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Santa Marta
Archaeology

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Our most recommended Santa Marta Archaeology

Santa Marta: Tayrona Park Private Hike to Cabo San Juan

1. Santa Marta: Tayrona Park Private Hike to Cabo San Juan

Immerse yourself in the beauty of Tayrona National Natural Park during this full-day walking trip. Discover lush forests, stroll along pristine beaches, admire Playa Cabo de San Juan, and savor a traditional Caribbean meal (not included). Explore Tayrona National Natural Park during this private full-day hiking tour. Inhale the fragrance of sun-drenched nature as you observe fauna which have made this paradise their home. Experience one of the world's most beautiful beaches and enjoy authentic Caribbean cuisine. Wander about this natural haven on the Caribbean coast, northeast of Santa Marta, one of South America’s oldest cities. Luxuriate in the golden sunshine as you take in lush flora set against the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Hike along the coast from Cañaveral, pause at the boulder-strewn Playa Arrecife known for its powerful currents, and continue on to La Piscina. Enclosed with rocks, and mild and shallow, this pool is ideal for swimmers of varying skill levels. Playa Brava sits off the beaten path, a secluded beach nestled amid lush vegetation. Tranquil and serene, it is quieter compared to the highly popular Cabo de San Juan beach. To sunbathe on white sands and snorkel in clear water, walk to Playa Cristal and nibble on grilled seafood as well. Playa Cabo de San Juan, a verdant paradise, is the park’s main attraction. Giant palms wave along the shore and massive boulders rise out of the water. Swim and settle down to a traditional Caribbean lunch afterwards. Sunbathe in the golden sunshine and end your day on a glittering high.

Minca: Full-Day Coffee and Cocoa Tour from Santa Marta

2. Minca: Full-Day Coffee and Cocoa Tour from Santa Marta

From Santa Marta, embark on a 45-minute drive through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to find the small town of Minca. In the company of a local guide, take a 2.5-hour nature walk passing waterfalls, natural swimming pools, and scenic views of the surrounding mountains.  The walk ends at a coffee farm, where you will learn about the coffee production process and it’s importance to Colombia’s culture. Enter a bamboo house where you will enjoy a gourmet lunch before learning about cocoa, its production, and derivatives.   At the end of the tour, return transfers will be provided to your hotel in Santa Marta.

