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Santa Marta sits on Colombia's Caribbean coast, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. The Ciudad Perdida trek, 3, 4 or 5 days long, and the day tours to Tayrona National Park and Minca leave from the city; by road you continue to Palomino and Riohacha, where the La Guajira tours start.
Caribbean coast, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada
All tours leave from Santa Marta.
Closed from October 19 to November 2, 2026
Cabo San Juan, Playa Cristal and Playa Gairaca, on day tours from Santa Marta.
Tayrona National Park: travel guide
Closed from September 28 to October 15, 2026
The 3-, 4- or 5-day trek through the Sierra Nevada to Teyuna.
Ciudad Perdida: travel guide
Choose the trek by length and the day tours by place.
3 days and 2 nightsThe 3-day Lost City trek is the fastest version of the hike: it leaves Santa Marta at 4:30 a.m., adds a motorcycle ride on day 1 and reaches Ciudad Perdida (Teyuna) on day 2. You sleep two nights in camps and hike 7 to 9 hours a day. It costs COP 2,200,000 per person, for 2 or more travelers.
Next date: Fri Oct 16
Per person
4 days and 3 nightsThe 4-day Lost City trek leaves Santa Marta at 8:00 a.m. and reaches Teyuna on day 3, after about 1,200 stone steps. You spend three nights in Sierra Nevada camps and hike 6 to 8 hours a day. It costs COP 1,860,000 per person, including transport, meals, a guide, insurance and park entry.
Next date: Fri Oct 16
Per person
5 days and 4 nightsThe 5-day Lost City trek covers the hike to Teyuna in shorter days and adds the waterfall route on the way back. It leaves the Expotur Eco office in Santa Marta at 9:00 a.m., reaches the terraces on day 3 and spends four nights in camps. It costs COP 2,150,000 per person.
Next date: Fri Oct 16
Per person
| 3 days | 4 days | 5 days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nights | 2 nights at camps | 3 nights at camps | 4 nights at camps |
| Hiking hours per day | 7 to 9 h | 6 to 8 h | — |
| What changes | You reach the last camp on day 1 and climb to Teyuna on day 2. | One more night on the trail; you climb to Teyuna on day 3. | You return along the waterfall route, with one more night. |
1 dayThe Minca tour leaves the Expotur Eco office in Santa Marta at 8:30 a.m. and returns around 5:30 p.m. It includes a hike of about 2 hours round trip to the Cascadas Perdidas waterfalls, a traditional lunch in a bamboo house and a coffee farm visit with a tasting. It costs COP 215,000 per person.
Next date: Sun Oct 11
Per person
1 dayThe Cabo San Juan Tayrona tour picks you up at your lodging in Santa Marta at 7:00 a.m. and enters Tayrona National Park at El Zaino. From Cañaveral you hike about 2 hours past Arrecifes, Arenilla and La Piscina to Cabo San Juan del Guía, with free time to swim. It costs COP 223,000 per person, park entrance fee included.
Next date: Sun Oct 11
Per person
1 dayThe Playa Gairaca tour leaves the Expotur Eco office in Santa Marta at 8:00 a.m. and enters Tayrona National Park at Palangana. It includes a regional lunch, basic snorkeling from the shore, a beach tent and a stop at the Siete Olas viewpoint, returning around 5:00 p.m. It costs COP 280,000 per person, for 2 or more travelers.
Next date: Sun Oct 11
Per person
1 dayThe Playa Cristal tour leaves Santa Marta around 7:30 a.m., stops at the Playa Siete Olas viewpoint and continues to Playa Neguanje, where a boat ride of about 15 minutes takes you to Playa Cristal, in Tayrona National Park. There is time to swim and snorkel in calm water; you return around 5:30 p.m. It costs COP 200,000 per person.
Next date: Sun Oct 11
Per person
Book with 7%7% deposit of the total. An advisor confirms within 12 hours at most.
All tours from Santa MartaThe historic center and the bay are easy to get around on foot. Save indoor visits for the hottest hours and keep the sunset for the waterfront.
Plan 1
The camellón, the promenade along the bay, is the place for a late-afternoon walk as the light fades over the sea. Add a walk through the streets, churches and squares of the historic center. If you arrive in Santa Marta that same day, that's plenty for the first afternoon.
