Santa Marta

Santa Marta is a Caribbean beach city in Colombia's Magdalena Department that serves as both a resort destination and a gateway to natural attractions. The city has an important commercial port with cargo ships visible from the beach, offering views of the Caribbean Sea with dramatic sunsets. The old center provides colonial architecture while nearby El Rodadero offers resort-style beaches and Taganga has become a popular backpacker hub with scuba diving. The Sierra Nevada mountains provide a dramatic backdrop, and the city is one of the oldest in the Americas, founded in 1525.

Simon Bolivar International Airport (SMR) is located on the beach 20 minutes south of town but closer to El Rodadero resorts and only 10 minutes from the main beach area. It offers non-stop flights from Bogota and Medellin. The Intercity Bus Station (Terminal de Transporte) connects Santa Marta to major Colombian cities including Bogota, Cartagena, and Barranquilla.

Streets are numbered using a grid system. The beach is considered Carrera 1 (1st Street), with buildings behind it being Carrera 2. Calles run east to west. Blue buses are the cheapest local transport. The Sendero Peatonal Ziruma-Rodadero is a walking path to El Rodadero but has long desolate stretches with little police presence and has seen tourist muggings in daylight; take a taxi or bus instead.

High season runs December through April with peak season from mid-December to late January due to school and university vacations. During low season the sun burns less due to more clouds. Summer temperatures can reach upwards of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), making constant hydration essential.

Hostels with dorms are available in the historical center, throughout the city, and at El Rodadero Beach. Budget accommodations start around COP 26,000 for a dorm at Hostal Casamart in Rodadero with A/C and pool. Hotel Nueva Granada in the Historic Centre offers singles from COP 50,000-65,000 with pool, jacuzzi, and free breakfast. Private rooms at Hostal SolyMar start at COP 30,000 for a single with fan. Santa Marta is quite hot so accommodations with air conditioning are recommended.

Local restaurants offer good roasted and grilled chicken, beef, and plentiful inexpensive seafood with shrimp and seafood cocktails. Street vendors at night sell pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, shakes, kabobs, rice in coconut milk, and fried stuffed dough. A complete meal of soup, main dish, and drink costs COP 8,000 at Panaderia y restaurante Baraca (Calle 11/Carrera 3) or Restaurant Las delicias near Shopping Buena Vista. In El Rodadero, Restaurant and Panaderia La Especial offers main dish plus soup and drink for COP 10,000 until 3pm, then COP 15,000 for bigger portions. Coffee, hot chocolate, cinnamon drinks, and lemon drinks are omni-present. Juan Valdez Cafe on Calle 14 next to the Gold Museum is one of the few excellent coffee options.

Museo del Oro (Calle 14 No.2-67 on Plaza Bolivar) displays pre-Columbian pottery, gold artifacts, and a scale model of Ciudad Perdida with free entrance. Simon Bolivar's place of death at Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino has an entry fee of COP 23,000 (September 2021) with beautiful gardens and many iguanas. Beaches include Playa Bahia, Playa los Cocos, and the main El Rodadero beach. Scuba diving operators are in Taganga with options for PADI courses (3-4 days) or single day dives without a license. Mamancana is a private game reserve offering wall climbing and canopying. Birdwatching is available at El Dorado Nature Reserve above Minca operated by ProAves.

Like in other Colombian cities, avoid traveling alone with visible expensive electronics, especially in public areas or at night. The walking path Sendero Peatonal Ziruma-Rodadero from downtown to Rodadero has long desolate stretches through poor and unsafe barrios with little police presence. Tourists have been mugged at gunpoint on those walkways in broad daylight. Take the cheap blue buses or a taxi instead. Beach vendors can be extremely aggressive.

Taganga, a former fishing village now popular with foreign backpackers, is 15-20 minutes north and has many scuba diving agencies. El Rodadero to the south has several high-end hotels and resort-like private clubs. Minca in the Sierra Nevada foothills offers birdwatching at the El Dorado reserve. Tayrona National Park is a major nearby attraction with closing periods for indigenous spiritual practices: February 1-15 (Kugkui shikasa season), June 1-15 (Saka Juso season), and October 19 - November 2 (Nabbatashi season). Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park is home to the Kogi indigenous people.

Nearby destinations include Taganga (15-20 min north, popular for diving), Minca (mountain village for birdwatching), and Tayrona National Park. El Rodadero beach resort area is to the south. Cartagena is accessible by bus for those continuing along Colombia's Caribbean coast. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains offer trekking opportunities.