Tayrona Park Hike Tour To Cabo San Juan: Flexible Options

Chris is a great tour guide, showed up early and prepared, spotted capuchin and howler monkeys which he showed us, as well as !!!poison dart frog!!!, indigenous tribe, plus crabs, water fowl, and beautiful beaches, a fantastic day we’ll always remember!

Very nice experience, we saw a lot of animals thanks yo our guide Martin. The hike was not too hard, but its very hot in the jungle so be prepared to sweat! The beach in San Juan is a little crowded but the refreshing is welcomed!

Loved this tour. Our guide knew everything about Tayrona. Stunningly beautiful hike thru natural areas and Juan explained it all & answered all our questions. Pointed out animals that he was skilled to see since he’s been there so much. We were so privileged & appreciate his knowledge of this area.

We had an excellent time. The weather was perfect, and our guide Christian Carvajalino, was very knowledgeable and made the hiking time pass very quickly. It was amazing to see the wildlife, especially the monkeys, as well as the native tribes in the park. We definitely recommend this trip!

Beautiful hike, tricky in a few spots but overall fine. We saw 3 types of monkeys. Had a great guide

So, you decide to embark on a 2.5-3 hour hike to find a bit of paradise. People have raved about this hidden gem in Parque Tayrona, and while it’s lovely and the route offers stunning scenery, there’s a catch. First, you pay for mandatory medical insurance and park entrance. It’s pricey for foreigners, but fine for Colombians and cheap for locals, as is normal for national parks. Then, you’ll need to pay for a 7-minute ride to the car park, which is very cheap at 7,000 COP. You could walk it, but I recommend taking the bus. We started our hike on a pleasant day, though it was humid near the coast in the jungle. There’s a good path for a 2.5-hour walk or you can take a horse ride, which seems to be okay. I can’t comment on it as the horses seemed good enough for a two-hour ride, but it cost around 70-80,000 Col Pesos. We arrived at the reception area, where two people worked at the entrance. They spoke basic English and were surrounded by tourists. The lady who helped me didn’t believe I’d booked a tent even though I had a receipt from the official Cabo San Juan kiosk at the park entrance. She offered me a hammock instead, but I insisted I’d paid for a tent. She denied seeing my booking for a tent but quickly asked her colleague to check. Her colleague confirmed I had a tent reserved. Despite this, I was then asked to show the confirmation on my phone! It seems they don’t trust you much here! Forget it, I was told my tent number and location: “at the end to the right!” Over 100 tents had numbers written in marker, some on multiple tents, others scribbled out and overwritten. Finding my correct tent, or what was left of a good 10-15 year old one, took 10 minutes. The zips were broken or didn’t work. As you’d expect, seaside conditions quickly deteriorate anything not maintained, and it seemed minimal maintenance had been done to these old tents. A few newer tents were there, but I couldn’t tell the difference between theirs and ours; they also had bigger and smaller ones. I guess I was unlucky to get a smaller, older one. The night was hot due to poor ventilation. The next morning, I went to charge my phone at the communal charging point. Three women were charging their phones and walked away for a few minutes. A man walked up and nonchalantly grabbed one of their phones. He’d been sitting next to me and I didn’t think much of it. But in a place like this, you can’t let your guard down. No one’s looking out for you, except yourself. Don’t give them a chance; they’ll take it. Sadly, the phone and the man were gone. Next, I went to see my daughter’s sleeping hammock. Where to start? The mosquito nets had loads of holes or were fixed with hand-tied knots. The safe lockers were all broken, rusted, or simply not there. Toilets and cleaning facilities were the worst. They were dirty, small, and certainly not up to standards for the price we paid. They charge for daily visitors from other beaches, so they collect a good amount of money from those staying in, as well as the fees for staying in the ecolodge. The food was okay, so I’d give them a 2.5 out of 5. The price was too high. Service is rude, or well not friendly as many other parts of Colombia, sadly costeños are not really know for their service and hospitality! As like the other parts of the country ! Overall, Cabo de San Juan Park Tayrona is a beautiful spot, that gets quite busy between 11am-4:00pm Service and amenities leaves a lot to desire and improve. Starting by some tents and sleeping facilities. Personal customer service must improve and the food could do with some overall quality and improvement. Is overprice and sadly really needs to be addressed before it declines and people stop coming to visit! Please see some of my pics and see what I refer to! I believe and talking to couple of other travellers, they had. Similar experience to myself, I feel that the management needs to take a good look at the fascilities and improve one by one, Toilets, revisit the old tents and hammock situation, and improve the restaurant situation. This is not difficult, but just management wanting to improve what could be an amazing facility to outstanding visit. Food certainly can be improve if they want to charge those prices, and mostly but does not cost much, the customer interaction service, starting from the reception all the way to the ladies making and serving the juice, smile and a please and thank you don’t cost much, but goes along way and people will be happier. Well I know I would certainly recommend this place and be back if things were to change!

