15+ Best Beaches in Santa Marta (and beaches to avoid!)
Due to its location along the Caribbean coast, Santa Marta offers a ton of different beach options. However, contrary to the stereotypical view of the Caribbean, not all beaches in Santa Marta are paradise. In fact, there are some beaches we’re going to cover in this guide that we highly recommend you avoid completely!
Sara and I spent months living and exploring Santa Marta and the surrounding area. During that time, we made it our mission to visit as many beaches in Santa Marta as time would allow us to. Now it’s time for us to impart our knowledge of all these beaches onto you guys!
Some beaches are easy to get to, some are hard and some even require a boat ride. For some you’ll need to remember to bring snacks and drinks whereas others are home to multiple bars and restaurants.
In this guide we’re going to give you all the information about every beach, how to reach it, the pros and cons we discovered and we’ll rate each beach out of five!
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Best Beaches in Santa Marta
The following beaches are all playas that could provide you a fun and relaxing day out. Just by the nature of lists like these, some are better than others. But Sara and I can guarantee that you’ll find at least five different beaches in the list below to your liking!
Rodadero Beach (Rodadero)
Kicking this list off with one of the most popular beaches in the Santa Marta area; Playa El Rodadero. Rodadero is a medium-sized city nestled between Santa Marta and the international airport. It’s a popular destination for domestic tourism and foreigners alike.
Rodadero Beach is a huge expanse of sand that runs hundreds of meters along the coastline. It’s bordered by an array of tall hotels and apartment buildings, which some people would find distasteful but we personally thought gave a tropical vacation vibe.
With tons of space for activities, an unnecessary amount of food options and the warm Caribbean water to take a dip in, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at Rodadero Beach.
Pros:
- Tons of space so it’s easy to find somewhere to base for the day.
- Numerous restaurant and bar options to choose from.
- Easily accessible from Santa Marta.
Cons:
- Lots of sellers that bother you throughout the day.
- Not the cleanest beach in the area.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
How to get to Rodadero Beach
Getting to Playa El Rodadero from Santa Marta is super easy. The cheapest route is to head to Santa Marta centre and take one of the public buses for only about $0.50. We personally took the easier route of hiring a local taxi. The 20-minute taxi ride only set us back about 14,000 COP ($3.56).
Playa Blanca (Rodadero)
Playa Blanca, or White Beach, is a sort of “hidden” beach in the area of Rodadero. In our opinion, although it’s harder to reach and it can be a bit busier than Rodadero Beach, Playa Blanca offers a more tropical feel.
Playa Blanca is a bit narrower than Rodadero Beach and it’s super popular, so it can get pretty crowded. We personally visited on a Saturday and it was difficult to walk with all the crowds. Although, on a quiet day, we felt like this was a great beach to have some cold beers, enjoy the sun, maybe go jet skiing and while away the day.
What makes Playa Blanca more unique is the huge zip line that runs from one end of the beach to the other. If you feel like soaring over the heads of all the tourists below, this could be the place for you!
Pros:
- Tons of activities like zip lining, banana boats, jet skiing and more.
- A good amount of restaurants that are serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Cons:
- Have to take a boat to reach Playa Blanca.
- Covered in tents that are rented out by sellers so not a ton of free space on the sand.
- Can get really, really busy – best to head to Playa Blanca on weekdays.
Overall rating: 3/5
How to get to Playa Blanca
To reach Playa Blanca, we had to take a taxi boat from the north end of Playa Rodadero. We’re not entirely sure of the price because no one ever asked us for money… But we assume it’ll be somewhere between $2-3 per person. Don’t attempt to hike to Playa Blanca, we tried and we failed!
Playa Inca Inca (Rodadero)
We’ve reached our favourite beach on this list outside of Tayrona National park! Playa Inca Inca is a lesser known, smaller beach nestled in the cliffs between Rodadero and Playa Blanca. Due to this location, Playa Inca Inca isn’t as easily accessible but this results in a much quieter beach. We visited on a Saturday and there was hardly anyone there!
