Bahia Concha - Caribbean Beaches are the best!

Another focal point for visitors to Santa Marta is Tayrona National Park. We were told by our host family that it’s an absolutely beautiful spot to visit. However, some of the beaches are un-swimmable due to rip-currents, and being dry season during our visit, the bright green trees displayed more of a faded brown. On top of that, visiting the park involved some serious costs that would have pushed our budget a little more than we’d have liked.

Thankfully there was another option. Another small bay with a quiet beach that while technically still within the park boundaries, there was a private road that could be used to access it. We opted for that. Early in the morning, we hopped on a short bus ride to the edge of town, where we grabbed a ride in the back of an old Land Cruiser for the rest of the ride. The road had seen better days, windy and full of deep ruts, but as it cost a tiny fraction of the park fees, it was worth it.

After a few short minutes, we find ourselves at the beach known as Bahia Concha. And what a beautiful beach it was. Getting the inside scoop from the family we were staying with, we headed directly to the far side of the beach. There we found more trees for shade and as the crowds began to arrive later in the morning, they stayed closer to the road. We had the beach almost entirely to ourselves for the next four hours. While a few people began to trickle in, the numbers certainly didn’t make sense given the stunning scenery. White sand, crystal clear Caribbean water and the perfect temperature. It was amazing. We spent the afternoon reading books, swimming, eating snack and relaxing. The Caribbean exists for these reasons, that much I’m convinced.

It was such a perfect way to spend our last day in Santa Marta. As we headed back to the house, we decided to check to see what time the buses ran in the morning to head to Cartagena. As it turns out, they didn’t. No buses, at the only company we could afford at least, ran on Good Friday. It is the most religious holiday in Colombia, more so than Christmas even. It’s the only day those buses do not run. We had to go back and figure out our accommodation situation since we had booked in Cartagena for the next night and weren’t able to get there. Luckily we had booked with amazing people both in Santa Marta and in Cartagena, and they were both accommodating, no pun intended… ok maybe a little.

We ended up spending the next day working and hanging out with the family. It was a nice quiet day in the city, nothing was open for business and the lack of noise reflected it. Needless to say, we got on the bus the next morning to our next destination: the colonial port city of Cartagena.