Saul guided us very well, giving us all of the options along the way and pointing out all the relevant info and natural highlights. My partner is not a trekker but Saul dealt with that very well! We had a lovely day and would recommend this tour.

The tour was amazing, we had a great tour guide Juan Jose, who did a very good job! We saw many incredibly beautiful places and animals. I highly recommend this hiking trip to everyone!

What an amazing hike and experience!!!! I had the most incredible time. The terrain was not too rough and each segment ended with a stunning beach. We hit up three different beaches and we had a great lunch overlooking the beach. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and made this an incredible day to remember

What a great experience! All around excellent! Our guide Saul knows the park really well and spots monkeys easily. Unforgettable excursion.

We joined the English Tayrona Park tour from Santa Marta. The day started well - the guide, Saul, was knowledgeable, caring, and clearly passionate about the environment. He took good care of us during the hike, and we truly appreciated his professionalism. However, the transportation at the end of the tour was a complete disaster and created a serious safety issue. After a long 4+ hour hike, we expected to be driven back to our hotel as described in the tour. Instead, when we reached the park entrance, we were told there was no transportation arranged for us. We are non-Spanish speakers, and the guide knew we had spent our last cash inside the park. We were then told to take a crowded local bus on our own. No English speakers, no instructions, no support, and no alternative offered. The bus ride took 2.5 hours instead of under 1 hour, and we had no idea where to get off. We had to watch Google Maps carefully and jump off at the closest stop. From there we walked more than 10+ minutes through unfamiliar local streets with garbage everywhere, in the dark, which felt extremely unsafe. This should never happen on an organized, paid tour booked through Viator — especially an English tour for international travelers. There was no duty of care and no proper transportation provided back to the hotel as promised. It’s very unfortunate because the guide deserved 5 stars, but the transportation failure and the safety risk turned the experience into a very stressful ending.

So this event is about himing throught Tayrona park to Cabo San Juan beach. verything went very well. Our driver, Paco, was on time to pick us up from our hotel and get us to Tayrona. Saul was an amazing guide who kept at our pace and made a lot of effort to show us interesting things. Saul really cares for the park and it's indigenous people. The hike itself can be tricky if you're out of shape but there are options for people who are unable to go on foot like horses through the jungle or boats to the beach. It can be a bit slippery and this area sees small rain showers (we went during the wet season so ymmv), a lot of climbing up and down, especially at the start. There are small rest stops that sell water, soda, ice cream, etc along the way. Usually close to some of the scenic lookout points. Indigenous peoples also have small outposts where they sell goods theyve made. Ultimately we trekked about 18km start to finish, that does include an hour or so that we played on the beach. We were exhausted and drenched in sweat by the end of the day. The temperatures grt very high and it is a lot of excercise. Kevin got us home safely. It was a hot day but an amazing experience and I highly recommend going with Gran Colombia Tours.

Amazing experience! Highly recommend. Tour guide was great, very knowledgeable. Beautiful views and the beach was amazing.

The start of the day had me a little on edge—meeting at the hotel, walking to the bus lot, and then waiting about 35 minutes for the bus at 7:30am without really knowing what was going on. But once we set off, everything felt much better. And when we finally met our guide, Saul, I felt completely at ease. He’s an incredible human being—it honestly felt like hanging out with a friend. I really admired how he went out of his way to pick up trash along the path on our hike back to the entrance. You can tell he takes real pride in his work and cares deeply about Tayrona. The hike itself, along with everything he pointed out, was fascinating—and the beach left me absolutely speechless. I would highly recommend this guided tour, especially if it’s your first time visiting Tayrona for the day.

