Tayrona National Park Itinerary
Are you planning the visit to Tayrona National Park, Colombia, but do not know how many days you need? Read our Tayrona National Park itinerary, where we outline options for one, two, three, or four days in the park. This travel guide includes suggested itineraries, so feel free to get inspired.
Tayrona National Park. A destination on Colombia's Caribbean coast that offers endless possibilities. If you plan your visit, be prepared for a different kind of travel experience.
Sure, pristine beaches, palms, and insanely blue sea, that's all here, but it is good to know, that to reach some of the best beaches, you have to hike there first.
Like through the jungle. But no worries, this is part of the experience you are always going to remember. Plus the distances between beaches are not that great, and trails are easy to follow.
When creating your Tayrona National Park itinerary, you should always consider your travel pace, total time you have for exploring Colombia, but also your expectations.
As we know how painful creating an itinerary to an unknown destination sometimes can be, we decided to build the itinerary for Tayrona as well.
We spent in the park three nights and four days, but that was mostly because we were traveling long-term around South America and moreover, we arrived after a long winter in Calgary, and we had a feeling we deserve some extra time on the beach.
Plus, we had plenty of time, which gave us more freedom, and we were fortunate enough to spend two months in Colombia.
In this post dedicated to Tayrona, we will outline suggested itineraries for one-day, which will basically give you only a sneak peek to the park, two-days, which we think is the minimum, but we will also share with you more relaxing itineraries for three or four days in the park.
If you want to know more practical things, read our more-detailed Tayrona National Park Guide, where we explain more in terms of entrance fees, accommodation, or transportation.
1-DAY TAYRONA ITINERARY
It is possible to visit Tayrona National Park in only one day. We do not think it is ideal but we know that many travelers do it.
The reason behind it is usually lack of time or because they simply do not want to spend the night in the park, as you have to sleep either in the tent, hammock, or more expensive resorts, which are located on the borders of the park rather than further in the jungle.
Even though we think you should try to find at least one more day for Tayrona, we absolutely respect your decision to explore it only in one day. The good news is, there’s a way how to do it.
One day in Tayrona, at least if you want to reach the most renowned beach in the park, Cabo San Juan, is about a lot of hiking and sweating, and do not forget that you have to pay for the ticket as much as people who will stay much longer.
There are three ways on how to get to Tayrona National Park. For the one day option, we do not recommend you using Calabazo entrance.
It would mean hiking to Playa Brava, which takes at least two hours, and then you would have to hike uphill and then downhill via El Pueblito indigenous village to get to Cabo San Juan for another three to four hours.
This way would be exhausting unless you would be satisfied with only Playa Brava.
For a one-day in Tayrona, consider a boat transport from a small town just outside Santa Marta called Taganga.
This way you will arrive at Cabo San Juan beach and will have plenty of time to explore the beach and its surroundings before the boat will take you back in the evening.
The most popular one-day alternative is entering the park via the official El Zaino entrance.
Buy your ticket here, and set off. We recommend taking a shuttle bus for 3000 COP to Canaveral that will save you a boring walk on a paved road. In Canaveral, the real fun starts.
As you have only limited time, do not take any detours, and walk straight to Cabo San Juan.
The views along the way are wonderful, and the heat and humidity are often tiring, so keep a steady pace and do not rush. The narrow trail will take you to the first beach called Arrecifes.
It is 3.2 kilometers from Canaveral and should take you anything between an hour and an hour and a half.
Arrecifes is a wonderful, long beach, but you cannot swim here because of wild waves and strong currents.
Then you will walk along beaches Punta las Gaviotas and Playa Arenilla, but we would save them for later, in case you'll have time.
Continue to La Piscina beach, where you'll arrive in about fifteen to twenty minutes.
It was one of our favorite beaches in the park, and you can finally enjoy safe swimming here!
Now it is time to get to Cabo San Juan.
