Tayrona National Park (Colombia)

From Santa Marta, I took a day trip to the famous Tayrona National Park, which is an hour's drive from Santa Marta. I was lucky because two days after my visit, the park was closed for a month for regeneration. I read that many Colombians also visit the park, especially during the Christmas holidays. And the Colombians are said to be very proud of the park - rightfully so - because it is home to the most beautiful beaches in the country. At the entrance of the park, there is a sign that says the park belongs to all Colombians, those who have already died, those who are alive now, and the many who are yet to be born. At the entrance, I stood in line to buy a ticket. A proud 60,000 pesos. About 17€. More than announced on the internet. And you also have to show your passport. Without it, you probably can't get in. There were two wristbands. One for insurance, which I think was included, maybe that's why it was a bit more expensive. Then we got back in our shuttle bus, because we had to drive a bit further to the actual start of the park. From there, we walked through the jungle for 2.5 hours. The path was well-made. With wooden bridges and stones, and even monkeys in the trees. I wanted to take pictures of them, but the monkeys were faster. One of them probably doesn't like photos because it shook the branch above me until small twigs fell down. I suspect it was intentional. Eventually, we could see the sea, and since we had gone quite uphill, we had a beautiful view down to the beaches. They were, of course, a dream. There was even a small pool with a crocodile. And a campsite with tents for those who stayed overnight. Restaurants and horses for those who couldn't or didn't want to walk anymore. And in beautiful places, you're not alone, there were also many other tourists there. So, together with a girl from my hostel, I looked for a quieter spot than the paradisiacal beach and we walked a bit off the beaten path, uphill through the jungle, and climbed onto a big rock. There we had our peace and quiet and at the same time, a great view of the beach. After about two hours of chilling and a short dip in the sea, we had to start our way back to be back with the driver on time. Really a beautiful park, if you don't choose the most crowded beach."