I didn’t expect to spend so much time in Santa Marta on my trip, but it is a convenient hub for many of the attractions in the area. Minca is only 45 minutes away by bus, Parque Tayrona an hour, and it is the main departure point for La Ciudad Perdida. Thus, I found myself passing through Santa Marta a few different times.
Santa Marta is a medium-sized city. It has a much smaller feel than Bucaramanga for instance. The downtown area near the sea is quite nice, even if the beach is not particularly clean. Shops and restaurants line the street side, while the ocean side boasts a strip of park with places to sit and of course vendors selling street food and souvenirs. There are two parks in the downtown as well. Behind Parque Los Novios there is a pedestrian street that runs for several blocks which is the tourist part of the city – here you’ll find western food and several bars. Not really my scene but interesting enough to walk through.
There aren’t a lot of attractions in the city itself, but I did take a nice day trip up to Bonda for the day to hike through Paso del Mango and visit a waterfall in the area. Bonda is about 40 minutes from the city and can be reached by one of the local buses leaving from Carrera 5 (only 1,600 COP to get there). The hike was very nice but wet – I visited in rainy season and although Santa Marta had no rain, it was raining heavily in Bonda. The hike also took me past a finca (farm) that cultivated chocolate, where I got to try some fresh hot chocolate and see the cocoa plants.
I actually liked the feel of Santa Marta. It felt quite safe to walk around, it was lively without being too crowded, and the people overall were very friendly. It was a nice place just to rest between destinations and enjoy relaxing with a fresh fruit juice on the beach at sunset.
Santa Marta is one of the largest cities on the Caribbean coast so many buses connect there. From Cartagena, it is about 5 hours by bus (around 30,000 COP). From Bucaramanga, it is about 10 hours (55,000 COP). Be aware that the main bus terminal is about 40 minutes outside of Santa Marta, so you will have to take a local bus from there into the city for 1,600 COP. If you want to take a taxi, the trip should cost you about 7,000 COP.
- Take some time to wander along the beach and try some of the street food vendors. The fresh fruit juices are delicious and are blended individually for each order. The arepas con queso are also very tasty.
- I don’t usually give hostel recommendations, but I tried a couple of different hostels on the different days I was in the city and was very impressed with El Espanolete. It was a smaller hostel but very clean and the owner was extremely nice – he even let me borrow his hiking stick for the four-day trek through La Ciudad Perdida! It’s in a great location downtown on Calle 13 too.
- Definitely take some day trips or overnight trips to the surrounding areas. Minca and Parque Tayrona are both nearby and beautiful!
