Day trip to the Colombian Caribbean

Looking for a quick escape to the tropics while you wait for the real thing? Coraline invites you to share her daily life for a day in her favorite city: Santa Marta, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast… ready? ¡Vamos!

A perfect day in beautiful Samaria starts early! We avoid the heat here, so if you want to practice outdoor sports, you have to get up at the crack of dawn. « ¡A madrugar! » translates as « we get up early », so it’s around 6 a.m. that we meet up with friends for a game of basketball on an already crowded downtown court. In Santa Marta, everyone gets up early to make the most of the day and enjoy the fresh air of the early morning: playing sports, going to the market, cleaning the house or just going for a walk. For us, it’s a chance to exchange a few strides without cooking (literally) under the tropical sun and share a good time with friends.

Then it’s time to get back to the house, take a refreshing shower, a little nap under the gentle breeze of a fan and off we go again! I head for one of my favorite spots in the heart of the Santa Marta market. A typical, very popular restaurant, this is where Colombian families gather for breakfast. I meet up with a friend and order my favorite dish: the Cayeye… a delight! I invite you to try it. It’s THE dish of Santa Marta, and any good Samario will recommend it, rest assured. So, you might ask, « What is cayeye? » Well, it’s mashed plantains accompanied by the famous « queso costeño », a cheese native to the Caribbean coast. I always choose to accompany it with chorizos, and we share a carafe of freshly squeezed orange juice, abundant with ice cubes – it’s the house specialty. A hearty breakfast, but a treat for the taste buds and a great step towards local gastronomy.

I continue my day by passing through the streets of the market, the fruit stalls still impress me as much as ever, they seem endless and are full of color. I take the time to chat with a few of the vendors, buy some fruit to make juice and take a few photos in this constantly inspiring setting. In my opinion, the Santa Marta market is very representative of Colombia: it’s a joyful mess… And to tell you the truth, I love it! It boosts everyday life and livens up the routine, giving it a much more pleasant flavor – the famous sabrosura, as we say so well here. A few streets further on, I arrived in the center of town, where I spent a few minutes reading in one of the cafés in the famous Callejon del Correo. This is where you’ll find some of the city’s best restaurants. The street is pleasant, cool and calm during the day. I enjoy watching people go by. Here, we take our time and let life pass us by. Santa Marta is a spectacle, a mix of people and, above all, of genres. We pass travelers from all over the world, locals, Colombians on vacation, mopers, street artists, street vendors, indigenous people from the Sierra Nevada… The street becomes a melting pot, and this cultural mix fits perfectly with beautiful Samaria.

No more daydreaming. I’ve got to get back to my friends and work colleagues, so I pass the Plaza Simon Bolivar and the Gold Museum – I highly recommend going there on occasion – and say hello to one of the Wayuu Mochila vendors I know well. The craftsmanship of La Guajira is incredible, an ancestral know-how that I invite you to discover. You’ll find it everywhere in Santa Marta (it’s still part of the city’s melting pot that I appreciate so much). I’m off to the Marina, where I’ll meet up with my crew for an afternoon sail to Bahia Concha, right at the entrance to Parque Tayrona. Santa Marta is a big village, everyone knows each other and the captain of the sailboat is our friend. So off we go to enjoy one of the most beautiful bays in the world! The trip is spectacular, the scenery grandiose, the colors a mix of sea, mountains and sky of infinite blue. We nibble on board and enjoy a few hours of idleness between snorkeling and diving competitions from the boat. Some take the time to fish, while others have already swum to the beach. Everyone goes about their business for this very special moment, because it’s not every day that we get to enjoy an outing like this either, let’s face it! But still, in Santa Marta, anything is possible. In my Samaria life, I’ve never taken to the open sea so much… – nice play on words – boat trips are common here, and it’s not uncommon to start the day with an early morning trip to Playa Grande or Playa Blanca, where the pleasures of snorkeling abound in view of the rich marine biodiversity. Scuba diving is also highly recommended. In short, as we say here,  » la vida en el mar es más sabrosa « ,« life in the sea is tastier », and it’s true!

We ride the waves back to the Marina Internationale de Santa Marta as the sun sets. And really, it’s not just because my heart is attached to this town, but the sunsets here are simply sumptuous. Every end of the day is a spectacle. At sea, on the beach or from the coastal path, there’s no shortage of spots to become a spectator of this daily gift from nature. Once again, we take the time to appreciate the passing of time… The day ends accompanied by beautiful colors and the rhythm of the waves. Tranquility itself. A moment out of time.

Back to earth… Santa Marta is also a city of contrasts, so we’re off for a much livelier and noisier evening in the old town! We stroll through the streets of the city center, heading for the Parque de los novios, Santa Marta’s lively square. Here, Colombian music abounds, with cumbia, reggaeton, salsa, vallenata and champeta, and all the bars and restaurants keep the volume up. Colombian families flock here, as do groups of friends. So it’s back to this cheerful mess for another opportunity to share a cold beer with friends and chat about life. Dinner is a quick but delicious trip to one of the street food spots, where you can find everything you need on the go: Venezuelan arepas, hot dogs, pizzas or the inevitable salchipapa – or a good restaurant if you’re in a more gourmet mood.The evening continues with a few steps of Cumbia and other Salsa or Vallenato classics. We let off steam to the wild rhythms of the Caribbean. For my part, I set my sights on Champeta, a genuine musical and cultural phenomenon of Afro origin, born in Cartagena de Indias, which has now invaded radios the world over – remember Shakira’s performance at the Superbowl, well, there you go! The more nocturnal can dance the night away, but for the others, it may be time to relax and unwind before another day in the incredible and unique Santa Marta.

Santa Marta is all this and much more! There’s no shortage of experiences here. Everyday life is warm and friendly, and the people of Santa Marta are quick to remind you of this. Just linger in the colorful streets of the old town, visit its museums or the Quinta San Pedro Alejandrino garden, which is strikingly calm in such a bustling city. The hustle and bustle of the Samaria is crazy, but the calm of the Caribbean Sea and the spirituality of the Sierra Nevada soothe the daily grind.Santa Marta is my personal favorite, so come with me for a visit!