Santa Marta: Multi-Day Trek to The Lost City

3. Santa Marta: Multi-Day Trek to The Lost City

Embrace your inner explorer with a multi-day trek through the jungle from Santa Marta to the Lost City. Follow an experienced professional guide through the Colombian jungle, learning about the flora and fauna as you go. Encounter the archaeological site of an ancient city in Santa Marta's Sierra Nevada, believed to have been founded around 800 CE, some 650 years earlier than Machu Picchu. Choose between a 4,5 or 6-day trek. See a series of 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, a network of tiled roads, and several small circular plazas. Access the entrance by climbing up 1,200 stone steps through dense jungle. 4 or 5-Day Trek Day 1 - The adventure to the Lost City starts around 9:30 AM with a 3-hour drive by 4WD to El Mamey, a place where you will have lunch and begin the trek in search for the sacred place of the Tayronas. The first day will consist of a smooth walk of about 4 hours (approximately 7.6 km). Stop at the Lookout Las Tres Cruces for a snack and taste delicious fruits. Relax at some natural pools and waterfalls to refresh before arriving at the first camp in the end of the afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay. Day 2 - The day begins with a nice breakfast early in the morning, before you start to walk towards the Wiwa camp. This is located by the riverside of Buritaca River, where you can enjoy a refreshing bath, rest and have lunch. From there, follow the adventure into the jungle where you will find plenty of houses that form part of a Kogui indigenous village called Mutanyi. Continue the trek until reaching the camp where you will rest for the second day. The whole trek consists of about 7 hours or 14.7 KM, mostly uphill with some downhill while enjoying the rich biodiversity of the place. Dinner and overnight. Day 3 - Very early in the day you will be served breakfast before starting the trek towards the highlight of the trip. Climb up 1,200 steps in a trail constructed by Tayrona people to reach the stunning Lost City, surrounded by a deep, vast and mythical jungle. Your guide will show you everything related to this magical place full of relics and ancestral stories and you can spend the morning enjoying the landscapes & taking pictures. Finally, you will start trekking back to the same camp that you left in the morning. Have lunch before continuing towards the Wiwa camp where you will spend the night. Again, this will be around a 7 hours day trek but only with 6 KM of uphill and downhill tracks. Dinner and overnight. Day 4 - You will have an early breakfast before beginning the 2-hour walk towards the camp where you spent the first night. When arriving, the group will be divided between the people who are doing the 4 or 5-day tour. For the people who are on the last day, you will have a short rest accompanied by fruit and water before continuing the trekking for another 4-hours until reaching El Mamey where you will have lunch and hop in a 4 WD jeep that will take you back to Santa Marta. For the people who decided on the 5-day tour, you will be served lunch and spend the rest of the day relaxing at the camp where you can observe the views, relax and interact with others before spending the night. Dinner and overnight. Day 5 - The last day begins with the breakfast before walking to El Mamey, place where you will have lunch and the 4 WD jeep will take you back to Santa Marta. 6-Day Trek Day 1 - The adventure to the Lost City starts around 9:30 where a 4 WD jeep will take you on a 3-hour drive to El Mamey, a place where you will have lunch and begin the trek in search for the sacred place of the Tayronas. The first day will consist of a smooth walk of about 4 hours walking for 7.6 KM where we will stop at the Lookout Las Tres Cruces to have a snack and taste delicious fruits and at some natural pools & waterfalls to relax and refresh before arriving at the first camp in the end of the afternoon. Dinner and overnight. Day 2 - The day begins with a nice breakfast early in the morning, before you start to walk towards a indigenous reserve where you will have the opportunity to learn about the Wiwas & Koguis cultures. You will spend the day in the second camp enjoying the river and the cultural exchange. The whole trek consists of only 3 hours in relatively smooth terrain. Dinner and overnight. Day 3 - You will begin the descent towards the Buritaca river valley after breakfast, where during the tour, you will find some indigenous housing that forms a small community known as the Mutanyi. From there, you will continue on the path to the next camp. In that journey, enjoy a bath in one of the rivers, learn about the flora and fauna and have some breaks to rest up. The whole trek consists of 5 hours, with some ups and downs. At night enjoy stories and adventures narrated by the guides in the camp. Dinner and overnight. Day 4 - Very early in the day, you will be served breakfast before starting the trek towards the highlight of the trip. You will climb up 1,200 steps in a trail constructed by Tayrona people to reach the stunning Lost City, surrounded by a deep, vast and mythical jungle. Your guide will show you everything related to this magical place full of relics and ancestral stories and you can spend the morning enjoying the landscapes & taking pictures. Finally, you will start trekking back to the same camp left in the morning to have lunch to continue towards the camp where you will spend the night. This will be around a 7 hours day trek but only with 6 KM of uphill and downhill tracks. Dinner and overnight.  Day 5 - After breakfast, begin the journey towards Santa Marta. This will be a 2-hour trek to the camp where you will be served lunch and spend the rest of the day chilling at the as you observe the views, relax and interact with others before spending the night. Dinner and overnight.  Day 6 - The last day begins with the breakfast before walking to El Mamey, place where we will have lunch and the 4 WD jeep will take you back to Santa Marta.

Santa Marta: Sunset Sailing in the bay

4. Santa Marta: Sunset Sailing in the bay

We will meet you at 4:50pm at our meeting point and escort you into the marina. Once we situate you on the boat and give the safety instructions we will depart at 5:00pm. For 1 hour we will sail around the bay of Santa Marta, depending on weather conditions we may hopefully be able to open sails, otherwise will use the motor. Then, we will anchor in the bay for another hour to enjoy the beautiful sunset from the water. You will also get to experience the gorgeous night time view of Santa Marta. We will return to the marina by approximately 7:30pm, where the tour ends. On board we supply water, soda & ice, and we have cups and a cooler if you would like to bring aboard your own drinks. We also provide a speaker with bluetooth connection and can offer recommendations of surrounding restuarants for your evening. If you are unable to meet at the meeting point & require a pick up from your hotel, you can get in contact with us. This will come at an additional cost, which is variable depending on distance.

