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Top 10 Things To Do in Santa Marta

Country
Colombia
Best months
Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar
Population
582K
Language
Spanish
Budget / day
$45–100
Quick answer

Santa Marta is a base, not a destination you spend four days inside. Give the historic centre an afternoon and the Quinta where Bolivar died a morning, then use the city for what surrounds it: Tayrona beaches an hour east, Minca cloud forest 40 minutes up the mountain, and the four-day walk to Ciudad Perdida.

Colombia’s oldest surviving city is also its most useful doorstep. Founded in 1525, Santa Marta has a compact colonial centre, a working container port and a bay the whole city walks at dusk. The reason to stay is what is stacked behind it: the highest coastal mountain range on earth, rising to snow barely 40 km from the sand.

The 10 best things to do in Santa Marta

1

Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

National park· El Zaino entrance, Troncal del Caribe, 34 km east of Santa Marta

The reason most people come this far east. Jungle runs to the sand at Arrecifes and Cabo San Juan del Guia, and the swimming is at La Piscina rather than the open beaches, where the undertow is genuinely dangerous. Entry is capped, so the queue at El Zaino forms before the gates open.

TimeFull day
CostCOP 73
Best at8am, at opening
TipThe park shuts to visitors three times a year for indigenous conservation ceremonies: 1 to 15 February
↗ Parques NacionalesMap
2

Ciudad Perdida, the Lost City

Archaeological site· Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, trailhead at El Mamey

A Tairona city of 169 stone terraces at 1,200 m, reachable only on foot: four days there and back through the Sierra Nevada, ending on roughly 1,200 slick stone steps. A handful of licensed operators run it at a fixed price, so choose on the guiding. Wiwa Tour is the indigenous-owned one.

Time4 days
CostFixed across the licensed operators
Best atDecember to March
TipBook from Santa Marta rather than online
↗ ICANHMap
3

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino

Historic house· Avenida del Libertador, Mamatoco, Santa Marta

Simon Bolivar died in a bedroom of this hacienda on 17 December 1830, aged 47, waiting for a ship into an exile he never took. The house itself is small and the visit is short. The grounds are what fill a morning: a botanical garden, the Altar de la Patria, and a contemporary art museum.

Time2 hours
CostHalf price for national and foreign tourists, free for Magdalena residents
Best atMorning, before the heat
TipOpen every day except 1 January
↗ Museo BolivarianoMap
4

Minca

Mountain village· Minca, Santa Marta district, 21 km southeast

Forty minutes up the Sierra Nevada and noticeably cooler than the coast. Coffee farms, the swimming hole at Pozo Azul and the Marinka waterfalls all sit within a morning of one main street. Shared vans leave the Santa Marta market when they fill, roughly every half hour.

TimeHalf day
CostColectivo from the market
Best atFirst light, for the birds
TipMototaxi
↗ Colombia TravelMap
5

Museo del Oro Tairona, Casa de la Aduana

Museum· Carrera 2 with Calle 14, on Parque de Bolivar

The best hour in the city for understanding what the Sierra Nevada actually is. Tairona goldwork and ceramics are set against the four indigenous peoples who still live in the range and still run its ceremonial calendar. It occupies the old customs house on the main square, and it is free.

Time1 hour
CostFree
Best atTuesday to Saturday
TipClosed every Monday
↗ Banco de la RepublicaMap
6

Taganga and Playa Grande

Fishing village· Taganga, 5 km north of the centre

A fishing cove turned dive town, 15 minutes over the hill. The bay itself is workmanlike; the swimming is 20 minutes over the headland at Playa Grande, or five minutes by boat. This is one of the cheapest places in the Americas to certify as a diver, so shop the schools rather than the price.

TimeHalf day
CostTaxi from the centre
Best atLate afternoon, for the sunset
TipBoats to Playa Grande leave from the beach and beat the headland path in the midday heat
Map
7

Centro Historico and Parque de los Novios

Neighbourhood· Between Calle 22 and the Camellon, Santa Marta

Fifteen blocks of low colonial buildings that were largely derelict two decades ago and now hold most of the city’s good kitchens. Parque de los Novios is the anchor, and pedestrianised Calle 19 runs east from it. Nothing here takes long, because the point is the evening rather than the sightseeing.

TimeAn evening
CostFree
Best atAfter 6pm
TipStart on the Camellon
↗ Alcaldia de Santa MartaMap
8

Catedral Basilica de Santa Marta

Cathedral· Carrera 4 with Calle 17, Centro Historico

The white bulk on the edge of the old town holds the remains of Rodrigo de Bastidas, who founded the city in 1525 and has lain here since 1953. Bolivar was interred here for twelve years before Venezuela took him back to Caracas. Ten minutes inside, free, and worth the detour on the way to dinner.

