One of the toughest choices I made on Colombia’s Caribbean coast was where to stay to enjoy the best of Parque Tayrona. So tough that I decided to hop around hostels in three of the most popular surrounding areas looking for an answer.
Tayrona Park is a protected national reserve just east of the city of Santa Marta. Popular with nature lovers, partygoers, and surfers – the area boasts swathes of jungle, idyllic rivers and breathtaking beaches.
Home to indigenous and rural communities, Tayrona is evolving as a staple Caribbean escape for both Colombian and foreign tourists alike.
Staying inside vs. around Tayrona
The national park causes some confusion over accommodation. It is possible to stay inside Tayrona, but this is mainly in outdoor hammocks or cabins near the iconic Cabo San Juan del Guia beach and is usually a one- or two-night affair.
If you want to stay in the area for longer (which you definitely should), a range of unique and characterful hostels sit just outside the park’s boundaries, each within easy reach of Tayrona’s entrance ways while giving you a proper bed, hot water (sometimes!) and somewhere to dry your clothes out.
Getting to the Tayrona/Santa Marta area can be as simple as a flight into Santa Marta’s Simon Bolivar airport, or a bus from Cartagena or Barranquilla. While definitely possible on public transport from both cities, we opted for a shuttle from Cartagena that dropped us in Santa Marta city, and an onward taxi to our more rural accommodation.
So, from party places on the river, relaxed and beachy hideaways and straightforward city stop-overs –- here are the best hostel options for experiencing everything Tayrona Park has to offer.
- It is possible to use Uber in Santa Marta city, and to take you from the city or airport to accommodations in Buritaca or Costeño. It is not possible to book return journeys with the app, however.
- Public transport in most areas (aside from Santa Marta city) is informal and slightly unreliable, especially in the evening. Taxis and mototaxis were less of a headache.
- Google Maps gets weird near Tayrona and doesn’t reflect accurate distances or placenames. Our phones told us a beach was thirty-minutes away, while a local argued it was more like four hours. In that Caribbean heat, always check that the route is reliable (or even real!).
- There are no banks or ATMs inside the park or in rural areas nearby – get cash before you come as many places do not accept cards or charge a hefty fee.
1. Buritaca: the jungle-river basecamp
Buritaca is a small community about a forty-minute drive from Santa Marta’s Simon Bolivar airport. The town is organised around the central highway and is made up of winding dirt roads that lead to hostels and hotels, banana farms that border the beach, and a small choice of local shops and restaurants.
Most hostels here only offer on-site dining, with no cooking facilities. If you’re a fussy eater or budget self-caterer, you should stock up in Santa Marta or check menus before booking.
El Rio Buritaca
Large riverside party hostel
Best for social, party backpackers
Our taxi dropped us at ‘km 49’ of the coastal highway, where a monkey sign in the trees guided us to the riverside path that heads towards El Rio.
The walk is around 35 minutes but mototaxis do wait for new arrivals at the edge of the road.
Known along the gringo trail as a backpacking party mecca, El Rio is the perfect stop for any social and activity-loving traveller. The hostel feels like a makeshift jungle campsite – a private beach area, volleyball courts, multiple restaurants and bars and tubing on the river every afternoon. By night — secret DJ sets and endless parties spill onto the riverbanks.
A definite know before you go for El Rio is that payments on-site are made on a wristband system which you pay off at the end of your stay.
Park access: a 20-minute mototaxi ride to the El Zaino entrance. The hostel also offers daily guided hikes and park activities.
Rooms: Ranging from 4-man tents and 25 person dorms to private suites and smaller shared rooms. We stayed in a 6-person mixed dorm en-suite with no complaints.
2. Costeño Beach (Guachaca): the surf camp
Sandwiched between Buritaca town to the east and Los Naranjos and the valleys to the west, the shores of Costeño beach are a distinct Tayrona-adjacent experience in their own right.
