I know that I’ve already had multiple blog posts and told so many stories, but now my South American adventure has finally begun.

Just wow I am in a state of total bliss. My first week and a half in Colombia has been an incredible experience and completely justified my decision to take the rest of the year off to backpack around South America. It took a day or two to adapt to this lifestyle but now I am totally in the zone. I have spent my time in the north in a region called Magdalena and it’s an absolutely gorgeous place – a great mixture of beautiful beaches and mountainous jungle landscapes. I used the city of Santa Marta as my home base town for staying a night in between each adventure and storing my large bag. I explored some of the amazing areas nearby – Minca (jungle town), La Ciudad Perdida (4 day trek through the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to the Lost City), and Parque Tayrona (coastal national park). I’m going to separate this into two posts since La Ciudad Perdida has so much content behind it.

I have had so many amazing interactions already. Of course most of them are brief – just a night or two – but it’s just such an awesome experience to connect with so many people so quickly; the bond of traveling is so strong. It’s certainly equivalent to the music scene but also in such a different way. The convos about where your going and where you’ve been are always great but I also love getting perspective from so many different cultures and backgrounds. I feel like I’ve learned so much in such a short time period from other people. I’ve already made so many great connections from just being myself. I am so grateful for who I am and this this trip has been such a great reminder about myself and my personality.

Magdalena Región

Top 3 Highlights

1) Top of La Ciudad Perdida on day 3 of the trek

2) Sunrise from Vista Hermosa campsite on day 2 of the trek

3) Swimming in Cascada de Marinka (Minca) with the pool all to myself

The Landscape

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is one of the highest coastal mountain ranges in the world reaching an elevation as high as 18,700 feet (Cristóbal Colón which is actually the highest point in Colombia) just over 25 miles from the Caribbean coast. This mountain range is actually separate from the Andes. I did a damn good job conquering it hiking 65.9 miles and 17,100 feet of elevation gain over an 8 day stretch. Needless to say my calves are killing me.

The People

I didn’t get the best vibe from the people of Santa Marta (more on that below) but I did really like the energy of the Colombians working at the hostel; they were very nice and helpful. I also really liked the people that I interacted with in Minca and Tayrona, it was a much more relaxed and welcoming vibe. The Colombians on my trek to La Ciudad Perdida were amazing people who were incredibly friendly and had a great energy. They spoke great English and were very patient with me when I spoke Spanish with them. I still have a long way to go but I gained more confidence in my speaking abilities over the course of this first 1.5 weeks. I wasn’t planning on going to Bogota but now I might so that I can see Monica and Caro and get a first hand experience of the city with locals.

Colombia has had a brutal history the past 80 years that has screwed over the common people so it’s understandable that people have their guard up sometimes. But in spite of it all, people seem to be very happy and are grateful for what they have.

The Food/Drinks

The best food I had was cooked by Diana on La Ciudad Perdida trek, every meal she cooked for us was amazing and the portions were huge! Traditional breakfast in this area seems to be scrambled eggs with a circular corn bread patty and a side of mixed fruits – papaya, melon, and pineapple (sometimes watermelon). For lunch/dinner the chicken is tasty but the meat is average at best and both are usually served with rice, beans, and fried plantains. The arepas I’ve had were quite nice as well although my stomach got a little rocked after the 2nd round. My favorite meal has been the fried fish. It’s incredibly crispy and cooked perfectly; you just have to watch out for the bones! The accompanying hot sauce for meals isn’t too spicy but adds a nice flavor.

And of course the fruit drinks and coconut water have been amazing since it’s all so fresh. On the trek they were a thin liquid juice and I really enjoyed the lulu one. In Tayrona the juice was more like a smoothie with real fruits blended with ice, sugar, and either powdered milk or water. The coffee has been good but not amazing. More on that when I talk about the coffee farm tour I took in Minca.

Cities

I spent 4 nights in Santa Marta most of which were separated by trips to different cities in between, 2 nights in Minca, 3 nights (4 days) doing La Ciudad Perdida trek, and 2 nights in Tayrona National Park.

At the beginning of each city I will give a rundown of the hostel I stayed at and the friends I made, for myself to remember the names and country they are from when I read this in the future, but also to make it easier to reference people in the stories. It is so amazing the diverse group of people that I have already connected with.

Santa Marta

Hostel

Cacao hostel (3 nights all separated by a few days) had a nice low key vibe to it with a pool that I never used. I spent 2 nights in a 6 person dorm (which I was lucky that there was only 2 of us both times) and 1 in a private room. Very easy to sit outside and interact with the other guests. I chatted up quite a few other people besides these 3 but they were the ones I connected with most.

Friends

-Sarah (London, England) First friends!

-Liz: (Leeds, England) First friends!

