Arrived in Colombia: Cartagena and Santa Marta (including video)

Cartagena

After leaving cold New York, we headed to warm Colombia. After a 5-hour flight, we went from 0 to over 30 degrees. Our first stop was Cartagena, located on the northern coast of the Caribbean.

We spent two days in Cartagena, which was sufficient. The old town offers many shops and restaurants for leisurely strolls. On the first day, we explored the main places in the old town during the day and then went out in Getsemani in the evening. Getsemani, the adjacent neighborhood to the old town where our hostel was located, impressed us more with its colorful houses, narrow streets, and street art. There was a lot going on in the evenings - mobile cocktail bars, restaurants, street food stands, and street performers. Definitely a cool place to go out.

On the second day, we visited the San Felipe de Barajas Fortress. It wasn't very informative, but it offered a nice view of the city from above. In the afternoon, we walked through the old town again and had dinner in Getsemani.

Then came the first bus ride in Colombia, from Cartagena to Santa Marta. The advertised 4-hour journey turned into 6 hours, including vomiting passengers, various vendors on board, and excessive Colombian TV volume.

We stayed in Santa Marta for 18 nights because Kathrin was taking a two-week Spanish course there. Our hostel was perfect for this. We had a large room and a large outdoor area with a pool, restaurant, and bar. This allowed us to spend the days when we didn't do anything.

Santa Marta is a good starting point for various excursions. From there, we visited different beaches, such as Playa Grande, Playa Blanca, and Bahia Concha. One day, we took a bus to Minca in the Sierra Nevada mountains. There, we went hiking to a coffee farm and a waterfall.

We also went hiking in Tayrona National Park. This hike took us through the jungle along the coast to different beaches within the park. The hike was challenging at times, as we had to do some climbing and the last stretch was nothing but mud. But at the end of the trail, we were rewarded with a beautiful bay. Unfortunately, the water was rough that day, so we couldn't really go far into the sea.

Santa Marta is also a great place to go out in the evening. The city center is full of countless restaurants, bars, and clubs. We tried some of the restaurants, but it can be tiring as you constantly get approached and it's incredibly loud everywhere.

All in all, the time in Santa Marta was pretty cool, as there are plenty of things to do. After over 2 weeks, it was time to see something else again.

Here is the link to the video:

https://youtu.be/Y7v_VHBWkEw

Enjoy!