Tayrona National Park Travel Guide and Itinerary + Map

Dreaming of wild jungle trails, secluded beaches, and spotting monkeys in the treetops? Then visiting Tayrona National Park needs to be on your Colombia bucket list.

We just explored this slice of coastal jungle heaven. In our complete guide to Tayrona National Park, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know – from how to get there (whether from Cartagena or Santa Marta), which entrance to choose, where to stay, and the best beaches you can actually swim at (yes, that matters!). Whether you're planning a quick day trip or a multi-day trek through the park, this post has you covered.

• Tayrona National Park Travel Guide
  • Tayrona Park Map
  • Is Tayrona National Park Worth It?
  • How to Get to Tayrona National Park
  • Tayrona Park Entrance
  • Hiking in Tayrona National Park
  • Beaches Tayrona National Park
  • Tayrona National Park Animals
  • How Many Days Do You Need in Tayrona National Park?
  • Tayrona National Park Itinerary
  • Tayrona National Park Where to Stay
  • Where to Stay Near Tayrona National Park
  • Tayrona National Park Tips
  • What to Bring to Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park Travel Guide

Tayrona Park Map

Is Tayrona National Park Worth It?

If you like hiking and beaches, it’s absolutely worth it. You can spot birds and monkeys and swim at some of the nicest beaches in Colombia here.

How to Get to Tayrona National Park

Cartagena to Tayrona National Park

To go from Cartagena to Tayrona National Park, you must first get to Santa Marta. We chose MarSol Transportes because it was recommended to us by locals.

It was a good choice as it was punctual and very fast. We just went to their office and booked a ticket but you can also reserve your spot online if you want to be safe. We used redBus for bus tickets in Colombia but we’re not affiliated with them.

Santa Marta to Tayrona National Park

Buses from the market in Santa Marta (marked on our map) drive up the cost to Palomino every 15 minutes or so during the day. You can just hop on one of them and hop off where you want to – be it Mama Tayrona, Calabazo entrance, or El Zaino entrance.

Tayrona Park Entrance

There are two entrances to Parque Tayrona:

1. El Zaino

El Zaino is the main entrance. It is open from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM. As most tourists choose this entrance, we heard it is advised to come early.

From the entrance, you can take a shuttle bus to the start of the hike for 5000 COP which we fully recommend doing – the walk is not hard but long and not really nice,

Pros of El Zaino entrance: It’s much closer to Cabo San Juan & you can (theoretically) pay by credit card.

Con of El Zaino entrance: Can get crowded with long waits.

2. Calabazo

We chose to enter through Calabazo. The whole process was quite straightforward. It is open from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM. We arrived around 8 AM and only had two people waiting in front of us. From the entrance, you can take a motorbike to the start of the hike for 27000 COP which we fully recommend – the beginning of the hike is a hard and long uphill walk.

Pros of El Zaino entrance: Fewer people.

Con of El Zaino entrance: Cash only, either uphill hike or expensive motorbike, much harder hike overall.

Tayrona National Park Entrance Fee

The entrance fee for Tayrona National Park differs between high and low seasons. In high season, we paid:

• 92000 COP entrance fee
• 14000 COP “insurance” for every additional day

Hiking in Tayrona National Park

Everything you need to know about trekking Tayrona National Park: First things first because we wish somebody had warned us – if you enter at Calabazo entrance, you will have to hike a long way down to Playa Brava – even if you decide to take the motorbike to cut out the hike uphill.

You will meet very few people, have a high chance to spot wildlife, and have some river crossings. There’s next to no infrastructure on this part of the hike (only one vendor at the very top) so bring enough water and snacks.

To get from Playa Brava to Cabo San Juan there’s a “shortcut”. Don’t let yourself be fooled by that name though, you still have to climb halfway up the hill before making your way down to the first beach. We only found one little shop selling drinks on the way so bring enough water!

Once you reach the first beach, your path will be mostly flat. From Cabo San Juan on, you will see loads of people and you will see more and more places to buy food and drinks. River crossings will become more frequent – some business-minded locals constructed small bridges and charge a small fee if you want to cross them.

Beaches Tayrona National Park

Here are the main Tayrona Park beaches in the order you will visit them if you follow our itinerary:

Playa Brava Tayrona National Park

You can only reach Playa Brava from the Calabazo entrance or by crossing the hill from Cabo San Juan hence not many tourists come here.

You can’t swim in the sea but the Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke does have a swimming pool. The ecolodge is a nice place to spend the night and they also offer food and drinks.

Playa Nudista Tayrona National Park

Playa Nudista is the only official nudist beach in Colombia. The currents are strong here and it’s not advised to go into the water.

There is no infrastructure on this beach.

Cabo San Juan Tayrona National Park

This is the main beach of Tayrona National Park. It is formed by two beaches with the famous Cabo with its hammocks in the middle. As the bays are secluded, you can take a dip here.

This is the most crowded beach of the national park but also the one with the best infrastructure. You can buy cold drinks and snacks at various points and there’s also a full restaurant.

You can spend the night here – either in the famous hammock dorm, a regular hammock, or a tent.

Playa Piscina Tayrona National Park

This is one of the few beaches in the national park where you can swim. It’s not super crowded and there’s some infrastructure – including restaurants and even accommodation.

Playa Arrecifes Tayrona National Park

You can’t swim here but you can find several accommodations like Camping Tequendama (a hammock here costs 11$ and could be a much chiller alternative to Cabo San Juan).

Playa Piscinita Tayrona National Park

This is the third beach in Tayrona National Park where you can swim. We didn’t check it out ourselves because it’s a little walk from the main path and we were very tired of hiking at this point.

