Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona
The South American Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona or Tayrona National Park begins east of the small neighboring town of Taganga from Santa Marta and runs for about 35 km between the Colombian Caribbean coast and the Sierra Nevada mountains to the mouth of the Río Piedras in the east. The park covers an area of around 15,000 hectares , of which around 3,000 hectares are maritime.
The western part is dominated by light brown hills with sparse vegetation. The central and eastern sections are characterized by white beaches and small bays, behind which there are coconut palms , giant cacti and tropical rainforest .
The Tayrona National Park was founded in 1969 and is named after the indigenous tribe of the Tairona Indians who used to live here . Only a few archaeological remains, such as stone foundations, are left from this time.
Basically, the park can be divided into two areas: the eastern part, which includes the camping areas ( Arrecifes and Cañaveral ). It can be reached from the main entrance (approx. 30 minutes from Santa Marta). The most famous beaches are La Piscina and El Cabo. The western part, on the other hand, can only be reached directly from Santa Marta and is more suitable for day trips, as there are no camping zones. The most famous beach in the western part is Bahía Concha.
Web links
- Biodiversity and tourism - The case of Tayrona Publication by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation in English (PDF file; 960 kB)
Coordinates: 11 ° 17 ′ 0 ″ N , 74 ° 11 ′ 0 ″ W.