Taganga

Taganga: The Silence of Its Trails to the Bay

Food & Drink

Restaurants in Santa Marta: The street menu that beats the chefs (fried fish stalls and arepas de huevo)

Where Taxis Stop: The Storytelling Corner

El Rodadero: Your Guide to Discovering the Beach and Festive Soul of Santa Marta

The War of the Caciques: How the Tayrona-Chibcha Alliance Defeated the Conquistadors in the Sierra Nevada (1525-1530)

Art & Culture

Market Cuisine: The Hidden Flavors of Santa Marta's Market Square That No Tour Shows

Festivals

When the River Becomes a Stage: The Underground Festival of the Santa Marta Marshes

The Secrets of the Rodadero Stairs

Party at Calle 14: The Floating Nightclub Only Fishermen Know About in Santa Marta

Party Nights in El Rodadero: A Route Through Bars, Clubs, and Vibrant Seaside Ambiance

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Taganga: The Silence of Its Trails to the Bay

Most people who arrive in Taganga stay in the bay. They drink beer at the restaurants on the shore, hop on a boat to Playa Grande or Playa Blanca, and leave at

Food & Drink

Restaurants in Santa Marta: The street menu that beats the chefs (fried fish stalls and arepas de huevo)

If you arrived in Santa Marta with your credit card ready for white-tablecloth restaurants, I have news for you: you're missing out on the best. Here, in May 20

Where Taxis Stop: The Storytelling Corner

There is a corner in El Rodadero that doesn't appear in travel guides, has no official name, and you won't find it on Google Maps. It's right where Carrera 2 me

El Rodadero: Your Guide to Discovering the Beach and Festive Soul of Santa Marta

El Rodadero wasn't always the tourist destination it is today. In the 1950s, this bay with calm waters was just a small fishing village. Everything changed when

3 months ago

The War of the Caciques: How the Tayrona-Chibcha Alliance Defeated the Conquistadors in the Sierra Nevada (1525-1530)

When one thinks of the arrival of the Spanish in Colombia, the image that comes to mind is that of a handful of bearded conquistadors defeating entire empires w

Art & Culture

Market Cuisine: The Hidden Flavors of Santa Marta's Market Square That No Tour Shows

If there is a place in Santa Marta where the noise of vendors, the smell of fresh fish, and the color of tropical fruits blend into perfect chaos, it is the San

Festivals

When the River Becomes a Stage: The Underground Festival of the Santa Marta Marshes

There is a rumor that runs among backpackers in Taganga, among birdwatching guides, and among the owners of hostels in Minca. They say that once a year, when th

The Secrets of the Rodadero Stairs

If you've walked through El Rodadero, you've surely come across them: stairs that climb the hillside, some of worn concrete, others with rusty iron handrails, m

Party at Calle 14: The Floating Nightclub Only Fishermen Know About in Santa Marta

If you think you've seen everything Santa Marta has to offer at night, I have a surprise for you. While tourists crowd the nightclubs of the Zona Rosa or the ba

Party Nights in El Rodadero: A Route Through Bars, Clubs, and Vibrant Seaside Ambiance

Did you know that El Rodadero becomes the epicenter of the party in Santa Marta? This seaside spot not only dazzles with its beaches and sunsets but also beats

3 months ago

Mamatoco: The Workshop of the Wicker Gods

Mamatoco: The Workshop of the Wicker Gods

In Santa Marta, when someone says "wicker," they aren't talking about catalog furniture or industrial decor. They are talking about Mamatoco. This neighborhood,

Mamatoco: The Forgotten Town That Refused to Be Devoured by Santa Marta

Art & Culture

Mamatoco: The Forgotten Town That Refused to Be Devoured by Santa Marta

The bus stops at the corner of Carrera 1 and Calle 22. The metal sign, rusted by sea salt, reads "Mamatoco". But you don't see a colonial square or a main churc

The Wind That Shapes Bello Horizonte: Architecture of the Breeze

If there is one thing that has defined Bello Horizonte since it began to be populated in the 1970s, it is not the sea view or the proximity to Rodadero —althoug

The Sounds That Are No Longer Heard: El Rodadero at Dawn

Have you ever been to El Rodadero at 4:30 in the morning? If you grew up here in the 90s, you know that the sound of the sea wasn't the only thing that set the

The Whistles of Mamatoco: The Neighborhood Football That Forges Stars

The Whistles of Mamatoco: The Neighborhood Football That Forges Stars

It's 4 in the afternoon in Mamatoco, a neighborhood on the eastern hillside of Santa Marta. The sun is still punishing, but at Cancha La Paz there's already mov

Mamatoco Before the Pavement: The Last Mud Store

Mamatoco Before the Pavement: The Last Mud Store

If you walk down Carrera 5ta in Mamatoco, amidst the smell of fritanga and the noise of mototaxis, there is a corner that seems frozen in 1950. There is no neon

Panadería La Samaria: the 5 a.m. Secret

If you have ever walked through el barrio Bolívar in Santa Marta before the sun comes out, you know the air changes. Between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m., the silence of

Hidden Bolívar: The Murals of Calle 17

If you came to Santa Marta looking for Tayrona, El Rodadero, or the historic center, you missed out on the most authentic part by far. The barrio Bolívar, just

Bike Messengers of Bolívar: Routes That Waze Ignores

Bike Messengers of Bolívar: Routes That Waze Ignores

In the barrio Bolívar of Santa Marta, the traffic on the Troncal del Caribe is a curse we all know. Cars stand still, buses honk, and the sun beats down like le

Bolívar: The Salsa Workshop That Tourists Don't Dance To

Bolívar: The Salsa Workshop That Tourists Don't Dance To

It's six in the evening in the Bolívar neighborhood of Santa Marta. The sun no longer burns like at noon, but the heat clings to the walls of the colorful house

The Barter Corner: Cashless Trade in Bolívar

The Barter Corner: Cashless Trade in Bolívar

It's 7 in the morning at 15th Street and 8th Avenue, in the barrio Bolívar neighborhood of Santa Marta. The sun is just peeking over the Sierra Nevada, and ther