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From Wikitravel

Santa Marta is a city in the Costa Norte region of Colombia.

[edit] Understand

Pearl of the America. Santa Marta an important commercial port and tourist destination. Everyday there are cargo ships coming and going and the action is very much visible. From the beach, the view of the Caribbean Sea is more or less to the west (beautiful sunsets) with a huge rock of an island jutting up out of the water to make a somewhat dramatic effect. Off to the right is the port snug behind another even bigger rock. This is a decent beach if you like beaches that are right in town with lots of people, vendors, and noise. Vendors are rather aggressive if you are on the beach. Speaking of expenses, there is a high season and low season. High season is more December thru April.

[edit] Get in

The Simón Bolívar airport (same name as the one in Caracas, Venezuela) has non-stop flights from Bogotá and Medellín. It is located along the beach, 20 min south of town, but much closer to most of the beach resorts and only 10 min from El Rodadero (main beach).

The bus station is all the way out of town on the main highway (3,000 pesos to the beach in taxi, some charge tourists 10,000). Mini-bus 1000 Pesos. Bus rides are available from:

• Cartagena (3 hours).
• Barranquilla (2 hours).
• Medellín (12 hours).
• Bucaramanga (8 hours).
• Bogotá (16 hours).

[edit] Get around

Streets are numbered the beach can be considered "Carrera 1" or 1st St., and the first street is usually "Carrera 1A" or 1A St. The next street after the first row of buildings is Carrera 2 or 2nd St. Calles are streets running from north to south. Unlike bigger cities in Colombia, taxis do not run on a meter. payments range from 3500 pesos for a "lift" (usually a ride no more than 10 minutes) to upwards of 20,000 pesos, depending on where you go. If you meet someone who 'knows' a taxi driver, this can be a good opportunity to negotiate a price to your next checkpoint in Colombia. Some drivers will take you as far as Barranquilla, although you have to negotiate.

[edit][add listing] See

• Museo del Oro, Calle 14 No.2-67 (on plaza Bolivar). Displays a collection of precolumbian pottery, a nice collection of gold and a scale model of Ciudad Perdida. Free entrance.  edit

• Simon Bolivar's grave, (Take a bus for 1,000 COP or taxi for 4,000 COP). Beautiful and very interesting gardens, lots of iguanas, study the map before getting any further. The guide will tell you only about the buildings and the history of the "Libertador". Entrance 10,000 COP.  edit

[edit][add listing] Do

• The nearby coral reefs provides good possibilities for scuba diving.
• On the beaches, you can usually rent a jet ski in increments of 10 minutes. If you are not comfortable operating one, you can usually ask for a ride around. Life jackets are provided.

• Party with Mr. Donado, he's a local resident also known as "The King" of Santa Marta. A successful business leader, but very outgoing and would be happy to take visitors out for drinks. You can usually find him in the beach during summer time, or at the top local bars. His son (also popular) is Javier Donado.

• Study Spanish: 10 USD/hour, only one student per teacher, accommodation, breakfast,course materials,study visits to Cartagena, Tayrona etc. Casa Scania Calle 21 3-88. For reservations: elsaligia@hotmail.com

• Academia Latina, professional language school in Santa Marta. Learn Spanish with excellent skilled teachers in a inspiring environment. Good prices for private classes! Volunteering programs available (free of charge) and family stay. Free grammar list and after school activities, like salsa lessons. See [1]

[edit][add listing] Buy

Santa Marta is famous for its beach sellers. someone can go to the beach 365 days a year, there are always people wandering up and down the beach selling anything. The beaches in the northern suburb El Rodadero have aggressive sellers, take this as an opportunity to haggle. Usually aim for 2000-3000 Pesos below the price asked.

[edit][add listing] Eat

There are a lot of eating options. They seem to be good at roasting and grilling chicken. They do a good job of grilling beef tough but flavorful. Seafood is plentiful and relatively inexpensive lots of shrimp and seafood cocktail vendors. Most varieties of fruit are available even what is more common to cold climates. At night street vendors sell all types of snacks pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, shakes, kabobs, rice in milk with coco, fried stuffed doughy things, etc.. Coffee, hot chocolate, and both hot cinnamon and lemon is omni-present.

• Agave Azul - Sabores de Mexico, Calle 14 No 3-74. Very good Mexican food prepared by fabulous New York trained chef Michael McMurdo. With a range from burritos to steaks to seafood this very elegant food will blow your mind but not break the bank. With lunch menu for $4.00 and dinner menu from $8.00 to $13.00. Open Tuesday to Friday for lunch and dinner and Saturday for dinner only. Happy Hour Margaritas 2X1 from 5-7 everyday.

• Merkabar / Welcome Restaurant, Calle 10 No 2-11. Good combination of local and gringo food. Good breakfasts, cheap filling lunches, and their famous "sopa del mar", soup overflowing with seafood. Their fruit juices are excellent. They also now run the restaurant at Hotel Miramar, so it's the exact same menu. Gilberto, one of the brothers that owns and runs Merkabar, speaks English and is friendly and helpful with tourist needs.

• Ben & Josep´s bar & restaurant (Dutch owner) On the beach road in front of the Park Hotel. The very best steak (filet mignon)in Santa Marta. Fine dining for a reasonable price.

• Restaurante El Escorial. A good restaurant is in the middle of the block behind the beach on 11th street

Street Food:

• Excellent seafood soup from a man at the corner of 13th st. and 4th Carr (diagonally opposite the small church.. next to sunglasses vendors. You'll see huge pots of soup). Very cheap and delicious, but only in mornings. Sells out by noon.

