//
Fishing village and corregimiento in Magdalena, Colombia
Photo: Athoyo, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Taganga is a small fishing village 5 km north of Santa Marta at the Caribbean coast in Colombia.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
The main beach is shared with small boats laying in the water. It's good for swimming and very crowded with Colombian tourists on weekends.
A 25-minute walk north of town lies Playa Grande, nicer than Taganga's beach but maybe even more crowded (follow the coast line to the north and take the path which seems to end at a house). OsmAnd or Mapy.cz cover the hiking paths. It's better to not flash expensive things on this path during day time. Avoid this hike after sunset. It is also possible to take a boat to Playa Grande for COP$10,000 (can be haggled down, September 2021).
Or take a boat to one of the more remote beaches in Tayrona Park like Concha, Chengue, Neguanje - real unspoiled paradise. There are no people except some fishermen.
A longer walk goes to Bonito Gordo via a steep but rewarding mountain path and from there on the Bahia Concha. Reserve a full day for this and ask around to decide if you need to contract a local guide. You can spend the night at Bonito Gordo or Bahia Concha, but you may need to take your own hammock. Thui Tours organizes a guided walk, in partnership with a local environmental foundation, Fundacion Calipso , to Bonito Gordo where they manage a protected area of the reef for study. It is possible to snorkel here. For the return journey you are able to retrace your steps, take a bus to Santa Marta, or via boat to Taganga.
The best way to see Tayrona park, unspoiled beaches and dense tropical forest away from the heat up in Sierra Nevada.
An unspoilt natural paradise of jungle, birds, ocean, and absolutely gorgeous beaches. A boat leaves for the backpacker beach haven of El Cabo every morning around 10AM. If you find enough people there is also a boat heading for Playa Cristal.
You can also be in the Minca, a small town in the Sierra Nevada Santa Marta in less than an hour. You can get there by bus for COP$8,000 (Sep 2021) or taxi. A taxi should cost from COP$35,000 to 40,000.
Takes several days and is quite pricy. To be organised with tour companies or in your hostel.
This office offers free information in English, Spanish and French. It promotes local operators for short treks, fishing, diving and ecolodges around Tayrona park. The office represents the local indigenous community Wiwas agency which organizes the Lost City trek with an indigenous guide explaining the culture, the Lost City story and the nature of Sierra Nevada. Also a good source of practical Taganga information such as accommodation, restaurants, bars, events and transportation.
Organized and honest, classroom with AC, long dives. Includes coffee, towels, books and warm shower after diving; and you do not have to carry or wash your equipment. Small groups, fantastic food. Great people, amazing service, you can stay in the dive center for hours meet each other before and after the dives.
Calipso is the only center that offers a Tayrona Park Safari, where people can spend 2 nights in hammocks on a beautiful beach in the park and dive. The diving is good. They are also pioneering a project to restore coral, which is rapidly degrading worldwide. In conjunction with the C-Force Foundation they are growing coral in a coral nursery. They are the only agency doing this in Colombia and one of the few in the world. You can even take a coral growing/ gardening course. The people are really kind and you can stay at the center before your safari. (note per http://www.calipsodivecenter.com.co/en-us/secpages/voluntariado_EN.php it is a 4-week full-program US$2,000) Calipso is a member of NAUI, the second largest Scuba Diving Association in the World. Any certification between NAUI and PADI is mutually recognizable, but this is NOT a PADI facility according to the PADI website.
Poseidon Dive Center
German-owned diving center. Price for OW+Advanced COP$1,300,000 (COP$670,000 for OW). One of the most professional diving centres, headed by a well known PADI course Director. Has a swimming pool inside and well-maintained equipments, also are very strict about safety local regulations. This is the place where instructors from Colombia, come to take their course, as they are a PADI 5* Instructor Development Dive Resort. Even some divers from the Colombian Navy come to take courses here. Without any doubt has the best boats in town, 2 well-maintained very comfortable Catamaran boats. And there for the only ones that could take you to the furthest dive sites on the Park. They also let you dive until your tank reaches reserve, no time policy (as some others in town do). Courses could be taken in different languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and some others. Has free amazing coffee at the shop, kind and nice staff. Could be a little bit pricey compared to other dive centers in town, but the price is still way below average worldwide, totally worth it if what you're looking for is safety, comfort and a good experience. You also have the option of getting accommodations on their facilities.
Tayrona is the oldest dive center in Taganga. This is where Colombian anti-narcotics policemen take their courses. They also know great sites for diving in the areas of the Tayrona national park. The instructors are very experienced and staff is very nice. They also offer accommodation in very clean rooms with sea view. The founder and owner, known as “muñeco” is one of the best PADI instructors in Colombia. They take great underwater pictures for no extra charge. They also have very good equipment. Courses can be taken in English, Spanish or German.
Excellent courses, serious about safety, excellent teaching, great dives.
A little bit cheaper than others but not always the newest equipment.
UNILOT is Divanga's foundation in tourism research (Unilot means "Unidad de Investigacion-Accion Local en Turismo"). B.A. graduates travellers can participate in sustainable tourism research, the foundation is linked with the local public University Universidad del Magdalena. You can ask for free accommodation and food against research work, may be on the field, surveys or secondary research directed by Master degree graduates
Volunteer in Coral Conservation Program Santa Marta - Taganga
Calipso Dive Center and Tayrona National Park in Taganga Colombia are running a midwater marine nursery to recover species of corals around the marine area, control lion fish, educating the local fisherman and monitoring the coral reef. This is an opportunity for volunteers to enjoy scuba diving and support conservation.
