Tyrona & San Andrés, Jan 2022

Tyrona & San Andrés, Colombia, Jan 2022

After Santa Marta, we moved onto Tyrona National Park area; located about 35kms east of Santa Marta. We rented a car in Santa Marta and drove east to a small hamlet of Los Naranjos about 5kms east of the Tyrona National Park. Both are located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. We had booked into the Senda Casa Tyrona los Narajos, a small boutique hotel located on a clifftop overlooking a small, secluded beach. Some views of this hotel below

360 degree view of the hotel and beach area
360 degree view of the hotel and beach area

Our plan was to spend a few days here and chill and also hike the Tyrona National Park nearby.

The next morning, we drove to the entrance of Tyrona National Park, which is the most visited National Park in Colombia as we found out. When we got there, there was a huge line to pay to get inside the park.

We parked the car and got in line; asked the other people in the queue to keep our place, and went across the road to have breakfast. After breakfast, we retuned and joined the queue where we had left off.

Entrance to Tyrona

This was the only place in the Santa Marta area that we came across a number of foreign visitors, mostly young backpackers. We paid approx. $7 each for the entrance fee, plus $1 each for mandatory medical insurance.

We started hiking the park trail to the beaches area and beyond. Some pictures along the hike below.

We had a light lunch at one of the few restaurants allowed in the park; very nice meal of fresh fish; run by the indigenous people of this area.

Busy little workers

As it turned out, Dilshad started having pains in her right knee, so we headed to a medical tent (which were spread out over the park) and got someone to medicate, bandage, and ice her knee; who then called the mobile paramedics who were also walking the trials. Two of these paramedics arrived & helped Dilshad to a private side trail shortcut back to where their offices & motorcycles were parked, and gave us a ride back to the entrance, with one more stop to re-medicate and re-bandage/ice her knee along the way. The $1 medical insurance sure came in useful.

We returned to the hotel and spent the next 2 days there & Dilshad rested and recovered.
We explored a little bit of the coastal towns further eastwards and found that they were quite run-down places, with cheap backpacker hostels. Most of the beach-front establishments had built right over the beach area; leaving little beach space but their encampments  were being attacked by the sea and crumbling down.

Thoughts on Tyrona and the area; the hotel was very quiet and relaxing; away from hustle and bustle. So provided a good relaxation for the mind and body. Food was always good everywhere so great for the taste buds and light on the pocket. Tyrona National Park is large with a lot of trails and terrains and area to cover; and has very diverse flora; great for exploring and good exercise. It was busy with many visitors, but because it is so large, it never felt crowded. Trick is to arrive early, before they open in the morning, to beat the crowds. The medical insurance is mandatory to purchase, and more than paid for itself in our case 😊. Definitely worth it. Be prepared for very little to no English spoken in this area 🙂 .

During one dinner, I had a dental veneer come off while I was eating, so I too had my adventure. We went back to Santa Marta from Tyrona area for 1 night and found a dentist who spoke some English and who was able to see me almost right away; lucky me. He glued my veneer back for a very reasonable cost, and it worked 😊.

It was time to head out to our next stop of San Andrés Island from Santa Marta airport, via Medellín this time. We arrived on San Andrés Island and took a taxi from the airport to the Miraflores Boutique hotel we had booked earlier. The airport is located on the north end of the island, and we were staying on the west part of the island.

About San Andrés island: It is a coral island in the Caribbean sea closer to Nicaragua than Colombia. Politically part of Colombia (but located in Nicaraguan controlled and recognized waters), and historically tied to the United Kingdom; San Andrés and the nearby islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina form part of the department of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. San Andrés, in the southernmost of this group of islands, and is the largest of island of this group and of Colombia. The official languages are Spanish, English, and San Andrés–Providencia Creole. The local ethnic group here are the Raizal, who actually had ties to England and so speak Creole, a version of English found in the Caribbean countries like Jamaica. In 2000, this archipelago was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, named “Seaflower Biosphere Reserve”, which not only includes the islands but also about 10% of the surrounding Caribbean Sea, amounting to a vast marine area of 300,000 km2 (120,000 sq mi). The purpose of this declaration is to ensure that the ecosystem, which is rich in biodiversity, is well preserved and conserved.

San Andrés island is quite small; about 9 miles long and 3 miles wide. It has a road that circles the island and can easily be driven around in less than 1 hour 😊.  Some views around the island given below

Next day, after breakfast, we decided to get a rental car and roam around and discover the island. Again, no cars were available to rent, nor any golf carts; so instead, we ended up renting a scooter 😊. Some views around the island below.

We headed to the north part of the island which is where there are some good soft powdery white sandy beaches. Basically, this coral island has great beaches on the north and east part of the island; the rest is all hard coral seafront.

Beach views

Barely 20 minutes later, a strong tropical rainstorm came down and we took shelter at a nearby seafront restaurant. It poured down heavily.

And just as quickly, the rain stopped and the sun came out 20 minutes later.

One of the attractions on the southern part of the island (Hoya Soplador) is a blowhole, basically a conduit from the seafront area to slightly inland, where the pressure from the waves blows seawater out of this hole, making it fun for all 😊

Beautiful beach Playa de San Luis on the eastern shores of San Andrés Island

We visited the Iglesia Bautista Emmanuel, built in La Loma in 1847. La Loma is a small town at the center of the island, inhabited mostly by the native islander population. This Baptist church was rebuilt with pine wood imported from Alabama. Located at the top of the hill, La Loma provides lovely views of the “seven colored sea” (Caribbean Sea).

How did we feel about San Andrés Island? Senses? San Andrés is quite a small island, and not much to do; so, it is mainly a place to enjoy the quiet, relax on the beautiful beaches and enjoy the fresh seafood abundantly available here. Transportation is weak on the island, so advisable to have a scooter or golf cart available to check out the different places. People are very nice here, and the creole speakers have an affiliation with Jamaica, and speak in the same sing-song English/creole; English is as a result, spoken widely so it was easier for us to understand and be understood. The beaches are very nice white soft powdery beaches, and we enjoyed that very much. Snorkeling and diving are supposed to be great here as water is clear, high visibility and the marine life is protected so abundant especially around the coral surrounding the island. Since it is a distant island, many goods have to be flown in, and as a result, it was more expensive here than on mainland Colombia; not by a lot. All in all, a wonderful few day’s here.

It was time to move to the next place, this time Bogota, the capital of Colombia.

Bogota next.

Our trip through Colombia so far

This entry was posted in Colombia, Colombia Dec 2021, Jan 2022, South America, Tyrona & San Andres

• 2022
• Colombia
• San Andres
• Tyrona