Colombia - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 525

and snorkelling, with calm, deep water.
From there, it's another twenty-minute
stroll east to La Aranilla , a narrow strip of
sand framed by huge boulders, fine for
swimming, followed almost immediately
by the long, beautiful, wave-lashed
stretch of Arrecifes where signs warn you
that over two hundred tourists have
drowned here; swimming is extremely
dangerous due to rip tides and strong
currents. Another forty minutes or so
east along a wooded, muddy trail takes
you to Cañaveral and the entrance to
the park, where the beach is good for
sunbathing but the rip tides make it
unsuitable for swimming.

Park information Bring plenty of cash - only the Aviatur-
run restaurant and accommodation accept credit cards -
and lots of insect repellent.

5

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
The two beaches offering accommodation are Arrecifes
and Cabo San Juan; both offer the option of renting tents
and hammocks, and cabañas are a good alternative for
medium to large groups at Arrecifes. Lockers are available
too. There are basic restaurants at Cabo San Juan, food
shacks at La Aranilla, serving empanadas and ceviche , and
another restaurant at Arrecifes.

CABO SAN JUAN
Cabo San Juan de la Guía The downside to the
hammocks here - both on the beach and in a gazebo on
a small hillock - is that they offer no mosquito netting, so
bring your own, and it can get quite chilly at night. Seek
out the information hut next door to the restaurant (mains
from COP$12, 000), the only real building in sight. Camping
COP$15,000 , ham mock on the beach COP$15,000 ,
hammock in gazebo COP$25,000

Pueblito
A clear and physically demanding uphill
path leading from Cabo San Juan brings
you to the archeological site of Pueblito ,
a former Tayrona village with a large
number of terrace dwellings, sometimes
called a mini Ciudad Perdida. Although
it's possible to complete an Arrecifes-
Cabo San Juan-Pueblito circuit in one
long, strenuous day, the trip is better
made as part of a multi-day stay on the
beaches in the park. From Pueblito, you
can also hike two hours through the
jungle back down to the road and catch
a bus back to Santa Marta from that park
exit point, instead of traversing your
original route back to Cabo San Juan.
That said, you may be better off hiring
a guide for this hike out, which has no
signs and is quite taxing.

ARRECIFES
Finca El Paraiso Rents hammocks and tents close to the
beach, and h as a basic rest aurant and s hop. Hammocks
COP$15,000 , tent for two COP$26,000 , with own tent
COP$13,000
Yuluka Has options of hammocks, camping and five-
person cabañas with luxury bathrooms. Also has a well-
priced restaurant - the only one in the park that accepts
credit cards; mains are around C OP$15,000. Ha mmocks
COP$20,000 , campin g per person COP$12,000 , cabaña
for five COP$355,000

CIUDAD PERDIDA
The “Lost City” of the Tayronas,
CIUDAD PERDIDA ranks among South
America's most magical spots. More than
a lost city, it's a lost world. Although its
ruins are more understated than those
found at Machu Picchu in Peru, thanks
to its geographic isolation the once-
teeming city perched high in the Sierra
Nevada de Santa Marta manages to
preserve the natural allure that the
overrun Inca capital lost years ago to
tourism. While steadily climbing the
sierra's luxuriant foothills, you'll get a
chance to bathe in idyllic rivers, visit
inhabited indigenous villages and marvel
at the swarms of monarch butterflies and
beautiful jungle scenery.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By boat Regular speedboats run from Taganga to Cabo San
Juan, arriving at around 11am and departing at around
4pm (see p.527). Rangers collect the park entrance fee
(COP$38,000) when you disembark. From Cabo San Juan
it's around a 4hr walk east to the park entrance via various
beaches.
By bus Buses run from Santa Marta (every 30min; 1hr) from
the market at the corner of Cra 11 and C 11 to El Zaino, 35km
away, which is the main entrance to Tayrona, where your
passport will be checked, and entrance fee (COP$38,000)
collected. From here, take one of the jeeps that regularly
traverse the 4km to the entrance proper at Cañaveral for
COP$2000. From Cañaveral to Cabo San Juan the walk takes
around 4hr. From Taganga, hostels arrange daily minibus
transfers to Tayrona for around COP$17,000.