TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK: forest, fauna and beach

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The Tayrona National Park is a protected area in the Caribbean region of the Department of Magdalena 35 km east from Santa Marta. The park is about 150 square Km big and has a geography that goes from sand beaches to tropical forest and mountains as high as 900m. It is the second most visited national park in Colombia and home of some small Tayrona indian villages. The rain fall last year was extremely low and the park vegetation shows the results of this drought. This year's rain season is just starting.

The question for me was whether to go to Tayrona NP or take the trekking tour to Ciudad Perdida as time is slowly becoming an issue. I decided for the first one because I could do it by myself and was not tied to a 5-6 days fixed schedule.

Following some advice I received in Leticia, I choose not to go to the more crowded beaches on the east end of the park, and walked from the entrance gate at Calabazo to a place called Playa Brava. It was a 3 hours trekk through the vegetation with hot and humid climate. There is no guide so I was walking just by myself since the junction to Pueblito. Besides these two signs I took photos of, the path has no further signs and in many situations I wasn't sure to be following the right direction. Two hours and three liters water later I was very happy when I passed the "Playa Brava" sign.

The accommodation is very basic. I just slept in a hammock and had the sea waves as good night music.

Here a photo of a 3cm small crab very common in the be beach. Its very hard to see as it has the same colors as the sand.

The place was really quite and lonely. And the beach was just as its name indicates, rough. The next day I walked to the next beach called Cabo San Juan. I liked it better.

Here Cesar practicing hand palm reading on Katja's hand.

I was mentally prepared to walk back when a beach seller announced a that a boat trip was also available and lasts only one hour. I took it.