Tag Archives: cartagena

Indigenas Arthuacos

Tayrona National Park

Tayrona National Park is one of the many jewels of Colombia located just 34 kilometers from Santa Marta. A stunning 150 kilometers of land set in Colombia’s northern coastal region of Magdalena. Tayrona was established as a national park in 1969 and is famous for its biodiversity, varied climate, remarkable wildlife, and beautiful beaches. With over 300,000 visitors annually, it is the second most visited national park after the Rosario and San Bernando Corals Natural National Park near Cartagena.

Columbia Map showing Tayrona Park

Columbia Map showing Tayrona Park

Many indigenous groups claim Tayrona as sacred ground and they have requested that the park be closed off for ecological, environmental and spiritual healing.  They have completely closed the park in 2015 and 2017 for one month each time.  The park is not even open to employees of the park, only members of these Indigenous groups, of whom several families live permanently within the park.

Indigenas Arthuacos

Indigenas Arthuacos

Matt, Wayne, and I walked 1.5 miles to the bus stop next to the Mercado Publico in Santa Marta. The bus costs 8k COP each and leaves every 45 minutes or when it is full. We hopped on loaded with water, snacks, and breakfast arrapas, then waited for 30 minutes. Once we were on our way, the bus driver honks his horn, slows a little, and gathers more passengers along the route. Within 45 minutes, we arrived at El Zaino where most of us disembarked.

We walked to the visitor center where we presented our documents (passports) and paid 40k COP each. At the top of the path we took a bus, 5 kilometers to the main entrance, Canavereal for 3000 pesos each. It dropped us off at a muddy parking lot and we headed toward Cabo San Juan de Guia (beach).

Our plan was to walk to Cabo San Juan, 4-hour hike, then to the village of Pueblito a 2-hour hike, then back to Canavereal, 2-hour hike to catch the park bus back to El Zaino, and then the city bus to San Marta. That was the “plan.” Of course, since I lost my phone, we did not have the maps.me app downloaded nor did we have a clear map or understanding of the trails throughout the park. We were given this nebulous map at

Hand held Tayrona Map with little information.

Hand held Tayrona Map with little information.

Map at entrance of park.

Map at entrance of park.

The first part of the trail was very civilized with a beautiful wood path over the muddiest parts of the rivers.

Super nice wood trail at the beginning of the hike.

Super nice wood trail at the beginning of the hike.

Wayne enjoying a leisurely walk down the wooden path.

Wayne enjoying a leisurely walk down the wooden path.

Keep in mind that we are all in flip flops while others are in tennis shoes, hiking shoes, and crocs. At this point we are pretty happy with our decision. When not on the wood bridges, we walked the edges around the mud puddles. It wasn’t until we were a few hours in that we started to encounter really big mud puddles and were forced to remove our shoes and go into the shin deep slush.

Muddy path.

Muddy path.

But we did enjoy some beautiful beach views.

Views of beach as we crested over a mountain.

Views of beach as we crested over a mountain.

Path separating the beach and the mountains.

Path separating the beach and the mountains.

We soon came to a small beach called La Piscina that was peppered with large boulders. It was so pretty to see these harsh rocks against the sandy seascape.

La Piscina Beach entrance.

La Piscina Beach entrance.

Boulders on the beach.

Boulders on the beach.

Opposite the beach are lush green hills and marshes.

Hills across from the beach.

Hills across from the beach.

After we passed through La Piscina, we had to cross a river that was mid-thigh deep. Trying not to be “that girl”, I bunched up my Lulu Lemon shorts (which are already short) and followed the boys. Up another muddy trail, still surrounded by a small smattering of other tourists.

Fun muddy trail up the hill.

Fun muddy trail up the hill.

A lovely beach greeted us at Cabo San Juan. A top the hill is the famous Seafront Cabana with 8 hammocks.  Its a cool option to sleep in a thatched roof hut on the rocks overlooking the sea for back packers.  It is a first come, first served at a cost of 5,000 to 25,000 COP.

Seafront Cabana up on the hill with 8 hammocks.

Seafront Cabana up on the hill with 8 hammocks.