-Ada: (Dominican Republic) She was volunteering for 2 weeks to work and stay for free so she became my rock at the hostel since I kept going in and out between trips so I also knew Ada would be there when I got back from wherever I was going.

Home Base

It was a long Saturday of travel going back in time when flying from Porto to Madrid to Bogota to Santa Marta. Starting with the flight from Bogota to Santa Marta I felt like a fish out of water. As far as I could tell I was the only non Colombian. The gate was changed and this woman was trying to chat with me about it. Could somewhat communicate in the basic form and we became gate friends but everyone speaks so quickly and there’s so much I don’t know. Definitely a huge challenge. Just something I am going to have to get used to. Motivation to practice my Spanish with more focus on ways that help me communicate in daily life. Got to my hotel just after midnight and immediately passed out after a 20+ hour day of travel.

The culture shock continued the next morning. I woke up at 6am since I was still on European time and eased into my day catching up on my blog. Then after breakfast at the hotel I decided to walk along the water to see what Santa Marta was all about. I felt like every single person was staring at me wondering what the fuck I was doing there and one or two groups yelled something at me. It was a little unsettling but I later found out from these British girls I made friends with at my hostel that they got cat called and vocally harassed by almost all the guys in the streets and on motorbikes so I actually had it easy. As a white male in America who is the most privileged person in a majority of situations in life, it’s very humbling to be somewhere where your viewed as an unwelcome outsider. But from their perspective I really don’t blame the average Santa Marta citizen for their viewpoint on me as a gringo walking through their town. They have lived through a long history of economic and social injustices where they cannot even trust their own government due to corruption and class favoritism so why would they care about me.

There’s no way to sugar coat it, I was not a fan of Santa Marta and neither were most people I met. It’s just the biggest city and capital in the Magdalena region that acts as a jump off point to a bunch of other really cool places to go. Basically find a hostel here to use as home base and drop off your big bag then get out.

I had a funny interaction during my first lunch. I was very jet lagged and overwhelmed by everything and ended up at a very local restaurant where I ordered the carne not knowing what I was actually going to get. They brought out this meat soup and when I finished I asked for la cuenta. The lady looked at me and says very quickly in Spanish: we haven’t even brought out your meal yet. Oops totally didn’t realize what was going on.

Once I got to Cacao Hostel on Sunday morning my energy was immediately lifted by being around other backpackers. A big part of this style of travel is meeting new people and being a part of the community that is formed by all of us that are backpacking around these countries. It rained all day and night so I just sat outside under the awning chatting with Sarah and Liz the entire time. We had some really great convos and it felt good to make my first connections of the trip. I needed that social energy in my life even more than I knew. It helped ease the hidden anxiety that I had to start my trip. I was able to feel more comfortable with being in Santa Marta and started getting super excited for what was ahead in my travels as they were both further along in their trip. Toward the end of the night Ada joined us and added her own flare of energy.

Most of the people I met in my first 1.5 weeks were traveling by themselves which is really great to see as a solo traveler myself. I was also pleasantly surprised that people were anywhere from their early 20s to their early 40s. While Southeast was an absolutely incredible place to backpack, most people were 18-25, which was great for 22 year old me but I’m glad South America seems to be a bit older of a crowd. 

I was back at Santa Marta on Wednesday after a few nights of Minca and it turned out to be a really fun time. It started out as a low key night since I had my 4 day trek the next day. I bought veggies and pasta to cook at the hostel and was just chilling when Ada and some other staff members suggested we play a game. We played a guess a music game with 2 teams where you listened to the first 3 seconds of a song and had to say the song name and artist. The category was popular songs 1950-2000s and it was mostly classic rock. It was pretty funny because I was the only American amongst this diverse group of people from all over the globe so I definitely had an advantage but people knew the songs surprisingly well. This game really raised the energy of the place and next thing you know we were doing group karaoke together to classics by Queen, Spice Girls, and Backstreet Boys.

My other night in Santa Marta was the Sunday after my 4 day trek to Ciudad Perdida. Sarah from my first night was actually there again so it was great reconnecting with her and talking about the trek (she had done it starting the day before me) but she had a 7pm bus to Medellin so it was brief. When I first saw Ada upon entering the hostel she barely recognized me and then goes oh my god you smell so bad. She wasn’t wrong – 4 days in the rainy jungle will do that. Luckily I booked a private room for the night since I knew I would want to have extra space and comfort after the trek. 