• There is a man who has been sitting on 14th street between 3rd and 4th carrera ( behind the beach) selling shrimp cocktail at a reasonable price for 23 years.

• There is another man who has been sitting on 22th street on 1st carrera ( in front of the beach) selling a delicious shrimp cocktail at a reasonable price and he is very reliable and well known in the city.

[edit][add listing] Drink

It would be good idea to take a couple of "Stubbie Coolers" (Australian vernacular for an item which keeps the beer in your bottle cooler or longer) as the heat in Taganga will have you drinking warm beer by the time you are at the end of your drink.

Crab's Bar - a fun rock n' roll bar. The Colombian owner (who is a spitting image of Neil Young) used to own a large rock club in Bogotá, but he sold it to settle down here. Every evening he VJ's videos of all the great classic rock bands. Friendly staff, great vibe, nice décor. Calle 18 No. 3-69 (between Carr 3 & 4). www.crabsbar.com

The drink of choice is, of course, beer. Because Santa Marta can get brutally hot during the summer (upwards of 35 C/95F), it is a good idea to constantly have a bottle of water with you. During the evenings, when it gets cooler, beer and friends is often an excellent combination.

Soft drinks can be found at nearly every restaurant - sometimes you can even pick it up in glass bottles. They are cheap: a Drink usually costs no more than 1,000 COP.

Ask about Ben´s Bar on the Beach. Barrio Samario, La Puerta, and El Garage

[edit][add listing] Sleep

If you are looking for a place to stay, there are somewhat more expensive hotels. 10th street is less expensive. These include:

• La Brisa Loca Backpackers, Calle 14 N3-58, ☎ (57)-(318-303-3666), [2]. With a much more central location than the tenth street hostels, it is situated directly between Plaza San Francisco and Parque Bolivar. Owned by two Californian brothers and built in an 80 year-old, neo-republican mansion and restored to recover its genuine colonial Caribbean feel , this is one hostel where you won’t feel like you’re still backpacking. While bringing comfort and convenience to your stay, it also imparts history and style. The large, high ceiling manor, with its eleven dorms and suites houses up to 60 people and provides beverages for many more. With pool, full size bar, hammock room, nightly meals, wifi, free internet and much more.  edit

• Hotel Miramar, Calle 10C No 1c-70, ☎ (57-5)-(423-3276). Classic South American Backpacker´s Hotel. Rooms are quite basic and somethimes it's hot, but the staff is great, Wi-Fi very fast but costs 5000 for the whole day, defacto tourist information office for surrounding area (Tayrona, Lost City, etc.) (They also have a location in Taganga at Calle 17 No. 2-36) Dorms for 7,000 COP / private room with shared bath 10,000 COP / private room with ensuite bath for 15,000 COP.  edit

• Casa Familiar, (Also on Calle 10, 1 block up from Miramar, on other side of street.). Private, mild mannered and friendly staff. Rooms are small and basic. Single for $20,000 and up. Also has dorm rooms for $15,000.  edit

• Hostal SolyMar, Carrera 2 No 19-06, ☎ (57-5)-(431-0208), [3]. Only 5-years-old, this is an immaculately clean hotel, which is a change from a lot of the places in Santa Marta. The immediate area is probably the best in Santa Marta, as opposed to the sketchier Calle 10 barrio. The colonial rooms are recommended, with very tall ceilings and fan for 30,000 for a private room (single). The staff is incredibly friendly.  edit

• Hotel Imperial Caribe ((also known as the Hotel Villa del Mar)), Calle 17 No. 3-96 (between Carr 3 & 4), ☎ 421-1556 / 421-4556 (jhon_angarita@hotmail.com). Nice rooms, friendly staff. Singles with fan for 30,000. Doubles, Triples, A/C more. Free Wi-Fi in lobby.  edit

• Nueva Grenada (12th street). Nice, small pool 40,000 low season, 250,000 high season

• Sun City (calle 18-3#28). Less crowded. This place offers comfort at low price (privates for 25'000 up, dorms 16'000). Run by a nice family that really cares. A place to get off the Gringo Trail a bit... see [4]

There are many, many small hotels on 10th street and up that are quite cheap and good. Generally the ones not listed in the guidebooks are a better value. The area of 10th - 13th st. between Carr 1 (the beach) and Carr 5 is the cheapest area. Crossing Parque Bolivar to Calle 15 and above is where the next step up in hotels are located. Still inexpensive, a bit better quality and roomier.

[edit] Get out

Nearby are interesting little towns.

• The first is to the east and is the little fishing village known as Taganga. Taganga has tourist accommodation. There are a lot of possibilities in diving and snorkeling in Taganga. The trip there and back (5 miles crossing over a mountain) can be enjoyed by bicycle. It´s a scenic place. Slow-paced. Until 9 p.m. you can reach Taganga with a "buseta" (1000 COP): they go from carrera 5th and come back to carrera 1st (playa). You'll recognize most of them by a huge "K11" occupying the line on top of less prominent "TAGANGA". After 9 p.m. use a taxi (7,000 COP).

• The second little town is the upscale El Rodadero which is a couple of miles to the west. There is of course tourist accommodation also.

• In El Parque Tayrona, you can unwind one or more days on some of the most beautiful beaches .

• If you are looking for some more activity the six day trek to Ciudad Perdida is a good option. Book a tour at El Miramar Hotel on 10th Street: they are conscientious, have a safe and storage, have great breakfasts and have the experience of having organized this tour over 25 years ago. Want the story of the discovery, ask for Don Jairo at the front desk in El Miramar. He has 45 years experience in Santa Marta and can answer any question (with a joke - and in Spanish only).

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!