Hike: Calabozo to Cañaveral

Location:
Colombia

Hiking Types:
National park, Hike, Ruins, beach

By Lorraine Caputo

This humid tropical forest blankets you with its own type of silence: the hum of cicadas and the rustle of wind through leaves. In the mosaic you can catch glimpses of howler monkeys swinging overhead or of iguanas, skinkers and other lizards darting amongst the brush. You sense the reverence the Tayrona ancestors felt for these places.

To encounter this meditative space, walk the trail from Calabozo to Cañaveral. The path takes you from the park entrance at Calabozo to Chairama, otherwise known as the ruins of El Pueblito (2 hours). Follow the stone path laid by the indigenous, your steps echoing through the still, to Cabo San Juan del Guía (1.5 hours). Follow the jungle sendero to La Piscina (20 minutes), then on to Arrecifes (15 minutes), and finally reaching Cañaveral and the main park entry at El Zaíno.

Getting There
Take a buseta to the Calabozo entry point to the park. Follow signs and ask directions along the way, though the route is fairly easy to find.

Travel Tips: This hike is probably best to do in a group or with a guide. Take no valuables. It is possible to do the trip in the opposite direction, from Cañaveral to Calabozo, although it is a demanding one day trek; you must begin by 7 a.m. if leaving from Santa Marta. The walk is easier and quicker to do from Calabozo to Cañaveral, as much of it is downhill. You can dine at Cabo San Juan del Guía, Arrecifes or Cañaveral, though expensive. Pack all your trash out.

Price Description: Included in the entry fee to the park.

Open Hours from:Dawn

Open Hours to:Dusk

Travel Skills: beginner/easy.

You Need to Bring: Bring water, snack, sunblock, swim gear (to cool off at La Piscina); insect repellent against ticks, mosquitoes and other bloodsuckers.

While on this circuit, explore El Pueblito ruins, snorkel and swim at La Piscina, and visit the Museo Chairama or wander the Nueve Piedras trail at Cañaveral.

Currencies accepted
Colombian Peso