Tayrona National Natural Park
Coastal park of rainforest, rocky headlands and golden beaches backed by the Sierra Nevada. Visitors reach the coves on foot, so comfortable shoes and water are needed.
Santa Marta and Tayrona
Beside Tayrona National Park, where jungle and beaches meet, this old Caribbean city is the place to base yourself for the Lost City trek.
Attractive locations
Ciudad Perdida
Ruins of an ancient Tairona city of stone terraces high in the Sierra Nevada jungle. It can only be reached on a trek lasting several days.
Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino
Former sugar estate where the liberator Simón Bolívar died in 1830. A museum, a monument and tree-filled gardens fill the grounds.
Cathedral of Santa Marta
Colonial-era cathedral in the old centre of the city. It is an active church and a landmark of the historic district, close to cafes and plazas.
Tairona Gold Museum
Museum in a historic building in the old centre, showing gold ornaments, pottery and tools of the Tairona people who once lived in the region.
El Rodadero
Beach resort area south of the city, with a curving bay, a seafront promenade and many restaurants. A relaxed place for swimming and sunsets.
Minca
A mountain village in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada above Santa Marta, with waterfalls, coffee farms and cooler air. Visitors come to hike, swim in river pools and tour cacao and coffee plantations.
Airports
Simón Bolívar International Airport SMR
It is about 13 km in a straight line from Santa Marta and Tayrona.
Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport BAQ
It is about 74 km in a straight line from Santa Marta and Tayrona.
Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport VUP
It is about 137 km in a straight line from Santa Marta and Tayrona.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the Colombia page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan26.6 °C2 mm
- Feb27.1 °C2 mm
- Mar27.4 °C7 mm
- Apr27.7 °C30 mm
- May27.6 °C114 mm
- Jun27.8 °C83 mm
- Jul27.8 °C79 mm
- Aug27.8 °C96 mm
- Sep27.4 °C130 mm
- Oct26.8 °C175 mm
- Nov26.7 °C104 mm
- Dec26.7 °C26 mm
Driest months: Jan, Feb, Mar. Wettest months: May, Sep, Oct.
Costs
Prices here are about 38% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
123 for all emergencies.
local government
Tourism Police (Policía de Turismo), National Police of Colombia
Helps with: Specialised police group for tourism. Its listed duties include watching over tourist attractions, giving tourists information and guidance, and handling their complaints. The phone is the police administrative switchboard; emergencies: 123.
Who qualifies: Tourists and other visitors in Colombia. The police page also gives the national emergency number 123.
Phone: +57 6015159000
Address: Calle 14 Nro. 62-70, Zona Industrial, Puente Aranda
ngo
Cruz Roja Colombiana (Colombian Red Cross)
Helps with: Colombia's national Red Cross society, a private non-profit humanitarian body. Its work includes a blood bank, disaster risk reduction, health care and humanitarian projects.
Who qualifies: People in Colombia needing its humanitarian, health or disaster services; contact the national headquarters or a local branch.
Phone: 601 794 6566
Address: Av. Cra. 68 # 68 B -31, Bogotá
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Colombia
Helps with: The UN migration agency. In Colombia it works with the government on migration management and protecting people on the move, and on solutions for displacement.
Who qualifies: Migrants and displaced people in Colombia, and government partners. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +57 1 6397777
Address: Carrera 14 N° 93B-46, Bogotá
local government
Emergency number 123 (police and ambulance)
Helps with: Reaches the police and the ambulance service in Colombia. The number comes from UK government travel advice.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 123
local government
Fire emergency number 119
Helps with: Reaches the fire service in Colombia. The number comes from UK government travel advice.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 119