Time20 minutes
CostFree
Best atEarly evening
TipIt is a working parish rather than a monument
↗ Colombia TravelMap
9

Playa Blanca, by boat from El Rodadero

Beach· El Rodadero, 5 km south of the centre

El Rodadero is Colombia’s own beach holiday: high-rises, vendors and families the length of the sand. The reason to come is the launch from the far right of the bay to Playa Blanca, ten minutes across, where the water is calmer and clearer than anything you can walk to.

TimeHalf day
CostBus from the centre around COP 1
Best atWeekday mornings
TipBoats run as a round trip and the last one back leaves in the late afternoon
Map
10

Palomino

Beach town· Palomino, La Guajira, 72 km east on the Troncal del Caribe

Two hours east, where the Sierra Nevada comes down to the sea. The draw is floating the Palomino river back to the beach on an inner tube, about two and a half hours on the water after a walk in. The sea itself has a serious current and is for looking at.

TimeFull day
CostBus from the Santa Marta market
Best atDecember to March
TipBuses on the Troncal drop you on the highway
Map

8 of the 10, mapped

Santa Marta · 8 spots
AllLandmarksMuseumsFoodFree

Santa Marta travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Santa Marta?+
Four, if you are not walking to Ciudad Perdida. One for the historic centre and the Quinta, one for Tayrona, one for Minca and one for a beach. Add four more for the Lost City trek, which cannot be shortened.
Santa Marta or Cartagena?+
They are different trips. Cartagena is the walled colonial city and the better looking one. Santa Marta is a working port with a small old town, and it earns its place as the base for the Sierra Nevada, Tayrona and the Lost City. Most people do both.
When is Tayrona National Park closed?+
Three times a year for indigenous conservation ceremonies: 1 to 15 February, 1 to 15 June, and 19 October to 2 November. Otherwise gates open at 8am in low season and last entry at El Zaino is 4pm, earlier at Calabazo.
How hard is the Lost City trek?+
Four days of steep, humid walking with river crossings and roughly 1,200 stone steps at the end, sleeping in hammocks or bunks. No technical skill and no altitude problem, but you need to manage seven hours of heat a day.
What is the best time of year to visit?+
December to April is the dry season, and late November to mid-February is the sweet spot. Rain runs May to November and peaks from August to October. Temperature barely moves: 28°C in January, 30°C in April.
Where to swim

Best beaches in Santa Marta

Six beaches, from a capped Tayrona cove reached by boat to the city’s own resort strip.
All 6 beaches →
Tayrona

Playa Cristal

Tayrona · boat access

The clearest water in Tayrona, reached by boat from Taganga or Neguanje. Numbers are capped and the day trips sell out.

Tayrona

Bahia Concha

Tayrona · 45 min by road

The Tayrona beach closest to the city, calm enough for children, and charged at its own flat fee rather than the park rate.

Taganga

Playa Grande

Taganga · walk or boat

Twenty minutes on foot over the headland from Taganga, or five by boat. Loungers, fried fish, and the swimming Taganga bay lacks.

Tayrona

Cabo San Juan del Guia

Tayrona · 2 hr walk from El Zaino

Tayrona’s postcard: two bays either side of a rock with a hut on it. Swim on the western side, and expect company.

El Rodadero

Playa Blanca

El Rodadero · boat

Ten minutes by launch from El Rodadero, calm and lined with places to eat. The 30 minute path over the hill is the free way in.

El Rodadero

El Rodadero

El Rodadero · bus or taxi

The city’s resort strip, busy and well served, with the shortest transfer from the centre. Come for the promenade, not the water.

Outside the city

Best nature & parks in Santa Marta

Five protected places, from a snow-capped range 40 km inland to a waterfall on the coast road.
All 5 nature & parks →
East coast

Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

National park · El Zaino

Rainforest meeting the Caribbean along 34 km of coast. Entry capped daily, and closed three times a year for indigenous ceremonies.

↗ Parques NacionalesMap
Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Biosphere reserve · inland

The highest coastal mountain range on earth, a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1979, and the source of every river the city drinks from.

↗ UNESCO MABMap
Minca

Reserva Natural El Dorado

Bird reserve · above Minca

A ProAves cloud-forest reserve above Minca, run for the endemic birds that exist on this range and nowhere else.

↗ ProAvesMap
Minca

Cascadas de Marinka

Waterfall · Minca

Two falls with pools beneath them, half an hour by mototaxi above Minca village. Busy by mid-morning.

Map
East coast

Quebrada Valencia

Waterfall · coast road

A chain of falls and swimming pools a short walk off the Troncal del Caribe, on the way to Palomino.

