Look at these Unique Beach Towns in Colombia!

Palomino & Taganga

– a guest post by Alex Barrera

Alex’s story about Palomino and Taganga

With this being far from the typical year, I decided to go back to Colombia with my college-aged daughter and explore something different – a little more relaxed. I set off to get to know the coast, where an incredibly warm and wonderful community greeted me. And where I discovered two new places that exceeded my expectations; Palomino and Taganga.

Here is a little bit of what I experienced and some information to help you plan your visit to one of Colombia’s most important ecological regions; an area with jungles, beaches, wetlands, hiking, scuba diving, and surfing, to name just a few. You can choose one spot and take multiple day trips or break out your trip into both locations as we did. Everything mentioned is relatively close to Palomino and Taganga. 

The entire area has a charming and relaxed vibe that I am excited to share with you!

Magical Palomino

Here are some of the fun things we did during our stay in Palomino:

Palomino River Tubing 

Another must-do is the experience tubing down the Palomino River. You will take a moto-taxi until the entrance point, then walk about 30-minute uphill to the river; the tubing experience takes 3-5 hours. You can choose from a longer tubing ride starting with rougher waters or a shorter experience resembling a lazy river. There are 3 levels in total.

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Along the way, you can enjoy rope swings and buy a cold beer or snack. I recommend bringing along with you a plastic cell phone covering that you can buy on the street. Because you will probably get wet. Another nice treat is at the river’s end; you end up at a beach with food shacks that serve excellent and inexpensive fish. Many hostels and local tour companies are offering this experience. We used the one from Selina’s hostel. 

Kogui Indigenous Community

Another tour we booked through Selina was to visit the Kogui Indigenous community, one of many in the area. They picked us up in Moto-taxis for about an hour ride to this village. Before we arrived, we stopped by to buy some candy to take for all of the kids. At the village, you learn about the customs and traditions of the Kogui community. Our tour was private, so we spent a lovely day walking around and speaking to everyone and learning as much as we could. 

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Doggy Picnic with ‘Palomino Animal Soul’

One of the experiences that made our stay special was the doggy picnic with rescued pups from Palomino Animal Soul. This animal rescue shelter is the only one in the region that also operates as a pet hostel where visitors can stay and care for dogs and cats. We walked along the beach until we reached our destination and sat down for a delicious breakfast picnic with various dogs from the shelter. Karina, the owner, is so incredibly passionate about the animals and has been helping rescue dogs and cats all over Palomino with support from initiatives like the Doggy Picnic. 

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Surfing

Palomino waves are great for beginners; you can rent a board or pay an instructor for a lesson. You find many instructors at the beach at affordable prices, approximately $13 USD for the 1 hour class.

Quebrada Valencia Waterfall

This area is on sacred ground – be sure to make a wish during your visit! 

Adventurous Taganga 

Scuba diving 

At the foot of Tayrona National park, this area is well known for its scuba diving opportunities. There are numerous businesses offering dives, lessons, and certifications for all levels. We went with Oceano Scuba, which had an excellent reputation after many years in business. Whichever experience you choose, you have the opportunity to dive into beautiful coral reefs with varied marine biodiversity. 

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Kayaking & Snorkeling

For those that prefer a different ocean experience, a great day of Kayaking & Snorkeling with Kayaktaganga is an excellent option. The owner will make your experience unique, and you will have an opportunity to take amazing pictures as well, underwater and via drone. 

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Fresh Fish to Eat!

Take advantage of the great seafood available at your doorstep and shop for dinner at the local fish market. Every day, the fishermen set up their stands on the beach around 5 pm with freshly caught seafood from the day. We took advantage of this and hosted some great seafood barbecues.

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I also heard you can join some fishermen for one of their fishing outings on the boats. Just approach one of them and ask. Simple as that. There will probably be a cost, and if not, consider giving them a tip as this will help them immensely. 

