Click here to start at the beginning of this series on Colombia. While Santa Marta does play second fiddle to Cartagena as the beach-goers tourism capital of Colombia, it does hold the title of oldest city in Colombia. More recently, Santa Marta has become known as a great base-camp for exploring the much-heralded Parque Tayrona National Park and the Macchu Pichu-esque multi-day trek to the ancient Cuidad Perdido. Santa Marta also features plenty of scuba and snorkeling opportunities, as well as guided mountain-bike and adventure tours into the surrounding mountains.
If all that seems like just a bit much for a beach vacation, one can easily find accommodations at a steal in the heart of town and simply walk the main strip of restaurants and shops, walk to the nearby beach or bus to one of several other nearby beach towns , and just bask in the warm tropical weather.
Leave your layers at home! This leaves you with only two real options for getting to Santa Marta: As I mentioned in an earlier Colombia field report, Avianca is a great airline and half-price flights are readily available to those willing to book three to four months in advance and sometimes closer to departure. To each his own! If already on the coast, bus or rental car will be the best option to reach Santa Marta.
The journey will take approximately 4 hours from Cartagena de los Indias or 2 hours from Barranquilla, which sits between the two major port towns. While in Santa Marta, there are a few things to do that I feel are no-brainers:. Santa Marta, like most Colombian cities, looks a bit rough around the edges. New construction and crumbling buildings are often close neighbors, but things like these street art murals make the eye wander past the decay. The waterfront area of Santa Marta has some great statues and many local vendors selling their wares.
This is Carrera 3 at Calle 19, where all those who want to see or be seen will come after dark. A blended drink and a tasty appetizer at the centrally-located Cafe Lulo. Expect to pay near-US prices and to have no regrets after finishing the meal. Being a serious pizza-lover, I had to try thisβ¦and now you never have to. Expect to find these places near the clubs as the party crowd looks to down a shot or two of Aguardiente before making their entrance.