After arriving at noon, 3 hours (vs 4) later, we had no idea how to proceed to the village of Pueblito. We asked one lady who informed us it was too late and too dangerous for us to go because the trails would be all wet. Since we didn’t want to return the way we came and were looking for a new way out of the park. So, I asked another lady who told us to leave now before the afternoon rains, and we should be fine. Go with the old adage, keep asking until you get an answer you like.  She showed us the trail and we were off.

Signs had indicated our progress on the way to Cabo San Juan so we were not surprised to see signs showing our progress to Pueblito “10% to Pueblito.” However, we were surprised to see the change in terrain.

New terrain changed to a boulder hike.

New terrain changed to a boulder hike.

90 minutes later, we arrived at Pueblito. It is a very small village that is a perfect representation of the Tayrona culture.  There are several round huts, made in several different ways, a top stone terraces.  We just walked through and carried on our way. Not sure it was worth the extra hike, but it was lovely to see on our way out of the park.

Pueblito huts.

Pueblito huts.

After 30 minutes we realized that we had not seen any signs to El Zaino. Hmmm-strange. Even more perplexing was the fork in the road with no signs of which path to take.  We went right which continued to be very muddy path, up and over huge boulders, across small rivers, and down troughs where you had to waddle with one foot on either side of the river. Challenging to say the least, especially since we had already been hiking for 4 hours.

Another hiker crossed our path and told us we were on the way toward Cabo San Juan – YIKES! We wanted to go the opposite direction toward El Zaino. This is not good. It was 230p, the park closes at 5p and it would take us well over 4 hours to back track. Our best bet was to continue on and hope to get a horse or boat out of the park before 5p.

A little after 3p, we arrived at Cabo San Juan where we were able to secure three spaces on a fast panga back to Taganga a small town near Santa Marta. We just had to wait an hour for departure.

Matt took this opportunity to hike up to the hammock Seafront Cabana while Wayne and I crashed on the beach.

Images from Seafront hammock hut looking down.

Images from Seafront hammock hut looking down.

The panga wrangler told us it was a 10-minute ride to Taganga which did not surprise us as they had three 200-horse power engines. At 4p, everyone on the beach started gathering toward the water’s edge. Three boats were to return almost 75 people.

The boat was so tall that they had to use a ladder to board the passengers. Imagine how difficult it was to hold the ladder and the boat in the surf? Wish I got a photo of this for you!

Our panga had the biggest boat with the most engines and the most passengers. We thought we would beat the other two boats by a long shot! Ha! Our boat driver needed to take lessons as he was horrible. Our driver couldn’t surf the waves, crested over wakes, used 2 instead of 3 engines, and got 4 people sick.  And we arrived last almost two hours after we boarded. It was pure misery. Originally, we thought about asking him to give us a ride to Santa Marta, but we could not wait to get off the boat.

Taganga is a quaint town that we would have enjoyed had we not hiked so many miles, been soaking wet, and needed to use the facilities. We managed to hail a cab back to Santa Marta for 12,000 pesos, showered, had a quick dinner and went to bed.

SUCCESS:

• Hiked 14.2 miles
• Over 35,000 steps
• In 5.5 hours over rocky terrain, across river, & mud.

Great blogs on the park:

  1. http://seecolombia.travel/blog/2015/07/complete-guide-tayrona/
  2. http://talesofabackpacker.com/2016/12/12/practical-guide-tayrona-national-park/

A Cartagena Fort, Castle, and Bastion

The Walled City is a giant fort in and of itself.  The construction of the Walls of Cartagena lasted nearly two centuries, ending in 1796. The historic center is complemented by fortifications and bastions, where you can watch sunsets.  The Walled City being the largest Cartagena Fort.

In addition to the 7 miles of stone walls that make up the Walled City, you can also visit other forts.  Matt and I had fun exploring several of them.

One of the largest structures built in Columbia is Castillo San Felipe de Barajas which is a World Heritage Site.  San Felipe de Barajas castle was the only access to the city from the mainland.  Not sure if a castle constitutes a Cartagena Fort, but just go with it.

We arrived at the Walled City just as a tourist bus unloaded its passengers.  Drat!  We bought our 15,000 peso tickets and scurried up the hill to get in front of the crowds.  Most of the people were not the “scurrying” type so we had some time to explore on our own.  This was a very large castle.  It just kept going and going and going.  We were able to stand on the walls, check out the bastions, and go on a quest underground.  They opened up several underground tunnels where we believed the soldiers slept.  We were not sure as we did not buy headphones or go on an official tour.

