An Ultimate Guide to Santa Marta Beach: Is it worth visiting?
Sara and I were wholeheartedly underwhelmed when we arrived at the tiny Santa Marta Beach (Bahia de Santa Marta) on a dreary Saturday afternoon. While overlooking the grey sand and stagnant pond, we couldn’t help but think we had turned up to the wrong beach. However, we were here and we didn’t hang around for very long.
We’re going to talk you through our experience in Santa Marta after living there for a month and why we only visited Santa Marta Beach once during that entire time. But it’s not all doom and gloom with us and we hate throwing too much shade. So we’ll also provide five alternative beaches in the area you can visit that are leagues better than the main beach in Santa Marta!
Table of Contents
- About Santa Marta
- How to get to Santa Marta
- Positives of visiting Santa Marta Beach
- Negatives of visiting Santa Marta Beach
- Beaches you should visit instead
- Final thoughts on Santa Marta Beach
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About Santa Marta
Santa Marta is a bustling seaside town on the northern coast of Colombia. Set against the Caribbean Sea, it was founded in 1525, a short 33 years after Columbus landed in South America. This makes Santa Marta the oldest known standing city in the entire country.
While based in Medellín, we were faced with a decision of where to spend our second month while in Colombia: Cartagena or Santa Marta? After talking to some friends and locals, we were told that Cartagena would be over-touristy and hectic for a long-term stay. So we set our sights on Santa Marta, renting an Airbnb a short walk outside of the historic centre.
We found Santa Marta a great place to base up for the month. With access to places like Tayrona National Park, La Guajira Desert, Barranquilla and Cartagena, it’s a no brainer. The only downside we discovered was the local beach.
But first, how do you get to Santa Marta?
How to get to Santa Marta
Some may think that Santa Marta is a bit out of the way, but generally it’s quite easy to get to. We flew from Medellin to Santa Marta on a direct flight, but where you start makes a big difference to your mode of transport.
By plane
Firstly, if you’re not already on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, your smartest move will be to take a flight. Most major cities, such as Medellin, Bogota and Cali, will be running direct flights to Simón Boívar International Airport.
Santa Marta centre, and by extension Santa Marta Beach, is a short 30-minute taxi ride from the airport. We picked up a standing taxi from the airport exit. You need to make sure to confirm the price prior to hopping in and you shouldn’t expect to pay anymore than about 40,000 COP ($10.06).
By bus
If you’re not on the northern coast and not in a major city, your best bet is to take a bus to the nearest substantial airport and fly from there. One of our favourite sites to book buses has been Busbud.
If you’re already in either Cartagena or Barranquilla, then you’ll also need to book a bus. The journey from Cartagena takes around 4.5 hours and runs mainly along the coastline and through Barranquilla. Bus prices start from about $12 and you can find them here on Busbud.
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Positives of visiting Santa Marta Beach
This may sound counter-intuitive based on the title of this article, but hear us out! The main positive of visiting Santa Marta Beach isn’t the beach itself, but it’s the surrounding area.
Right besides the beach is Santa Marta’s very modern Malecon de Bastidas – a sort of promenade along the coastline. Nearby is Parque Bolívar, a large rectangular plot of land which is half empty square and half park with markets. Just up the road is the Museo del Oro, a great institution containing artefacts and information about the lives of Colombian indigenous tribes.
In conclusion, don’t skip out on Santa Marta just because it has a terrible beach, there’s a whole lot more to see!
Negatives of visiting Santa Marta Beach
Okay, here we go, get ready for a barrage of negatives!
Santa Marta Beach is tiny, and usually this wouldn’t be an issue, but it leads to a whole range of new problems… at least for us. There’s a vendor on the beach that erects these blue tents every day to rent out to tourists. These tents are not only ugly, but they take up a lot of space on such a small patch of sand. By the way, these tents are a running theme across most beaches we visited around Santa Marta.
There was a pool of water on the centre of the beach, broken off for the sea. Initially we thought “oh that’s fun, that would be great for kids to paddle in!” Alas, this makeshift beach pond was stagnant… STAGNANT! And when we tell you this thing emitted the stench of rotten eggs, it could probably put skunks to shame.
