The northern part of Colombia consists of tropical beaches with a Caribbean vibe, green jungle and beautiful nature parks for hiking. In this blog I will take you to a couple of places in Northern Colombia where I have been and tell you about the hotspots (and which places you should skip):
Tip: Turn the different layers on or off via the left square button in the grey bar in the map.
1. Taganga: Rather dodgy
To discover the north of Colombia, we took the plane from Medellin to Santa Marta. I don’t recommend staying in Santa Marta, because we thought it was rather dodgy. We slept in the seaside town of Taganga, but this town is also faded glory and not necessarily recommended. Here we felt perhaps the least comfortable and safe in all of Colombia. Nevertheless, we still had a nice meal at Babaganoush and Ristorante Bitacora. Our hotel Kikuxtah – with very spacious rooms – was actually quite fine, but also at this place the hot tubs (with spectacular views) were very dirty and not well maintained. Instead, we took a dip in the swimming pool, because it looked a lot cleaner!
Locations:
- Babaganoush, Piso 3 Centro de Buceo Tayrona, Cl. 1c #18-22, Taganga, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia;
- Ristorante Bitacora, Carrera 1 # 17-13, Santa Marta, Taganga, Colombia
We stayed in Taganga only to Hike in Tayrona National Park from there. My advice would be to find a nice hostel on the east side of Tayrona – because over there it is teeming with super cool hostels (see below) and go to Tayrona NP from there.
Tip: Read all about our hike in my blog Hike in Tayrona National Park – The road less travelled. You can also find practical information and a packing list for a day at the national park.
2. Palomino: Relaxing and tubing
An absolute must to stay is The Dreamer Hostel – Palomino. The complex consists of a lush green garden with several houses, a swimming pool and direct access to the beach. We had a lovely spacious room with a veranda overlooking the garden. All kinds of activities are organized that you can participate in like yoga lessons in the morning (yes, there is also a karaoke night), but doing nothing is also allowed.
Location: The Dreamer Hostel – Palomino, Playa Donaire, Palomino, Dibulla, La Guajira, Colombia, website.
In Palomino you definitely have to go tubing. Is it very exciting? Nope, it is rather a very relaxed trip on the river that starts in the jungle and ends in the sea. Bring a beer with you, so you can enjoy it on the way while the greenery passes you by. You can book a tube tour literally anywhere along the road in Palomino, so plenty of choice!
3. Minca: Jungle, coffee and vistas
For (more) adventure you have to go to Minca! And especially spend the night at Minca Glamping. What a special experience that was! The way there by itself is quite a challenge: from the village you have to hike to the glamping spot and you will at least cross one river on your bare feet. On the way there we met the owner at the end of the road of the village. He helped us with our backpacks to get to the top of the hill where the glamping is located. The glamping consists of a few wooden houses with their own veranda, with mosquito net mesh windows. You wake up here in the morning with the sounds of the jungle.
A quick meal in a restaurant in the village is a bit more difficult from here, because you have to walk back at least 1.5 km through the pitch dark; yes, including crossing the river. Fortunately, you can also have a meal delivered (the owner will pick it up for you, because he knows his way around like the back of his hand).
Location: Minca Glamping, Cerro Kenedy Ote., Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia, website
After a nice breakfast among the greenery, you can explore the area. Since it was a big mud puddle when we were there, we rented two motorbikes in the village – including drivers! – to show us around. During this bumpy ride we were able to visit a coffee plantation, waterfalls, beautiful viewpoints and drink a beer in the nets above the jungle with a view down to the sea at Casa Elemento (Casa Elemento is now (2023) permanently closed according to Google maps), all in one day. You can also hike in the area, but then you will probably never manage to visit everything we have seen in one day.
NB. Don’t come to Mica Glamping if you have a suitcase with you. Read my blog Backpack or suitcase here. And don’t forget your head flashlight when you book this glamping!
From Minca we took several buses to get to Cartagena. More about Cartagena and the tropical island of Isla Mucura soon on TeppieTravels.com! Sign up below with your email address to be the first to know about new blogs.
Would you like to know more about this 3-week tour in Colombia? Read my previous blogs here for more travel inspiration:
- Bogota and the Salt Cathedral – Round trip Colombia (part I);
- Beer and Gunpowder! – Let’s play a game;
- Coffee, Cocora & Cowboys – Round trip Colombia (part II);
- Colourful Medellin – Round trip Colombia (part III);
- Hike in Tayrona NP – The road less travelled;
Other tours that you can already find on TeppieTravels.com are: a 10 days road trip through Israel, my Solo trip through Bali (multiple blogs), The highlights of central Chile in 2 weeks and a 3-week tour of Sri Lanka. Click here for more South America travel inspiration.
If you’re interested in my expat experience in Singapore, you could read my blog about my first months as an expat in Singapore. Planning a trip to Africa? Take a look at my pages about Kenya or Mozambique, where I’ve also lived for a couple of months.
Sign up with your email address and don’t miss an update from TeppieTravels.com!
