The village of Taganga: how to go to Colombia and not regret ...

ToColombia is the only country in South America that borders two oceans. And after a trip to the capital of the country, Bogota, I really wanted to visit its coast, swim in the Caribbean Sea, and see what kind of things are happening in the village, for example, Taganga.

So, my goal was a trip to Taganga. This is a small fishing village located in the north of Colombia, the closest city to it is Santa Marta, which has an airport.

From Bogota about 1.5 hours of flight, at the exit from the airport you can safely take a taxi and go straight through the mountain pass to Taganga. There is absolutely nothing to do in Santa Marta itself, I spent one day there for the sake of interest.

For those who are used to traveling on their own, some places no longer arouse interest. You can see about independent travel on that website. There is of course a beach, but the port is located nearby and it is not very clean there, and the pebbles are black, which was somewhat alarming.

Colombian Taganga: cozy, earthy and unique

For this whole village Colombia is the only police station. At the same time, I did not feel the presence of crime in Taganga, unlike in Bogotá. Everything is very calm. Mostly American and European youth come to the village to go diving, swimming, and also party in local bars.

There are no hotels familiar to us, but there are many hostels and houses for rent. The place is not hackneyed at all, little known, so the locals here are not at all spoiled by tourist attention and the prices are very pleasant both for accommodation and for food and all other goodies.

For diving enthusiasts, there are about 5 diving centers. I noticed that all more or less decent establishments are run by Europeans or Americans.

In the village itself, there is a cheerful atmosphere, like Bogota, there are a lot of graffiti, they even draw on trees.

The sea is nearby from everywhere. Unlike Bogotá, where the air temperature at this time is about 20 degrees (December), here the temperature during the day rises to +32, so the sea is very useful here.

As I said, Taganga is a fishing village. In the evening, boats arrive with a catch and the locals buy fresh fish right on the shore for some ridiculous money by Russian standards. Each family takes 2-3 large fish. Restaurants on the shore are bought right there and sell gringos fried dishes at a higher price.

One of the main streets. To the left is a building that contains a shop, a bar and a restaurant.

In addition to the beautiful Caribbean Sea, here you can wander around the surroundings, there are very good landscapes. There are many small lizards crawling around.

View of Taganga from the mountainous terrain. The local mountains are called the Sierra Nevada - this is an isolated mountain range in the north of the Andes, which is located on the coast of the Caribbean lowland. The highest point is Mount Colon, which has a height of 5780 meters. The mountains are very beautiful.

I have been to many places, but I saw cacti in the wild only in Cuba.

They grow here everywhere and come across completely diverse specimens.

Virgen del Carmen is the patroness of local fishermen and sailors. Why a stone is fixed above her head in Taganga, I did not understand.

Local Internet cafe. Communication is more or less decent for the village. You can Skype with video.

Through the mountain pass you can walk to the neighboring beaches, where the Colombians come in their boats. Almost no one lives on these beaches, people come here to swim.

Very beautiful houses were built in the mountains by the local elite. With sea views.

Before the Spanish conquest, a developed Tayrona culture existed in these places. Lost City Ciudad Perdida is located in the mountains. You can order tracking to this city, but it lasts 5 days. 5 days in the jungle in the mountains there and back. I could not afford so much time without the Internet, so I made an excursion only to the Tayrona National Park.

Small children in the village have fun with such toys. But the inscription on the wheelbarrow certainly pleases and reassuring.

There are many authentic restaurants in Taganga, as well as cafes with various cuisines of the peoples of the world. The food in such cafes is usually tasty and the portions are large. Therefore, I recommend eating in small establishments and paying attention to the locals. If they respect the cafe, then you can safely park there.

Either a barge, or a ferry that transports goods to the village, and sometimes people.

Trip to Tayrona National Park

As I mentioned above, one day I went by motorboat to the Tayrona National Park, which is an hour away by a 150-horsepower boat. The park is protected by the state and contains beaches, amazing flora and fauna. It is very beautiful here, and of course I recommend this place to everyone.

The decline of the Tayrona culture occurred in the 16th century when the territory was conquered by the Spaniards, after which it was forcibly incorporated into the Spanish encomienda system. Until the 16th century, Indians lived here and traded in metal casting. The word Tyrone is translated as a forge.

The inhabitants of Tayrona at the initial stage of the conquest put up serious resistance to the Spaniards, who suffered heavy losses in this region. The lost city of Ciudad Perdida, the center of Tayrona culture, was founded in 800 AD, which is 650 years older than the famous Machu Picchu in Peru.

However, the city was rediscovered in the jungle not so long ago, in 1972. After that, the territory of the lost city was unsafe, they hunted here by kidnapping people and plundering graves.

Amazing Plaja de Crystal beach - a quiet, peaceful and beautiful place. You can and should swim.

Since 2005, the authorities have established order in this territory and an army detachment has been serving near the lost city. Since 2005, it has become possible to visit it for tourists, but I repeat that the round trip takes 5 days through the mountains and the jungle.

When we were on the boat to Tayrona, the sea was very rough. The waves were breaking on the rocks, the boat was shaking, and I hit my ass. However, in the lagoon (pictured below), everything turned out just fine.

Photo pictures from the life of the village of Taganga

And below are a few photos to complete the picture of the situation in the village. Here, for example, locals play beach volleyball.

Gathering of locals in Taganga. To be honest, I don’t know why they decided to bunch up and for what purpose. Maybe it's just a day off and that's how it is with them.

Well, it's just a fisherman returned to the village with such a catch! Well, or such a catch left the fisherman.

On the beach, the hucksters sell drugs, they sell marijuana and cocaine, maybe something else. It is difficult to pass by them, they themselves approach everyone with an offer, while there are quite a lot of police around. Mostly African Americans are involved in the sale, but I also saw typical Colombians. Drugs are bad, information is for reference only.

The village is in mourning. After the funeral service in the church, the residents went out into the street with a coffin. In the distance you can see how they carry it. The standard picture of life and death for all continents, countries, cities and villages.

And another interesting point. To change dollars to Colombian pesos, you must leave a fingerprint on the check.

What is the result? Taganga is a truly attractive, peaceful and authentic place not only in Colombia, but throughout the continent. So there will be an opportunity - come, you will not regret it.

PS And be sure to visit the one and only Canyo Cristales in Colombia.