A Guide to the Best Beaches in Tayrona National Park
Tayrona National Park, or Parque Tayrona, is a popular destination in northern Colombia. Home to hundreds of species of animals, four different Colombian indigenous groups and 150 km² of tropical rainforest, it’s easy to see the appeal.
One of the biggest draws to Tayrona though, are the beautiful beaches. As you can imagine, being situated along the coast of the Caribbean Sea has its perks. There are no less than 11 pristine tourist beaches inside the park, as well as a few extras that are forbidden to tourists for various reasons.
In this guide, we’ll cover all of the accessible beaches in Tayrona National Park and our experience of visiting them during our travels in Colombia.
Table of Contents
- Cabo San Juan
- Playa Cristal
- Bahìa Concha
- Playa Cañaveral
- Playa Nudista
- Playa Brava
- Playa Arrecifes
- Playa Neguanje
- Playa Arenilla
- La Piscina
- Playa Cinto
- How to get to Tayrona National Park
- Camping in Tayrona National Park
- Hotels in Tayrona National Park
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Cabo San Juan
Cabo San Juan was our favourite beach in Tayrona National Park and where we chose to stay the night! By this point, you’d have been trekking through the humid jungle for over 13km just like we had. Trust us, once you reach Cabo San Juan, you’ll be ready for a break!
Cabo San Juan’s beach is split into two halves by a small rocky outcrop. This gives the illusion that the beach is actually way bigger than it really is, and it’s already pretty big. You’ll also find a small shop and a restaurant here which makes it a great place for an overnight stay.
Speaking of which, if you want to stay at Cabo San Juan you’ll have to book in advance. They offer tents, hammocks and cabanas all at different price points. If you want to plan a trip here, we created a full guide where we go over which accommodation to book, how to book, how to get here and more!
Playa Cristal
Playa Cristal is one of the most popular day-trip beaches in Tayrona National Park. With its pristine white sands, crystal-clear waters, and vibrant coral reefs, it’s an ideal day trip from Santa Marta. However, note that the park limits daily visitors to Playa Cristal to 300, so plan your visit on weekdays for a more serene experience.
You can’t actually hike to this beach and the only way there is by boat from Playa Taganga. Head there early as boats start leaving between 9-10am, with costs ranging from 80,000 to 100,000 COP ($19.58 – $24.47) for a round trip. Be aware of rough seas, especially during the rainy season, and brace yourself for a 45-minute journey filled with scenic views.
Alternatively, to take all of the stress out of organising your trip to Playa Cristal, book this tour!
Bahìa Concha
Bahia Concha is a stunning curved bay that charms both tourists and locals alike. The best part? You can opt for an overnight camping adventure if you bring your own tent!
Relish the expansive white sands and inviting blue waters, perfect for a day of relaxation and snorkelling. Keep in mind that there’s a 5000 COP ($1.22) entrance fee to the park, and on-site restaurants lean towards the pricey side.
There are three ways you can get to Bahìa Concha:
- Taxi from Santa Marta (approximately 60,000 COP or $14.68)
- Public bus and moto taxi combo (around 8,000 COP or $1.96)
- Charter a boat from Playa Taganga (approximately 80,000 COP or $19.58)
Playa Cañaveral
If you enter Tayrona from the El Zaino entrance, Playa Cañaveral is the first of the Tayrona beaches you’ll come to on your hike. Along with a few other beaches in the area, it’s actually forbidden to swim and sunbathe at this beach. Swimming is prohibited due to the strong ocean currents causing over 100 deaths, so the rule is kind of justified. However, we’re not entirely sure why you’re not allowed to sunbathe?
We didn’t stick around too long on Playa Cañaveral. Don’t get us wrong, it’s an absolutely stunning beach! Its golden sands stretch along the shoreline for hundreds of metres and huge piles of smooth, grey boulders give that extra tropical vibe. We just found that without any restaurants around and recreational activities being limited, after 15-minutes of admiring we were ready to move on!