Playa Inca Inca isn’t the biggest, but as it’s not busy at all there’s so much empty space to lay your towel. Instead of the ugly tarp-tents on most other beaches in Santa Marta, Playa Inca Inca offers grass umbrellas instead – a much nicer aesthetic to be around!
Pros:
- It was almost completely empty on a Saturday, which is crazy!
- Tropical looking umbrellas to escape the shade instead of tents.
- Beautiful blue and clean Caribbean waters.
- No vendors bothering you at all.
Cons:
- Not as accessible and takes a bit more effort to reach.
- Only one small restaurant so it’s ideal to bring your own food and drinks for the day.
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
How to get to Playa Inca Inca
There doesn’t seem to be any regular taxi boats from Rodadero, but there’s a chance you could charter a private boat to take you to Playa Inca Inca. Otherwise you can hike there, just like we did! We followed maps.me from the centre of Rodadero, up over the cliffs and it took us roughly 45-minutes to get there.
Playa Calderon (Rodadero)
Playa Calderon is a teeny-tiny beach next to Playa Inca Inca. It’s not a location that graces many online lists of best beaches in Santa Marta, so you may have never even heard of it! Playa Calderon is probably the closest to a hidden paradise you’ll find in this region of Colombia.
This particular beach is more of an off-the-grid spot. There are no shops, no tents, no umbrellas, no sellers, just golden sands and the azure ocean. If you decide to make a stop here, it’s likely you’ll have the entire beach to yourself!
Pros:
- Will likely be completely empty.
- Very clean beach and ocean.
- The atmosphere is super peaceful.
Cons:
- No restaurants or shops at all, bring your sustenance for the day.
- Difficult to get to, probably only reachable by hike.
- No beach or water activities.
Overall rating: 4/5
How to get to Playa Calderon
Take the same hiking route from Rodadero as Playa Inca Inca above, but along the trail you’ll need to swing left when you reach the fork instead of right. You could also probably hire a boat to take you there.
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Playa Grande (Taganga)
Moving on to Playa Grande, this is the only beach worth noting in the area of the small fishing village of Taganga. There’s also Taganga Beach itself, but we’ll talk about that later in our ‘beaches to avoid’ section…
Playa Grande is sort of similar to Playa Blanca, but a tad smaller and without the zip line. It’s super accessible from Taganga and offers crystal clear waters and even snorkelling. We also saw a bunch of tourists ripping jet skis around the area too if you’re that way inclined.
Pros:
- Surrounded by cliffs it has a unique ‘hidden’ feeling.
- Lots of restaurant and bar options for your day.
- If you enjoy snorkelling, Playa Grande is perfect for it.
- Relatively easy access by foot from Taganga.
Cons:
- Like most easy access beaches in Santa Marta, it can get busy.
- Once again, it’s covered in tents for rent so there’s not a lot of beach space.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
How to get to Playa Grande
Getting to Playa Grande is actually really simple. You either take a $0.50 bus or $3 taxi for 20-minutes from Santa Marta to Taganga and head to the beach. On the north side of Taganga Beach you’ll find a trail that heads slightly uphill past a hotel. Then just follow the trail for about 20-minutes until you reach the beach! Alternatively there’s a boat shuttle for a couple of dollars each way.
Cabo San Juan (Tayrona)
Cabo San Juan is the first beach in this list in Tayrona National Park (Parque Tayrona). Located about a 50-minute drive from Santa Marta, Tayrona is home to multiple beautiful beaches, most of which made this list!
Cabo San Juan is a beautiful two-part beach found right in the heart of the park. It’s a popular spot for hikers and tourists to actually spend the night in Tayrona, just like we did. This beach has beautiful warm and clear water, tons of space for sunbathing and just overall offers a great vibe.
You’ll also find a restaurant that opens for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a small shop offering all the necessities. We could have genuinely spent days at Cabo San Juan!
Pros:
- Beautiful beach surrounded by palm trees and offers snorkelling in crystal clear water.