Bahia Concha Beach in Tayrona

This fantastic beach near Taganga that can be reached by boat or an hour-long drive. We opted for Luis’s sailing trip. After a relaxing sail lasting 1.5 hours, the sailboat was anchored close by, and some of us swam to the beach while others took a small boat in. At the beach there is plenty to do; snorkel, sunbathe, stroll on the beach, and you can even get a massage right at the edge of the water. The beach is large and can get busy, but we were set up in one corner with tons of trees and some calming shade available. 

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Walk to Playa Grande

Playa Grande is a famous beach on the other side of Taganga. You can reach it via a short 5-minute boat ride that costs approximately $3 USD, or you can take a nice walk through the mountain that should take you perhaps 30 minutes. It can get sunny, so it is recommended to go earlier in the morning and not too late for safety reasons. We never made it over, but we were told that it is a must, and we were sad we missed it. We did see it from a distance during our kayak outing, and it definitely looked worth it. 

Tayrona National Park – Cabo San Juan

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Hiking towards Cabo San Juan beach, one of the most popular and iconic beaches in Tayrona National Park, is worth a day excursion. We booked it via Viator, but in retrospect, it is not necessary to go on a tour. You can take a taxi or bus to the El Zaino entrance at Tayrona National Park, which can be reached from Taganga in about 50 minutes or Palomino in a little over an hour.

The entrance fee is about $13 USD. Once you officially enter the park, just follow the trails and read the signs; you do not need a guide. The 2-hour hike through the jungle with breathtaking views will lead you to Cabo San Juan. Here you can relax, snorkel or eat. You can also continue walking towards the next beach, La Piscina, about 20 minutes away.

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Once your day at the beach is complete, I recommend riding a horse back instead of walking back. It was the highlight of my day. You should book the horses as soon as possible, as soon as you arrive on the beach. At the cost of $13 USD, it is worth it. 

How to get to Palomino and Taganga

You can arrive at Palomino and Taganga through Santa Marta, Colombia, which has a large airport with domestic and international flights. Once you are in Santa Marta, it’s a quick 20 minute taxi ride to Taganga or a 1.5 hour ride to Palomino. We used a private transfer that cost us roughly $5 USD to Taganga and $35 USD to Palomino.

Be Prepared – What to know before going

Both Taganga and Palomino have limited access to take out cash. Palomino simply does not have an ATM, which requires you to take a 20-minute moto-taxi ride into the next town. And while Taganga does have two ATMs, neither worked for us the entire two weeks we were there. We heard it’s common for the ATMs to be empty. So plan before arriving and have sufficient cash available to take advantage of all these fantastic experiences. 

Lastly, it is not safe to drink tap water at any of these locations. Nor do they have water filters readily available to fill in your water bottles, something I hope changes soon. Just know that you need to have plenty of bottled water available, particularly to combat the hot weather and long climbs in Taganga. 

In conclusion, I realize I only covered a slight bit of this exciting and adventurous area. It was indeed a new experience even for me, in spite of having traveled the country extensively with family.  

About Alex:

Alex Barrera is a Strategy & Corporate Social Responsibility professional with over 20 years of experience. Alex has recently launched a social impact consulting firm, B the Impact, focused on providing businesses with the necessary tools and expertise needed to manage their social and environmental impacts. 

Another goal of B the Impact is educating individuals about sustainability and social responsibility topics. Via the company’s blog and the IG account, Alex aims to empower people to engage in necessary and tough conversations about social and environmental issues and inspiring them to do something, however big or small, to help…

…all of this while she travels the world exploring social impact initiatives at the global level and experiencing many new adventures.

Suz says: OK, now I have to visit!

What places or activities in particular caught your eye? For me, the tubing experience sounds like a fun day, and I love boat rides to hideaway-type beaches. My readers know I love beaches; there’s another guest article on TravelsWithSuz.com about the beaches in Egypt that I need to visit. If you have some pics and info about your favorite beaches, I’d love to host them here on Travels With Suz.

My favorite beaches will definitely need to be updated if I get to visit these unique beach towns in Colombia. Many thanks to Alex for an inspiring writeup!