Images: Matt inside a bastion, me next to one, shot between the walls. Matt in a tunnel, fort walls with modern city in back.

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. Cartagena Fort.

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

Images: Fort entrance, me with a pretty view, me locked up, sleeping quarters, and wall exterior.

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas. Cartagena Fort

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

As we were coming out of one of the tunnels, a tour group was at the entrance. The guide was showing how they built the tunnels in such a way to always protect them from intruders.  He joked, in English, that we were pirates so when we came out, I said “Argh, give me all of your money” which garnered muzzled laughs.

On the far end of the Walled City, we discovered a construction zone.  They are building an huge entertainment area.  New restaurants, bars, shops, and an enormous round outdoor theater are being built.  I sure wish we could see this completed – what a hoot it would be to see a play here!

Cartagena Fort. Round Theater

Round theater being built above and image of completed project below.

The Baluarte El Reducto is part of the walls of the Historic Center of Cartagena.  It is a fortification bastion facing the lagoon of San Lazaro.  It was the first work of fortification enclosure built as a result of the enlargement of the city.  On top of the fort is Casa Cerveza, a restaurant that has a beautiful view and a great name!  Who wouldn’t want to live in a Beer House?  (Casa Cerveza=Beer House)

View from Casa Cerveza.

View from Casa Cerveza.

EL fuerte de San Sebastian del Pastelillo is where Club de Pesca is located which is one of the 5 marinas in Cartagena.  Even though there is not much left of the fort, it makes for an impressive entrance to the marina.  I can imagine you’d feel safe keeping your boat within Cartagena Fort waters.

Fuerte Sansebastian

We visited several bastions:

  • Baluarte Santa Catalina
  • Baluarte San Pedro Martir
  • Convento de San Diego

Walking around town we found this cool world map

World Map - where are we?

World Map – where are we?

End to a perfect day – Matt and Teo

Matt and Teo walking and talking.

Matt and Teo walking and talking. Photo credit: Jon Wright

Día de la Independencia de Cartagena

Columbia offers many beautiful destinations, but bring Sugar Shack will only see Santa Marta.  We originally thought about sailing her down to Cartagena, but after arriving in Santa Marta and doing a little research, we felt it’d be best to leave her in Santa Marta and take the bus into Cartagena.

Cartagena in the distance.

Cartagena in the distance.

Our twelve year wedding anniversary is November 11 which also happens to be Cartagena’s Independence Day celebration.  Seems like a perfect time to go on a new adventure, don’t you think?   Jon, Mia, and Teo on “Itchy Footdecided to come on this journey with us.

Pedro de Heredia, a Spanish Commander, founded Cartagena de Indias in 1533. Its rapid growth began after the establishment of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The Silver Age of the city is the period between 1750 and 1808. Cartagena became the richest city of the colony at that time.

On November 11, 1811, Cartagena declared its independence from Spain amidst the Peninsular War, which became Latin American Wars of Independence.  Cartagena’s Independence is an important milestone even though the city was almost destroyed in 1815 and Columbia didn’t gain full independence for several more years.

Twenty people were took the Marsol to Cartagena which took a little over 4 hours.  It was a nice bus with reclining seats and AC and it made one stop for food and bathroom breaks.

Comfy little buses transporting us to Cartagena.

Comfy little buses transporting us to Cartagena.

We checked in to our respective hotels and set a meet up place and time.  Matt and I stayed at Casa Ebano 967 for a whopping $35 per night.  Matt is almost touching both walls under the AC unit and the bathroom wall was not much bigger.   It wasn’t big, but it was clean and safe.

Entrance to hotel, two pics of small room, street of our hotel and bathroom in our room.

Entrance to hotel, two pics of small room, street of our hotel and bathroom in our room.

We walked to the Walled Colonial City or “ciudad amurallada” which consists of the historical districts of El Centro and San Diego. It is a real gem of colonial architecture, packed with churches, monasteries, plazas, palaces, and mansions with their overhanging balconies and shady patios.

