040
tourist office:438 2587
hospitals:
El Prado: 432 9200 - emergency/fax 432 9202
address: Cra 5 Cl 26 esquina
Clínica La Milagrosa: 421 5850
address: Calle 22 No. 13 A-09
Clínica Mar Caribe: 421 2730
Adresse: Cr. 1a A No. 23-84
Clínica General del Norte: 421 6988
address: Ave. del Libertador No. 13-12
In the case of an emergency it is advisable to contact your health insurance company as soon as possible (Usually the health insurance companies provide their clients with a helpline phone number).
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