Colombia- Cartagena & Tayrona National Park

Dear lilioftheworld.com, here is Lili, your co-editor.

Colombia is a big country and you can expect to find a lot of difference between the North and the South. During the second part of our visit, we focused on the Northern part where we had our beach vacation. As this is the second part of the article, you can read more general facts about Colombia and a description about Medellin and Guatapé.

Tayrona region and Tayrona National Park  

It is located in the Northern part of Colombia just below the Caribbean sea. It is a natural park and you cannot drink alcohol, smoke or do any other activities considered harmful for the habitat. There are a few sleeping options within the park as well. Our hotel (Tayrona Tented Lodge) was located a few kms East of the park in an area with few hostels.

I can recommend the place in case you want the luxury of having your own bath and toilet, but still experience the hostel life. If you are looking for white sandy beaches with turquoise water in Colombia, this place in not for you. Here the waves are quite big and it is more a surf area. We were quite disappointed, so I want to protect you from doing the same.

Prices in Tayrona

The visit to the National Park costs COL$ 47,000 and in order to get there from our hotel we took a taxi which cost COL$ 30,000. In general the visit to the park is not a hike, you can make it even with flip flops as we did, as you are crossing beaches and it is also quite muddy, so your sneakers might get dirty.

When entering the park, there is a shuttle bus which takes you from the main entrance to the hike track for COL$ 3,000 per person (I recommend you to take this shuttle bus as you will have to walk a lot afterwards).

Places of interest and things to know for Tayrona National Park, northern Colombia:

• Sea turtles

The first interesting point is the beach where turtles are nesting their eggs. Have in mind that you can see them only during certain months of the year, so do not get disappointed. You cannot swim in most beaches as the waves are pretty big and the currents are strong. There are info signs saying that many people died there, so you think twice before entering the water.

• A small pond

There is a pond where you can see an alligator-it was quite big though and a bit scary that it is that close to many tourists.

• La Piscina

A lovely long beach where you can swim in turquoise waters. There is a small cafe near the beach as well where you can buy refreshments.   

• San Juan beach

This was the best beach we saw in the park. It has two small bays with turquoise waters and also this is the place where a tent camp is located. Most boat tours to Tayrona National Park stop there and it can be quite crowded.

There are a few park cafes where you can buy drinks and food, but better be prepared with your own food (they do not have running water and it is not very wise to eat there). Be prepared to walk a lot – It took us 2-2.5 hours to get from the entrance to San Juan beach.

It is humid and if it is sunny, you can get sunburn (prepare with proper sunscreen). As the weather in this part of Colombia is very unpredictable, make sure you leave on time before it starts raining or before it gets dark- you are all alone in this park and it gets a bit scary at certain times.

Dangerous sand bugs

I promised in the previous post that I will share with you what can be result of the sand bugs biting you. Of course not every member of our group the effect was the same, but maybe I was unlucky. If you see small blood stains, then these bugs had bitten you. The biggest problem with them is that they can transfer some illnesses, so better spray yourself also during the day.

The park wild life gets active early in the morning and in the afternoon. During the day we saw just a few of the inhabitants, but in the afternoon it was visible that they were waking up.

You can spot a lot of monkeys, lizards, iguanas, huge crabs and I’m not sure what else.  

Cartagena  

Cartagena is located in the North-Western part of Colombia and it was the final stop of our trip (being a main resort it has many flight connections). We got here from Tayrona region by a self-organized taxi and it took is just 5 hours (with one short stop). As we were 5, we hired a small van which cost us COL$ 600,000 (this is from one hotel to the other). The roads are really good, but the first part around Santa Marta is very busy and the driver cannot drive with more than 30-40 km/h which makes the journey that long.

As we had an issue with the apartment we have initially booked in Cartagena (it was cancelled a few days before our stay), we had to book something else. We had chosen a hotel which was not “behind the walls” – considered to be the only safe place for tourists.

What to do in Cartagena for a day:

What we were told is that we have to avoid walking on our own at night. In the end the hotel turned out to be in the best part of the town – Getsemani, which is very close to the old town, but still outside this super touristic area and what is more – there were tens of small restaurants and bars, all of them competing to be more interesting than the others.

• Explore the old town within the walls

You can spend hours there as it is big enough and on every street you can find different and interesting old buildings. I recommend that you start your visit from Torre del Reloj which is somehow the main entrance to the Old Town. There is a nice square just behind the walls.

• Iglesia De San Pedro Claver

It is located in the Plaza de San Pedro Claver. The church is part of a set of religious buildings that is complemented by the Cloister of San Pedro Claver and the archaeological museum (the last we did not visit as for one day there is not enough time to do so).  You’ll know you’re there when you begin to see some charming metal sculptures of people doing what Colombian people do: getting a haircut, playing games, etc.. These were made by sculptor Eduardo Carmona. These sculptures you will see also in Getsemani district.

