7 Day Itinerary Along Colombia’s Caribbean Coast

The hidden Taganga Beach is located just north of Santa Marta

The Colombian Caribbean coast is a perfect week long getaway for couples or anyone looking for a safe/low-stress but still adventurous and cultural vacation. This stretch along the northernmost coastline of Colombia is home to some amazing architecture, effervescent beaches, well preserved natural beauty, and rich Colombian culture. 

So take a look at this itinerary and get your feet wet in a Colombian adventure! 

2 days/2 nights: Cartagena

Start by flying into Cartagena - it’s a cheap flight and just about every airline has a route to get there. I’d recommend taking a look at Copa Airlines for cheap flights with decent enough quality. 

Day 1: Explore Cartagena

Cartagena is a very cute town with historic written all over it. There's lots of brightly colored buildings and cobblestone streets.It’'s a walled-in city and you can climb the walls and walk the perimeter.  There are a few bars/restaurants on the seaward facing walls that make on the most incredible sunsets you’ll ever see.

Cartagena is filled with seafood restaurants and a surprising amount of international cuisine.  We ate at a great Peruvian Fusion restaurant called Peru Fusion that has some memorable ceviche! 

Day 2: Find the beaches

While here you’ll want to hit the beach as well - try the Rosario Islands or Playa Blanca. Each is at least a full day trip so if you find that you want to explore all of Cartagena before you get out of dodge there will be beaches in the next section of the trip. 

Spend your first two nights in Cartagena to explore the cobblestone streets and to brush up on your Spanish. This is a great spot to get the fancy Instagram photos out of the way so pack something nice and flowy for the girls and some white linen for the boys. 

2 days/2 nights: Santa Marta

Day 3: Visit Taganga Beach

Getting to Santa Marta is about 5 hours via air-conditioned van (12-seater). Santa Marta is north of Cartagena and is pretty cool in its own right, however, you’re here for the day trips. Make sure you take an early morning van so that you don’t waste time when arriving in Santa Marta. 

On the northside of Santa Marta is the tiny and secluded beach oasis of Taganga. It might as well be on another planet as the topography, in the form of a small seaside mountain, separates Taganga and Santa Marta completely. Because of the widey roads it will take you about 30 minutes to get from Santa Marta to Taganga. It’s 100% worth it to lay in the crystal clear waters of the small cove. The town has few hostels and restaurants and the beach is filled with “in-the-know” backpackers mixed with locals. 

Day 4: Gain Some Altitude and Visit Minca

About 45 minutes from Santa Marta is the small town of Minca. Here you can explore coffee farms, visit breweries, swim in lagoons and with waterfalls, and just relax in this laid back mountain town. This is a perfect place to relax prior to your two days camping trip coming up on days 5 and 6. Pro-tip: find the giant hammock in Casa Elemento.

2 days/1 night: Tayrona National Park 

Days 5 and 6: Head to Tayrona National Park

The entrance to Tayrona National Park is about 20-30 minutes by cab from Santa Marta or 30-45 minutes by public bus (direct route from the central market). 

Tayrona is insanely beautiful and a must if you’re going to be in this region. The park is accessible by boat or by bus/taxi from Santa Marta.

My best advice for planning your Tayrona trip is to keep your AirBnB or hotel room in Santa Marta to store your bags. That was my biggest mistake, the hike to the beaches is moderately strenuous with many stairs and lots of beach/sand walking - you’ll be hiking a few hours to get to the gorgeous beaches. I wish I would have kept my AirBnB in Santa Marta and just left most of my stuff behind. 

Tayrona has public camping - try to get access to the state run campsite as it's on the most ideal beach and has more amenities. The other campsites aren’t horrible but they’re run by a local tribe and just have access to less. You’ll have the option for hammocks or tent sites - you’ll need to bring your own tent. 

There is no alcohol permitted into the park - all bags are inspected on the way in. That being said, the main beach has a restaurant that serves food and booze but you’ll need cash and it’s sold at a premium - premium meaning still below US prices but not quite as low as most of Colombia. 

Once you arrive you’ll hike from beach to beach. I think you can also take a horse if you don't want to hike but the hike is really fun.  It honestly looks like Jurassic Park.

Final day - Return to Cartagena for flight home. 

Take another van from Santa Marta back to Cartagena for your final day/night. 

If you have some extra time:

3 days/2 nights: Islas Rosarios 

• This was a very cool but very grungy beach experience.  The beaches are gorgeous (white sand; Caribbean sea) but we stayed in a place that had mosquito nets on the beds and you could only shower in cold water between 4-6pm.  That's why I have this place as optional but if you can find a nice hotel then I definitely recommend.

• Beach dance parties at night.  

• Very poor "town" but tons of really nice people.  There's only 3 restaurants on the island but delicious seafood and really good pina coladas.

• Kayak through mangroves.  Sunset kayaks on the ocean.  If it's not a full moon, you can also kayak in bioluminescent plankton

• Really cool snorkeling/scuba diving.  I saw my first squids here!