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Tayrona National Park

Colombia

After our mountain adventures it was time to visit the coast. Tayrona National Park was easily reached by public transport, but then we had to navigate their multi-step entry procedure. Once inside the gate, a shuttle bus dropped us off at Playa Canaveral, where busload after busload of tourists began hiking through the forest to reach the beach of their choice. It was agonising being stuck single file behind walkers wanting to take photos at every turn. I had read the route would be extremely muddy, but the presence of a newly built wooden walkway had eliminated that problem. My hiking boots now seemed a tad unnecessary. (Later on I found stacks of mud in places, especially along the horse trails, so my shoes weren't completely useless.)

 

We opted to stay at the next beach along, Playa Arrecifes, mainly due to the high number of negative reviews for the main beach, Cabo San Juan (it also meant we didn't have to lug our backpacks very far). We rented a tent, dumped our stuff, and hit the beach. Or we tried to. The sand was pebbly, there was nowhere to hide from the burning sun and swimming was forbidden (although we knew this last point in advance). The next beach along was safe enough to swim in, so I left Danny here to enjoy the water while I explored the park on foot.

 

Cabo San Juan was stunning - it was easy to see why nearly everyone stayed here. Swimming, shade, restaurant, views - it was everything I had pictured Tayrona to be. I tried not to regret our accommodation choice as I took the obligatory photos of the bay and continued along the coast.

 

Passing by the nudist beach, I found a trail that would take me up a steep hill through a dense forest. I was happier dragging myself up the mountain, drowning in sweat in the near 100% humidity, than I would have been sitting on the sand (which always perplexes Danny). I was hoping for some sort of viewpoint along the way, but I saw nothing but trees. People obviously came to Tayrona for the water, as I didn't see a single sole on the way up. I reached an intersection where I could head down to the next beach or continue on to a back exit out of the park. I chose to turn around, after already hiking for 3 hours today and wanting to satisfy my rumbling stomach (and to replace the litres of sweat I had lost).

 

I met Danny back at the tent, where we ate our packed food in the middle of a swarm of flies. Danny decided an afternoon nap was in order, while I spent the last few hours of daylight in a cafe by the beach where there were slightly fewer insects. Once the day trippers left, it was much more peaceful and didn't feel like a tourist hotspot. The downside to this was that the restaurant nearest to us closed at 6 p.m., which we weren't prepared for. Luckily we had brought extra food with us, but not enough to call a meal. With nothing else to do, we were in bed by 7.30 p.m. There was no breeze to speak of and it was oppressively hot inside the tent. Sleep took a long time to arrive.

The sun rises early in Colombia, and so do the roosters. About 4 a.m. they commenced their crowing, much to our dismay. We didn't move until 6.30 a.m., at which time I decided another hike was in order. I retraced my steps back to the shuttle bus stop we were dropped at yesterday, which is much more enjoyable when there is no one else on it (the gates hadn't opened for the day visitors yet). Howler monkeys sang in the distance, while smaller monkeys ran through the trees overhead (I later learned they were cotton-top tamarins, a species only found in Colombia). At ground level, hundreds of crabs, a poison dart frog and a capybara (large rodent) scuttled/hopped/ran away from me.

 

From the bus stop I followed my map to a path leading towards the coast. For a while I walked through the forest with no water in sight. Before I knew it, the path looped around and was taking me back to the start. No beach, no views. I checked my map again and walked in the direction of a lookout. A wooden fence had been erected here, obviously indicating that the trail was closed. It wasn't exactly Fort Knox, so I stepped around the fence and within a couple of minutes I was standing on the sand. It was pretty nice as far as beaches go, but it was another non-swimming area. The forbidden path then ascended steeply up to the top of a section of boulders, giving views of the water below. The trail was narrow and laiden with natural obstacles; one misstep would have sent me hurtling down to the rocks below. This felt like a good time to turn around.

 

I made it back to camp safely, where I found Danny filling up on local snacks and drinks. We packed and up left late morning, and for the second time today I followed the trail out to the bus stop. A large troop of Santa Marta white-fronted capuchins (also endemic to Colombia) put on a final show for us, swinging from branch to branch and performing death-defying leaps between the trees. A fitting end to our coastal jungle experience.

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