Santa Marta

Parque Nacional Tayrona
(indian reservation / national park)

Parque Nacional Tayrona (National Park Tayrona) is a landscape of biological juxtapositions also located near by Santa Marta city. Palms, cacti and tropical dry forest fringe the park’s northern border along the Caribbean coast, while tropical rain forests, treeless plains, and snow-capped peaks (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta) are found in the interior.

Tayrona, with its beaches set in deep bays and shaded with coconut palms, is one of Colombia's most popular national parks. Some beaches are bordered by coral reefs, and snorkeling is good, but beware the treacherous offshore currents. The region is home to Tayrona Indians making it not only a national park but an Indian reservation as well.