We decided to fly to Santa Marta rather than face a 23 hour bus ride, and managed to get pretty decent LATAM flights avoiding the budget airlines. Phew. Once again, we realised we had totally lucked out when we arrived at my friend Juan’s condo in the Playa Dormida complex on the coast of Santa Marta. A brand new complex, it has everything we could have dreamed of, not one but THREE pools, a spa, gym and direct access to the beach. Not to mention the apartment with its stunning views and its contemporary designer finish, AND our very own oven. We were SO excited to be staying here, to rest and relax for four whole nights! If you are reading this Juan, we owe you a slap up meal once we arrive in LA! Our first few days here looked like this: nap, cook, sip, swim, repeat. It was basically too hot to do much else. We did venture in to Santa Marta one evening but didn't think much of the place and quickly retreated back to our little den of comfort and solitude. Tyrona National Park had been on our hit list from the start so we were eager to make the most of it and got up early. We were prepared for it to be baking hot with humidity off the charts so even more of a reason to get going. Being a bit of a sweater, as well as a walking jam jar, I was anticipating a difficult days hike through the jungle. The bus takes around an hour and there is a very official entrance on arrival where you have to watch a safety video (don't wander off the paths, don't feed the wildlife etc), you even get a wrist band. Then you can pay a little extra to get to the start of the trails vis a small mini bus, or you can just walk it. But you'd be mad to walk it unless you like 110% humidity and sweat dripping into your eyes. Many people camp at one of the several campsites but quite frankly, I couldn't think of anything worse at this time of year. So only being there for the day trip, we were on a mission to tick off three of the area's highlights, Arrecifes, La Piscina and Cabo San Juan. We doused ourselves in bug spray, made sure the sweat towel was within easy reach, and in to the jungle we ventured! Ok, so I am glad I built it up in my head because in reality it wasn't that bad at all! I mean, the litres of sweat that poured out of me were very real but the paths are mostly flat and there are even wooden boardwalks in places making the walk rather enjoyable. The vegetation you walk through is awesome and changes at every corner so you never get too bored. It is around an hour walking to Arrecifes, 30 minutes more on to La Piscina and 20 minutes further again on to Cabo San Juan. I have never been so eager to tear off my clothes on seeing those ultramarine waters! The wildlife is abundant, we saw Capuchin monkeys, Marmosets (SO CUTE), giant leaf cutter ants, a fun giant jungle hermit crab, and an amazing chrysalis hanging by a thread on to a tree. And thousands of lizards rustling by the path. So we didn't rush too much but we did only just make it back to the entrance in time (4pm) to get back to the main bus before the park closed. It was just as well as there was a huge storm brewing. I felt pretty bad for all those sweaty happy campers who were clearly in for a rough night! Never has air conditioning felt so good!
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
All photos copyright ©
Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |