The Tayrona National Park is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range and is a dreamy place with white sandy beaches, turquoise waters, ocean cliffs, dense jungle and mangrove trees with their huge roots creating images-works of art.
To enter the park, you need a ticket that you buy online, since they are sold out. The entrance fee is 68,500 COP (16 USD) in high season and 57,500 COP (13.5 USD) in low season. It is preferable to have a local guide with you (the price they charge is reasonable) because that way you skip the queue that forms early in the morning at the main entrance. The park is open from 8 am to 5 pm, so the day starts early to see as much as possible.
The experience begins with a leisurely walk, you hear the rustling of the tree branches, you see birds and monkeys, you walk on sandy paths, while you are dazzled by the amazing views formed by the mountain range and the ocean with its foaming waves.
At intervals there are stalls with fruit and water, 1-2 restaurants for lunch while horses pass by galloping with local guides, with the heat of the jungle and the hiking, they raise the adrenaline.
The park is huge. It occupies approximately 150 sq.km of land and occupies 30 sq.km of the Caribbean Sea and is covered by plains, beaches, rivers, valleys and mountains. Many species of mammals, birds and fish live there. Bird tours are also done in collaboration with the Kogi, the indigenous tribe of great interest as you will see below.
We preferred to swim at La Piscina beach and relax on the white sand, under the lush jungle vegetation, which seemed like the best reward after the invigorating, two-hour hike.
In some parts of the park, lost in the magnificent vegetation, you can see biodynamic farms, since the Tayrona National Park has attracted the attention of real estate developers.
If you have time, check out the Lost City Trek (a five-day hike to the ruins of an ancient Tairona city) which you will find not far from the village of Minca. Popular hikes also include Pozo Azul, Marinka waterfalls, Cascada Escondida and Oído del Mundo.
For accommodation in the area, check out the family-run Casa Loma Minca, a stunning boutique hotel with a lovely garden, which prepares delicious, vegetarian dishes.
The Wise Kogi Tribe
Descending from a pre-Columbian civilization, the Kogi have lived in the higher elevations of the Sierra mountain range for over 500 years. This small tribe with Indian hair and features is the last surviving culture of the Sierra Nevada and lives according to a unique worldview.
The Kogi have historically tried to resist contact with the outside world. Waves of invaders have threatened their existence many times. When the Spanish conquistadors founded the colonial port of Santa Marta in 1525, they retreated from the coast to the mountainous folds of the Sierra Nevada, remaining isolated for centuries.
With the armed conflicts in Colombia between guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries in the 1960s, the Kogi suffered again. Forests were cleared for cocaine production, and in the following decades, their ancestral lands were further decimated, so today, only 17% of the Sierra Nevada forests remain.
They consider themselves guardians of the land and are concerned about the destruction caused by Western lifestyles. They refer to us as their younger brother. Their communities are governed by Mamas. The Mamas’ role is to mediate between the natural world and Aluna (the energy and life force) to ensure that dangerous and destructive forces are kept in check.
In harmony with their environment, they see the Sierra Nevada as a living body of Aluna, and now collaborate with Western environmentalists on ecological restoration projects in an effort to learn methods of conserving and protecting nature.
For those of you who have already developed an interest in this unique tribe, I recommend watching this wonderful 90-minute documentary from 1990 by Alan Ereira for BBC1, where in addition to the breathtakingly impressive images of the park and the Kogi villages, you will get a complete picture of their worldview.
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