The entire reason we chose to visit Santa Marta was due to its proximity to Tayrona National Park, a protected area covering the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta where they meet the Caribbean coast.  Known for its rich biodiversity, Tayrona includes mountains, beaches, and jungles all in one park – not to mention the animal life which includes over 300 species of birds.  Much of our research encouraged camping overnight either in provided tents or hammocks, but once again I insisted on heading back to the luxury of Hotel Don Pepe after a long sweat-soaked day of hiking in the jungle, so we decided to set out early and make the most of a full day at the park.

From the start, our Tayrona day was doomed.  I pulled on a pair of yoga pants I’d previously soaked in a Permetherin bug repellent that is meant for clothes only (not skin contact).  I’d sprayed them down and rolled them up prior to packing, which was a tip I’d read online.  Once we were in the car en route to Tayrona, I realized my pants were on inside out, so I quickly changed them out in the car.  And then remembered the Permetherin.  And couldn’t be sure if I’d sprayed the pants on the inside or outside.  Determined not to panic, I decided just to go with it but couldn’t shake the feeling that my skin was going to melt off as soon as I started sweating.  Upon arriving at the park, we navigated some tricky questions in broken Spanish about where to park and were told to leave the car right by the gate to get our tickets, and then we’d be allowed to drive in.  The line was long already and once we finally got to the front, we were told we had not brought enough cash and they did not accept credit cards for payment.  We hadn’t wanted to hike while carrying lots of cash, so Ryan had checked the website before leaving and we’d brought enough cash to pay the “locals” entry fee but not the tourist entry fee.  There are no ATMs in sight and nothing we could do but try again tomorrow.

Determined to save the day, we set out towards Quebrada Valencia, a nearby waterfall I’d marked on the map to explore the following day. I immediately took my poisoned yoga pants off and decided to spend the day in my bikini and long tank top (which covered my butt like a very short dress).   We drove past the entrance 2 or 3 times before finally locating it, below a bridge in a dusty dirt parking lot.  As we were gearing up to follow a trail towards where the waterfall appeared to be, a local woman kindly informed us that the waterfall was “cerrado” aka closed!  How could a waterfall be closed? We tried to ask in our bad Spanish.  “No hay agua.” No water.  We suddenly realized the dusty trail we were about to follow is usually a river!  It had completely dried up, as apparently there had been an extreme shortage of rain recently and all the rivers were very low.

We decided just to head to the nearest beach.  Ryan had read there was decent surf in the area, and although he was still not able to surf, we thought it would be fun to check out regardless.  And it was! After an afternoon of exploring completely empty white sand beaches, we drove to Palomino, a beach town a friend had recommended.  It turned out to be not much more than a few ramshackle places on the side of the road, until we saw a small wooden sign for “Aite Eco Hotel.”  We turned off the main road and followed a long dirt road toward the coast, and parked near the hotel.  There was literally not one person in sight – guest or otherwise – so we helped ourselves to some beach chairs and chilled out.  By this point I was starving and power bars were not cutting it, so we went up to the hotel in search of food.  We had enough cash for a small lunch but we were in luck – they took credit cards!  Apparently fine with me being pants-less, they did request Ryan put on a shirt.  Suddenly self conscious, I realized we were dirty back packers dressed for hiking in the jungle and the other guests at the restaurant looked like wealthy Europeans dressed in crisp whites.  The servers were all wearing full length floral dresses with matching head wraps.  But they were gracious and sat us on their elevated deck, with a table overlooking the ocean.  Our lunch was nothing short of fabulous – a giant bowl of ceviche followed by a creamy seafood risotto and an enormous, flavorful seafood stew that was a family recipe from the hotel owners.  Ryan enjoyed a cold beer and I enjoyed a cocktail. The portions were so huge that we couldn’t finish, despite being famished at the start.  And our bill was $32 including gratuity.  Our luck was turning!

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the local beaches, slowly driving back towards Santa Marta.  Each place was prettier than the next and for the most part, completely empty.

The following day, we were up even earlier and this time we knew where we were going and were armed with cash.  We got to the Tayrona gate bright and early with zero line and were thrilled to discover that since we had driven, we could drive the 2 miles from the gate where you pay to the actual entrance of the park, past hordes of people walking or paying for shuttles  Apparently nobody drives, so you’re typically stuck either walking or paying for a shuttle.  Once parked, we loaded up on sunscreen and bug spray and headed out.  We promptly met a nice couple from San Diego and spent the rest of the day hiking with them.  Tayrona lived up to the hype – the hiking was easier than expected, the crowds not as bad as reviews led us to believe, the water was crystal clear and Caribbean blue, and best of all – there were monkeys EVERYWHERE.  The one irony that made me laugh is that after hiking hours into the jungle, credit cards were accepted to purchase $2 beers at the little tiki bar, yet the day before we’d be unable to pay the park entry fee with a credit card.  Go figure.

We did end up getting slightly lost on our way out, where we somehow ended up on the “donkey trail” instead of the walking trail.  It was dusty and covered in poop but was shadier and significantly cooler than the way we’d come in.  I was momentarily worried we’d be late getting out and the gates would be locked, but we made it back to the car just in the nick of time.  Our new friends ended up catching a ride with us to the front gate, along with some friends from the hotel we ran into.  We piled into the car and traded stories about the monkeys we’d seen.  All in all – a pretty perfect day in the jungle.