Unfortunately this turned out to be a really rough night. I had received some messages from various friends during the trek saying call me immediately when you can. I found out that my friend Adam in Tel Aviv passed away in his sleep. I was in a state of shock and grief the rest of the night. I have never gone from such a high coming back from my trek to such a low hearing this news. He was an incredibly happy and healthy guy so it was baffling to hear. One of the most genuine souls I’ve ever met and truly a guiding spirit. We had so many amazing travel experiences together as roommates studying abroad in France and I will always cherish the time we had together. He taught me so much and was always such a great friend who had my back. I’m crying right now on my bus to Tayrona writing this but I know he’s watching over me during my adventures ahead. I will channel his incredible energy and never ending curiosity into my soul as I move forward with my travels. He was a great linguist and I hope to use that as a motivating factor for my Spanish studies during this trip. I’m so grateful to have gotten to see him for the first time in years just a few weeks before when I was in Tel Aviv. It’s a reminder how fragile life can be so appreciate your loved ones and take advantage of any good opportunity you can.

Minca

Hostel

Finca Bolivar (2 nights) had a really relaxed and private vibe. It was hidden behind a gate that we each got a key to and it had its own private river access down below and viewpoint above (neither of which I used). It was a small hostel and I really enjoyed the company of everyone in it. Also the owner Nicolas was a very friendly Argentinian guy who gave me a map and circled recommendations he had around town for activities and food.

People

-Tomas (Prague, Czech Republic) I loved this guy. He was such a high energy character and full of interesting stories. He was married to Brenda so he knew Spanish very well, had great English, and obviously knew Czech. We really connected on both party stories and intellectual conversations. He said I had buena anda (good vibes). They are about to move to Singapore for Brenda job so maybe I’ll visit one day

-Brenda (Mexico): Tomas’ wife and a super nice lady. It seemed like she was always traveling for work while he went off exploring the city   

-Koen (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Had a strong connection and great convos with him as well. Another well traveled, interesting character that recently rode his motorcycle from the top of Oregon to the bottom of

Mexico making many stops along the way 

-Dan (Dublin, Ireland): had the cajones to cross the border of Venezuela and spend a few days in Marakaibo so it was interesting to hear about that experience

-Marie (small city, Germany): showed photos of Bolivia and gave me some good tips on what to do there

-Ronaldo (Minca, Colombia): owner of Mexican restaurant that Koen and I chatted with for an hour+

-Vivi: Berlin, Germany. Wasn’t at our hostel but Koen invited her to meet us for dinner the 2nd night and she had a fun, silly energy to her 

My first night I made friends with all the various people in the hostel described above and grabbed Mexican food for dinner with Koen where we met Ronaldo. He was the owner of the restaurant at his and we were the only people there so ended up chatting with him and his friend for over an hour. First real good convo with a local Colombian. Genuine guy who really just wants the country to be well received in the international community and be a top tourist destination.

The second night me, Tomas, Brenda, Koen, and Hein (another Dutch guy from the hostel) went to dinner and got beers at the arepa place I had lunch the day before. Two German girls, Vivi and another whose name I forget, also met us there and we had a great group energy going. It was only 10 and the party could have easily kept going but there wasn’t much open in town and we decided to just go back to the hostel and call it a night.

Arrival

I took a colectivo (mini bus) from Santa Marta to Minca. They wait for all the seats to fill up then off we go. It was pretty hot and stuffy but for just over $2 can’t really complain. Multiple stops were made along the way to drop off locals or to have giants bags of something (maybe fruit) thrown onto the top of the mini van to transport to Minca. Throughout my time in Colombia taking public transportation I found it fascinating how they would also use it as an opportunity to transport physical goods either above or below the vehicle.  

Got off the bus and immediately heard the sounds of the river flowing, birds chirping, and bugs buzzing; and smell the fresh scent of the jungle trees after a night of rain. Ahhh I’m already so much more at peace than being in Santa Marta. This is the type of experience I came for. I loved the vibe of Minca. It’s a sleepy town but has a very laid back vibe and some great jungle hiking. There are also numerous coffee plantations some of which also produce cacao or chocolate, and multiple places to go on a bird watching tour.

Hiking

Pozo Azul via Minca (4.5 miles, 860 feet elevation gain, in and out)

I immediately started my morning with a hike since I couldn’t check into my hostel yet. First half of the hike was a steady uphill along the road from Minca to the actual trailhead. It was peaceful to be surrounded by trees again and there wasn’t much traffic besides the occasional motorbike coming by. There was a bunch of mini vans parked at the trailhead, seems to be a popular tourist spot for local Colombians to take group vans from who knows where. It was a little under a mile downhill to get to the Pozo Azul (blue well) and there were little huts along the way that sold drinks and cooked snacks like empanadas and chorizo. At the end was a watering hole between a tiny waterfall and the rest of the river that people swam in. It was a little cold but quite refreshing on a warm day. Then I hiked back up the trail and down the road to my hostel Finca Bolivar.

