Must-see attractions in Santa Marta & Around

  • Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino

    Santa Marta

    This hacienda is where Simón Bolívar spent his last days in 1830 before succumbing to either tuberculosis or arsenic poisoning, depending on whom you…

  • Cabo San Juan del Guía

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    Cabo San Juan del Guía is a beautiful cape with a knockout beach. It's also by far the most crowded area of the park, although lack of road access deters…

  • Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    Santa Marta & Around

    This dazzling slice of mountainous jungle, vast boulders and golden-white sand makes up one of Colombia's most stunning national parks and is a popular…

  • Casa Museo Gabriel García Márquez

    Santa Marta & Around

    This excellent museum is housed in a reconstruction of the house where García Márquez was born in 1927. The original house was sold by the family and…

  • Museo del Oro

    Santa Marta

    Oro (gold) is only half of what this fabulous museum is about. Housed in the impressively renovated Casa de la Aduana (Customs House), which features in…

  • Pueblito

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    From Cabo San Juan del Guía a scenic path goes inland and uphill to the small indigenous village of Pueblito, providing some splendid tropical-forest…

  • Playa Cristal

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    This gorgeous boat-in beach on Bahía Neguange used to be known as Playa del Muerto (Beach of the Dead) – little wonder they decided on a name change. It's…

  • Cañaveral

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    Cañaveral is as far as you can go in the park by road. From the car park a trail leads west to Arrecifes and Cabo San Juan del Guía. The beaches in…

  • Finca La Victoria

    Minca

    Founded in the late 19th century, this family-run coffee plantation offers interesting 40-minute tours (usually available in English) in which the coffee…

  • La Arenilla

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    La Arenilla is an attractive beach in a tiny cove framed by massive boulders, with chunky sand and glints of fool's gold dancing in the water. It has a…

  • Cascada de Marinka

    Minca

    This lovely spot is a 1½ hour walk from Minca – or a 10-minute moto-taxi ride (COP$9000) – and is a surprisingly impressive set of two waterfalls, with…

  • Finca La Candelaria

    Minca

    This small coffee, cacao and fruit farm is a family-run, organic business that visitors are welcome to tour to see the various stages of growth, harvest…

  • La Piscina

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    As you might guess from the name, La Piscina boasts calm waters that are reasonably safe for swimming and snorkeling. Snorkeling gear costs COP$30,000 per…

  • Castilletes

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    The longest beach in the park and the first place you can turn in for the night, Castilletes can be found some 4km from the El Zaíno park entrance, just…

  • Arrecifes

    Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona

    Coming from Cañaveral, it's a pleasant walk 2.5km west along a trail to Arrecifes, where there are budget lodgings and eating facilities. Bear in mind…

  • Pozo Azul

    Minca

    This fun natural pool and small waterfall is a popular sight for locals and tourists alike, though it can get very full on weekends and during high season…

  • Museo Romántico

    Barranquilla

    The confusingly named Museo Romántico is actually a museum of the city's history, featuring quirky exhibits relating to Barranquilla's past, its famous…

  • Museo de Arte Moderno

    Barranquilla

    Barranquilla's best art museum fills its space with rotating exhibitions from its larger permanent collection, which includes nationally renowned painters…

  • Museo de Antropología

    Barranquilla

    On the 1st floor of the building of the Universidad del Atlántico, this museum displays a small collection of pre-Columbian pottery from different regions…

  • Catedral Metropolitana

    Barranquilla

    This modern cathedral was completed in 1982. Don't be put off by its squat, heavy, somewhat bunkerlike exterior – go inside. The beautiful interior…

  • Iglesia de San Francisco

    Santa Marta

    Dating from 1597, the squat Iglesia de San Francisco is little more than its colonial facade these days due to recurring earthquakes and fires over the…

  • Iglesia de San Nicolás

    Barranquilla

    This mock-Gothic church halfway along Paseo Bolívar is worth entering for its main altarpiece and pulpit.