Tayrona National Park Colombia

The Tayrona National Park was named after the Tayrona Indians who lived there until the 16th century until they were expelled and exterminated by colonial powers. Today, only a few descendants of the Tayronas, the Koguis, live in a village in the mountains of the national park: ¨Pueblito¨ for the modern people, and CChairama¨ for the aborigines.

The landscape is different as it might not be. From tropical beaches to dry forests, fog forests to the snow-capped peaks of Sierra Nevada, there is everything here. In the touristic zone of the park one is mostly on the trophic beaches. On the excavation site in Pueblito, however, you can see the snowy mountains in good view, even though you are in the rainforest.

One of the main attractions and a destination for a day trip to Tayrona National Park is "La Piscina", west of Canaveral. Going from the main entrance to Canaveral the entire route to "La Piscina" is about 2.5 hours on the road. "La Piscina" is a beautiful beach and is one of the few beaches of the national park, where one can go swimming anyway. Many other beaches are closed due to dangerous currents for bathing. If you want to go for a day trip through the jungle, you can take a guided tour of Ciudad Perdida.

Food: At the entrance to the park the luggage is searched for alcohol and drugs. Rum and beer are also sold in the park, though at inflated prices.