If you want an unforgettable experience in the park: You better call Saul. Saul was incredible -- knowledgeable, kind, inquisitive, and funny. It’s clear he has a deep love for nature and the park, and he’s passionate about making sure you get the most from your visit. We had a fantastic (though hot!) hike and spotted an incredible variety of wildlife -- jungle animals, birds, insects, fruits, and plants. We can’t recommend Saul highly enough as a guide. Unfortunately, our transportation experience was the opposite. The driver assigned to us stopped for gas en route, frequently texted while driving (including sharing questionable photos visible from the back seat), and drove erratically -- swerving between vehicles, tailgating cars and bikes -- to the point that we felt car sick. We’ve taken the same route with other drivers and never had these issues. This behavior was dangerous, unprofessional, and very concerning.

I came to the Parque Tayrona on a solo trip to see nature and spend some time in beaches. I was kindly picked up by Julio at my hotel promptly and enjoyed listening music with him. He was extremely helpful in providing more context on the park and the general area, and picked us up after the park promptly. My tour guide (Daniel) was incredibly hospitable and deserves to be applauded for providing an amazing tour. We truly became friends over the hours spent together and he provided good background history for the space. Thank you Daniel for the great time!

The park is beautiful and such a wonderful experience to see the jungles and beaches, it's like nothing I've ever seen before 😍 the tour was definitely worth it, it made everything so easy as it was all organised for you. Pick up and drop off from your accommodation, straight into the park and having someone with you that knows everything especially when you're alone is priceless. Gorgeous good overlooking the ocean, what more could you want 👌🏼

This was a fantastic all day trek that covered 16 kms all up. We loved having our guide Alex along for the whole day as we learned so much about the park and Colombia generally. Indeed have a guide one on one and logistics sorted out for us was well worth it. You need a modicum of fitness to do this walk as it takes 11 hours all up (including rest and lunch and swimming breaks) and it is warm, humid conditions. You can do this whole adventure yourself but having a professional guide really enriches the experience. We saw many animals missed by others including a rare butterfly Alex had not seen in 20 years of guiding! A really great day out.

We had a great trip to Tayrona national park! David knew lots of facts and made sure we were super relaxed but kept us on pace. He also checked that we were okay and enjoying the whole trip. Thank you for providing this opportunity!

We had a really lovely time hiking through the park with Alexis. He was knowledgeable and accommodating. We encountered a lot of mud on the way in and he took us on an alternate route down the beach to avoid it on the way back. We enjoyed plenty of leisure time on Playa Piscina. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone short on time and wanting to see the national park.

The park is great, but our guide was not. It was difficult to get information concerning when&where the tour would start fromt he tour operator and the guide, after multiple enquiries we finally got a time&place at 9.30pm the evening before. Our driver, Steven, was really great and early for pickup in reference to the time he‘d been given by the guide (8), we, however, had been told 7.30 so it was great that Steven was early. He was very reliable and extremely kind. Steven was meant to pick up our guide, Cristián, but when we arrived at the arranged place he was not there. So Steven had to go pick him up even further. Next, Cristián had to organise cash from a cashpoint, because he wasn‘t prepared. By the time we reached the park entrance, there was a long line. According to Steven, guides usually come prepared so there is no wait, but this was not the case. When we finally had our entry tickets, Cristián had to get yet more cash (why?!) and also water and snacks for himself, as he had come unprepared for a day‘s hike in 32C… the park was absolutely beautiful and we much appreciated the nature and everything we saw, however none of this was enriched by our guide. He couldn‘t give us information about anything (we asked about plants, birds, how long we‘d hike, where we were going etc.) Also, his English was very bad, luckily, I speak Spanish. We absolutely recommend going to Tayrona National Park, but do not take a guide, especially not this one. Imagine our faces, when Cristián turned around at the end of the day (after failing to make Steven drop him off closer to his home as this would have meant driving much further and his job is to drive us to our hostel) asking for optional tips…

My excellent guide Guillermo had a lot of interisting things to tell about nature and mor and showed me small animals that i would not have seen when hiking alone. Beautiful beaches a bit crowded because of holiday time. The tour was very well organised and also the driver Camillo did a very good job.

Great hike to Cabo San Juan with Ronaldo - he is nice, young and we had good talks. The forest and beaches are beautiful and serene, reminded me some part of Hawaii islands. I believe this is a must see in Santa Marta.