I got the feeling that Costeño was what a pre-tourism Tulum or Sayulita might be like. A secret surfing paradise with stylish (but not flashy) beachfront accommodation and an easy-going, often local, crowd.
Around 20-30 minutes by taxi from central Buritaca or 45-50 minutes from Santa Marta — the area is slightly less well-connected than neighbouring sites.
The hostel strip is the main thoroughfare with guests wandering into restaurants and bars from the sand. There is no real village or obvious epicentre in Costeño; properties are set on generous plots linked by dirt tracks and the beach itself is your only base.
The area felt like a bit of a weekend getaway destination, and it was clear (maybe due to dodgy wi-fi and noisy neighbours) that nobody was laying roots in Costeño for too long.
Costeño Beach Hostel
Beachfront surf hostel
Best for surfers and remote workers
Surf boards for hire
This namesake hostel felt like a relaxed resort by day, and a rowdier beach club by night. With sun-lounger decks, yoga sessions, volleyball courts and surfboards for hire – it makes for the perfect beachside lodging.
The atmosphere manages to balance both those working remotely and more chilled travellers, with livelier crowds moving beach bar to beach bar come evening.
Park access: 20-minute mototaxi to the main Tayrona entrance. Guided tours available.
Rooms: Ranging from a 32-man dorm to private en-suites. The beach-shack vibes are simple yet chic, and the dorms are pod-style for that extra level of privacy.
Los Hermanos Beach Hostel
Affordable beach hostel with pool
Best for budget travellers
On-site dining
On ‘km 39’ of the highway, Los Hermanos looks like a boutique beach resort way out of any backpacker’s budget. Yet, somehow, it is one of the most affordable options on Costeño’s strip.
I got to know it best as an infamous late-night party hub, but with serene outdoor pools, on-site dining, and vast common areas this hostel knows how to blend chaos and calm.
Away from the facilities, the rooms are where you slightly start to feel the savings. Open-air bamboo bunks and mosquito nets keep it basic, but if all you need is somewhere to rest your head between surfing and sunbathing, it’s perfect.
Park Access: 20 minutes from main Tayrona entrance. They do not offer guided Tayrona activities.
Rooms: ranging from mixed dorms to private cabanas with balconies. The rooms have a rustic and simple make-shift jungle feel.
(The area was impacted by a fire in spring 2026 and many nearby hostels are still recovering, or their current state of operations are unclear online. These named hostels are both back up and running, but double check when booking other accommodation as they may not offer 100% of the facilities they used to).
3. Los Naranjos: for jungle vistas
Los Naranjos is a riverside spot right on the edge of Tayrona Park’s eastern border. The river vibes remind of Buritaca, while having arguably the best park access out of this list.
The Journey Hostel
Quiet hillside hostel with sea views
Best for couples and longer stays
Tours run daily
Journey sits in the valleys just 10–15-minutes west of Buritaca, offering panoramic views of Tayrona and the Caribbean Sea from its open-air dorms or private bungalows. While still within Buritaca’s boundaries, the hostel is also near the smaller coastal community of Los Naranjos which has its own limited selection of shops and restaurants.
Journey is not an unsociable accommodation, but it is slightly more relaxed than El Rio and perhaps has more suitable facilities for longer stays and digital nomads.
Journey also provides river tubing, on-site eateries and bars, as well as surf lessons at the nearby Los Naranjos beach. It is perhaps known best for the amazing sunsets visible from its valley vantage point.
It’s a calm and slightly more up-market vibe than El Rio — the perfect place for recovering from a partying spree, meeting chilled but social travellers, or spending time as a couple or with friends.
Park Access: Journey is 20 minutes from the El Zaino entrance and offers daily tours into Tayrona.
Rooms: Ranging from 12 person dorms to self-contained bungalows. Our private double was shabby chic but felt more hotel than hostel.
Editor’s note: There’s much more to experience inland from Tayrona. Don’t miss our roundup of best hostels in Minca, a laidback mountain village offering a cooler escape from the coast. This also covers the Minca alternative of Paso del Mango.
