There are plenty of reasons to praise this tropical city and its surroundings as one of the most important destinations for foreigners and nationals. Thanks to these reasons, the Colombian Constitution of 1991 declared Santa Marta a tourist, cultural and historical district.
A tour of Santa Marta
Known for having the most beautiful bay in America, Santa Marta is projected as a modern city thanks to the infrastructure that is developed and planned for the coming years. With it, a harmonious interconnection will be achieved between the port of Santa Marta, the historic center and the beaches of El Rodadero.
The capital of the department of Magdalena is located on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, at the foot of the magnificent Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Santa Marta is famous for having the highest coastal mountain in the world, a place where the charms of a very ancient nature reserve join with the wisdom of the ancestral peoples who make it their home and care for it.
Enjoying the sun and the beach in Santa Marta
Along the beaches of Santa Marta, the sea is calm due to the protection provided by the mountain range. Experts say that the wind passes without affecting the area; It is safe from the hurricanes that affect other coastal areas of the Atlantic. It's true! The beaches of Santa Marta have never suffered this natural phenomenon.
With the tranquility provided by those white sands and gentle waves, Santa Marta and the landscapes that border the Caribbean please tourists looking for the sun and a warm and happy atmosphere. The enthusiasm is noticeable in sectors such as El Rodadero, one of the best-known tourist complexes in the region for its offer of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping.
Motor boats leave daily from El Rodadero to El Acuario and Playa Blanca, the latter a quiet place to practice snorkeling. However, there are more beaches near the city, each with its own characteristics. Examples of this are: Bahía Concha with its forested landscapes; Taganga, a typical fishing village where
several diving schools are based; and the beaches that are part of the Tayrona National Natural Park, the main ones being Arrecifes, Cañaveral and San Juan del Guía.
The green and exuberant nature of Santa Marta
Enjoying the beaches and small coves that border Santa Marta is just one of the things to do in this paradisiacal destination. The best reference that many have of the area is the Tayrona National Natural Park and, of course, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, with the superb nature and spirituality that is perceived in its slopes by virtue of the aboriginal families that inhabit it - people for whom respect for flora and fauna is sacred.
In addition to its beautiful and secluded beaches, it has safe diving sites, camping sites and ecological trails full of trees, more than 200 species of birds and others such as monkeys, deer and skunks that, in the end, are its main inhabitants. . .
Again in reference to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, it is said to be the icon of the region due to its imposing 6,000 meters of height on the seashore, the inspiration it arouses and the mysticism of its inhabitants. Kogi, Arzario and other indigenous families explain the wisdom and legacy passed down by their Tayrona ancestors in places embedded in the jungle, such as Pueblito and Ciudad Perdida.
Santa Marta is old and historical
Santa Marta emerged in the middle of attractive beaches and abundant nature in 1525 as the first city in Colombian territory. It is also one of the oldest cities on the American continent. The historic center is romantic, colonial and very well preserved. As historical and traditional sites, the Cathedral, the Convent of Santo Domingo, the Tayrona Gold Museum and the Town Hall stand out.
In the town of Mamatoco, five kilometers from the center of Santa Marta, is the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, the hacienda house lent to the Liberator Simón Bolívar in 1830 and the place where he spent his last days. Simón Bolívar died in this mansion that preserves important documents and objects from his life and work.
The capital of the department of Magdalena is the sum of locations, details and characteristics to which devout reference should always be made. Santa Marta - a railway, land and sea port - is not far from the banana plantations and the town of Aracataca, land of the prodigious Gabriel García Márquez, the unrivaled chronicler of the city and the region.