Things to do
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Lost City Trek
Ciudad Perdida, a terraced Tairona settlement in the Sierra Nevada founded centuries before Machu Picchu, is reached only on a guided trek of four days and around forty six kilometres. Camps, food and guides are arranged through a small number of licensed operators. River crossings, heat and mud make the walk harder than the distance suggests. The route closes each September while the indigenous communities hold their ceremonies.
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Minca
Up a rough road into the foothills, a village of coffee and cacao fincas sits in cooler air above the coastal heat, with swimming holes, waterfalls and birding trails within walking distance. Motorbike taxis handle the last stretch to the higher hostels. Nights are cold enough for a blanket. The road washes out in heavy rain, which strands vehicles for hours.
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Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino
Simon Bolivar died in this sugar hacienda outside the city in 1830, and the house, chapel and mill are preserved around that room as a national monument. Botanical gardens, a monumental altar and a museum of Latin American art share the grounds. Shade and a sea breeze make the site bearable in the afternoon heat. Ticketed entry covers the whole property.
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Taganga
A fishing cove over the headland north of the city turned backpacker port, with dive schools running certifications in the bay and boats out to the Tayrona beaches. The horseshoe of grey sand fills in the evening as the fleet comes in. Water shortages are chronic and the place has a rougher reputation after dark. Divers still come for the steady conditions and the short rides to the reef.
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Tayrona National Park
Dry forest runs down to boulder backed bays along this stretch of coast, where the Sierra Nevada meets the Caribbean. Entry is limited daily and the walk from the Zaino gate to the main beaches takes around two hours, some of it on sand. Only a few bays are safe for swimming, and currents elsewhere have drowned swimmers. Camping and hammocks inside the park are booked well ahead in high season.