Great breakfasts (freshly baked breads, wholegrain or rye sour dough, creamy yogurt with homemade jams and granola). Lunch with excellent sandwiches, big, fresh and tasty with some extremely nice sauces. Also available: Lunch Salads, Colombian excelso arabica coffee or tea, tasty brownies, really fresh variant of mojito. AC, WiFi and great music. Café Bonsai also offers Spanish instruction.
A restaurant opened by the previous (Dutch) chef from Casa Felipe. Beautiful place with nice sea view, lounge area and terrace, international cuisine, pumpkin soup, beef carpacio, vitello tonato, curries, tikka masala, pastas, fresh fish fillet, filet mignon with red wine or blue cheese sauce, homemade desserts. Sunset happy hour 17:00-21:30.
Opened in 1998 by Colombian/Swiss team Carlos Botache and Bernard Gusten, Casa Blanca has become a favorite amongst beach-loving travelers and provides an excellent base for those taking dive courses in town or those wanting to make the most of their time by the sea. Prices are COP$18,000 pp with a COP$2,000 single supplement. Double rooms are COP$40,000. Heavy drug influence on beach in front - be careful at night.
Backpackers' bed and breakfast. Includes a beautiful swimming pool that creates a great social area. The staff is friendly. Comfortable and clean rooms with shower/toilet at COP$$34,000 per person, in dorm COP$29,000 including internet and a generous breakfast. The view from the roof is fantastic, especially at sunset and a roof top bar plays excellent music. There is also a comfy TV room with cable TV and DVD player, an internet room with free high speed internet and Wi-Fi access and a restaurant inside serving excellent food. Free luggage storage. Discount for Hostelling International members.
Divanga's little sister at one block down. You get access to Divanga's pool. Shady patio and communal kitchen. Spanish courses available. Includes a tourism information point with Taganga's map and full information about Tayrona park.
Hotel Oso Perezoso is a three-story structure, perfectly designed to catch the cool breezes of Taganga and enjoy a chill atmosphere amid a 360-degree view. The first floor has three rooms and a store, free bag storage, and a book exchange. The second floor has four bright guest rooms with views of the ocean that open onto a breezy open-air corridor. The third floor is a gorgeous rooftop Tsunami bar and cafe with WiFi internet (COP$5,000 extra), an 800GB jukebox, plenty of room for hammock chillin' and a sassy parrot. From here you can watch the sun rise over the mountains, watch the sun melt into the Caribbean, sip on a cold beer, and order something from the full-service restaurant. Restaurant and bar are open to the public. Room prices range from COP$15,000 a night per person (hammocks), to COP$20,000 a night per person (first floor), to COP$28,000 per person per night (on the second floor). All rooms have private baths, excluding hammocks. Big breakfast is included with each room rate.
Popular hostel. Several apartments some with kitchen, dormitory and hammocks if everything else is full. There is a communal kitchen, internet facilities, free wifi, laundry service, nice terraces and a friendly staff. Always crowded by backpackers. 15 minutes by walking from the beach.
Clean and comfortable en-suite dorms and privates, a roof bar, garden swimming pool, tour info, private diving instructor, lost city treks, jenga tournaments, super friendly staff, 24-hour reception, free storage, internet access, free Wi-Fi, book exchange, laundry service.
used to stand for Miramar backwards when it was a Miramar hotel, now, it is the sea king
Manager Chichi has 50 years of fishing experience. Family serves nice food next door.
Nicely placed at the entrance of the town, it has hammocks, private rooms with bathroom, "cabañas" (two rooms, sitting room with kitchen, shower with toilet). Beautiful views on Taganga and the bay.
Popular holiday apartment for holiday weekend, short term, and long term rent. In a quiet area with sea views over Taganga. COP$40,000 per day, or COP$650,000 per month.
In Taganga is only one ATM of Bancolombia in town. Reports that the ATM is broke or out of cash are common, so maybe it is a good idea to bring some money from Santa Marta. Paying with credit cards is quite common in international hotels or at booking agencies.
By taxi
Taxi fare from bus terminal of Santa Marta to Taganga starts from COP$7,000, but drivers usually charge more for foreigners. Be sure to negotiate before you take.
By boat
There is a daily boat service to and from El Cabo San Juan in the Tayrona National Park. It departs for El Cabo at about 9:30AM, and arrives back at Taganga at 4PM.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Santa Marta · Regional · SMR
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Taganga and Colombia.
Travel tipsDiscover the cheapest countries to visit with realistic daily costs for private rooms, street food, and transit in top budget spots.
7 min read
ItinerariesThe Gringo trail is a term for places in Latin America visited by gringos, that is, people from North America or Europe. It is the Western Hemisphere's equivalent of tropical Asia's Banana Pancake Trail.
Wikivoyage
Nature & adventureScuba diving is an activity in which you swim underwater for extended periods using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, hence the acronym scuba.
Wikivoyage
ItinerariesColombia to Patagonia overland is an epic continental journey along the Andes across South America. This route starts from the sunny beaches of the Caribbean and crosses Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and…
Wikivoyage
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.