Colombia Countryside & Indigenous Culture

Enjoy a natural hike through the green lush of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, learn about some of the most preserved indigenous cultures of Colombia during your visit to this Indigenous cultural reserve, participate in an indigenous ceremony and taste a traditional lunch of Colombian Countryside.

  • Visit Tayrona Indigenous cultural reserve, learn about the indigenous culture and explore the ancient museum & terraces.
  • Hike in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
  • Taste a traditional lunch of Colombian countryside.
  • Participate on a short indigenous ceremony.

  • Difficulty level

    Level 3: Active - good mobility needed

  • Duration

    5hrs30

  • Max. passengers

    60

  • Booking code

    A-SMR1

  • From

    89 €

  • Please note

    Appropriate clothing and comfortably and sturdy walking shoes, sunhat and loose clothing. Sunscreen recommended.

Take in the scenery as you depart Santa Marta, traveling a road that climbs to higher elevations. En route, savor views of the Sierra Nevada foothills on one side and the lush vegetation of the Tayrona National Park on the other.  

Pass through villages and glimpse the locals going about their daily business before arriving at the Tayronaka parking area, where you will leave your motor coach and embark on the gentle, 30-minute guided trek through tropical vegetation to the ruins. 

During your relaxed tour through the grounds, you will see the remains of terraced settlements dating to between 800 and 1600 AD. Your guide will explain how the structures were built and how they provided a home for the Tayrona people. Also be sure to take time to appreciate the natural surroundings, alive the tropical flowers and the sights and sounds of peacocks, toucans and parrots. 

 For a deeper understanding of the Tayrona culture, step into a small, one-room museum, a reconstruction of an original round house still used by a different group of indigenous people, attesting to the utility of this ancient form of construction. In addition, local descendants of the ancient peoples will be on hand to interact with you and demonstrate some of their life skills.  

Get a real taste of the culture with a lunch of sancocho, a hearty stew of meat and local vegetables, fried green bananas, accompanied by agua panela con limon, or sugar cane juice with lemon. The setting is as delightful as the fare, as you will enjoy your meal under a simple palm thatched restaurant set within the gardens. 

Return to your motor coach by foot, making your way along the jungle trail bordering the Don Diego River, which served as the setting for the film, The Mission. Reaching your motor coach, enjoy the approximately 90-minute journey to the pier , viewing countryside scenes along the way. 

Practical information: 

  • Language: English and Spanish.

  • Included: Yes - Traditional Lunch of Sancocho: a Colombian specialty and is similar to a hearty soup or stew with local vegetables such as yuca & green banana as well as meat and potato. The lunch will be accompanied by “agua panela con limon”, (sugar cane juice with lemon). 

  • Remarks/requirements: Appropriate clothing and comfortably and sturdy walking shoes, sunhat and loose clothing.  Sunscreen recommended.

  • Walking information: Approximately 1.5 hours of walking. Forest trails are uneven with compacted mud & sand, with tree roots & loose stones. 30-40 steps to go up to the Tayrona Terraces (optional). 10-12 Steps to enter to different places in the reserve.

  • Wheelchair accessible: No.