Tayrona National Park Animals

Theoretically, there’s plenty of wildlife in Tayrona National Park. The ones that are relatively easy to spot are:

• monkeys (white-fronted capuchin, cotton-top tamarin, red howler monkey)
• birds (more than 350 species)
• caimans (not crocodiles)
• poison dart frogs

We saw capuchin and howler monkeys as well as many birds without much effort.

Additionally, there are animals like jaguars with a near to 0% chance of being seen.

How Many Days Do You Need in Tayrona National Park?

How long to stay in Tayrona National Park strongly depends on the total time you have in Colombia:

• If you only have one day at Tayrona, we recommend entering at El Zaino entrance and hiking to Cabo San Juan.
• If you have two days at Tayrona, enter at Calabazo entrance and spend the night at Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke before you hike out at El Zaino.

If you have the time, we fully recommend spending three days at Tayrona National Park.

While you can absolutely hike Tayrona on your own, you can also choose to go with a guide for more comfort:

Tayrona National Park Itinerary

Here’s our three day itinerary for Tayrona National Park:

Day 1: Enter at Calabazo entrance and spend the night at Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke.

Day 2: Hike to Cabo San Juan and spend the night there or at Playa Arrecifes.

Day 3: On your way to El Zaino exit, stop at Playa Piscina for a swim.

Tayrona National Park Where to Stay

We recommend these places to Stay in Tayrona National Park:

1. Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke

We recommend spending the first night in Tayrona National Park at Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke. The ecolodge is super low-key and relaxed.

They serve food and sell drinks – you can even drink the tap water.

They have sufficient bathrooms with cold water showers.

Unfortunately, while the beach is nice, you can’t swim because of the waves and currents. They do have a nice pool though.

During limited times in the morning and evening, they even provide Starlink internet!

We chose to sleep in a beachfront hammock which came with a mosquito net and a blanket.

If you want to sleep in a hammock, you don’t necessarily have to reserve. They also offer some nicer accommodation options in case you want to take a sneak peek:

2. Cabo San Juan

This is the busiest beach of Tayrona National Park and the place most travellers will choose to spend the night. You will find the most infrastructure here including a restaurant and places that sell snacks and drinks.

You have the option to sleep in the famous hammock dorm, regular hammocks, or a tent.

The place is busy so don’t expect it to be super clean and of high quality. But it’s the place to go if you want that perfect picture.

Where to Stay Near Tayrona National Park

The night before our trip to Tayrona National Park, we stayed at Mama Tayrona and loved it – so much so that we came back for one night after our trek.

The owner is lovey and has great tips for the national park – including the phone numbers to reserve you a hammock.

The pool is a nice refreshment – especially after the sweaty hike. We also loved the open-air shower and the rooftop with a great view.

They also serve food and drinks so you don’t have to leave if you don’t want to.

Of course, they also store your luggage while you’re in the park.

It’s within easy walking distance to the Calabazo entrance.

Tayrona National Park Tips

Food and Drinks in Tayrona National Park

As we mentioned in the “hiking” part of this blogpost, you cannot reliably buy drinks and snacks between the Calabozo entrance and Cabo San Juan (except Playa Brava). Starting at Cabo San Juan, you will find many snack vendors. There’s a big restaurant in Cabo San Juan but we recommend the restaurant at Playa Piscina because it’s nicer.

If you want to eat at Playa Brava, you have to preorder your meals which are served at a fixed time. The restaurant at Cabo San Juan is a la carte.

Bathrooms in Tayrona National Park

There are zero bathrooms in between the Calabazo entrance and Playa Brava. The same goes for the hike from Playa Brava to Cabo San Juan. As infrastructure picks up here, so does the bathroom count.

The bathrooms at Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke were plentiful and clean. We wish the same could be said for Cabo San Juan…

Internet in Tayrona National Park

Our local SIM card did not work in the park.

We were surprised to find Starlink internet at Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke during set hours of the day.

At the time of our visit, there was no WiFi at Cabo San Juan.

Power in Tayrona National Park

We were happy to find enough power outlets to charge our phones at the camp.

Can You Pay with Your Credit Card at Tayrona National Park?

No, cash in king here.

Is Tayrona Park Closing in 2026?

Tayrona National Park is normally closed every year

• February 1st – 15th (During the Kugkui shikasa season)
• June 1st – 15th (During the Saka Juso season)
• October 19th to November 2nd (During the Nabbat season)

Pay extra attention if you plan to visit around these dates.

Is Tayrona National Park Safe?

Tayrona National Park feels very safe. There were no lockers at Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke but some at Cabo San Juan – bring your own lock. We never heard about theft.

The hiking paths were clear and well-signposted.

The biggest danger is swimming in the sea.

Can You Swim at Tayrona National Park?

Be aware that you can’t swim at most of the beaches at Tayrona National Park. There are strong currents and people seem to die frequently. Pay attention to the warning signs everywhere.

The only three beaches you can swim at are

• Cabo San Juan
• Playa Piscina
• Playa Piscinita

Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke also has a swimming pool which we found lovely.

What to Bring to Tayrona National Park

We strongly suggest leaving your large luggage at your previous accommodation (Mama Tayrona stores your luggage for free) and only taking what you need for the hike and 1 or 2 nights in the park.

Here’s what we recommend packing:

• Good hiking boots
• Bug spray and sunscreen
• A lock
• Warm layers for the night – especially if you sleep in a hammock
• Swimsuit and a towel
• A hat and sunglasses
• Enough water and snacks for the first day
• Hand sanitiser and toilet paper
• CASH, there are no ATMs and you can’t pay with your credit card
• Offline map
• Power bank

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