Colombia · HIKING & TREKKING IN SANTA MARTA
Good hiking & trekking days in Santa Marta fill up in high season and the best go first. Below: the 9 to book early, what each includes and how they actually differ.
A tough 4-day trek from Santa Marta to Ciudad Perdida with jungle rivers, hammocks, expert guides, and meals included for $580.
“It was a really well organized trip by expotur. The guides had a lot of knowledge about the history of la ciudad perdida.”
Hike Minca jungle to a coffee farm and Lost Waterfall, then enjoy lunch, a cocoa workshop, and a cacao museum stop from Santa Marta.
“Fun tour with Ronaldo through the forest to visit a waterfall, coffee farm and learn about the nature in Colombia. Highly recommend as a good way to learn about Minca!”
Eco hike in Minca from Santa Marta: coffee tour, waterfall time, lunch, and a hands-on cacao chocolate bar workshop.
“Mario was such an amazing tour guide! Could not recommend thus your more, just make sure to wear your mosquito repellent!”
A door-to-door hike through Tayrona National Park, with stops at viewpoints and beaches, plus expert English guidance and bottled water from Santa Marta.
“Fantastic tour - well worth the time and effort. Wouldn’t want to do this hike without a guide - we learned so much about the park, the indigenous tribes and the wildlife. David was amazing and fun to be with all day. If you are worried about the hike, it is completely doable. There are some climbs in the beginning, but it’s mostly flat and some very muddy spots closer to Cabo San Juan. Bring cash to spend along the way - there are many opportunities for popsicles, fresh coconut, fresh juice, restaurants, etc along the route. Also: Cabo San Juan itself is over crowded and over-rated. Do as David…”
4.5-hour Minca trek tracing Tayrona heritage, visit an Arhuaco coffee and cacao farm, taste products, and relax at a waterfall.
“Jorge was a great guide! Really enjoyed this informative tour and would recommend!”
Multi-day jungle trek from Santa Marta to Colombia’s Lost City with 1,200 steps, small groups, and indigenous culture. From $713.
“The trek itself and the lost city is beautiful. We also had a great group. The trek can be very challenging so please be wary that if you are average fit, it will take all your strength to power through. Our guides Miguel and Coco were wonderful. The transportation to the trek and back was way too full, thus extremely uncomfortable. On the last day many of us got food poisoning so that obviously is a big minus. As well, for over 500 dollars per person the trek is not good value for money considering that the amount of food is average at best and for some reason we got…”
A guided Minca waterfall circuit with jungle trails, indigenous plant stories, and a crystal clear swim, in about 5 hours.
“It was a great trip. Dan the guide knew his stuff, the cocoa farm was super interesting.”
A 4.5-hour coffee, cocoa, and trekking tour in Minca. Hike Sierra Nevada trails, learn sustainable growing, and taste organic treats.
“We had the best time with our tour guide showing us the waterfall and taking us to the coffee farm. The coffee farm tour was also fantastic and the family there was very welcoming. Beautiful views and enjoying fresh coffee and cacao right where it's grown was surreal. Highly recommend this tour and be prepared for a hearty uphill hike that's worth supporting the locals.”
Hike Santa Marta to Taganga and Sisiguaca Beach, then guided snorkeling in clear Caribbean water. Gear, snack, bilingual guide.
“We learned a lot on the hike to sisiguaca. We did the snorkeling without the guide he just told us where to go to see everything, it was an amazing experience. We enjoyed a fresh fish meal with plantain chips, coconut rice, and salad. It was around 60,000 pesos for two of us to each get a fish and sides. Had an amazing time and the guide was very nice. However, I do think you could do this on your own, follow the path and take some goggles and the mouth piece to snorkel. Either way it was a great time!”
Pick a hillside, a coastline or a coffee farm.