360 Mirador (5.7 miles, 1729 feet elevation gain, in and out)

After a tasty arepa sampler lunch I started hiking toward Candelaria, a coffee and chocolate farm. It was a pretty steep uphill battle along a wide trail that was occasional paved on one side for the motorbike route. As I got closer to the farm, I saw that I was only about a mile/mile and a half from 360 Mirador which is supposed to be a great viewpoint. It was already almost 3 so it was a risky move given the rain comes anytime after 1 pretty much every day. But the sky still looked decent so I went for the viewpoint over coffee. The trail got more narrow and jungly as I went higher and there were some good views of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains along the way. It was relatively challenging way up to the top and as I got closer the dark rain clouds started moving in quickly. Shit better hurry…but it was too late. The Leo in me really shows when I hike, and I was too proud to turn around, but by the time I got to the top it was lightly raining and you couldn’t really see anything except dark clouds. There was a faint view of Santa Marta and the ocean but certainly not the awe inspiring 360 view I hoped for. Oh well it was still a nice reward to make it to the top even without the views. The hike down was pretty miserable as the rain continued the whole way and gradually got harder toward the end. I was soaked and muddy by the time I made it back to the hostel.

Los Pinos via Marinka Waterfall (7.3 miles, 3009 feet elevation gain, loop. Could have been more miles but I didn’t do the last few miles downhill and took motorbike down when I could finally get one)

Another 7am wake up and after getting ready and grabbing a quick pain au chocolate from a little French bakery in town, I was on the trail by about 7:45. It was a steady, slight uphill climb along a wide trail and after about 25 minutes I made a stop at the Oído del Mundo (Ears of the World) waterfall which was small but the surrounding area was beautiful.

I continued up and made it to Cascada Marinka by about 8:45. I had heard from Tomas that it was quite crowded but since I got there so early I was fortunate enough to have the whole place to myself. The water was so refreshing and I swam in the pool for 15-20 minutes before other groups started showing up which was my cue to leave. 

The next section of the hike up to Los Pinos was incredibly challenging. It was nonstop steep uphill sections through the jungle with very narrow pathways and one part where there wasn’t even a path; I just had to scramble up the hill hoping that all trails was leading me the right way. My legs were already a little sore from my 2 hikes the day before so I had to stop multiple times along the way. Oh geez I hope I didn’t go too hard in Minca…I only have 1 day of rest after this before my 4 day trek. Whatever this is what I came here to do. There was some nice views along the way but once again nothing to see when I finally made it to Los Pinos (scenic viewpoint at the top). You literally couldn’t see anything but dark, misty clouds. Two Dutch guys and I sat at the top hoping it would clear up but instead it started raining. Sigh. Just like 360 Mirador it was all about the challenge but no view as a reward. I guess this is the risk you take when hiking in Colombia during the rainy season (which apparently used to end in late April but now it’s pretty much all year round in these parts). Rather than going down the same way, I decided to keep doing the loop in hopes that I would get a motorbike once I got closer to civilization. It was rainy, my legs were sore, and I was hungry so I didn’t feel like walking the extra 2 hours downhill to Minca. Luckily once I got to the town of El Campano, it didn’t take long to hop on the back of a motorbike and pay my way to the center of Minca. I rewarded myself with a nice BBQ ribs lunch.

Hiking through the mud trenches

Coffee Farm Tour at La Victoria

On my last morning before taking a colectivo back to Santa Marta, I did a coffee farm tour at La Victoria with Koen and Hein. They were walking there but given that I had hiked hard the past 2 days and had a 4 day trek the following day, I told them I would just meet them there via motorbike. It was about $7.50 for both ways which was totally worth it. The tour came with 2 small cups of coffee and was incredibly informative. The farm has been around for 130 years and they still use the same processes and same machines that they always have. There is nothing digital about this place. When one of the machines breaks down, they repair it with parts in house. Almost the entire factory is water powered with the exception of just 2 machines.

The coffee beans are picked high up in the mountain then placed in these pipes where the water powers them down to the farm. The beans are then separated out where the top 80% are put into one pile (and exported out of the country) and the bottom 20% are put into another pile and are used for local Colombian coffee. So actually the best Colombian coffee isn’t even in the country itself. For the lower quality beans they put on a tarp and sun dry it. For the higher quality beans they dry it using a furnace. Once we reach the roasting stage, it’s 15 minutes for light and 25 for dark; they do about 20 minutes for a medium roast. Light roast is actually higher strength caffeine since less gets burned off which makes sense but was news to me. La Victoria is just a producer and not an exporter so in the end all the roasted beans get bagged and shipped to their next destination where they’ll be combined with beans from other farms to make the final product. 

Overall it was a really cool experience to get a first hand look at how the coffee beans get processed from a farm that has been doing it the same way for 130 years. Afterwards I got a bomb sandwich and carrot cake from their cafeteria. A+ spot

So that’s it for the first half of my time in the Magdalena region. More to come soon on La Ciudad Perdida and Tayrona National Park.