The Tayrona National Natural Park () is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

in the

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

n northern Caribbean region and within the jurisdiction of the city of

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

, from the city centre. The park presents a biodiversity endemic to the area of the

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

mountain range, featuring a variety of climates (

mountain climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

) and geography that ranges from arid sea level to 900 meters above sea level. The park covers approximately of maritime area in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

and approximately of land. It was the second most visited national park in Colombia in 2022, with 545,760 visitors.

History

The Tayrona National Park was created by the 191st Law of the Colombian Institute for Agrarian Reform (INCORA), in order to guarantee the protection of the region and the preservation of the ecological environment.

Geography

The park has an area of . It is located in the jurisdiction of the

city, in the

Department of Magdalena Magdalena () is a department of Colombia, located in the north of the country by the Caribbean Sea, with more than 1.3 million people. The capital of the Magdalena Department is Santa Marta and was named after the Magdalena River. The depart ...

, along the north coast of

which borders on the

Taganga Taganga is a traditional fishing village and corregimiento of Santa Marta, located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia at about 10 minutes or north of Santa Marta. Both Santa Marta and Taganga were founded by Rodrigo de Bastidas on July 29, 1525, ...

is its most southern part; its western boundary goes toward the northeast following the coastline, including a kilometer of sea area, until the Piedras River. The boundary follows the left side of the river until the North Highway, and then toward the west, crossing the following places with clear demarcations in the terrain: * Santa Rosa Hill * Tovar Hill * Guacamayo Pick * Aguas Muertas Hill * Cielito Pick * Hondonada Site * Humo Hill It also crosses several creeks, like the Piedras River, Cañaveral, Santa Rosa, La Boquita, Cinto, and other water branches, including the Rodríguez and Gairaca creeks.

Climate

Temperatures in the park and surrounding citites range from at sea level. Rainfall in this region varies from nothing to around per month, but overall the climate is

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and hot, with agriculture requiring

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

from streams that drain from the snowy peaks.

Flora and fauna

127 Cotton-top tamarin extinction Tayrona Colombia

Scholars have done an extensive classification of animal species living in the park, which include about 108 species of mammals and 300 species of birds. The

Mantled howler The mantled howler (''Alouatta palliata'') is a species of howler monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, Central and South America. It is one of the monkey species most often seen and heard in the wild in Central America. It ta ...

, the

oncilla The oncilla (''Leopardus tigrinus''), also known as the northern tiger cat, little spotted cat, and tigrillo, is a small spotted cat ranging from Central America to central Brazil. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the popul ...

, deer and more than 70 species of

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

s are among the park's typical residents. The park's 300 species of birds include the montane solitary eagle, the

military macaw The military macaw (''Ara militaris'') is a medium- to large-sized macaw, named after its green and red plumage vaguely resembling a military uniform. It is native from west-central Mexico south through northern Argentina and Bolivia. While most ...

, black-backed antshrike, white-bellied antbird and the

lance-tailed manakin The lance-tailed manakin (''Chiroxiphia lanceolata'') is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America from Costa Rica to northern Venezuela. This manakin is a fairly common bird of dry and moist deciduous forests, b ...

. There are also approximately 31 species of reptiles, 15 species of amphibians, 202 species of

sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...

s, 471 species of

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s, 96 species of

annelids The annelids (), also known as the segmented worms, are animals that comprise the phylum Annelida (; ). The phylum contains over 22,000 extant species, including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to vario ...

, 700 species of molluscs, 110 species of corals and 401 species of sea and river fish. There are more than 350 algae and more than 770 species of plants. It is one of three national parks in the Colombian Caribbean with coral reefs on its territories, the other two being Old Providence McBean Lagoon and Rosario and San Bernardo Corals.

Archaeology

There is archaeological evidence of ancient human settlements in the area of the park up until the 16th century. The place now has facilities for the eco-tourism, with paths suitable for walks. The Archaeologic Museum of Chairama is located in the Cañaveral Site, near the mouth of the Piedras River. Other places which attract visitors are Los Naranjos Path, Castilletes Beach, The Pool, the Piedras River and the San Juan Out. The site of El Pueblito was a popular hike has been closed since 2019 due to the wishes of the indigenous residents.

Recreational scuba diving

Tayrona has protected sites off the shoreline popular for recreational

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

. The sites feature shallow areas used for training as well as areas with currents and depth suitable for

drift diving Drift diving is a type of scuba diving where a diver is transported by water movement caused by the tide, an ocean current or in a river. The choice whether to drift dive depends on the purpose of the dive and whether there is an option. At some s ...

References

Bibliography

External links

Hiking Tayrona from Calabazo to Avoid Crowds

Complete Guide to Tayrona Park

Best Pictures of Tayrona Park
*
The park's page
at Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia {{authority control National parks of Colombia Protected areas established in 1969 Geography of Magdalena Department 1969 establishments in Colombia Tourist attractions in Magdalena Department Underwater diving sites in the Caribbean Underwater diving sites in Colombia