Plan 2
For the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, ask your lodging how to get there and what a round-trip taxi costs, and check the opening hours and entrance fee before you go. It fits well into a morning, before the worst of the heat.
Plan 3
The Museo del Oro Tairona (Tairona Gold Museum) is an indoor visit: a good idea if it rains or at midday. If you're heading to Ciudad Perdida afterward, you'll arrive with more context for what you're going to see. Check the opening hours before you go.
Plan 4
Taganga and El Rodadero fit into a day in the city: ask your lodging how to get there by taxi or local transportation and what it costs. Bello Horizonte and Playa Blanca can also be visited in a day. At any beach, ask on the spot whether you can swim that day, and bring water, sunscreen and cash for food.
Santa Marta barely gets any rain from January to March, and the wettest months are September, October and November, according to IDEAM's 1991–2020 climate normals; the average temperature is 28.6 °C (83.5 °F). Even so, your dates depend mostly on the plans outside the city:
Before you buy plane tickets, check on the official Tayrona National Park page (in Spanish) that the park is open on your dates. Closed dates are already blocked in our booking calendar. If you're traveling during Colombian holidays, book your lodging early.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rain | Rain in January: little or none | Rain in February: little or none | Rain in March: little or none | Rain in April: some | Rain in May: some | Rain in June: some | Rain in July: some | Rain in August: some | Rain in September: some | Rain in October: a lot | Rain in November: a lot | Rain in December: a lot |
| High season | High season in January: a lot | High season in February: little or none | High season in March: little or none | High season in April: some | High season in May: some | High season in June: little or none | High season in July: a lot | High season in August: a lot | High season in September: little or none | High season in October: some | High season in November: little or none | High season in December: a lot |
| Closure | Closure in January: little or none | Closure in February: some | Closure in March: little or none | Closure in April: little or none | Closure in May: little or none | Closure in June: some | Closure in July: little or none | Closure in August: little or none | Closure in September: little or none | Closure in October: a lot | Closure in November: some | Closure in December: little or none |
Our Santa Marta to La Guajira guide explains that leg and how many days to set aside, and the Colombia Caribbean coast itinerary lays out the whole route over 7, 10 or 14 days.
Before you hike
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park protects the territory of the Kággaba (Kogui), Wiwa, Iku (Arhuaco) and Kankuamo peoples. In 2022 UNESCO inscribed the System of Ancestral Knowledge of its four Indigenous peoples on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
For safety, the source that counts is your government's official travel advisory, because it changes over time. If you're traveling from abroad, read the advisory for Colombia from the US State Department, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) or the Government of Canada before you go, or the one published by your own country.
In the city, use the same common sense as in any busy tourist destination: keep valuables out of sight, get taxis through your lodging or an app, and ask at reception which areas to avoid at night.
4.9out of 5 on Tripadvisor
6,458 reviews of Expotur Eco, the operator of these tours. Checked on October 7, 2026.
Next trip
2, 3, and 4-day tours from Riohacha
Santa MartaPalominoRiohacha
In 3 days in Santa Marta, spend the first on the historic center, the waterfront and the Museo del Oro Tairona; the second on a day tour to Tayrona National Park, for example to Cabo San Juan; and the third in Minca or at Playa Cristal. If you're continuing to La Guajira, travel to Riohacha on day 4: Punta Gallinas Tours trips to La Guajira leave from there at 8:30 a.m.
For the weather, the best time to visit Santa Marta is January to March, when it barely rains; the wettest months are September, October and November, according to IDEAM's 1991–2020 climate normals. Check the closures too: Tayrona National Park closes from February 1 to 15, June 1 to 15 and October 19 to November 2, and Ciudad Perdida is closed in October 2026.
Yes, you can visit La Guajira from Santa Marta, but Punta Gallinas Tours trips to Cabo de la Vela and Punta Gallinas leave from Riohacha, not Santa Marta. From Santa Marta, travel to Riohacha first by road, by bus, private transfer or your own car, and spend the night there. The 3-day tour leaves at 8:30 a.m. and is back in Riohacha around 3:00 p.m. on day 3.
The beaches near Santa Marta include the ones in Tayrona National Park, such as Cabo San Juan, Playa Cristal and Gairaca, which you visit with a park ticket or on a day tour, and others you can visit in a day, such as El Rodadero, Taganga, Bello Horizonte and Playa Blanca. Your lodging can tell you how to get to each one and what transportation costs.
