Taganga, land of the fishermen. I’ve been to this town more times than I care to count, and I’ve enjoyed every stay. This blog post probably even counts as a “What to do in Santa Marta” because I’d always rather stay in the tiny Taganga than the city of Santa Marta. Also, this blog post, even though it’s called “What to do in Taganga,” includes a lot of activities that are outside of Taganga because the area is one of the most beautiful, diverse and well-known in Colombia. So get ready for a whirlwind of things to do and get to planning your adventure on the Caribbean coast of Colombia – in Taganga.

What to do in Taganga

Activities

1. Scuba Dive. Taganga became a Colombian tourist hot-spot because of the diving. For such a small town, it really has a lot of dive centers. They’re all trustworthy, but I’d recommend Tayrona Dive Center and Scuba Master. Taganga is known for how inexpensive it is to dive, and, though the diving is not the best in the Caribbean (compared to a place like San Andres), I’ve enjoyed most dives and seen turtles, barracudas, sharks, groupers, etc. The further you get from the town towards Tayrona National Park, the better the diving and the clearer the water. My favorite dive spots are Punta Aguja, Salidero and and La Piedra del Medio.
2. Go to Tayrona National Park. Taganga is kind of the pit stop for people headed to Tayrona Park since it’s on the park’s edge. The entrance to the park is only 40 minutes from Taganga. It is one of Colombia’s most beautiful National Parks and is 150% worth a visit!
3. North of Taganga, towards Tayrona, there are small islands along the coast that rise to great heights. These are so much fun to hike up because you feel like no one has been where you are at the moment – there are no trails or anything, and it’s probably true that few people have been there. On top of these islands you have an incredible, expansive view of the coast and the water surrounding you. Find someone to take you on a boat and get to hiking! A more accessible way to hike is to go north along the coast towards Playa Grande and the Tayrona. The trail starts right below the Bahia Taganga hotel.
4. Mountain Bike in the Sierra Nevada. This is one of the best things I’ve done close to Taganga. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta has one of Colombia’s few snowy peaks, and is a wonder to bike down. You can contact TayronaTrips, Elemento Outdoor Adventure or Minca Bikes and they’ll hook you up. If you’re in for an adrenaline rush, I recommend you tell them you want to do the downhill biking, although they have lots of other trails to ride.
5. Hike to Ciudad Perdida. “The Lost City” is a Pre-Columbian town that was discovered in the 1970s deep in the jungles surrounding the northward slopes of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This is one of Colombia’s most popular multi-day hikes (4-6 days), giving all who venture onto the path a sense of oneness with nature. The Lost City is remote, and so worth it. Some tour companies that can help guide you are: Wiwa Tour, Expotur and many others.
6. Watch the sunset. Taganga has the most consistently beautiful sunsets of any place I know. That’s probably because it never rains there, which is actually a problem, but at least it gives us a pink, purple, orange and yellow sunset almost every day.

Logistics

1. Where to stay: I’ll get straight to my favorite hostel – La Casa de Felipe. I’ve stayed there a couple of times and had the time of my life. It’s comfortable, absolutely beautiful, and a little farther from the beach and, thus, the crowds. Some other places to stay that I would recommend are Ballena Azul, Hostel Nirvana, Taganga Dive Inn, and Bahia Taganga.
2. Most people love beaches. Some love crowded, popular beaches, others desolate, pristine beaches. Here’s a short list of both. Popular: any of the beaches in the Taganga Bay and Playa Grande. Pristine: Playa Chengue, Playa Brava, Playa Cristal and any beach in the Granate Bay. Ask around and any boatman will take you to any of these for a fee! Some of the more desolate beaches are far away, but so worth it.
3. Where to eat: I’m just going to list my favorite restaurants for you to try them. Bitacora, Baguettes de Maria, the Casa de Felipe Restaurant, the huts by the beach (get a sancocho de pescado there) and the Ballena Azul restaurant.

How to get to Taganga:

The first step is to get to Santa Marta, Colombia by plane, bus or car.

If you arrive in a plane, you can take a bus or a taxi from the airport all the way to Taganga. A taxi from the airport will cost $40,000 Colombian pesos or $14 US dollars. The trip takes about 40 minutes. Taking a bus from the airport is a little more complicated. You’ll have to take a bus to Santa Marta and get off on Carrera 5 (find the map below) and then take a bus to Taganga right there.

If you arrive on a bus, you can take a bus from the terminal to the Historical Center (Carrera 5 on the map below) and then take another one from there to Taganga. Otherwise, take a taxi to Taganga from the bus terminal, which will cost about $15,000 Colombian pesos or about $5 US dollars. (Quick tip: when traveling on a bus in Colombia, make sure you take warm clothes because the air conditioning might freeze you!)

If you arrive in a car, it’ll be best to use a GPS, type in “Taganga” and follow the instructions. If you’re old school, the map is at the end of this post and here are my instructions: get on Carrera 5, which is the second main road away from the beach, going north or with the sea to your left. At the end of this road, take a right. Take a left on Carrera 9a, which will be the second left, going over a train track and then take the next right turn. Stay on this road and it will take you over the mountain along its windy path all the way to Taganga.

Some things to know:

• Before taking a taxi, settle on the price to Taganga or back to Santa Marta before you get on so that there aren’t any misunderstandings later and so you don’t get cheated.
• Do your part in taking care of the town, the beaches and the ocean. Taganga is a classic example of what happens to a small town when it is overrun by mass tourism – trash, crowds, crime. So what can you do? Throw your trash away in the trash, don’t buy or sell drugs, say no to plastic and choose ethical tour operators (do your research!).
• Use water sparsely. Taganga suffers from chronic drought and most people get water from tankers that visit the town every week, so limit your showers, etc. Also, drink bottled water so you don’t get sick.
• High season is June and July, December and January, and Holy Week.
• Take cash in Colombian pesos because most of what you will buy or spend will be in places you cannot use your card to pay. There is one ATM in Taganga, right at the entrance.
• Be safe. There’s a saying in Spanish that goes, “No des papaya.” Literally, it means don’t give papaya (a fruit). What it really means is, don’t do anything that makes you a target, such as going to a sketchy part of any town with all your bling on, your camera hanging from you neck, talking on your phone. Do give papaya!

I hope this will help you plan your adventures! If you’d like to read about a more remote place on the Caribbean coast, read our blog post on Isla Fuerte!

Or if you’re stopping by Bogota, check out this list of places to go on outdoor adventures close to the city!