The bay
Calm and blue.
REPÚBLICA DE COLOMBIA — Public domain · REPÚBLICA DE COLOMBIA — Public domain · REPÚBLICA DE COLOMBIA — Public domain · Sergio Alejandro Ortiz aljandro — CC0 · Alanwolfx — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Reef311 — CC BY-SA 3.0
Taganga is a small fishing village on a calm blue bay north of Santa Marta. Colourful houses climb the slope down to the water, fishing boats float in the bay and dry brown-and-green hills wrap around it on every side. Rodrigo de Bastidas founded Taganga and Santa Marta on 29 July 1525, making them two of the oldest surviving colonial settlements in Colombia. The village lies on the northwestern flank of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, south of Tayrona National Park. It is known for its sunsets and diving, and boats leave from here for Tayrona. The origin of its name is uncertain; one theory traces it to the Tairona language meaning «entrance of the sea». You walk the waterfront, climb the heights to see the bay from above, take a boat to nearby beaches or dive in the clear water, then watch the sunset over the sea. The village is about 4 km in a straight line northeast of central Santa Marta, about ten minutes by car. The sun is strong and it is hot, so bring water and sunscreen.
Calm and blue.
Over the sea.
Clear water.
North of Santa Marta, Caribbean coast, Magdalena Department
By taxi from Santa Marta, about ten minutes.
Yes, by boat.