Thinking of doing the Lost City trek? Find out here if it’s really worth it.
4. Santa Marta: the convenient hub
I didn’t love Santa Marta. I didn’t hate it either. The port city is weirdly charming and definitely welcoming but has an air of functionality you just can’t shake.
If you’re looking for an urban base where you’ll never have to rely on one hostel’s menu or dodgy jungle Wi-Fi – staying in the city might just be your answer.
A lot of other backpackers had heard tales of Santa Marta being a scary or unsafe city. I don’t think safety can ever properly be quantified, but even in the early hours as bars kicked out, I didn’t feel any more on edge as anyone should be when somewhere new.
Santa Marta is not teeming with things to do – it has a pretty old town area, independent art shops and a variety of restaurants and bars — but you probably won’t be overwhelmed for choice. We found the city’s marina an excellent base for boat trips to Tayrona beaches we didn’t want to hike to, and you can venture out to Palomino or Minca and be back in time for dinner.
Viajero Santa Marta
City chain hostel
Best for digital nomads
Banks, supermarkets, buses nearby
Negatives out the way first – this Viajero is in a slightly awkward part of the city. But that definitely isn’t a deal breaker. We stayed here for Christmas and enjoyed the hostel’s friendly atmosphere, salsa classes and karaoke parties a bit too much.
Like any chain hostel, Santa Marta’s Viajero is a straightforward experience. On-site co-working spaces, rooftop bars and courtyard restaurants mean you can opt-in to a social vibe, or chill out far away from the fun.
Viajero was seemingly the city’s hub for backpacker and local exchange – and many residents, digital nomads and travellers from other hostels would pilgrimage to daytrips, parties and events at this accommodation.
Tayrona access: Around 40 minutes by Taxi to the El Zaino entrance, or 45-60 minutes by bus from the centre of the city. Tours available with the hostel.
Rooms: A range of mixed dorms and private rooms – I couldn’t fault the cleanliness and hotel-feel of our private double shared bathroom room, but like any Viajero, the interiors aren’t full of character.
Mr Baboon Hostel
Small hostel in the historic centre
Best for independent travellers
Bus stops nearby
Located in the much more central historic district, Mr Baboon Hostel is an affordable Santa Marta secret we kept sharing. Laid out across a colourful colonial courtyard with a swimming pool and bar, this accommodation can only be described as rustic and basic in a totally pleasant way.
A small hostel that somehow manages to maintain a social atmosphere, the clientele was skewed slightly to an older, more experienced crowd.
With a shared kitchen, well-connected bus stops nearby and a few minutes’ walk to Parque de los Novios choice of restaurants, shops and bars it is the perfect heart-of-the-city stopover.
Park Access: Around 45-60 minutes by taxi to the El Zaino entrance, or around the same time on the nearby bus route. Mr Baboon does not run any guided tours and activities into Tayrona.
Rooms: Ranging from 8 bed mixed dorms to private bunk beds. A very basic and affordable option, although dorm beds do come with curtains for extra privacy.
The final verdict
If you have a lot of time for Tayrona, I would definitely recommend mixing-and-matching your basecamp. There is a nomadic feel amongst travellers in the area anyway, and many people were switching between surf lessons, overnight Tayrona stays, and river tubing sessions every few days.
If you work remotely, I would argue an urban stay is best for the practicalities of nearby banks and supermarkets, reliable Wi-Fi, and a growing digital nomad and expat community.
There are also longer adventures, like the Lost City Trek, accessible from the area, and you can venture east to coastal towns like Palomino or mountain communities like Minca at your own leisure.
If you are short on time, however, I would argue a Buritaca or Costeño stay is the most immersive experience.
Santa Marta is a perfectly acceptable city, but if you’re on the Caribbean coast for a tropical and nature-packed adventure – it is, after all, just a city. I’d happily re-book any hostel listed here, but El Rio and Los Hermanos are my personal favourites for capturing a unique Tayrona experience.