The walk will take you another 30 to 45 minutes, but it will be worth it. Cabo San Juan is the most popular beach among both daytrippers and multi-day travelers, so do not expect to have it just for yourself.
On the other hand, do not hesitate to walk a bit further and escape crowds.
Enjoy the views from the Mirador, and you can relax here for the rest of the day. Facilities such as toilets or restaurants are available.
The walk from Canaveral to Cabo San Juan takes a bit over two hours, a bit longer if you decide to take a dip at La Piscina.
That's why you should leave the beach and head back to El Zaino no later than at 2 PM, so you will catch the bus back to Santa Marta.
The gates to the park open every day at 8 AM. To enjoy your days in Tayrona as much as possible, try to get there early to avoid queues. This is rule of thumb for all itineraries.
Where to stay: For a one-day trip, search for accommodation either in Santa Marta or right by the entrance in El Zaino village.
It is better to store your big backpack in the hostel before your trip, so you can hike in the park only with a daypack, where you need just a beach towel, rain poncho (hopefully you won't need it), and water bottle.
Tayrona National Park Tour - If short on time, consider this day tour - sailing to Tayrona NP - on a yacht from Santa Marta.
2-DAY TAYRONA ITINERARY
One night and two days itinerary open for you many more options on how to spend your time in the park.
In general, your days can look very similar to an itinerary outlined above, you will only have more time to enjoy the evening and sunset time on the beach.
Also, the night in the park is magical as you can watch stars, and listen to the sounds of the jungle.
Another positive thing about staying two days in Tayrona is that you will have a chance to enjoy some quality time on the beach, and relax for a few hours.
Our perfect Tayrona two-day itinerary would look like this.
Start early in the morning in El Zaino.
Take a shuttle to Canaveral. From here, you can take a short hike 9 Piedras that starts at Canaveral, and we think it is a great introduction to the park because of the wonderful views.
Also, many travelers are keen to arrive at the beach early, and this trail will be empty.
After you make this loop, follow the trail that will take you deeper into the park.
The first large beach on the way is called Arrecifes. It is not suitable for swimming, but the walk on it is rewarding.
You can spend the night in one of the campgrounds in Arrecifes, but if you have two days, we recommend continuing to Cabo San Juan via Punta las Gaviotas, Playa Arenilla, Playa Piscina (you can swim here), until you arrive at Cabo San Juan beach.
Accommodate yourself either in the tent or hammock, and take a break.
Remember that this beach is the most popular one in the park, and it is a backpackers' haven. In case you prefer more secluded places, consider Arrecifes for an overnight stay, and explore the park from there.
If you followed this itinerary so far, you should arrive at Cabo San Juan around 1 PM. Now you have time until the evening to enjoy the afternoon here.
Relax on the beach, swim in the sea, walk around, and then eat dinner, buy a drink, and wait for the spectacular sunset.
The second day in the morning, get up early. You can either relax at Cabo San Juan beach, walk to La Piscina beach, or before your return to El Zaino, there's an alternative of walking two hours to an indigenous village El Pueblito.
The trail leads inland through the jungle, and not only it is a great exercise, but it is a unique chance to appreciate the wilderness of the place, and the flora and fauna.
The round trip will take you three to four hours, so once you get back to Cabo San Juan beach, start packing and walk leisurely to El Zaino and visit beaches you skipped the day before or visit them one more time.
If you are an avid hiker, there's actually one more option on how to play this two-day itinerary.
The first day follow the itinerary from El Zaino to Cabo San Juan. Spend here a night. The next morning, hike via El Pueblito to Playa Brava, and from here exit the park via Calabazo entrance.
Of course, you can choose the direction and start at Calabazo, and exit the park the next day via El Zaino. We believe it is an interesting alternative for all active travelers who prefer combining action with lying on the beach.
Our Tip: If you plan on staying in the park overnight, make your reservation at the campground in advance, especially in the high season when Tayrona is very popular.
