Santa Marta4 tours

Bahía Concha

Bahía Concha is the Tayrona Park beach closest to Santa Marta: calm water, small waves and the shades that earned it the nickname «the sea of three colors». It is one of the few beaches in the park reachable by road, and you can go with children without hiking for hours.

Entrance fee

Tayrona National Natural Park charges a special fee for the Bahía Concha sector, lower than for the rest of the park:

Visitor	Low season	High season
Colombians and residents	COP 15,000	COP 26,000
Non-resident foreigners	COP 43,500	COP 43,500
Born in Santa Marta	reduced rate	reduced rate

Tours by chiva bus already include that entrance fee and the park insurance, so there is nothing extra to pay on arrival.

Rates published by Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia. Please confirm them when booking: they are updated by season.

Source: Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia

When the park is closed

Tayrona closes three times a year by agreement with the Indigenous peoples of the Sierra Nevada. On these dates you cannot visit Bahía Concha:

February 1 to 15 — Kugkui shikasa season
June 1 to 15 — Saka Juso season
October 19 to November 2 — Nabbatashi season

If your trip falls on those dates, the alternative we run is the sailboat day trip to Playaca and Inca Inca, two bays outside the park.

Source: Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia

Getting there from Santa Marta

Bahía Concha is about 45 minutes from downtown Santa Marta along the road that skirts the hill. There are two ways to get there:

By land. The chiva ride takes around 50 minutes and ends at the sector entrance; from there it is a 10 to 15 minute walk to the beach. This is the usual route and the one our day trips use.

By sea. Leaving from the Santa Marta International Marina by sailboat, the crossing takes between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes, and you go ashore by swimming or in a small tender boat.

What you can't bring in

The park checks bags at the entrance. The following are not allowed:

Pets
Speakers
Single-use plastics: bags, Styrofoam, packaging, bottles, cups, cutlery, straws and stirrers
Drones without a permit
Bottles of liquor and hallucinogenic substances

You may bring food, as long as it is not in glass containers or Styrofoam coolers.

Source: Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia

What to bring

Swimsuit, towel and sunscreen
Comfortable clothes and shoes you can walk in for 15 minutes on a trail
Cash: there are vendors on the beach, but card payment is not always available
ID or passport, which is requested at the park entrance

Frequently asked questions

How long is the trip?

Chiva day trips leave at 8:30 a.m. and return around 5:00 p.m.

Can I go with children?

Yes. The walk to the beach takes 10 to 15 minutes and the water at Bahía Concha is calm, with small waves. On chiva day trips children pay the adult rate; on the sailboat they pay a child rate from age 3.

Can I snorkel?

Yes. There is a version of the day trip that includes snorkeling with full equipment in the Waikiki sector.

Do I need to book in advance?

Yes, it is a good idea. Spots on the chiva and the sailboat are limited and fill up in high season.

Are pets allowed?

No. Tayrona National Park does not allow pets through any entrance.

Go with us

These are the tours we run to Bahía Concha. Prices come live from our catalog, in Colombian pesos (COP) per adult. Tour pages are in Spanish; write to us on WhatsApp for anything you need.