Santa Marta: Guided Walking Food Experience

5. Santa Marta: Guided Walking Food Experience

In this experience, discover the unique flavors of the Caribbean region of Colombia with a local guide. Visit 7 places in the historical center of Santa Marta and sample a variety of traditional food and drinks. Next, visit multiple family-owned businesses and try arepas de huevo, cayeye, and other special dishes. Meet some of the most professional baristas in the region. In a single afternoon, learn about Caribbean Colombian culture through its food and history.

Santa Marta: Cristal Beach Day-Trip

6. Santa Marta: Cristal Beach Day-Trip

After being collected from your Santa Marta accommodation, you will travel for 15 minutes by vehicle to the Neguanje sector and enter an area of the Tayrona park (nature reserve). Once here you will be able to enjoy a spectacular sun day, before you board a boat for an 8-minute journey by the beautiful beaches of the Colombian Caribbean. You can then walk while enjoying an excellent view of the 7-wave viewpoint. Cristal Beach, also called Calm Beach, is the perfect setting for snorkeling and diving. Thanks to its beautiful clear, calm waters and white sands that allow it visitors to snorkel easily. It is widely considered one of the most beautiful and paradisaical beaches in Colombia, and is not to be missed when traveling through this area. Cristal Beach is located in a bay alongside many other small beaches. The water in these beaches, unlike the rest of the park, is very calm, and you will also find plains of unexploited, natural salt. There is also a small camping area, which is a spectacular alternative for accommodation and very different from the other sites that are close by.

Palomino: Palomino River Tubing and Hiking Tour

7. Palomino: Palomino River Tubing and Hiking Tour

Part of the joyful energy you easily find in Palomino is due to the great amount of adventure and nature-ish activities and plans that you can do there. By being near the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta and with the Caribbean Sea just in front, most of the must-do things here will include adrenaline and contact with nature. If you enjoy living the best out of every place, trust us: this tour is perfect for you. In this tour a guide will pick you up in a motorbike, which will be your transport for a part of the tour. Then, you will do a hike of 40 minutes across the surrounding forest of Palomino. There, the guide will give you a short lesson of flora and fauna of the area. And if you are lucky, and the sky is clear enough you’ll be able to see the two most important peaks of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta: Simon Bolivar and Colon peaks. Once ready you will take your floating tires and life jackets downstream the Palomino River. There will be a part of rapids in this route, but you will also enjoy going down the river among nature. Finally, you will get to the Palomino River mouth, the exact place where it meets the Caribbean Sea. Give yourself the chance of doing something new and try this.

From Cartagena: Santa Marta Day Trip with Breakfast & Lunch

8. From Cartagena: Santa Marta Day Trip with Breakfast & Lunch

Our tour begins picking you up at your hotels to start our wonderful journey to the city of Santa Marta; we must pass through the beautiful city of Barranquilla where we will make a panoramic visit including two stops: the Caiman del Rio which is a beautiful corridor on the banks of the Magdalena River and the window to the world which is the highest monument in Latin America; then we continue our way to Santa Marta where will be our final destination, breakfast will be in the sector of the rodadero where we will offer you the following options: Scrambled eggs, fried, or perico accompanied by arepa, sliced bread with chocolate or coffee), after breakfast we will take a boat to Playa Blanca in Santa Marta. In this tour we will visit: Quinta San Pedro Alejandrino (includes entrance fee), the statue of Pibe Valderrama, Pescadito neighborhood and La Castellana field; We will take a walk through the Bay, the Marina, Parque de los novios, the Cathedral, Plaza Bolivar and colonial streets, entrance to the Gold Museum. Lunch will be typical with fish, patacón, rice with coconut and salad, with a choice of grilled chicken or beef. We will return to Cartagena at approximately 4:00 pm to arrive at the hotels at 9:00 pm. Departures Wednesday and Saturday