- Can stay in tents overnight, albeit it’s a bit humid for camping.
- Other stunning beaches within walking distance.
- Amazing nature throughout Tayrona National Park.
- Sunrise was immaculate when we were there.
Cons:
- Takes a long time to reach from Santa Marta.
- No civilisation around (as for all beaches in Tayrona).
- Food at the restaurant can be a bit… meh.
- Not ideal for just a day out (again, same with all Tayrona Beaches).
Overall rating: 4.5/5
How to get to Cabo San Juan
There are two ways to reach Cabo San Juan. The most popular is to catch either a $2 bus from Santa Marta or a $20 taxi to the El Zaino entrance of Tayrona. This is followed by hiking a few hours through the park enjoying other beaches and wildlife along the way. Or you can catch a 50-minute boat from Taganga for roughly about $25 per person.
We actually published a full guide to reaching Cabo San Juan and how to stay there!
Bahía Concha (Tayrona)
The next beach in Tayrona is Bahía Concha. You may have heard of the popular Playa Cristal? Well Bahía Concha is nearby and a much less touristy option. This makes this beach a great way to escape the busy life of the city.
It’s a curved bay with all the characteristics of a Caribbean beach that’s incredibly popular with the locals. You can expect great snorkelling and water activities and, if you feel like it, you can bring a tent and stay overnight!
Pros:
- Very natural and not overrun with sellers and tourists.
- A pristine, white sand beach with perfect water for snorkelling.
- Option to bring your own tent and stay overnight!
Cons:
- Bit of a mission to reach from Santa Marta, requiring transport to Taganga and a boat.
- Not many places to buy food and drinks from, and the ones there are quite expensive.
Overall rating: 4/5
How to get to Bahía Concha
To get to Bahía Concha, the quickest and easiest way is to travel by boat from Playa Taganga for about $20 return. Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Santa Marta or you can catch the public bus and a moto taxi combo!
Arenilla Beach (Tayrona)
Playa Arenilla is probably our favourite beach in Parque Tayrona and on this list! It neighbours the much more famous La Piscina but in our opinion, it’s even better! If you’re hiking through Tayrona from the El Zaino entrance, Arenilla Beach is the first beach you’ll come across where swimming is actually permitted.
It’s a half moon shaped beach with plenty of space to sunbathe and plenty of stalls to buy drinks and snacks – no restaurant though. The ocean is calm due to giant boulders creating a little mini bay which makes Playa Arenilla perfect for swimming.
Pros:
- Plenty of space on the golden sand for everybody.
- Perfect warm ocean water which is calm for swimming.
- Probably the most ‘paradise’ like beach on this list.
Cons:
- Not easily accessible from Santa Marta.
- No restaurant to serve full meals.
Overall rating: 4.5/5 – (only because it’s hard to reach as a day trip from Santa Marta, otherwise it gets full marks!)
How to get to Arenilla Beach
You can only reach Playa Arenilla by hiking from the El Zaino entrance of Parque Tayrona, the same way you reach Cabo San Juan.
La Piscina (Tayrona)
As we mentioned, La Piscina is one of the most famous beaches in Tayrona National Park, and probably Santa Marta! Before we visited we were riding the hype that it was going to be one of the best beaches we’ve ever seen!
When we arrived, we were actually a bit disappointed… For sure it’s a beautiful beach, but we much preferred Arenilla Beach or Cabo San Juan.
La Piscina, or ‘the pool’, gets its name because it’s one of the few Tayrona beaches where you can swim. The others being Arenilla Beach, Cabo San Juan and Playa Brava. It also offers a couple of stalls for drinks and the perfect swimming conditions. La Piscina is quite long, but pretty narrow, which can make space a bit tight on busier days.
Pros:
- Tropical paradise vibes.
- Great place to take a dip in the Caribbean.
- A good beach for families.
Cons:
- Not a ton of space if the beach gets busy.
- Nowhere to buy substantial food.
