SANTA MARTA
Visit Santa Marta, not for the city itself, but for accessibility to the surrounding areas. It is, for lack of a better description, a transportation hub. Sure – you can spend a few days in Santa Marta, walking around charming cobble stone streets and hanging out at cafes. If you’re traveling for a long period of time, possibly off the beaten path as one should do in Colombia, this is a great place to catch up with wifi, replace necessities such as toothpaste, eat a vegetable or two, you know the drill. But if you’re in Santa Marta, it’s most likely in order to access the truly wonderful destinations which surround it such as Minca, Tayrona, La Ciudad Perdida, and then eventually make your way east to Costeño beach and La Guajira or west to Cartagena. This page will give recommendations for time spent in Santa Marta/Taganga, but make sure to read the Minca, Tayrona, and La Ciudad Perdida blogs to optimize your itinerary.
How To Get There
There are reasonably priced direct domestic flights from Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Bucaramanga There are also buses to and from Cartagena, Tayrona, and essentially any destination east or west as the entire north is connected by one main road. I took the overnight bus from Santa Marta to Bogotá once. It wasn’t horrible but I’m not sure that I would recommend it (see below photo of the toddler that spent most of the 20hr bus journey on my lap). Because Santa Marta is the starting and ending point of many adventures in the North, it’s not rare to run into familiar faces. Santa Marta serves as a nice setting to exchange stories, recommendations, or grab a drink with friend
Where To Stay
Hostels: hostels in Santa Marta tend to be affordable, especially for a dorm. You can expect to pay 8-14 USD for a bed. Something to keep in mind, weather in Santa Marta is harsh. It gets very hot and humid, so air conditioning should be a priority. Hot water isn’t always guaranteed. Because it’s so hot, you’ll learn to embrace the cold to luke warm showers. On the other hand, especially during the wet season, rain and flooding can occur daily. I’m talking – picking your luggage up onto the seats of the cab because your vehicle turned into a submarine and water is seeping through the doors, type rain. Taking your shoes off, rolling up your pants, and trekking through knee high water, type rain. That being said, if you’re patient, the water is drained rather quickly. Moral of my story, electricity/wifi is also not always guaranteed due to flooding and thunder storms
So there are two places you can stay:
1. Within Santa Marta itself, where most of the buses enter and exit
2. Taganga, which is a little fisherman village 15-20 minutes by cab from Santa Marta, a bit more laid back. From here you can take the boat to and from Parque Tayrona. Taganga is also known for being one of the cheapest places in the world to get your PADI diving certification. And it can’t go without saying, there is something special about a Taganga sunset
Hostels in Santa Marta:
- Mr. Baboon Hostel: Best location right in the center, beds with curtains and outlets, free breakfast on the roof
- Viajero: reliable chain, nice rooftop pool, decent location
- Masaya: Another reliable hostel chain, located right outside the main city center, not even a 5 minute walk to the center
- La Brisa Loca: Also located just outside the city center, very close to Masaya, I’ve stayed here a few times. It’s clean and has a nice rooftop. They also have a quite popular indoor bar if you’re looking to socialize
- Casa Avelina: Great place if you’re looking for a comfortable, clean, relaxing place to stay. Ideal for digital nomads with quality dorms as well as private rooms. If you’re looking to spend much time in the center and exploring Santa Marta, I wouldn’t recommend staying here as it’s a bit of a walk through a questionably dodgy area, though the hostel itself is very safe with a security guard. I was staying here with a Colombian, he was working remotely so this was a perfect place for us to recharge, sit by the pool, use the air conditioned co-working space, but even he was hesitant to walk with his laptop outside and we always took a cab at night
Consensus:
- Best location: Mr. Baboon
- Most social: La Brisa Loca
- Most relaxing/comfortable: Casa Avelina,
- Reliable chain with nice rooftop pools: Masaya and Viajero
- For working: Casa Avelina, Masaya, or Viajero
Hostels in Taganga:
- Nirvana: a clean hostel with a pool, owned and ran by very nice people, the owner is actually a close friend of a friend of mine, with 24 hour food service. Popular amongst the Israeli travelers
- La Tortuga: I didn’t stay here, but I met two guys in Cabo de La Vela who said they loved it. Has mixed reviews on hostel world
- Airbnb: known to have unique and affordable airbnb properties which sit at the edge of cliffs, surrounding the town. A nice option if you’re going with a group of friends
Where To Eat
Santa Marta:
- Ikaro Cafe: I cannot fathom a visit to Santa Marta without stopping by Ikaro. Is this the most authentic colombian/costeño cafe? Absolutely not. The menu is gringo, hippy health food at gingo-ish prices, and in South America, this genre of food is embraced with open arms, by me at least. Sometimes you just need an avocado toast with an iced coffee with homemade macadamia milk and maybe a smoothie bowl for dessert, ya know?
- Lulo Cafe: Has a large vegan/vegetarian friendly menu, crowd pleaser with a bar as well
- Senses Restaurant Garden: Mediterranean
- Porthos Steakhouse – I don’t eat meat but I’ve heard this is the best steakhouse
Taganga:
- Pachamama: Great restaurant on the beach with quality food and drinks
- Babaganoush: Quality food with a view
- Fatto in Casa: When I was there last, they were building a second location which is a homage to how good they are. They have a nice breakfast, croissants, pizzas, and coffee
Ok, now that you’re settled with how to pass the time optimally in Santa Marta, go read my blogs about the reason you’re probably in this region of Colombia in the first place – Minca, Tayrona, and La Ciudad Perdida