Playa Nudista
A short 20-minute hike from Cabo San Juan and you’ll find yourself at Playa Nudista. Actually, Nudista is incredibly unique as it’s the only nudist beach in the entire country!
However, similarly to Playa Cañaveral, you can’t actually swim or sunbathe here for fear of being swept away by the currents. Therefore, if you’re a keen naturist, you can look forward to strolling up and down the beach with all your parts flying free!
Playa Brava
Playa Brava is a pretty secluded beach in Tayrona National Park. To get here, the shortest and easiest hike would be from the Calabazo entrance of the park, although we think you still need to pay your park entry at the El Zaino entrance. Alternatively, you can hike to Playa Brava from Cabo San Juan. We attempted this, but the elevation gain is a killer in the humid jungle, so be warned!
With a calm and serene atmosphere, Playa Brava offers stunning coastal views, providing a unique retreat for those seeking unspoiled nature. While amenities are limited, the trade-off is an immersive experience surrounded by the raw beauty of this hidden coastal haven. You can also book to stay the night in beautiful jungle cabins here!
Playa Arrecifes
Around 3.8km further down the trail from Playa Cañaveral, you’ll find Playa Arrecifes. Akin to Cañaveral and Nudista, it’s also forbidden to swim or sunbathe here too. In fact, Playa Arrecifes is similar in looks as well!
Another stunning stretch of coastline, you’ll first spot Playa Arrecifes from the hiking trail. When we first saw the view, we felt like we’d stepped into some sort of fairytale paradise. Upon reaching the beach, we soon realised that without any protection from the tropical sun, we wouldn’t be able to stay on the beach for too long.
However, unlike Cañaveral and Nudista, at Playa Arrecifes you’ll find many different restaurants to stop and eat at. We stopped at a posh-looking restaurant at Camping Tequendama Playa and indulged in a delicious chicken sandwich for lunch.
In addition, as hinted to above, there are also a few different campsites to stay at in the Arrecifes area. Although we wouldn’t recommend it, there’s actually a better beach to stay at that we’ll get to later!
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Playa Neguanje
Playa Neguanje is one of the lesser visited beaches on this list. Close by to Playa Cristal, it’s one of the biggest beaches in Tayrona National Park! Due to its lower popularity, there aren’t a ton of amenities on this beach. Food can be quite expensive, so make sure to bring along a picnic!
Here you’ll find picturesque views over a golden sand beach, hugged by the turquoise of the Caribbean Sea. Don’t forget to bring along some snorkel gear to explore the nearby reef.
To get to Playa Neguanje, you’ll need to book either a boat-taxi from Playa Taganga or a private charter from Playa El Rodadero. We’re not sure on the cost but the journey will take about 2-hours each way.
Playa Arenilla
We absolutely loved Playa Arenilla! Often overlooked in lists of beaches in Tayrona National Park, Playa Arenilla is a cute little paradise within the tropical jungles. It’s found just next to La Piscina, although for some reason La Piscina always seems to get more attention!
Also you can now rejoice as Playa Arenilla is the first beach you’ll come to along the hiking trail where you can actually swim! We found a little spot on the east side besides some boulders to chill out and sunbathe for a while. Because Arenilla is a small bay, it’s protected from the ocean’s current and the tepid water is perfect to swim in.
With a few food and drink vendors, and a tree line to escape the sun, Playa Arenilla was one of the best beaches in Tayrona National Park to relax on. From our experience, it’s second only to Cabo San Juan.
La Piscina
La Piscina is Playa Arenilla’s more popular next door neighbour. However, we found that there is limited space here as the beach is much more narrow, especially during high tide!
We didn’t spend too long at La Piscina, opting to head back to Arenilla, but there are a couple of food stalls and swimming here isn’t forbidden.
There’s not too much more to say about La Piscina, it’s an average beach in Tayrona at best when compared to others on this list!
