Things to Do in Santa Marta, Colombia

Quick facts: Protects more than 15,000 hectares of jungle, mountain, and Caribbean coastline. Its turquoise waters border 30 kilometers of beaches, including the famous Cabo San Juan where sea turtles and howler monkeys coexist.

Highlights: The Ciudad Perdida, a pre-Columbian city buried in the jungle, is only accessible after a multi-day hike through the tropical forest. The stone remains of this ancient Tayrona city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, offer a fascinating glimpse into a civilization that housed up to 4,000 inhabitants 600 years ago.

Quick facts: Built more than 650 years ago by the Tayronas, this ancient city has over 1,200 stone terraces spread across roughly 30 hectares of mountainside. Accessible only by a 44-kilometer round trip hike through the jungle, it attracts about 10,000 visitors each year.

Highlights: Archaeologists have discovered that the Tayronas moved tons of stone to create a complex system of irrigation canals that still functions today beneath the canopy. Walking on the moss-covered terraces, you are stepping exactly where generations of Tayronas lived, farmed, and buried their dead.

Quick facts: Simon Bolivar spent his last 24 hours in this colonial hacienda, writing his final message before passing away on December 17, 1830. The site is home to the oldest tree in the country, a centenary tree whose branches cover nearly 400 square meters.

Highlights: In the room where Bolivar took his last breath, the curtains have remained exactly as he left them, black with mourning and drawn against the tropical light. Staff say that on certain stormy evenings, you can still hear the scratching of his quill on parchment, a sound that sends chills down the spines of the night guards.

Quick facts: Its 3 kilometers of white sand border a sea of turquoise blue so clear that you can see fish swimming from the shore. On weekdays, you will almost have the beach to yourself with fewer than 200 visitors per day.

Highlights: At low tide, a tongue of sand emerges leading to a small rocky island where pelicans come to dry their wings, forming a silent, almost surreal spectacle. Local fishermen set out at dawn on their colorful dugout canoes, and you can buy freshly grilled fish from them directly on the sand for 15,000 Colombian pesos.

Quick facts: More than 600 gold and ceramic pieces tell the story of the Tayrona people who lived in the Sierra Nevada. Some objects are over 1,500 years old and bear witness to a complex system of cosmological and spiritual beliefs.

Highlights: The museum displays the "Poporo Quimbaya," a 220-gram gold piece used to hold lime during sacred rituals. The rooms are arranged in a circle to recreate the Tayrona cosmic vision, where each direction corresponds to a different natural element.

Quick facts: It is the oldest Catholic temple still standing in South America, built in 1533 by Spanish colonists. The remains of conquistador Rodrigo de Bastidas, founder of the city, rest in a crypt beneath the main altar.

Highlights: Beneath the wooden floor of the sacristy, a discreet trapdoor leads to a network of secret tunnels that once connected the cathedral to the port and the San Fernando fort. The 17th-century mural frescoes, rediscovered in 1954 under layers of lime, tell the story of the evangelization of the Tayrona people with Indian faces painted alongside European saints.

Quick facts: Protected by the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, this bay is home to one of the oldest fishing communities on the Colombian Caribbean coast. Its calm waters welcome thousands of sea turtles each year that come to lay their eggs between May and November.

Highlights: A small 20-minute trail climbs through tropical vegetation to a viewpoint where, at sunset, local fishermen hoist their colorful sails while singing bullerengues, Afro-Colombian songs passed down through four generations. The contrast between the deep blue of the Caribbean Sea and the traditional hand-painted wooden boats creates a spectacle that even the residents of Santa Marta never tire of watching.

Quick facts: Perched at 600 meters above sea level in the Sierra Nevada, this former coffee-growing settlement has about 700 permanent residents. Its temperatures range between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius all year round, a refreshing contrast to the coastal heat of Santa Marta, which is only 45 minutes away.

Highlights: The 12 waterfalls accessible on foot from the central village offer natural pools where water flows directly from the Sierra Nevada glaciers at 16 degrees Celsius. A local ritual involves climbing to the Marinka waterfall before 8 a.m. to catch hummingbirds drinking in the spray, their wings beating 80 times per second.

Quick facts: This saltwater lagoon is surrounded by more than 200 hectares of dry tropical forest. Its crystal-clear waters reach an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, perfect for a long swim.

Highlights: The impressive rock formations surrounding the bay act as a natural breakwater, keeping the water calm even when the Caribbean Sea gets rough offshore. At low tide, a small sandy passage emerges between the rocks, revealing an isolated natural pool that only the curious discover.

Quick facts: This site houses more than 12,000 archive documents that bear witness to the Colombian armed conflict, including poignant audio testimonies. The walls of the exhibition are covered with photos taken by journalists who risked their lives to capture these moments.

Highlights: In a room plunged into darkness, 250 hanging lamps light up one by one to the rhythm of the victims' names recited by families. Each light that goes out represents a life lost, an effect that leaves visitors silent for long minutes.