• Spot Palenqueras

In the historical part of Cartagena (which btw is called Cartagena-de-Indias),, you can often see palenqueras - this is the name for  black ladies in colourful traditional dresses selling tropical fruit and homemade sweets. Of course they are a tourist attraction and women do not dress like this, but they definitely make the town even more colorful. Thanks to their stunning beauty they have become iconic characters of this Caribbean city.

• Walk on the Old town wall facing the sea

If you climb on the wall, you will have a nice view to the sea (especially on a rainy day, you might be lucky to see interesting shades of blue).

• Plaza Santo Domingo

This is one of the most touristic spots in the city. Plaza Santo Domingo is located a block away from Plaza Bolivar. It is made up of the Iglesia de Santo Domingo and a bunch of restaurants that offer outdoor seating.

• Walk in Getsemani district

This is considered to be the hipster area in Cartagena and we really loved it.

• Piaza de la Santisima Trinidad

A small square in Getsemani area- it has a church and three statues in front of it.

 

What to eat in Colombia:  

• Bandeja Paisa

Local food typical for the Medellin region. It contains different types of meat, an egg, avocado, fried platanos (fried banana) and beans soup. It is quite heavy one, but a must try.  

• Empanadas

These are ritters are made with shredded pork and beef. Locals sold them only around the churches in the past, but nowadays you can find them everywhere.

• Ceviche

This is marinated fish in citrus fruits. There are also different types- e.g. Peruvian style is with white fish, there is also a Mexican one, you can have shrimps or octopus as well.  

• Ant butts

Тraditional snacks form the northern part of Colombia (hormiga culona)

• Lemonade de Coco

It is more a smoothie made of milk and coconut parts. It is really delicious.

• Yuka

Тhis is potato-like looking vegetable which Colombians use as an add-on to most dishes. There are a lot of snacks made of it. The packaged circles you will find at the cashier in the supermarket- yuka is their main ingredient.

• Arepa

А tiny pancake made of maize- this is absolutely my favourite. I’m very much into healthy eating and that is why I liked it. Others might find it too plain. There are different ways to prepare it, but it is part of almost every meal.

There is another version and this is Arepa de Queso- mixture of corn flour with copious amounts of cheese. They mix everything together as a batter then fry them on a griddle.

• Ajiaco

Traditional Colombian chicken, potato and corn soup. It is a good one, very light and also delicious.

• Sapote

One of the exotic fruits in Colombia (brown on the outside and orange inside, pumpkin looking).

• La Colombia & Aguila

These are the two most common local beers. La Colombia is usually more expensive and also my preferred choice, but Aguila is also not bad. If you are a craft or pale ale lover, you will find interesting options in every region (we tried BBC, Surf Monkey in Tayrona, 3 Cordilleras).  As to the rum lovers – Ron Medellin (añejo) is a good option.

Where to eat/ drink in Cartagena:

As we had only one day, we focused our sightseeing on the old town and also Getsemani area. You will find a lot of restaurants in the old town, but I really find them too touristy and too expensive. I would recommend that you explore the hipster Getsemani which has tens of restaurants and bars. Here are my highlights where you can have a good experience in Cartagena::

• Beer & Laundry

It turned out that there are many places in Cartagena offering laundry services (I haven’t found out what is the reason though). An interesting mix of a place offering laundry service and very cool atmosphere to taste interesting beers is Beer & Laundry. Located in Getsemani district, it is a small cute place also offering some food options. We went there for a drink.

• Malagana Cafe & Bar

As true rooftop bar lovers, we found this place which also has very good proximity to our hotel. The rooftop terrace does not have an amazing view, but it is offers a good atmosphere away from the noise of the street. The staff is friendly and also the food is delicious. You climb to the third floor and you get to the small terrace with 4 tables where you can enjoy a kind of romantic dinner or drinks.

• Casavana

This is a typical Colombian place, suitable if you want to eat on a budget in Cartagena. The food is delicious and prices very low, but do not expect 5-star service.

• Maria Bonita Taqueira Cantina

This is a small mexican restaurant/ bar, located at Piaza de la Santisima Trinidad. It also has a small courtyard, which is not usable when it rains. The menu is rich, but we went there just for some drinks. I loved the coco lemonade there.

This is just a limited choice of places which we found interesting. We wished we had more time there as honestly it was a big surprise for us. In fact we did not expect to find so many intriguing restaurants and places just to hang out.

This is how we saw Colombia for the limited time we had in the country. It surprised us. We thought Colombia is an undeveloped country, very dirty and with mean people who want to rob or kill you. It was the opposite- colourful, friendly and developed despite the hard times it passed through. So, do not waste time, book you trip and exploit the charm of this South American jewel. Do not forget to read the other part about Columbia here. More inspirations for long haul trips you can find here.