Playa Cinto
Playa Cinto is another beautiful but less visited beach in Tayrona. Nearby to Playa Cristal, it’s only reachable by boat from Playa Taganga. Due to its low popularity, boats don’t run too frequently so it’s best to get to Taganga nice and early, around 9am, to make sure you can get tickets.
It’s worth noting that there are no restaurants or bars here. You’ll need to bring your own food and drinks to last you the day, but this is what makes it a quieter beach. Once again, you’ll need your snorkelling gear as the marine life here is pristine!
How to get to Tayrona National Park
There are multiple ways to visit Tayrona National Park depending on what kind of traveller you are. We planned and visited Tayrona on our own, but you can also book a tour if you’d rather save time in the planning stage.
Tours to Tayrona National Park
If you’re the type of traveller that prefers to sit back and relax while someone else does all the heavy lifting, then book a tour to Tayrona! This way, the guide handles the itinerary and all of the organising so you don’t have to.
We recommend booking this tour, it’s a full day trekking experience through Tayrona National Park. Along with a guide, you’ll hike to Playa Cañaveral, Playa Arrecifes, Playa Arenilla, La Piscina and Cabo San Juan. What more could you ask for?
Visiting Independently
If you prefer the flexibility of an independent visit, like we did, you’ll first need to get to Tayrona National Park. We decided to grab a taxi to the El Zaino entrance instead of fiddling around with the buses at 7am. The taxi cost us about $25 one-way, but you can also catch the green public bus from Mercado Publico de Santa Marta for just 8000 COP.
Once at the El Zaino entrance, you can pay for your entry and enjoy the trek! The pathways are rather linear for the most part so are easy to follow. We also downloaded the map of Tayrona on maps.me to follow which came in handy on more than one occasion.
Also, there aren’t any overnight tours to Tayrona National Park, so if you want to stay more than one day, you’ll have to visit independently.
Camping in Tayrona National Park
There are four places you can camp in Tayrona National Park; Cabo San Juan, Playa Arrecifes, and Bahìa Concha. In our opinion, we wouldn’t recommend staying at Playa Arrecifes. You can’t swim or sunbathe so recreation activities are limited.
If we were to take a trip here again, we would book two nights in Tayrona, the first night in a tent at Cabo San Juan and the second in a jungle hut at Playa Brava. This will give plenty of time to trek between each place and enjoy the scenery while you do. To book a stay at Cabo San Juan, you need to reach out to these guys on WhatsApp!
We mentioned it earlier, but Bahìa Concha is sort of the black sheep on this list. It’s not in the same area as the other beaches and you’ll need to bring your own tent to stay, but it could be a fun camping trip with a group of friends!
Hotels in Tayrona National Park
Finally, if camping or jungle huts aren’t your style, then there are a few eco-lodges and hotels in Tayrona National Park:
- Ecohabs Bamboo Parque Tayrona – close to the El Zaino entrance, grab a private room at this 4-star eco hotel. With the option of buffet and American breakfasts, it’s a great option for staying inside the park in comfort.
- Ecohabs Tequendama – the same company but in a different location. If you want to stay a bit deeper inside Tayrona then this Ecohabs is located at Cañaveral. Book early to avoid missing out, this accommodation is often sold out over a month in advance!
- Ecolodge Playa Brava Teyumakke – this is the previously mentioned jungle hut at Playa Brava. Again, make sure to book well in advance, this is an incredibly popular stay!
- Hotel Tayrona Bahia Concha – if you fancy a bit more luxury at Bahìa Concha than staying in a tent, this is the place for you. This 3-star hotel offers private rooms, breakfast and a pool!
Thank you for taking the time to read this guide and we sincerely hope you got all the information you need! We strive to always provide the most accurate and up-to-date information and if you believe this is not the case, please let us know so we can adjust it!
If you’re looking for more beach content, check out our Best Beaches in Santa Marta guide or our 29+ Things to do in Santa Marta! Heading to Minca next? We have guide published on Pozo Azul, Finca la Victoria and Los Pinos Viewpoint!
