Santa Marta

Cities are interesting and with their history quite a lot to explore, but I am attracted by the sea and was so much waiting for it. From Santa Marta as the oldest city of Colombia I kind of expected more, but during my stay their many people even from the hostel told me that there wasn’t much and also wasn’t that safe. I didn’t really bother because I was about get closer to the nature again.

I arrived around nine o’clock in my hostel, the Masaya in the center of Santa Marta. The room on the first floor was very clean and two of the four beds were empty, so I shared with a guy from Switzerland. We talked a bit and he told me about Minca my next destination and what to do there. 

It was still early and so I went to the roof top on the third floor, met a German guy and we talked for a while. But soon I had to get to my bed, next morning my next adventure was waiting.

I had prebooked it via WhatsApp, so my next discovery dive was arranged and meeting at the close by office was at 7.30am. Wetsuit and shoes on, off we drove to Taganga Beach, where the boat took a bunch of people out to the sea. Two dives with each almost one hour were included in not even 70€. Luckily my mask was good, breathing felt natural and so I could enjoy the corals and lots of colorful fishes. Slowly I am getting addicted to diving, might consider doing the PADI certificate soon.

In the afternoon the German guy, Julia and me headed towards bars and restaurants with local people....Colombia was about to play during the Copa Suramericana. We bought some shirts from the national team, found the perfect location Beertown and had a great afternoon/evening with drinks and an exceptional atmosphere. Colombia won 1:0 against Qatar!

Again the three of us continued the journey together. After Yoga and breakfast we checked out and went to the bus station close to the local Mercado. 2€ bus fare and within half an hour we reached the little Jungle Town Minca. Our hostel Casa Loma was “vale la pena”, going up the hill with ten minutes of steep steps was definitely “worth the pain”.

The wooden, cute and simple place was in the middle of the forest, overlooking the forests all the way to the coast of Santa Marta. We relaxed a bit since it had started to rain, but with swings, hammocks and a terrasse you could have easily spent the day here.

Although we wanted to see waterfalls, so back down grabbed a motorbike each of 3€ and within ten minutes got to Pozo Azul, waterfalls with pools we jumped in to. Refreshing and fun!

In town we did some souvenir shopping and being hungry climbed up the hill to the hostel for sunset, music and dinner after. The beds covered by only a mosquito net and a roof promised to feel like sleeping in the wild with the relaxing sounds of the forest.

How to start a perfect morning....delicious porridge with fresh fruits, an amazing massage with the sounds of early birds and relaxing in a hammock....can’t be more relaxed after also a good sleep.

Julia, Alex and I walked down to town, took another motorbike to the other waterfall Marinca, where we had another swim followed by the visit of Casa Elemento, a hostel with amazing view! Each stop the drivers waited for us almost an hour. Since the ride back was quite far with half an hour along the muddy bumpy road, the charged us 50.000 pesos each, which was ok after all.

Alex decided to stay another night in Minca, Julia and I hopped on a collectivo bus for 8.000 pesos followed by a private but shared taxi for 25.000 each towards Tyrona Park and further. My destination was the El Rio hostel in Buritaca and Julia went onwards to Palomino, so we said goodbye for now. I took the path from the main street along the river twenty minutes before I reached this jungle lodge without Wifi but with even more nature. After checking in to my private cabana I soon connected with some people from UK and spent a nice evening at the bar.

Activity day was coming....Tubing with 40 people along the river with couple of beers and some stops for rock or swing jumping. 3 hours with lots of fun and of course new people to connect with while floating.

The afternoon tour took 5 of us with a boat along the Rio Diego passing the Arbol Caminando, the largest tree in the world with routes up to 1km long. At the beach we enjoyed the sunset and walked around a bit. Magnetic minerals transformed the sands partly into black, also the river had darkened with the Andean minerals. This place was so exposed with an endless beach, waves and nothing else to see, that it felt like being on another planet.

After the stunning sunset our crazy guide took us to shallow water to spot caymans and he even caught one. Fire flys made it difficult to distinguish between flys and cayman eyes, but either way it was nice to see lights flashing in the dark jungle.

We got back for dinner and the crowd already was getting ready for pub quiz. Few drinks and the evening lasted longer than expected.

After two days in the jungle I decided to take some time off and had booked a recommended hostel at the beach, also in Buritaca. It used to be a five star hotel and converted into the Viajero hostel, but still kept all facilities such as cabanas at the beach and a pool with a bar. 

Originally I wanted to spend all day relaxing, but some people from El Rio hostel were planning to go to a big party at Costeño Beach hostel, just twenty minutes from Buritaca. It was a day party, so after some time in the sun I acquired more people and six of us took motorbikes. Almost 50 people had already taken a bus to the party, so we met some quite drunk people as we got there by sunset. Great music, drinks, sunset at the beach and familiar faces....nothing else needed for a great party!

It took me about an hour to get through all procedures until I could actually start the hike. Waiting for the local bus a motorbike offered me a ride for 10.000, just a little more than the bus and faster. At the entrance everyone visiting needs to buy the insurance for 3.500 and of course the entrance itself, which was 63.000. To save time I was told about the boat that departs at 4pm from Cabo San Juan beach and goes directly to Taganga close to Santa Marta. The ticket had to be bought at the entrance too, another 60.000. After the gate the 3.000 pesos fee is for a bus to the higher point where the hike starts.

Finally I was set and with my backpack started my two hour way through the forest. It was hot and humid, never sweated so much! Every now and then I walked through a palm tree forest, with the sound of the ocean felt like in a robinson cruiso movey. But after a while lots of people came back from the beach to get out of the park before closing hour at 5pm. The views on the rough beach on the way anyway rewarded the tough hike due to the heat. 

Cabo San Juan was promisingly beautiful, but simply too crowded. It was a Colombian holiday, which explained the majority of locals. The tents and hammocks, that could be rented at the beach, for me weren’t what I expected...lots of tents squeezed to eachother and many hammocks underneath one roof.

I was glad to get on the boat at 4pm, ok maybe 5pm by the time everyone was ready. Looking at the boat and the rough sea, it didn’t seem to be the perfect combination for me...and it wasn’t! Although the luggage was safe and in a dry place, 25 of us got soaking wet and the waves looked like they would splash on us any time...I just didn’t try to pay much attention to it. After two hours we finally arrived and a taxi brought me to my hostel Masaya, I had been to before. Relaxing time on the roof top and the bed was awaiting me.

Early morning flight arrived before noon, enough time for breakfast with David, a French/American, I had occasionally met a few times at the coast. By noon I reached my hostel by Uber and went for a free walking tour.

2pm a bunch of people met at the Museo del Oro. The guide started with some interesting facts: Bogotá was founded almost 500 years ago when a Spanish guy whose name I forgot came to the Colombian coast and discovered the already inhabited town Santa Marta, oldest city of Colombia. He wanted to found a new city and his route along the Magdalena river took him all the way to the “fields”, which was the first name of Bogotá. He settled and Bogotá was founded, now has more than 8 million people. Our tour took us through Calendaria, the historical part.

Amongst a few squares with statues also the most important person standing for the independence of Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela and Colombia had his own place: Simon Bolivar. In former times the last 4 mentioned were one country before independence. Still their flags are similar showing the same colors: yellow for the gold, blue for the sky and red remembering the blood during the independence fights.

The whole tour lasted around 3 hours and gave us many more facts. 

I enjoyed this final day in Bogotá a lot and convinced me even more to come back with more time.

My flight was late the same evening and so I simply relaxed a bit in the hostel Fernweh, which I definitely will never loose, missing traveling already.