Map
Where to eat

Best restaurants in Santa Marta

Six kitchens, nearly all of them within four blocks of Parque de los Novios.
All 6 restaurants →
Centro Historico

Ouzo

Mediterranean · Cra. 3 #19-29

Greek and Mediterranean out of a wood oven, on the corner of Parque de los Novios. The most consistently booked table in the city.

Map
Centro Historico

Basilea

French · Cl. 16 #2-58

French and Mediterranean cooking on a quiet block behind the cathedral. The dining room where a long dinner makes sense.

Map
Centro Historico

Donde Chucho

Seafood · Cl. 19 #2-17

The city’s long-standing seafood name, and where to order whole fish, ceviche and coconut rice without ceremony.

Map
Centro Historico

Lulo Cafe Bar

Latin American · Cra. 3 #16-34

Arepas, ceviche and Colombian coffee on an open corner. The reliable all-day option between the museum and the park.

Map
Centro Historico

Ikaro Cafe

Vegetarian · Cl. 19 #3-60

The vegetarian and vegan kitchen on Calle 19, and the answer to a coast that fries everything.

↗ WebsiteMap
Centro Historico

El Balcon de Ouzo

Rooftop · Cra. 3 #19-29

The rooftop above Ouzo, same kitchen, with the park below and a breeze the street does not get.

Map
After dark

Best bars & nightlife in Santa Marta

Four rooms, three of them within a block of Parque de los Novios and one over the hill in Taganga.
All 4 bars & nightlife →
Centro Historico

La Puerta

Club · Centro Historico

The city’s best-known club, and a broad night: house through reggae and hip hop, in a colonial shell that fills after midnight.

Map
Centro Historico

Crab's Bar

Rock bar · Cl. 18 #3-69

Santa Marta’s rock bar, an offshoot of the Bogota original. Loud, unpretentious, and open when the rest have thinned out.

Map
Centro Historico

Roots and Sounds

Cocktails · Cl. 19 #2a-29

Cocktails, reggae and electronic on pedestrianised Calle 19. The one to start on before anywhere else opens.

Map
Taganga

El Garaje

Outdoor bar · Taganga

An open-air bar in Taganga with the bay in front of it. Wednesday is the night the town turns up.

Map
The record

Best museums & history in Santa Marta

Three sites, and together they cover the Tairona, the Spanish founding and the death of Bolivar.
All 3 museums & history →
Centro Historico

Museo del Oro Tairona, Casa de la Aduana

Museum · Cra. 2 with Cl. 14

Tairona gold and ceramics in the old customs house, framed by the four peoples still living in the Sierra Nevada. Free, and closed Mondays.

↗ Banco de la RepublicaMap
Mamatoco

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino

Historic house · Mamatoco

The hacienda where Bolivar died in 1830, with a botanical garden, the Altar de la Patria and a contemporary art museum in the grounds.

↗ Museo BolivarianoMap
Centro Historico

Catedral Basilica de Santa Marta

Cathedral · Cra. 4 with Cl. 17

Rodrigo de Bastidas has been buried here since 1953, and Bolivar lay in the same church for twelve years before Caracas claimed him.

↗ Colombia TravelMap
Where to base yourself

Best neighborhoods in Santa Marta

Four districts, and the choice is really between the old town, the resort strip and the dive cove.
All 4 neighborhoods →
Centro Historico

Centro Historico

Old town · walkable

The old town, and where to stay if you want to walk to dinner. Low colonial blocks, the cathedral, and the bayfront Camellon.

Map
El Rodadero

El Rodadero

Resort strip · 5 km south

High-rise Colombian beach holiday, 5 km south. Family hotels, a long promenade, and the launches to Playa Blanca.

Map
Taganga

Taganga

Fishing cove · 5 km north

A fishing cove over the hill that turned into a dive town. Cheap beds, dive schools, and Playa Grande on the far headland.

Map
Mamatoco

Mamatoco

Residential · inland

Inland and residential, home to the Quinta and to the San Agaton processions that start the city’s carnival.

Map
Within reach

Best day trips in Santa Marta

Five trips out, none of them more than two hours from the Camellon.
All 5 day trips →
Sierra Nevada

Minca

21 km · 40 min

Coffee farms, waterfalls and cooler air, 21 km and 40 minutes up the mountain by shared van from the market.

↗ Colombia TravelMap
East coast

Tayrona, El Zaino gate

34 km · 1 hr

The park’s main entrance, 34 km east. Any Riohacha bus on the Troncal will drop you at the gate.

↗ Parques NacionalesMap
La Guajira

Palomino

72 km · 2 hr

Beach and river tubing where the Sierra meets the sea, 72 km east in La Guajira. Worth an overnight.

