Tayrona National Park (Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona)

Wikipedia gives about 150 square kilometres of land and roughly 30 square kilometres of Caribbean waters, while park-authority documents give about 150 square kilometres in total in older figures and about 193 square kilometres after a 2017 boundary revision, so any figure is approximate. Its terrain runs from arid sea level up to around 900 metres, which creates a range of climates and habitats in a small area. Temperatures at sea level typically range from about 27 to 35 degrees Celsius, and the climate is tropical and hot, with rainfall varying from almost none to heavy depending on the month.

Several rivers and creeks cross the park, including the Piedras, Cañaveral, Santa Rosa and Cinto, draining from the snowy peaks behind. Wikipedia notes that Taganga marks its southern end and that the western boundary follows the coast northeast to the Piedras River.

The park is considered rich in biodiversity. Researchers have catalogued about 108 mammal species and about 300 bird species, including the mantled howler monkey, the oncilla, deer, more than 70 species of bats, the military macaw and the lance-tailed manakin. It is also home to about 31 reptile species, 15 amphibians and over 770 plant species.

Offshore, the park has coral reefs and records of 110 coral species, 700 molluscs and over 400 fish species. Tayrona is one of three national parks in the Colombian Caribbean with coral reefs, and it has protected sites used for scuba diving, from shallow training areas to drift dives with currents.

The park takes its name from the Tairona people, who built stone pathways, terraces and settlements in the area up to the 16th century. The park has an archaeological museum at Chairama near Cañaveral. El Pueblito, once a popular hike to a Tairona site, has been closed since 2019 at the request of the Indigenous residents, which reflects the area's continuing importance to the Kogi, Arhuaco, Wiwa and Kankuamo peoples.

Park-authority records say it was declared in 1964 by Executive Resolution 191 of the Colombian Institute for Agrarian Reform (INCORA), and its current name and boundaries were set in 1969.

Tayrona received about 545,760 visitors in 2022 according to Wikipedia, making it the second most visited national park in Colombia that year. Places Wikipedia lists as attracting visitors include Los Naranjos Path, Castilletes Beach, The Pool, the Piedras River and the Chairama museum at Canaveral.

Access, entry rules and trail openings are managed by the park authority and can change, as the closure of El Pueblito shows, so it is best to check current status with the operator. The heat and humidity are significant, so water, sun protection and light clothing are important. A private guided visit from Santa Marta can handle the transfer to the park entrance and the timing of the walk.