Parque Tyrona

Taking our first steps off the tiny shuttle from Santa Marta sent us instantly into our yoga inspired stretches. Inhale, touch your toes. Exhale, reach for the sky. Return to resting position, open eyes. And just like that our Parque Tyrona Camping Guide test run is fully underway.

BAM!!!

Eyes open and we are at the foot of the jungle with the Sierra Nevada to our backs. Nothing could be more pleasant, especially after spending the last few weeks in busy Santa Marta.

We take in the scenery for just a moment and in the blink of an eye we are snapped back to reality!

Suddenly surrounded by shouting local scouts. “Beer, food, horse”?! “I’ll Carry your bags, I’ll be your guide”?!

We make a mad dash to cross the road and get in the ticket line. Zig zagging left and right through the scouts that remain.

Finally, room to breath. We made it to the safe zone. Scouts aren’t allowed within the limits of the park. They retreat to the road and wait patiently for the next bus full of people.

Parque Tyrona Camping Guide, Entrance & Costs

Entrance for foreigners $50,000 COP ($17USD). This will buy you an indefinite wristband. You can stay for as long as you’d like without leaving the park. If you do leave you’d have to pay admission again on reentry.

We planned our five day visit to be just after Christmas. Enough days to spend New Years in Parque Tyrona.

That was our first mistake –

If you didn’t know please take note that the majority of Colombian travel happens in December. All the universities are closed and every family is on the road.

Having planned to hike the trail to Cabo San Juan (the most popular beach in the park) we were denied entrance at the main gate. In an effort to protect the park only a certain amount of guests can enter per day. Passes to Cabo were sold out and this was only 10 am!

With our tails tucked between our legs we drag our feet in the direction of the main road. When out of nowhere a park employee ran over and suggested buying a ticket slotted for Arrecifes.

We learned that we could pay entrance with the intention of heading to this campsite and enter right away. Heading to Cabo the next morning.

We thanked the man and paid our entrance.

Parque Tyrona Camping Guide, Camp Arrecifies

Along with our entrance tickets we paid $22,000COP (~$8USD) each for a spot to pitch our tent at Arrecifies. They also have rental tents, hammocks and cabins for higher prices.

After paying at the park entrance we set off for the trail. The fist stretch is along the road and not quite worth the uphill sweat from what we were told.

Colectivo it is! $2,000COP (<$1USD) each and fifteen minutes later we climb out the van at the foot of the walking trail.

We take our first steps along the wooden walkways built to protect the land.

The wood eventually gives way to the dirt and stone of the Sierra. Time passes on the trail and then it happens. The cool ocean breeze flew in as if it were a gentle kiss on the lips. I look up and there it is, our first glimpse of the sea. This is when we really start to fall in love with Parque Tyrona.

That moment when nothing else in the world matters. You know, the times when all you can think about is the here and now. The times that remind you who you are. The times that remind you what it’s like to truly be alive.

After taking it all in and photo bombing the occasional selfie queen we continued the path back into the jungle.

We reached Arrecifies in about 2 hours.

Turns out this is the most expensive camping site in the whole park. IMO. well worth it for the bathroom facilities offered.

There is also an overpriced (for Colombian prices) restaurant on site. $30,000COP per plate ($10USD).

Electricity available to charge your electronics.

Lockers available for personal belongings.

My only complaint is that this campsite is still 15 minutes or so from the beach entrance. I enjoyed staying the night but one night was more than enough.

We watch the sunset, stumble back along the path to our tent in the dark (Headlights are a must!!!) and count sheep until we fall asleep.

Parque Tyrona, Campamento Cabo de San Juan

We wake up to the sound of falling rain. Such a soothing smell. Then reality slapped me in the back of the head as I remembered we are due to hike out this morning.

We brush our teeth, eat some fruits we brought from Santa Marta and pack up the tent.

It’s about 1.5- 2 hour hike to Cabo. Which means at least 2.5 hours for slow walkers like ourselves.

The trail is muddy. We slip and slide all over the place. No big deal, we gave up trying to keep our belongings clean ever since hiking in Chile’s Torres del Paine at the beginning of this trip.

First stop…

La Piscina, Parque Tyrona Camping Guide

This is a gorgeous little beach along the trail. Most known for its snorkeling tour. It’ll set you back $50,000COP ($17USD). It’s claim to fame? Having the most active underwater life of all the beaches in the park.

We weren’t sold so after snapping a few pictures and taking in all the sunshine we could handle for the moment we trotted onward.

BTW, No camping allowed here.

Cabo San Juan here we come!

Back on the main trail, hopping over the occasional uprooted palm tree and dodging the lines of giant fire ants we continued.

Bam!!!

The lady in front of us slips backwards and screams! We rush to help her up. She’s nearly in tears. “Caca” she screams! Turns out the lady landed right on top of a pile of horse shit.

You can rent a horse in Parque Tyrona with a guide from the trailhead to Cabo for $50,000COP ($17USD).

If you’re like us and enjoy using the two legs you were born with then do yourself a favor and watch out for the horse dung. It’s a constant along the trails.

The woman washes up and laughs it off. She’ll live to see another day.

Parque Tyrona Camping Guide, Cabo de San Juan

We’ve made it! On paper it’s not a long distance but the heat can be unforgiving. We find a shaded place to set up our tent ($20,000COP, $7USD p/p) and head straight for the beach. Cabo is a bit crowded given its popular reputation. But it’s gorgeous! I mean super gorgeous, one of the nicest beaches in South America.