Map
Magdalena

Aracataca

87 km · 1 hr 30

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born here, 87 km south and about 90 minutes by bus. The Casa Museo stands on the family plot.

↗ Colombia TravelMap
Magdalena

Cienaga

35 km · 45 min

The town of the 1928 banana workers’ massacre that closes One Hundred Years of Solitude, 35 km south, with a republican centre.

Map
What's on

Festivals & annual events in Santa Marta (2026)

Time your trip around the city's biggest dates.
Jan · Feb

Carnaval de Mamatoco

Santa Marta’s carnival starts in Mamatoco, where San Agaton is carried through the barrio on carnival Saturdays behind drums.

January

Festival Nacional del Caiman Cienaguero

Cienaga, 35 km south, builds to 20 January with parades and machorros. Declared national intangible heritage.

Feb · Jun · Oct

Tayrona conservation closures

The park shuts entirely on 1 to 15 February, 1 to 15 June and 19 October to 2 November for indigenous ceremonies.

March or April

Semana Santa

Holy Week is the coast’s second high season. Book beds and Tayrona entry weeks ahead, and expect resort prices.

16 July

Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen

Taganga’s fishermen dress their boats and carry the Virgin out to sea. Around 200 vessels join the procession.

20 July

Colombian Independence Day

A national holiday, and the opening of the week Santa Marta gives over to its own founding.

23 to 29 July

Fiesta del Mar

Seven days of concerts, parades and nautical races along the bay, timed to the anniversary of the founding.

29 July

Serenata a Santa Marta

The dawn serenade on the founding date, 29 July 1525, closing with fireworks over the bay.

Getting around

Santa Marta transport & airports

How to arrive and move around the city.
SMR

Simon Bolivar International Airport

Fourteen kilometres south of the centre, past El Rodadero, on the coast road. Taxis into the city run at a fixed COP 26,000 agreed at the rank rather than metered.

↗ AerocivilMap
Buses

Terminal de Transportes

On the Troncal del Caribe at Parque Bureche, southeast of the centre. Departures roughly hourly to Cartagena (209 km, about 5 hours) and Barranquilla (93 km).

↗ Terminal de Santa MartaMap
In town

Taxis and mototaxis

Taxis are unmetered, so agree the fare before you get in. A hop across the centre starts around COP 10,000, and mototaxis handle the tracks above Minca and Taganga.

Day trips

Colectivos and the Troncal

Shared vans to Minca leave the public market when full, roughly every half hour. Any Riohacha bus on the Troncal drops at El Zaino, Buritaca and Palomino.

Map
Traditional food

Must-try dishes in Santa Marta, Colombia

The classics to order before you leave.

Cayeye

Green guineo bananas boiled, mashed with butter and buried in crumbled coastal cheese. Breakfast here.

Arroz de chipichipi

Rice cooked in the broth of the tiny clams dug out of the beach sand. Local, and rarely on a tourist menu.

Mojarra frita

A whole fried fish with coconut rice, patacones and salad. The default lunch on any beach here.

Arroz de coco

Rice simmered in coconut milk until the sugars catch and it darkens. Sweet, and served with everything.

Bollo de yuca

Cassava dough boiled in a leaf wrapper, then sliced and eaten with cheese or soured cream.

Arepa de huevo

A maize pocket fried, split, filled with a raw egg and fried again. Cart food, best before 9am.

Patacon

Green plantain smashed flat and fried twice. A side everywhere, a meal once it is loaded.

Limonada de coco

Lime, coconut milk and ice, blended. What the coast orders at four in the afternoon.

Santa Marta fact sheet

Santa Marta at a glance

The essentials worth knowing before you go.
Country
Colombia
Region
Santa Marta District · Magdalena Department
Population
582,394 in the district (2025 DANE projection)
Founded
29 July 1525, by Rodrigo de Bastidas
Nickname
La Perla de America
Language
Spanish
Currency
Colombian peso (COP)
Time zone
UTC-5, no daylight saving
Calling code
+57 605
Airports
SMR
Power
110V · Type A & B
Emergency
123, the single national number
Ideal length
4 days
Getting around
Taxis, colectivos & boats
Tourism board
Official site

Interesting facts

  • Founded on 29 July 1525, Santa Marta is the oldest surviving city in Colombia.
  • The Sierra Nevada rises to 5,775 m just 42 km from the sea, the highest coastal range on earth.
  • Simon Bolivar died at the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino on 17 December 1830, aged 47.
  • His body lay in the cathedral for twelve years before Venezuela repatriated it to Caracas.
  • Ciudad Perdida is 169 terraces cut into the mountain, reached by roughly 1,200 stone steps.

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