Our guide Andrea was amazing! She pointed out all the animals she could spot! We saw monkeys and crabs.

Andrea was our guide. She was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and had a great energy and made this experience memorable! She took us to La Picina beach to relax after our trek while pointing out many interesting sights in Tayrona National Park. Our meal was delicious at our rest area. She even recommended a restaurant for our last night in Santa Marta! I would definitely recommend Andrea and this excursion!

Alexis was a wonderful and kind guide. We appreciated his knowledge of the area, history and trail system. His ability to speak English and Spanish was inclusive for our family so we all learned interesting information from him. The hike and the beaches are beautiful and definitely worth doing. We were happy to have Alexis to navigate the ticket entrance, best view points, refreshing coconut water and a delicious lunch spot. Muchas gracias por todo!

Great tour! Martin was a fantastic tour guide, excellent personality, spoke good English, and was very accommodating. Highly recommend you request him for this tour.

We were lucky to have Jose twice as our guide, first on the Tayrona tour and second on our Santa Marta tour. He was excellent at both, his English is very, very good (much better than our Spanish). His advanced knowledge of the area, the local flora and fauna, and compassion for the indigenous peoples of the area was palpable and appreciated greatly. 10/10 and we would definitely recommend our friends request Jose directly when looking for a tour guide in the area.

I booked all my tours in Santa Marta with Grand Colombia tour. The guides (Giuliano and Cesar) were very friendly easy going and knowledgeable. I traveled solo across Colombia but had a feeling I was visiting friends here. All was good organized and communication from the moment of booking was fantastic. Both guides were sharing they knowledge about good places to visit or to have lunch in. I could count in their advice or support when necessary. I usually don’t book anything through the travel agency but this time it made sense: it was hassle free and with good value for money.

Our trip to Tayrona National Park was wonderful. Our guide, Jose was personable, knowleable, patient and full of good suggestions. It was great to get to know him some.His English skills are very good and his driver also skillful. The park is beautiful and the beaches lovely. Taking the horses back was also a fun and interesting experience. We highly recommend this tour.

The experience was lovely the beaches were spectacular! Our guide Jose Rada was very knowledge and even surprised us with an amazing hammock! He definitely made the trip manageable and exciting! Also, our driver Heison was very professional and drove with extreme care.

We had the most amazing and wonderful day at the Tayrona Park. Alejandro our guide was unbelievable, his knowledge, advice and recommendations were incredible. I highly recommend this tour and Gran Colombia Tours to anyone.

Our trip to Tayrona was a once in a lifetime experience! Our guide Giulian was simply amazing! He was so kind, personable, and full of insight and knowledge that we would not have been able to receive elsewhere. Tayrona is a must-do. We had so much fun hiking and then at the beach. The experience helped us to feel more connected to the people of Colombia and the beautiful nature in Tayrona. Highly, highly recommend! It’s a can’t miss!!

A wonderful experience and highly recommended. The landscape and the beaches that we visited are spectacular. Our bilingual guide was Rosa, very kind, she was looking out for us all day, she explained a lot about the park and its history. The tour was organized. Everything went as we had planned at the beginning of the tour.

La Grand Columbia Tours Andrea Carolina was a wonderful guide with a great driver. The tour started and ended on time. Andrea was a delight to be with and quite knowledgeable. Tayrona Park is stunningly beautiful. We saw cappuccino monkeys, a hawk, a woodpecker and 3 blue morpho butterflies. The beaches are fabulous. The hike is challenging for a retired couple but worth it for the experience. It was like a dream full of surprises. Thank you!!

Amazing tour of Tayrona Park. A lot of walking in the tropical forest (7km one way) that is not easy to do, but totally worth it. Rosa, our guide, was trully amazing. Felt like doing the tour with a close friend that knows a lot of interesting information. We saw a few of the animals in the park and found out a lot of really interesting stuff. Very nice beaches and nice scenery as well. Overall definitely recommended!

