The newest is the 261-room Hilton Santa Marta, which opened this year in the upscale beachfront neighborhood of Bello Horizonte. ![]() There are several internationally branded hotels in Santa Marta. Hilton Santa Marta features a rooftop infinity pool. The city is also about two hours by car from Barranquilla, although travel time can vary based on traffic. Travelers from the United States can also reach Santa Marta by connecting with flights from Miami on Avianca and Panama City on Copa Airlines. The most frequent air service to Santa Marta is from Bogota on multiple airlines the flight is just over an hour. Getting to Santa Marta, and Where to Stay Among the best places to view them is El Dorado, a nature reserve in the Sierra Nevada mountains where visitors can view species including the Santa Marta parakeet during guided birdwatching tours. The area is home to 202 species of birds, which represents 35% of Colombia’s birds and 7% of the world’s bird population, according to official tourism figures. We took a 45-minute boat ride from a city marina to arrive at this paradise, which is graced with pristine beaches and multiple places for swimming, boating and hiking, with not a single big building in sight (and no hotels).īird-lovers will also do well in Santa Marta. My cellphone camera got quite a workout when our tour group visited this legendary stretch of Caribbean coastline. The region is home to multiple national natural parks - the most celebrated of which is Tayrona. There are lots of reasons why Santa Marta is popular with nature-lovers. I especially enjoyed meals at Pescao, which opened in January 2023 and is decorated with local artwork, and Guasimo, a stylish venue that often hosts live music.Ī dance performance at Pescao Credit: 2023 Santa Marta’s local specialties include coconut fish, fried fish and arepas (deep-friend corn cakes). RELATED: Indigenous Travel: How to Book Respectful, Responsible ExperiencesĬuisine is another especially rewarding way to immerse oneself in local traditions. MagicTour offers a guided three- or four-day trek, but participants need to be in good physical shape for the extensive hiking required. Among the most fascinating (and physically demanding) ways to learn about local Indigenous history is to visit the Ciudad Perdida (Lost City), the ruins of a civilization in the northern Sierra Nevada that date to sometime between AD 500 and 700. Four Indigenous communities - the Koguis, Arahuacos, Wiwas and Kankuamos - call this area home. Santa Marta is also a gateway for learning about diverse cultures. ![]() (Those who’d like to spend more time enjoying Minca’s relaxed ambiance can overnight at small hotels like On the Rock, where we enjoyed a tasty rooftop lunch.) As a non-coffee-drinker with a strong sweet tooth, I was thrilled that we opted instead to visit a cacao farm to learn about local chocolate production techniques. We headed up into the verdant foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains to Minca, an atmospheric town where coffee farm tours are a popular activity. I also enjoyed learning about the region’s gustatory traditions. This historical landmark is now a museum and cultural center. The Cathedral of Santa Marta Credit: 2023 Ī few minutes away by car is La Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, the place where Simon Bolivar - the celebrated liberator of this region of South America - spent his final days. Just a few blocks away, we admired the Cathedral of Santa Marta, which was originally founded in 1531, although its current structure dates to the 18th century. During a walking and driving tour, we explored fascinating historic sites, including the Museo del Oro Tairona (Tairona Gold Museum), which is housed in a historic former customs house that dates to 1730 and exhibits pre-Columbian gold and pottery, as well as hundreds of other artifacts. RELATED: What’s Trending in LGBTQ+ Travel Today History and Culture in Santa MartaĪs the oldest colonial city in Colombia (founded in 1525), Santa Marta is an ideal destination for history fans.
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