Tayrona National Park is nice – you can walk through the pretty jungle areas to get to the beautiful beaches – but it does get pretty crowded. My tip would be to stay in one of the chilled out beach hotels in the fantastic area just past the eastern end of the park, right where the river meets the sea.
The hotels themselves are lovely, and the nearby lagoon is a stunning setting. We ended up extending our stay for 4 nights because we liked it so much and headed over to the park for two of the days, avoiding the rush of a day trip from Santa Marta. Search for Maloka Barlovento for the right spot. We stayed there and would recommend.
Nearby you also have two super things to do – firstly, and easiest, is Cartagena’s wonderful Old Town that ranks as one of the best in Latin America and see more tips at the travel entry Soaking up the Cartagena Old Town. But the highlight is the 4days / 3 nights Hiking the Lost City Trek where you trek through the jungle to the mystical Lost City. Have a look at how it can all come together in a itinerary for 3 weeks in Colombia
One last tip – “Cayman Aguja” is a sign you’ll see put up all along the shore. It isn’t a type of cayman, its an American Crocodile!