The old town is surrounded by Las Murallas, the thick walls built to protect it against enemies. Construction began towards the end of the 16th century, after the attack by Francis Drake; until that time Cartagena was almost completely unprotected. The project took two centuries to complete due to repeated damage from both storms and pirate attacks. Only in 1796 was it finally finished, just 25 years before the Spaniards were eventually expelled.

Entrance to Walled City.

Entrance to Walled City.

Walled City from the parade route.

Walled City from the parade route.

The streets are lined with colorful store fronts, offices, apartments, cafes, hotels, hostels, and more.  Several have over scale wooden doors with ornate knockers or smaller doors built into them.  Some are topped with beautiful flowers crawling below their roofs, and yet others sit vacant and alone.

Pedro de Heredia was a Spanish conquistador, founder of the city of Cartagena de Indias

Pedro de Heredia was a Spanish conquistador, founder of the city of Cartagena de Indias.

University of the Arts located in the Walled City.

University of the Arts located in the Walled City.

Beautiful Colored buildings inside the old city.

Beautiful Colored buildings inside the old city.

Tons of flowers grow on and around the buildings.

Tons of flowers grow on and around the buildings.

Many buildings had large wooden doors with smaller doors built inside and large knockers.

Many buildings had large wooden doors with smaller doors built inside and large knockers.

Church dome at sunset.

Church dome at sunset.

Another beautiful dome at sunset.

Another beautiful dome at sunset.

Love these buildings sprouting with blossoms.

Love these buildings sprouting with blossoms.

Matt, Me, Teo, Mia, and Jon. Photo Credit: Jon Wright

Matt, Me, Teo, Mia, and Jon. Photo Credit: Jon Wright

Playing with the shadows.

Playing with the shadows. Photo credit Jon Wright.

As we made our way to the parade route the crowds great louder.  We saddled up to the crowded barrier and waited for the parade to start.  Evidently, Columbians like to celebrate with foam.  They sell foam canisters for 5,000 pesos and everyone is fair game.  It did not take long before we were covered in a soap type foam that dissolved into a bit of a sticky mess.  Nothing mattered, everyone was fair game and everyone got hit or sprayed, many times.

Oh ya, this tastes good! Photo credit: Jon Wright

Oh ya, this tastes good! Photo credit: Jon Wright

There is a parade in the back ground. Photo Credit: Jon Wright

There is a parade in the back ground. Photo Credit: Jon Wright

Mia and Jon have been foamed.

Mia and Jon have been foamed.

The parade started and captured our attention.  It was a beautiful display of costumes, music, beauty contestants, culture, and history.  Many men dress up in female costumes which is part of their heritage.  There were also many men dressed as woman celebrating LGBT we assume since they were out in full force too.

This woman was so beautiful, I believe she is a Miss Columbia contestant.

This woman was so beautiful, I believe she is a Miss Columbia contestant.

I loved this trio.

I loved this trio.

He danced his way across Cartagena in those heels.

He danced his way across Cartagena in those heels.

Still smiling at the end of the parade. White flakes are foam.

Still smiling at the end of the parade. White flakes is foam.

So many bright and beautiful costumes. Loved the yellow.

So many bright and beautiful costumes. Loved the yellow.

Pasties covered their

Pasties covered their “private parts” dancing through town.

Little people with large heads bobbing on down the road.

Little people with large heads bobbing on down the road.

They carried these huge floral arrangements throughout the parade.

They carried these huge floral arrangements throughout the parade.

Just had to show you on fun cross dresser.

Just had to show you on fun cross dresser.

Enjoying the view from the top of the wall. Photo Credit: Jon Wright

Enjoying the view from the top of the wall. Photo Credit: Jon Wright

Snagged a front row spot and loving it. Photo credit Jon Wright.

Snagged a front row spot and loving it. Photo credit Jon Wright.

Love this little beauty!

Love this little beauty!

Mia and I enjoying a non foam moment

Mia and I enjoying a non foam moment

Interesting Colombian Facts:

  • Colombian pesos are confusing and should therefor drop three zeros.
  • Colombians are hard workers and have an entrepreneurial spirit.
  • Foam does not taste very good.
  • Parade costumes are the most elaborate and elegant ones I’ve seen.
  • The heels they wear (both men and women) are ridiculously high!
  • The streets of Columbia are very clean with little litter.