Contact the campground before arrival via website or Facebook, book the night in the park in a tourist office in Santa Marta, or staff by the park's entrance can help you check out the availability.
Travel Insurance
We never leave home without travel insurance that was designed to cover our expenses if something goes wrong during the trip.
Travel insurance protects against theft, flight delays, injury, illness, cancellations, and much more.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
3-DAY TAYRONA ITINERARY
Do you have two nights and three days for exploring Tayrona National Park? That’s awesome, we are sure you will have a blast!
Three days is just the right combination of having enough time for beach time and hiking.
You can base yourself either two nights at one campground, or spend one night, for example, in Arrecifes, and the other night at Cabo San Juan.
The itinerary is now very similar to a two-day itinerary, you can only do everything at a more relaxed pace, and have one full day when you do not have to think about logistics and moving around.
You can simply stay put, have a beer or fresh juices on the sun.
When you have three days, you can start at El Zaino, walk to Arrecifes beach in the morning, and spend here some quality time, explore the area more thoroughly and sleep here overnight in one of the campgrounds till the next morning.
The next day, walk to Cabo San Juan, if you feel adventurous, walk the trail to El Pueblito, enjoy the beach time, and then on the last day, you can have a slow morning on the beach, and set off back to El Zaino.
Alternatively, walk through the park. Enter the park at El Zaino, and walk to Arrecifes on day one.
On the second day, continue to Cabo San Juan. Day three will include the hike via El Pueblito to Playa Brava, and you will exit the park via the Calabazo entrance.
Of course, it is possible to do this hike in reverse.
4-DAY TAYRONA ITINERARY
Four days in the park will allow you to take it really slowly. It is actually what we did, and at that moment it felt like the right amount of time we needed to regenerate.
We based ourselves at Camping Don Pedro at Arrecifes, which was the campground a bit away from the beach, but we appreciated the more remote position with only a few guests around.
We were really happy with our choice, especially when we saw the crowded and easily accessible campground at Cabo San Juan Beach.
So the first day, we came from El Zaino to Arrecifes, where we spent a long afternoon on the beach, and we also walked a few trails in the hope to see monkeys.
The next day, we visited a few beaches before we arrived at Cabo San Juan, where we relaxed for a while, and then we headed back to the beach near our campground.
On day three, we again walked to Cabo San Juan, but in the afternoon, we hiked to El Pueblito. It was really hot, and it took us longer than we thought it would, so we came that day back to our tent after dark.
On the last day, we spent some time on Arrecifes beach, and then we slowly returned to El Zaino, we did the 9 Piedras hike, and then took the shuttle first to the official entrance, and then another bus to Santa Marta.
In case you have four days or even more, simply dedicate one day to sunbathing and swimming at beaches where this activity is safe.
WHERE TO STAY IN TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK
As we've already mentioned, the national park is dotted with a large number of campgrounds.
But what if you need a bit more comfort to enjoy your vacation?
In that case, you have a few options, but it is necessary to know that all of them are on the very outskirts of the park, some of them even outside the park, which means you have to pay the entry fee every time.
On the other hand, we found the trails in Tayrona very easily walkable, and you can surely explore the park from here, in case you do not mind splurging a bit.
Below we've handpicked the best accommodation options in Tayrona besides the campgrounds.
Budget | Ecohotel Yachay Tayrona - The location is close to the El Zaino entrance, but already in the park, which is great, because you won't have to pay an entrance fee every day.
Mid-range | Playa Brava Teyumakke - Beautiful and tranquil location ideal for couples in a remote place without crowds and with direct access to the beach. The only downside is that you have to walk there for three hours.
Luxury | Senda Casa Tayrona Los Naranjos - This hotel is a real luxury retreat with ocean views and perfect services. It is only five minutes' drive from the El Zaino gate. It makes sense to base yourself here for a few days and visit Tayrona park in only one day, otherwise, you will have to pay the entrance fee every day.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