We spend two nights beach bumming it up, loving every second of it.

If you’re traveling without your own tent I would recommend renting the hammock. We overheard a couple complaining of how badly the rental tent leaked in the rain. There are two hammock sites, one next to the tents and the second atop of hill surrounded by the sea. I definitely recommend the latter option but keep in mind Cabo is very windy in the evenings so you’ll likely need a blanket or slightly warmer clothing for the hammocks in the sea.

There is also an onsite restaurant and small snack store.

Lockers available for personal property.

Swimming allowed.

Pueblito, Day Trip/ Alternate Exit

We wrestled with the idea of hiking out of the park via Pueblito. From Cabo it’s about 1.5 hours up the mountain to reach the Tyrona village. Further past the village to reach the main road back to Santa Marta is another 1.5 hour walk.

Looking back I do regret not visiting the village. But at the time it was too difficult to give up the lazy beach life.

Most people do not exit the park this way. Nearly everyone leaves backtracking the same trail they arrived on.

Castilletes: Our Favorite Place in Tyrona, we almost missed out on.

As beautiful as Cabo is we really never got over how crowded it gets. After two nights we considered leaving a night early and spending New Years back in Santa Marta. We nearly had our minds made up to leave when a Dutch couple told us about Castilletes. For some reason no one seems to talk about this place. But the couple talked about it as if it were a dream.

Instantly, we knew this was our next stop!

Bright and early the next morning we trailed back to the parking lot at the trailhead.

All morning we wondered why we never heard of Castilletes. We assume it must get passed up on most times because of its location.

Remember that colectivo we took in from the main road? Well, Castilletes is halfway along that road between the trailhead and the main road to Santa Marta. You probably wouldn’t ever stop there unless you were specifically looking for it.

We arrive and were instantly impressed. Palm trees line the field, coconuts all over the place. The incredibly nice staff invite us in and offer us water.

We pitch our tent ($15,000COP/ $5USD p/p) in the estimated safe zone. Right on the beach far enough in front of the palm trees that coconuts won’t drop on our heads and just far enough behind the beachfront that the high tide won’t soak everything we own.

I can’t imagine a more perfect place to take in the New Year now only half a day away. For now it’s nap time or I won’t make it to midnight :).

Electricity available.

Onsite restaurant and snack shop.

Debit/credit card accepted.

Wifi available for you digital nomads and anyone that needs to contact their worrying parents 🙂

 

New Years, the clocks strike midnight…

Beep, beep, beep!!!

My 1145 alarm goes off.

I’m tempted to hit snooze. Afterall, I’m notorious for sleeping through new year celebrations.

What’s one more year to add to my record?!

Then I remember where I’m at and it dawns on me that I may never have the chance to be in this beautiful place again especially at the turn of a brand new year.

I wipe my eyes, find my headlight and stumble out of the tent.

There are about ten other people sitting in silence along the beach.

The clock winds down, I wonder what the celebration will be like. 10 seconds left, 9, 8,…..all the way down to 1.

To my surprise there is no screaming, no clapping, no fireworks, nothing but…… silence.

One of those silences worth a thousand words. We all sat and stared off into the darkness. I thanked the powers that be for the opportunity to travel the world in the most authentic way I could imagine and retreated back to the tent until morning.

Tips, Extras, Advice.

• Everything in the park is sold in cash. The only exception that I’m aware of is Castilletes. Bring cash from Santa Marta.

• Water is sold at $3,000COP/liter ($1USD). Instead carry a wine cork opener and enjoy a fresh coconut for free. They are all over the place. The campsites forbid you from taking them but if you walk off the camping sites you shouldn’t have a problem.
  

  Parque Tyrona Camping Guide: Save money & pack weight, drink coconuts 🙂

• There are a few additional beaches past Cabo. The first few are accessible by foot. One of which is nude.

• There is a boat to/from Cabo via Santa Marta or Taganga. $50,000COP ($17USD) eachway. Inquiry with any of the staff at Cabo.
• This one should go without saying but I’ll say it anyways. Leave the park better or at least the same way you found it! Take your trash with you or at very least throw it in the actual trash can!
• If bad weather is likely, avoid the rental tents like the plague. We heard stories of leaking tents from 3 different travelers.

• It’s possible to visit the park for a day trip but I strongly recommend spending at least one night at minimum. The sunrises are amazing.

• If you’re on a really tight budget rumor has it if you hike in through Pueblito via the Calabazo entrance of the park you’ll bypass the entrance fee.

Safety

Parque Tyrona is about as safe as it gets. The people are friendly and inviting. I would advise keeping an eye on your belongings and using the available lockers. (Bring your own lock!).

Likely, your only problem if any will be the animals. Keep an eye out when crossing the rivers. There are crocodiles in the park! We saw one right where the river meets the ocean. Signs are posted where crocodiles are known to frequent.

Afterthoughts

Parque Tyrona is magic. It’s one of those places in the world where fairytales are born. It’s absolutely a must see in Colombia. Personally, it’s tied for my favorite park in South America, neck and neck with Chile’s Torres del Paine.

Have you been to either? Let me know what you thought in the comments below.

Questions, comments, concerns? I’d love to hear from you! Leave me a comment below or check out the facebook page. Happy travels!

 

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