CARTAGENA SERIES PART 2: EXPLORING PALOMINO AND TAYRONA NATIONAL PARK

Welcome to the second part of our BOLDLY GO Cartagena series! In the first part, we shared our adventures in the beautiful walled city of Cartagena, and now we're ready to explore more of what this beautiful Colombian destination has to offer.

After spending a day at the beach, we checked out of our Airbnb and took a bus to Palomino, located a few hours away from Cartagena. From the transfer station, we picked up a taxi, and the driver took us the rest of the way into the hostel, which was offered off the main road, and we found ourselves in the middle of the beautiful hostel. I had my private room, and the hostel had a bar for drinks and food. We spent the night hanging out, then took a taxi into the main area to do local bar hopping on the beach. There were a bunch of beach bars, so we just had a great night on the beach.

The following day, we made friends with a guy named Mauro, who joined us on our adventure to Tayrona National Park. We took a bus to the park, and there were two main entrances. The first entrance is where all the buses and tourists go, and after a security check and a briefing, you can hike to the beaches. There are many beaches along the way, and if you go all the way to the main beach, it's a 2-hour hike. However, we decided to go through the other entrance, which wasn't advertised and needed signage. We met a group of dirt bikers who offered to take us halfway up the mountain for $5, and then we hiked the rest of the way. It was incredible hiking in the jungle, and we saw monkeys and other intact wildlife.

After two and a half hours of hiking, we finally arrived at the beach, and part of the national park was a nude beach. We walked along the beach for about 15 minutes and made it to another beach, the central part of the national park - a stunning area. You can sleep on the beach, camp there, rent a tent and mattress pads, and even rent a hammock to hang on the rocks, which is nice. There's also a restaurant where you can enjoy your meals, watch the sunset, have drinks, and enjoy the moment. We all had separate tents and went to sleep, and we woke up the following morning to catch the sunrise and have breakfast.

We hiked the rest of the way back towards the main entrance, and we passed many more beaches, bread vendors, snack vendors, and pretty much nobody on the walk-in. We probably passed only three groups of people over our hike out, families walking and hiking in with their kids and coolers, but it was still an incredible experience. 

After our fantastic experience in Tayrona National Park, we returned to the hostel, where we stayed for the remaining days of our trip. We decided to do a river tubing excursion the next day and were not disappointed.

A taxi (Marcel, Mauro, and myself) took us to the drop-off point, where we met up with two other Swiss folks and a girl from the Netherlands. It was interesting to mention that Mauro and this girl met on this trip, and they have been in a relationship ever since and even have a baby now. Well, we started our river tubing adventure, and it was such a relaxing experience.

As we floated down the river, we took in the stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The river was calm, and the water was crystal clear. We eventually reached the beach, where a group of guys on dirt bikes picked us up and took us back to the main road, and then we headed back to our Airbnb in Getsemani, which is known to be the hip area of the city. We explored the arts scene there and had fantastic meals at the various restaurants. We also stopped by the Walled City, where we had drinks and enjoyed the party atmosphere.

The next day was our last day in Cartagena, so we decided to make the most of it. We started our day by visiting the main castle in Cartagena. The castle was beautiful, and we spent the morning taking great pictures and admiring the unique design.

Sadly, it was time for us to leave Cartagena and head back home. We checked out of our Airbnb and headed to the airport, reminiscing about the unforgettable memories we had created during our trip. We felt a sense of accomplishment for exploring the beautiful city of Cartagena, immersing ourselves in the local culture, and experiencing everything the city had to offer.

In conclusion, our BOLDLY GO Cartagena series was an adventure of a lifetime. We explored the best of Cartagena, from the vibrant culture to the beautiful beaches, lush jungles, and scenic landscapes. We learned that Cartagena has so much to offer, and we encourage everyone to visit this fantastic city.

Our Airbnb hosts and the friendly locals who went out of their way to ensure a memorable experience made our trip more enjoyable. We are grateful for the opportunity to have visited this incredible city and can't wait to BOLDLY GO to our next adventure.