Lastly, the beach and ocean were not the most sanitary. Besides the aforementioned giant cesspool, the sand was a sort of discoloured grey and the water was a murky brown. This is probably a result of shipping vessels coming in and out of the port a few hundred metres down the coastline. Yeah, not overly nice stuff!
Beaches you should visit instead
This is the fun part, the part when we get to list off all the beautiful beaches surrounding Santa Marta! We really do hate negativity, but we also feel like we need to be honest with our experiences so as to not paint a bad place in a positive light.
These following beaches still have some drawbacks in terms of experience, but overall they’re all decent places!
Playa Inca Inca
Playa Inca Inca is our favourite of the Santa Marta beaches outside of Tayrona National Park. There’s almost nothing bad we can say about this beach! The only downside for some people is that you’ll likely have to hike 45-minutes to get there.
But it’s this hike that puts Playa Inca Inca top of our list. This inaccessibility means it’s quiet! We went on a Saturday afternoon and while nearby beaches were heaving with people, there were only a handful of people at this hidden paradise.
The best bit? There aren’t any tents! Instead Playa Inca Inca boasts some natural looking umbrella-cabana looking things made out of grass. We made a full guide to visiting Playa Inca Inca, including how to get there, so check it out!
Playa Grande
Playa Grande is another “hidden” beach, found a 15-minute drive north of Santa Marta next to the sleepy fishing village of Taganga.
We say “hidden” because it’s actually very popular. What gives Playa Grande the hidden feeling is its location. It’s nestled inside a bay set into the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains. To get there you can either hike across for 20-minutes or pay 10,000 COP ($2.51) for a return shuttle boat from Playa Taganga.
We also published a full guide to visiting Playa Grande where we also touch on some downsides, so use that to plan your day out!
Playa Cristal or Bahía Concha
Playa Cristal and Bahia Concha are both located inside Tayrona National Park. We visited the park for a two day hike to Cabo San Juan, but the trails don’t take you to these two beaches. Instead, you’ll need to spend roughly 80,000 COP ($20.12) for a return ticket for a boat to take you from Playa Taganga.
Unfortunately we didn’t have the time to visit these beaches, but we have heard from locals that they are amazing. There’s water activities such as kayaking on the crystal clear waters and snorkelling on the coral reefs. They make the perfect place for a day trip with friends or family. You can even camp overnight on Bahia Concha!
Bear in mind that, for Playa Cristal, the capacity of the beach is 300 people. Once the limit has been reached you can’t go anymore – so get there early!
Heading to Tayrona?
We published a full guide to all the beaches inside Tayrona National Park. You can check it out here!
Playa El Rodadero
The next beach on this list is Playa El Rodadero. The main beach of the town of the same name, this one is huge! When you arrive, you’ll see the sand stretch off into the distance, tourists lazing about and the familiar blue tents we’ve come to know and hate.
Rodadero town is the tourist hot spot of the area. It’s full of huge hotels and resorts and has a bustling domestic tourism industry thanks to it being popular with Colombians. As a result, there’s also some great restaurants in the area and a beautiful promenade to walk down.
Yes, you guessed it, we also have a full guide to Playa El Rodadero too!
Playa Blanca
Finally we have Playa Blanca. Another massive beach that’s incredibly popular. To get there you have to take a boat ride from Playa El Rodadero. There are taxi-boats that run every 15-minutes or so but we can’t let you know the price because every time we boarded one, nobody asked us for money!
The vibe at Playa Blanca was giving beach party energy. It would be a great place to head with friends and a coolbox full of beer. Blast the portably speaker, get a bit loose and enjoy the sun, or the ugly blue tents, to your heart’s content!
Playa Blanca guide right here!
Final thoughts on Santa Marta Beach
As we mentioned, definitely visit Santa Marta, but don’t expect a lot from its beach. If a day trip with your friends to somewhere nice is what you’re after, this is not the place for you. But all the other beaches we listed, go and indulge!
Despite loving our month in Santa Marta, we won’t be making another trip there anytime soon. It’s a one and done sort of place. Without a gorgeous Caribbean beach to entice us, we’ll try somewhere else next time. Maybe the paradise island of San Andrés everyone kept telling us about!
There are even more great beach options in the area than we’ve mentioned here, check out our Best Beaches in Santa Marta guide to find them! Alternatively, discover more of Santa Marta with our 29+ Things to do in Santa Marta guide!
