From Wikitravel

Santa Marta is a city in Colombia.

[edit] Understand

Pearl of the America. Santa Marta an important commercial port and tourist destination. Everyday there are cargo ships coming and going and the action is very much visible. From the beach, the view of the Caribbean Sea is more or less to the north with a huge rock of an island jutting up out of the water to make a somewhat dramatic effect. Off to the right is the port snug behind another even bigger rock. This is a decent beach if you like beaches that are right in town lots of people, vendors, and noise vedors are rather aggressive if you are on the beach. Speaking of expenses, there is a high season and low season. High season is more December thru April.Simon Bolivar said that Santa Marta as the most beautiful Bay ever.

[edit] Get in

The bus station is all the way out of town on the main highway (3,000 pesos to the beach in taxi, some charge tourists 10,000). Mini-bus 1000 Pesos

[edit] Get around

Streets are numbered the beach can be considered "Carrera 1" or 1st St., and the first street is usually "Carrera 1A" or 1A St. The next street after the first row of buildings is Carrera 2 or 2nd St. Calles are streets running from north to south. Unlike bigger cities in Colombia, taxis do not run on a meter. payments range from 3000 pesos for a "lift" (usually a ride no more than 10 minutes) to upwards of 20,000 pesos, depending on where you go. If you meet someone who 'knows' a taxi driver, this can be a good opportunity to negotiate a price to your next checkpoint in Colombia. Some drivers will take you as far as Barranquilla, although you have to negotiate.

[edit][add listing] See

• Museo del Oro, Calle 14 No.2-67 (on plaza Bolivar). Displays a collection of precolumbian pottery, a nice collection of gold and a scale model of Ciudad Perdida. Free entrance.

• Simon Bolivar's grave - Take a bus for 1000 pesos.

[edit][add listing] Do

• The nearby coral reefs provides good possibilities for diving.
• On the beaches, you can usually rent a jetski in increments of 10 minutes. If you are not comfortable operating one, you can usually ask for a ride around. Lifejackets are provided.
• Party with Mr. Donado, he's a local resident also known as "The King" of Santa Marta. A succesful business leader, but very outgoing and would be happy to take visitors out for drinks. You can usually find him in the beach during summer time, or at the top local bars. His son (also popular) is Javier Donado.

[edit][add listing] Buy

Santa Marta is famous for its beach sellers. someone can go to the beach 365 days a year, there are always people wandering up and down the beach selling anything. The beaches in the northern suburb El Rodadero have aggressive sellers this as an opportunity to haggle Usually aim for 2000-3000 Pesos below the asking price.

[edit][add listing] Eat

There are a lot of eating options. They seem to be good at roasting and grilling chicken. They do a good job of grilling beef tough but flavorful. Seafood is plentiful and relatively inexpensive lots of shrimp and seafood cocktail vendors. Most varieties of fruit are available even what is more common to cold climates. At night street vendors sell all types of snacks pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, shakes, kabobs, rice in milk with coco, fried stuffed doughy things, etc.. Coffee, hot chocolate, and both hot cinnamon and lemon is omni-present.

• Hotel Miramar, Calle 10C No 1C-59. Has best lunch budget meals. 3500 pesos. GREAT PLACE!!! Fun People. This is where Fruit Juuices and Fruit Salads were Invented... because the owners thought" gringos needed more fruit because they all smoked too much" true story, ask them. Fruit salads 4000 COP Juices 1000 COP Lunch 4000 COP Dinner 6000-7500 COP.

• Merkabar, Calle 10 No 2-11. Decent food for a price.

• Ben & Josep´s bar restaurant (Dutch owner)At the beach next to the Park Hotel the very best STEAK (filet mignon)in Santa Marta!!!!!!

• Restaurante El Escorial. A good restaurant is in the middle of the block behind the beach on 11th street

• There is a man who has been sitting on 14th street between 3rd and 4th carrera ( behind the beach) selling shrimp cocktail at a reasonable price for 23 years.

• There is other man who has been sitting on 22th street on 1th carrera ( in front of the beach) selling a delicious shrimp cocktail at a reasonable price and he is very reliablea and wellkown in the city.

[edit][add listing] Drink

The drink of choice is, of course, beer. Because Santa Marta can get brutally hot during the summer (upwards of 35 C/95F), it is a good idea to constantly have a bottle of water with you. During the evenings, when it gets cooler, beer and friends is often an excellent combination.

Softdrinks can be found at nearly every restaurant - sometimes you can even pick it up in glass bottles. They are cheap: a Drink usually costs no more than 1,000 COP.

Ask about Ben´s Bar on the Beach. Barrio Samario, La Puerta, and El Garage

[edit][add listing] Sleep

If you are looking for a place to stay, there are somewhat more expensive hotels. 10th street is less expensive. These include:

• Hotel Miramar Calle 10C No 1c-70. Tele (57-5)-(423-3276), classic South American Back Packer´s Hotel(Calle 17 No. 2-36 Taganga)

• Sun City (calle 18-3#28). New. Less crowded. This place offers comfort at low price (privates for 25'000 up, dorms 16'000). Run by a nice family that really cares. A place to get off the Gringo Trail a bit... see http://www.sahlmann.net

• Nueva Grenada (12th street). Nice, small pool 40000 low season, 250,000 high season

• Hospederia Casa Familiar, Very private, mild mannered, friendly staff. Single $25.000 up. Also has a dorm. $16,000. Bit Boring...

• Las Vegas (11th street). By-the-hour, in Red-Light District

Beer Prices Santa Marta: 1000-1500 pesos in stores up to 5000 in bars

[edit] Get out

Nearby are interesting little towns.

• The first is to the east and is the little fishing village known as Taganga. Taganga has tourist accommodation. There are a lot of possibilities in diving and snorkeling in Taganga. The trip there and back (5 miles crossing over a mountain) can be enjoyed by bicycle. It´s a scenic place. Slow-paced. Or take one of the vans from carrera 1.

El Ramarim and Tsunami are nice small hotels in Taganga.

• The second little town is the upscale El Rodadero which is a couple of miles to the west. There is of course tourist accommodation also.

• In El Parque Tayrona you can unwind one or more days on some of the most beautiful beaches.

• If you are looking for some more activity the six day trek to Ciudad Perdida is a good option. Book a tour at El Miramar Hotel on 10th Street: they are conscientious, have a safe and storage, have great breakfasts and have the experience of haviong organized this tour over 25 years ago. Want the story of the discovery, ask for Don Jairo at the front desk in El Miramar. He has 45 years experience in Santa Marta and can answer any question (with a joke - and in Spanish only).

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!