Going into my Colombia trip, I asked everyone I knew who had been there for recommendations of where I should go, where I shouldn’t and what I should do. Every single person had at least one thing in common on their list – Tayrona National Park. Described by one person as the most beautiful national park they’d ever been to, it quickly shot to the top of my list and was one of the things I was most looking forward to. I’m happy to say that it absolutely lived up to the hype and was one of my favourite things that we did. I’m now passing it on to you, it was such a highlight for me that I think it’s unmissable.

First things first, Hannah and I were coming from Cartagena which involved a bus to Santa Marta. From there it was supposed to be another bus but we teamed up with a girl from our bus to get a taxi up the road. Our plan was to spend a night in the park (lots of details on that later) but first we had a night in a hostel just outside so that we could rest up and be out bright and early the next day. We stayed in Eco Hostal Yuluka. It was a really cool space, right on the main road but with such a private and secluded vibe that you could barely tell. There was a lovely wee pool to cool off in and a restaurant on site. Importantly for the next day’s activities, they let us leave our big bags there so we only had to take our small backpacks with us overnight in the park. They also had a free shuttle to the park entrance at 8am.

Now, when it comes to staying in the park there are lots of options. For those with more cash to splash there are a number of hotels and guesthouses that you can stay in. For those on tighter budgets (like us), there are campsites spread throughout the park. The biggest and most popular option is Cabo San Juan. We chose here because it is also one of the few beaches in the park where it’s safe to swim (not all the beaches are safe for swimming but it’s very clearly signposted) so we liked that crossover. It also has a restaurant where you can get some dinner and there are toilets and showers on site. There is the option of a hammock, either in the tower overlooking the water or in the main campsite, or a tent. Initially we wanted a hammock but by the time we arrived at the entrance to the park where you reserve your space (before you pay your entrance fee) all the hammocks were taken so we booked a double tent instead for $70,000COP (£14) each. The next thing you have to do is pay your entrance fee which usually involves joining a long queue. While you’re waiting, there are people selling insurance which you might question but it is compulsory to have. If you don’t buy it there, the ticket person will just send you back to get it. It was $6000COP (£1.15) per person per day that you are staying. The entrance fee is a one off $62,000COP (£11.80) per person.

Once you’re inside the park, you can take a colectivo (a minibus) to the start of the trails for $5000COP (96p) but we decided to walk because we’d heard that there was a good chance to see monkeys. It took us about an hour to reach the start of the trails but we did see some monkeys swinging around so it was worth it! We had been alone along the road but once the trails started, it got a lot busier. The terrain is not too challenging, a lot of boarded walkways and stairs or well worn paths. Most day trippers walk from the start of the trails to one of the swimming beaches, Piscina or San Juan, which takes a couple of hours. Luckily, the benefit of staying overnight is that we weren’t in a rush. On our way we saw some more monkeys and after a while of walking through the jungle, we came to the sea! The views were just breathtaking and I understood why so many people had recommended it.

The hardest part about the hike is honestly the humidity! Take lots of water with you and I would recommend some electrolytes as well. There are a few sellers at various points down the path that you can buy water from but you still have to walk quite far to get to them so it’s better to bring your own supply as well. I don’t deal well with humidity but it definitely helped when we came across one such seller who had paletas, aka ice lollies! I was at a bit of a low point and a passion fruit paleta pulled me right out of it.

It takes about two to three hours to get to the main swimming beaches but because we were staying overnight we took our time. We had another break at a restaurant on the route to have some juice but then we discovered that it wasn’t that much further to the first swimming beach, Piscina. We didn’t hang around here because it was really busy and it wasn’t that much further to our campground at Cabo San Juan. Check in for our tent (yes, there was a check in time!) wasn’t until 2pm so we went to find a spot on the beach, got a beer and played some cards until we could leave our bags in the tent. When it started to rain, we moved to the on-site restaurant for shelter which is the only option when it comes to food. We had a surprisingly good dinner there, sharing grilled fish with shrimp in garlic sauce and patacones (smashed plantain fritters) and tamarind shrimp with chips.

While we were eating, someone came over to me and said ‘excuse me’. I didn’t know who it was and initially I thought I had dropped something or maybe I was about to get a compliment on my bikini or one of my tattoos. Instead, they asked if I’m Amy Morrison’s twin! This isn’t the first time in my life that I’ve been asked that, it happens a lot when you’re a twin. It turns out that Polly and Charlie volunteered with Amy in Mexico in 2021! They recognised me from across the restaurant and wanted to say hi! This wasn’t the only coincidence that happened while we were in Tayrona either, although I didn’t find out about the other until we left. I posted a selfie that I had taken on the beach on Instagram (the one above) and a girl that we had met in Panama replied saying that it was her sunbathing in the background! I somehow didn’t realise at the time, even though she was barely five metres away.

I won’t lie, the tent was a bit gross but for one night, we survived. It was quite hot and I woke up once it got light but I didn’t mind that. The day before, Hannah and I had both walked into the park via the El Zaíno entrance but there is another option called Calabazo. It looks shorter on the map but the route is a lot more challenging and takes about five hours. Hannah wanted to give that a try but I was happy to go back the way we came so we split up. Hannah left quite early, around 6am, and my plan was to wait until the restaurant opened at 7.30, grab some breakfast and then leave. In the end I was awake at 6am too and I felt like making the most of the lovely, cool morning to start walking so I headed out earlier than planned. Unfortunately, during the walk the day before my hiking boots, which were my mum’s from the 90s, had broken so I started the hike in my Birkenstock sandals. When the terrain changed from sand back to the walkways, I changed into my boots and secured the sole that had come away from the shoe with some spare hair bobbles! It did the job and they lasted until I got to the end of the trails.

For the last half an hour of the walk, I was having to fight against the incoming tide of people who had arrived on the morning’s tour buses. I got frustrated because at various points the path would narrow between some boulders or at some stairs and I would have to wait sometimes whole minutes for someone to let me through. There were waves of people coming the other way and I was only one person. It wouldn’t have taken a lot for one person to let me through but that apparently didn’t cross many people’s minds.

By the time I got to the end of the trails where the colectivos take you back to the exit, it was only 9am which meant it had taken me two hours from the campsite in comparison to three and a half the day before, albeit that was with many more breaks. I didn’t feel like I needed to walk back along the road so I got the colectivo out and then got some breakfast at a place across the road from the entrance. I walked back along the road to Yuluka, where we had left our bags. Another reason that I would recommend staying there, other than it being a cool place and having bag storage, they also let me shower when I got back! It was very needed after a sweaty two days. I reorganised my bag and then waited for Hannah in one of the hammocks. When she arrived, it turned out that the path to Calabazo was very overgrown and unclear so she had turned around to come back the other way. When she hadn’t found me at the campsite, she figured that I had just left early and followed me out.

Once Hannah had also had a shower and sorted herself out, we went onto the main road to wait for a bus to take us back to Santa Marta. Serendipitously, one pulled up right as we went outside. We changed buses on the edge of Santa Marta to take us to our next destination, Minca – a sleepy town nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains known for its variety of birds, coffee and much cooler temperatures!