Santa Marta and Tayrona Park Day Trip

9. Santa Marta and Tayrona Park Day Trip

Our tour begins picking you up at your hotels to start our wonderful trip to the city of Santa Marta, where we will offer you a light breakfast to start our tour to the Tayrona Park we will receive a talk about the conservation of the environment; You will also have the visit to the viewpoint Playa Siete Olas, the entrance to Playa Neguanje and transportation by boat to Playa Cristal. Lunch will be typical with fish, patacón, rice with coconut and salad, with a choice of grilled chicken or beef. You will always have the guide accompanying you throughout the activity. We will return to Cartagena at approximately 4:00 pm to arrive at the hotels at 9:00 pm. Departures are on Tuesdays and Fridays

A Pearl In The Caribbean - Cultural Walking Tour (Tip based)

10. A Pearl In The Caribbean - Cultural Walking Tour (Tip based)

The first place we visit on the tour is known as Casa de la Aduana or Tayrona del Oro Museum, the museum allows us to observe different pieces of pre-Hispanic and modern indigenous art. In this wonderful place we will talk about who the Taironas were and why they became extinct. On the other hand, as its name indicates, we will be able to appreciate gold pieces. The second place we visit on the tour is related to the independence of Colombia, its name is Plaza Bolivar, In every place and corner of Colombia there is some place related to the same name "Simon Bolivar", and here we explain a little of everything; pre-Hispanic history, history of independence, architecture, sculptures, etc. It almost feels like traveling back in time! Continuing, we visit the San Francisco square which is a very old place in Santa Marta, here you can appreciate the daily life and the local economy or well known as "rebusque" in the popular Colombian slang. In this place they talk about the pirate attacks related to the catholic religion in the Caribbean. After San Francisco square we head to the Cathedral square, this church is called the mother of all churches in Colombia, it is here where you will learn about the religious customs in Santa Marta and the spooky superstitions of the city. It's also the perfect place to appreciate the Arab, colonial and Renaissance influences - don't forget your camera! If you are a big fan of gastronomy, in this place we make you some recommendations about the typical dishes of the city and the restaurants you should visit in case you want to try them, it is a mix between colors and gastronomy, very interesting. After a delicious meal maybe you want to do a night activity, then you should go to "", here we talk about the nightlife of the city of Santa Marta, it is an ideal place to spend a night of romance or with friends, its name is not original "Parque de los Novios" and we will talk about it there. And finally, the juice place is the perfect place to talk about the typical fruits found in the Colombian Caribbean coast. Here we will give some explanations as a "fruit class" and we will taste one, remember that part of traveling is to try weird things by yourself. At the end you will be able to buy a 100% natural juice if you wish.

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What people are saying about Santa Marta

The hike was aboslutely amazing. Our tour guide Luis and assistant Tatiana were great, they put a lot of effort to make us all happy and make the trek enjoyable. The food was absolutely amazing and it was great to get the fruits and refreshments on our way in between the camps. Also, many thanks to Luis to organise the cakes for the Birthdays guys - it was so lovely of him. Luis was super knowledgable and accommodating towards everyone’s pace of walk what I really appreciated. Overall, great experience- many thanks for your hard work Luis and Tatiana! We booked 5 days trek but I’d recommend to book 4 as on day 4 you’d spend half a day in a camp and there is not much do other than river swim. (which you would have done already earlier on) We came back on day 4 in the end and majority of peope do 4 days.

Outstanding experience! Great experience! Definitely recommended! Nevertheless, you have to note 1-2 things that are not necessarily clear! You have to be in good physical condition, it's more exhausting than it may seem at first. In addition, in the rainy season, the paths are very bad, you actually need rubber boots with a lot of profile, a lot and deep mud, it is very slippery, trekking poles are also recommended. Still a great tour!

Unforgettable experience! Difficult but what a joy when you're done!! To do at least once in your life! A friendly team, the guide Carlos who knows his region well, a translator (Julio César), the only one who speaks English/French who helps you get through difficult places, a cook who follows you and prepares the meals. And participants who get to know each other throughout these 4 days! I recommend!

Really well organised and coordinated, excellent and experienced guides, great food and a heap of fun. The hike is harder than I thought & I suffered with some heat exhaustion slowing me down a bit. With no judgement and a whole lot of care, we all got there. So well worth it!

Literally the perfectly managed trip and a great experience. Went with 3 Jesuses and they were all fantastic. From info to translation to cooking! Really can’t fault any of it.