- Again with all Tayrona beaches, not ideal for a day trip from Santa Marta.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
How to reach La Piscina
Being next to Arenilla Beach, the route there is the same. You need to get to the El Zaino entrance of Tayrona from Santa Marta and hike the trail towards Cabo San Juan.
Playa Cristal (Tayrona)
Now we reach the aforementioned Playa Cristal. This beach is the most popular beach in Santa Marta that’s not near the city itself. It’s an easy day trip from Taganga by boat which makes it the ideal paradise beach for most tourists passing through the area.
From Playa Cristal you can expect pristine white sands, that stereotypical blue Caribbean ocean and that feeling of paradise you’ve been searching for. It’s worth noting, however, that Playa Cristal is limited to just 300 visitors per day. Therefore it’s worth either catching the earlier boat you can book, or heading on a weekday to avoid crowds.
Pros:
- Relatively easy to reach from Santa Marta for a day trip only.
- Perfect ocean water for snorkelling.
- No tent sellers because of its location in Tayrona.
Cons:
- Daily visitor limit means you might not be able to go if it’s busy.
- Food options available are rather expensive, it’s better to bring your own.
Overall rating: 4/5
How to get to Playa Cristal
Similar to Bahía Concha, you can book a return boat from Playa Taganga for around $20 return. Unlike Bahía Concha though, this is the only way to get to and from this beach.
Playa Nudista (Tayrona)
Playa Nudista is an incredibly unique beach as it’s the only nudist beach found in Colombia! It’s found just a short 20-minute walk away from Cabo San Juan and offers the same perfect sand and ocean as most beaches inside Parque Tayrona.
We visited pretty early on in the morning and were only greeted with two naturists further down the beach. However we have it on good authority that during the day the beach does fill up with people opting to ditch clothing!
We saw a sign here that read that swimming is prohibited at Playa Nudista due to the current. Although it seems most people don’t care and friends have told us that they saw plenty of people swimming here!
Pros:
- You don’t need to wear clothes… that’s pretty cool right?
- Absolutely stunning option for a beach.
- Amazing wildlife around for nature lovers.
Cons:
- People can go naked… What can I say, it’s a double-edged sword!
- No stalls or food options, although Cabo San Juan is nearby.
- Trail can be touch and go at high tide and the alternative trail that we took is kinda confusing, even with maps.
Overall rating: 3.5/5
How to get to Playa Nudista
Follow the instructions to reach Cabo San Juan and then find the trail at the north end of the beach. This trail will take you to a second, smaller beach which you need to cross to reach Playa Nudista. Be aware that the smaller beach is difficult to cross at high tide!
Playa Brava (Tayrona)
The almost final beach (we have bonuses) on this list of best beaches in Santa Marta is Playa Brava. We fully intended to head to Playa Brava after Cabo San Juan but we completely underestimated the length and difficulty of the hike…
Regardless, Playa Brava is another popular area in Tayrona to stay overnight. However instead of tents you have the option to stay in jungle huts! The only downside being, as mentioned, the hike to and from Playa Brava can be a bit brutal in the heat and humidity.
Pros:
- Feels very off-grid and immersed in nature.
- Can stay in dope jungle huts.
Cons:
- Lots of energy is needed to reach it.
- Pretty much zero chance of making it to Playa Brava from Santa Marta and back in a single day.
Overall rating: 4/5 (What we guess it deserves!)
How to get to Playa Brava
Your only option to Playa Brava is to hike. Either you can undergo the 3 to 4 hour hike from Cabo San Juan or, if you already have your park entrance band, you can hike a few hours from the Calabazo entrance of Tayrona.
Other notable beaches in Santa Marta
Count yourself lucky, because we have a few bonus beaches! These are just a few that we didn’t find the time to visit while we were in Santa Marta but we have heard are absolutely awesome beaches.
- Playa Cinto – inside Tayrona and is reachable by boat from Taganga.
- Playa Neguanje – again a Tayrona beach reachable by boat from Taganga.
- Costeño Beach – a popular beach situated slightly west from Tayrona, about an hour or so drive from Santa Marta.
