Want to experience white sand beaches, old walled cities, coffee plantations and hikes through national parks, all in one vacation? It’s possible! The Colombia coast offers all these amazing options

Cartagena

This romantic city is one of Colombia’s most popular tourist locations. The old, colorful buildings and the narrow streets inside the walled city is packed with small shops and nice restaurants.

Walking around the streets of Cartagena, you will probably want to take photos of everything, as it’s so picturesque. Take a day to just walk around and make some pit stops to have some coffee (and aircon) at award winning San Alberto and an ice cream at Paradiso.

The beaches in Cartagena is not the best so your visit here is mainly to experience the city. Try booking a hotel with a pool though, as the temperature can get very high and the air is humid.

After walking around the city during the day, head to the city wall, buy cheap drinks from one of the many street vendors, and watch the sunset.

After the sun has set its time for dinner! There is plenty of options in Cartagena but if you have only one night, try booking a table at Carmen, where you can get a Colombian take on fine dining.

Getsemani

Just a few years back, this area was a no-go zone as it was not safe to visit. Although much has changed and now Getsemani has become a must see when you are in Cartagena.
There are many interesting graffiti paintings and street art along the walls. Walk around the streets to see the art and stop by Di Silvio Trattoria for some lunch or dinner.

Visit the Islands

Just outside Cartagena there is an archipelago of small and large islands with amazing post card beaches. You can choose to go on a day trip to one of the close islands just 30 minutes away, such as Blue Apple Beach House.

Or do as we did and make it a longer part of your vacation and spend some nights on an island. Hotel Punta Faro, is on Isla Múcura. It takes only 2 hours to get to this paradise island by boat from Cartagenas docks. On the island you can do a range of activities like snorkeling, night swims with luminous plankton, tennis and bike tours, or you can just grab a good book, order a Mojito and spend your day in the turquoise water.

After Cartagena, its best to get to Santa Marta, which will be the starting points for the trips to Minca and Park Tayrona. Santa Marta is not a city worth visiting in itself, but it is located perfectly and has many hotels to choose from. Get a hotel where you can keep your main luggage at, so you only need to bring the essentials with you on your outings to Minca and Park Tayrona.

Park Tayrona

Park Tayrona is a national park about an hour bus ride away from Santa Marta. Many stay the night in the park in a tent or even a hammock. Although, we were happy to make it just a day trip. After a day covered in sunscreen, mosquito spray and sweat, it was very nice to be able to get back to the hotel for a nice long shower.

Aim to head to the park early when they open at 8am as they close the park at 5pm. If you can, also try to visit during the weekdays, as the locals usually comes on the weekends and the beaches can get crowded. At the entrance, you pay the entrance fee and also have to show your passport, so do not forget to bring it! Also remember to spray on a lot of mosquito spray, as you will be hiking through the jungle to get to the beaches.

The hike to the most famous beach Cabo San Juan, takes about 2 hours (one-way), so keep this in mind for when you are heading back. On the way you will pass two other less crowded beaches, La Piscina and Arrecifes. Although, you can not swim at Arrecifes as the currents are too strong.

Minca

Minca is located high up in the mountains and offer great views pretty much wherever you go! Even though Minca is a small town, there is plenty to do here so I suggest to stay 1-2 nights, to be able to do it all. We stayed at a beautiful boutique hotel called Sweet Harmony Hotel Each room gets their own hammock outside the room.

Coffee plantation

If you are in the mood for a coffee break, why not go straight to the source! At La Victoria Coffee plantation, you get a tour of how coffee is made paired with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Cacao plantatioN

If coffee is not your thing, or (more likely) you like both coffee and chocolate, you should make some time to visit a cacao plantation. The plantation shows you how chocolate is made and taste you get to try cacao in its rawest form as well as chocolate cake and a cup of hot chocolate, all while wearing a cacao mask. The views from here are also amazing and worth a visit in itself.

From the cacoa farm you can walk a “hidden” trail to the waterfall Poza azul. You will have to pay a very small fee to the locals living along the trail, as it is a private road. But its well worth it!

Minika Waterfall

The Minika Falls are larger and busier than the Poza Azul Falls. The fall has “2 layers”, so you can go to the less crowded upper fall, or the lower fall.

Los Piños

If you are like us and constantly are on the look-out for the best look out points, a trip up to Los piños is a must! Watching the sunset from Los Piños is amazing, and even though that meant we had to ride down the muddy mountain roads on the back of a motorbike in the dark, it was worth it!

Casa Elemento

Casa Elemento is located hiiigh up in the mountains and has the worlds largest hammocks. The entrance fee is around $10 (unless you are living at the hotel of course) and includes a beer or freshly squeezed juice. Chill on the hammocks and enjoy the views before catching a moto-taxi back to town.

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Colombia Coast