Santuario de Flora y Fauna Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta

Location:
Ciénaga, Santa Marta, Colombia

Other Activity Types:
Wildlife refuge, Natural park

By Lorraine Caputo

Santuario de Flora y Fauna Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta is a mangrove eco-system comprised of 23,000 hectares within the deltas of the Río Magdalena and rivers streaming from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Created in 1977, it was declared a Ramsar site in 1998 and a UNESCO Human and Biosphere Reserve in 2000. Its swamps are refuge for mangrove fox (Procyon lotor), several types of monkeys (Alouatta seniculus, Cebus albifrons), chigüiro (Hydrochaerys hydrochaeris), manati, babillas (Caiman crocodilus fuscus) and caiman (Crocodilus acutus), boas, rattlesnakes and slider turtles (Trachemys scripta). Thanks to conservation efforts, once more it is becoming a haven for flamingos and other waterfowl and a bird watcher’s heaven.

Getting There
From Santa Marta or Barranquilla, travel as far as the Puente de la Barra, where you can hire a boat to take you south through the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta to the mouth of the Río Fundación and the El Jobo canal.

You may also reach the Santuario

Travel Tips: For more information about the Santuario de Flora y Fauna Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, stop by the national park office in Santa Marta.

This mangrove ecosystem, almost totally destroyed by the Troncal del Caribe highway’s construction which cut off its connection with the sea, is undergoing recuperation efforts. Presently the only activities permitted are research and conservation.

At El Jobo, La Conda and Cabaña de Cangarú are basic lodging and camp sites. Due to the swampy nature of the ground, camping is impossible anywhere else. The abundance of mosquitoes makes sleeping in hammock difficult.

Relative price: Mid-Range

Open Hours from:Dawn

Open Hours to:Dusk

Travel Skills: None

You Need to Bring: Take binoculars, hat, sunscreen, insect repellant; water, snacks.

The town of Ciénaga and the Aguas Termales de Ciénaga; Aracataca, the original Macondo; museums, beaches and different water sports in Santa Marta, El Rodadero and Taganga; Tayrona and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta national parks.

Currencies accepted
Colombian Peso