Beaches in Santa Marta to Avoid
Alrighty, now although the Santa Marta area does have some okay beaches and some slices of paradise, it also has its fair share of beaches to avoid.
Taganga Beach (Taganga)
Sara and I are HUGE advocates of advising to avoid Taganga Beach (or Playa Taganga). The issue lies in the fact that this beach is a mega-busy fishing beach. This means tons of boat traffic leaving and arriving at the shores.
As a result, the water here is incredibly murky along the shoreline and there’s discarded rope and trash everywhere. In addition, the only part of the beach you can actually use recreationally is the southern end. So all the tourists are squeezed together… not ideal!
Overall rating: 1/5
Santa Marta Beach (Santa Marta Centre)
You may have been wondering why none of the best beaches in Santa Marta we’ve listed are in Santa Marta? Well that’s because the beaches in the centre of town are just not good.
Santa Marta Beach (Playa Bahía Santa Marta) is easily accessible but a horrible beach. We noticed it has black and grey sand, the water is polluted due to the nearby container port and there was even a stagnant pool on the beach. Sellers are rife here always trying to sell you things and it’s just not a welcoming atmosphere.
You’re better off heading to Rodadero or Tayrona National Park!
Overall rating: 1/5
Playa los Cocos (Santa Marta Centre)
The slightly better neighbour to Santa Marta Beach but still very avoidable is Playa los Cocos (or Coconut Beach).
Here we found a lot more available space and no sellers as it’s not really used recreationally. But we ran into the same issues of dirty water and not so nice sand. It’s certainly a better option to Santa Marta Beach though!
Overall rating: 1.5/5
Cañaveral Beach (Tayrona National Park)
Cañaveral Beach (or Playa Cañaveral) in Tayrona is a bit of a catch 22. It’s actually a stunning beach with amazing golden sand and beautiful palm trees lining its edge.
However, we’ve placed it as a beach to avoid because when we arrived, we noticed a sign that read “no swimming or sunbathing”. From our experience, this is also policed by the park rangers.
In our opinion, this sort of renders Cañaveral a bit of a moot beach. What’s the point in visiting if you can only walk up and down?
Overall rating: 2.5/5
Arrecifes Beach (Tayrona National Park)
We’ve ranked Arrecifes Beach (or Playa Arrecifes) as a beach to avoid for exactly the same reasons as Playa Cañaveral. You also can’t swim or sunbathe here either!
Although it seemed a lot less enforced, when we walked out onto Arrecifes Beach we were the only people there, at lunch time! So people do adhere to the rules whether there’s a park ranger or not.
Overall rating: 2.5/5
Final thoughts on beaches in Santa Marta
Despite holding the title of a ‘Caribbean town’, the beaches in Santa Marta generally don’t live up to the hype. Even the ones we’ve rated highly like Playa Grande, Playa Blanca and Rodadero Beach aren’t all that special.
If you’re in the area, we fully recommend heading to either Playa Inca Inca if you don’t want to travel, or Tayrona National Park if you’re willing to make the trip. The best beaches in Santa Marta, by far, are inside Parque Tayrona!
Sara and I appreciate your support by reading our Best Beaches in Santa Marta article and we hope that you found all the information you need! If you think something we said is incorrect or outdated, please let us know so we can fix it!
Check out our other Santa Marta guides!
- 29 Must-Do Things to do in Santa Marta: An Ultimate Guide
- Is Playa Taganga Worth Visiting? – An Ultimate Guide!
- A Complete Guide to Visiting Playa Grande, Santa Marta
- Is Rodadero Beach A Beautiful Paradise Or Just Over-Crowded?
- Playa Inca Inca: The best beach in Santa Marta
- Playa Blanca: A guide to Santa Marta’s hidden beach
- An Ultimate Guide to Santa Marta Beach: Is it worth visiting?
- Everything to know about beaches in Taganga, Colombia
- Is Colombia safe to visit in 2024? Everything you need to know