Lovely way to get to see the park for those with limited time. Includes hiking like everyone else does but with a guide (lovely Andrea for us) who explains the history, local culture, nature and animals. Includes everything (pickup, transportation, entry fees - Andrea even got the tickets for us and the wristbands, guide services, lunch (whole fish, natural juice - beer 5K extra), and drop back to Santa Marta. Andrea was very flexible and let us decide how far to go, how many beaches, extra time to snorkel (la piscina right side by the breaker rocks is the place to go). Would have liked a bit more time to relax there but however you do it, it does take 1.5h hiking each way from the parking lot to the nice beaches where you can swim. We were picked up at 7am and got back to the hotel around 530pm. Fresh young coconut from the cogi people in the park was nice (5K), ask them to cut it open to eat the coconut meat inside. Really enjoyed spending the day with Andrea, our English speaking guide, who answered all of our questions and is just a lovely person. Don't forget to bring your passports or digital copies with you, also some cash (for the bread with chocolate -6K- they sell in the park), water shoes if you want to snorkel, footwear that you can walk 3+h in on occasionally muddy terrain/steps up and down, but mostly flat), water, bug spray, binoculars, sunscreen, sarong/towel. We were a couple and it was only us in the taxi with Andrea and also on the tour. Plan to leave the parking lot at least 1.5h before sunset to get back to Santa Marta if you want to see the sunset there. Overall, I'd say a reasonable value if you are really short on time.

Very fun tour and the guides were very friendly and helpfull it was a great time I recommend Andrea and Yube they are excellent

We had ordered and paid for 5 adults with private guide and pickup. The order was made 8 months in advance. Still, the evening before our trip came a message that they only had a car for four people, and they asked us to confirm that this was OK!! Really incredibly bad service, and we sat there the night before and became doubtful if our trip could even be done. We in no way accepted this, and they ended up sending a big car, but we got no excuse or compensation. I would not book through them another time.

Exceptional tour made in pairs, to guide us our legendary guide Saul, exquisite person, with whom we shared a beautiful day! I highly recommend it, the park with its beaches is something not to be missed in Colombia!

Excellent experience. Saul was a very good guide. Friendly and competent. We could swim in Cabo San Juan, we saw micos, an alligator, the combination of paradise beaches and jungle were extraordinary. The walk is relatively easy, there are only a few difficult passages if one suffers from the knees.

Tanto Guillermo, como Alexis el guía que nos acompañó y el.condictor estuvieron super atentos con nosotros. Merece mucho la pena la excursión al parque y las playas y gcon está compañía más

The tour was incredible, between rocks, forest and very beautiful beaches. The guide gave a lot of information and was also very available. I would do it again a thousand times!!

Fantastic tour of Tayrona Park! Especially highlight our guide, Andrea, who made this tour a memorable experience for me and my family. We would not hesitate to repeat this tour if we return to Santa Marta!

Amazing place. The hike is not for anyone as it is 7 km outbound and 5km back, you have to endure the heat and humidity well. The guide Alejandro a phenomenon, showed us the passing animals as well as the flora with an excellent detail of each of them (we even tried palms taken from the ground and two very sweet and rich fruits). 100% recommended to do it with them!

Really taking a tour with Gran Colombia is a guarantee. The tour to Tayrona Park they offer is wonderful. Beyond Tayrona Park being divine this tour is very well organized, they are in all the details. It was an unforgettable experience for us. We did the hike at our own pace, the beaches are amazing, the lunch is delicious and the guide Alejandro is a luxury. We really can't do anything but thank you. Very highly recommended!

The Tours that offer, is not the real thing, say crystal clear beaches and calms, so it is not so, We went as a family among others, to Bahía Concha in Tayrona Park, a lot of wind, beach cut in the sea and not at all calm and so crystal clear, of course keep in mind that you have to pay part, insurance before entering, then lunch, which of course, as it is the only thing that exists is much more expensive and very rustic. You have to carry a lot of water, because the walk to the beach is not short, especially considering the heat.

Jose was an excellent guide! We've lived a frenetic day, amazing place, we've had a divine pargo lunch! After arriving in San Juan, we could rest under the palm trees in a net brought by our guide Jose! We return on horses, on an unforgettable trail. Thank you Jose Antonio, the best of Santa Marta!

It is an encounter with the most extraordinary landscapes while you make a spectacular walk, not only enriches the view, also the spirit.. it is simply an unforgettable experience from start to finish... We should all visit Tayrona Park and admire its majesty... it is magic, it is a unique encounter with nature... Simply a gift from our beautiful Colombia to the world...