» Tayrona National Park

The thick dense jungle of Tayrona National Park is home to 56 endangered species and flows down to the sea to create a scene straight out of Jurassic Park. Deep bays contain beautiful beaches perfect for secluded sunbathing and snorkelling.

The national park covers 15,000 hectares, three quarters  of which is land and the remaining 3,000 is marine. The park contains a total of nine ecosystems with seven endemic species and the greatest diversity of marine sponges in the Colombian Caribbean. These ecosystems include: spiny forests, tropical day forests, rainforests and red mangrove swamps.

The temperature hovers consistently between 25 to 30 degrees and many types of mammal, birds and reptiles occupy the park. The park is part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, with slopes rising from sea level to nearly 6000 metres where the peaks are snow capped.

Within the park there are various archeological sites of interest such as the Tayrona city of Pueblito from the pre-Colombian era which held a community of at least 400 indigenous people. Some of these sites still remain sacred to the Arsarios, Koguis and Arhuacos people of today who are all descended from the original ancient Tayrona people.

Tayrona National park is a must see if visiting Colombia’s Caribbean coast, and an experience that is not easily forgotten.