Both Cartagena and Tayrona National Park frequently pop up on lists of favorite places in Colombia. Cartagena is a colorful, historic city with plenty to offer while Tayrona National Park is home to some gorgeous beaches. If you’re traveling along Colombia’s northern coast, it’s perfectly natural to include both of these stops in your itinerary.
In this travel guide, I’ll show you exactly how to make this transfer, with step by step instructions.
Cartagena to Tayrona National Park
There are several ways to transfer from Cartagena to Tayrona National Park, but this guide will specifically focus on public transportation since that’s what most travelers will be using. Specifically, we’ll be using buses (and Uber) to navigate the country.
Cartagena to Santa Marta
Your first step is to transfer from Cartagena to Santa Marta. There are a few bus companies making this route.
The two most popular companies with tourists are Marsol and Berlinas. Both are a bit pricier than some of the other bus companies in Colombia, but you have the added bonus of going straight to your next destination. With some of the other companies, you’ll likely be making several stops which adds time onto the already long journey.
In addition, Marsol and Berlinas have their own offices, so you can avoid the large and chaotic Cartagena bus terminal. Plus, if you’re staying in Getsemani or the Old Town, Marsol and Berlinas are closer. In fact, I walked to the Marsol office from my hotel in Getsemani. It was a sweaty walk because even in the morning, it’s hot and humid in Cartagena, but it only took 20 minutes. That’s definitely faster than a taxi or Uber to the main Cartagena Bus Terminal. Berlinas is a bit further so I’d recommend using Uber to reach that bus office.
I don’t know if there’s a big difference between Berlinas and Marsol. I chose Marsol simply because it was closer to my hotel and because I was able to find the bus schedule online (at the time of writing, Marsol leaves Cartagena every hour on the hour). At my hotel, they told me that Marsol cost 100,000 COP, but Berlinas was only 90,000 COP. I’m not sure what to believe because I only paid 90,000 COP (in January 2026) for my ticket on Marsol.
Note that I did not purchase my ticket in advance. If you’re traveling on a busy day, you might want to consider booking your ticket early, but I had no problem purchasing my ticket the morning of my departure. And I was traveling in the busy January season.
It’s also worth noting that Marsol tickets were being sold on the RedBus app, but the app didn’t want to take my payment. That worked out for the best because even with the last minute 15% discount that applied, it would have been about 5,000 COP more than just buying it at the office. So I guess the moral here is to just purchase your ticket at the bus office.
Once you’ve bought your ticket, you’ll wait until it’s time to board. Then settle in. It’s at least five hours from Cartagena to Santa Marta (possibly longer depending on traffic). Note that on my Marsol bus, we stopped in Barranquilla to pick up more passengers at the Marsol office. We also stopped just outside of Barranquilla for a bathroom break (at a gas station that didn’t even charge us to use the bathroom!). Otherwise, we didn’t stop and just drove straight through to Santa Marta. It took us about five and a half hours to reach Santa Marta.
For those not wanting a long bus ride, you could look into flying, but it’s more expensive to fly. Additionally, your flight is almost certainly going to route through Bogota, so any time you’d save by flying is immediately lost because of the connection. While it’s a long bus ride, just take the bus.
Santa Marta to Mercado Publico
When you arrive in Santa Marta, you’ll need to get to the Mercado Publico on the corner of Calle 11 and Carrera 9. The easiest way to do this is to catch an Uber. It’s cheap and hassle free. That said, if you’re so inclined, there are taxis available too.
As mentioned, I took the Marsol bus. We made two stops in Santa Marta because Marsol has two offices. The first one is outside of the center, but when we stopped a man asked if anyone was going to Minca or Tayrona. Presumably he had transport to both of these. One girl on my van took him up on his offer to Minca after getting a quote of 100,000 COP.
I’m not sure what kind of transportation that is, but that is crazy high and I don’t recommend taking these people up on their offer. For context, the bus to Minca from Mercado Publico costs just 10,000 COP. Just stay on the bus until you reach the final stop. Then take an Uber to the Mercado Publico and take the cheap, local bus to Minca.
On the Marsol bus route, the last stop is at their office on Calle 24. Once again, men were asking us where we were going. I just grabbed my bags and walked away. There’s a Best Western hotel right across the street and that’s where I went to call my Uber. It took just a few minutes and I paid 11,000 COP (including the tip) to go to Mercado Publico. It’s a 20 minute walk so if you’re packing light and don’t might a warm walk, you could walk, but I was perfectly happy to take my Uber.
Mercado Publico to Tayrona National Park
The final leg of the trip is to board a local bus. There are two bus stops at Mercado Publico. On the northern end of the block (the corner of Calle 11 and Carrera 9) is where you’ll find the bus for Tayrona National Park and Palomino (it’s the same bus). On the southern end of the block (the corner of Calle 12 and Carrera 9) is where you’ll find the bus to Minca (and a handful of other destinations, but most tourists just use this bus for Minca).
From here, you just need to talk to the driver/whoever is loading luggage onto the bus. Confirm that they’re going to Tayrona, load your bags, and grab a seat. When I did this, they collected money from travelers after we departed Santa Marta.
The buses to Tayrona National Park (and Palomino) depart frequently, so you won’t have to wait too long before you’re on your way. From here, it takes about 45 minutes to reach Tayrona National Park.
The cost of the bus to Tayrona National Park varies. I paid 9,500 COP for the ride from Santa Marta to Tayrona National Park (technically Trompito Village just outside Tayrona National Park). On my return journey, I was charged 12,000 COP. I’ve also read that some people have paid up to 14,000 COP (10,000 per person and 4,000 per bag). I think it just depends on who is working on the bus that day. Regardless, pay for your ticket when asked and then settle in until you reach your destination.
Note that if you’re staying at one of the hotels outside of Tayrona National Park, you can ask to be let off early. I was staying in Trompito Village, which sits around kilometer 28. If you ask for either kilometer 28 or Trompito Village, they’ll drop you off near this location (which is also where I waited to be picked up when I was trying to return to Santa Marta).
How Much Does it Cost to Travel from Cartagena to Tayrona National Park
It depends which bus company you use, but I paid 90,000 COP for my bus ticket from Cartagena to Santa Marta with Marsol, approximately 11,000 COP for my Uber in Santa Marta, and another approximately 10,000 COP for the bus to Tayrona National Park. That comes out to about 111,000 COP (though I’d budget closer to 115,000 COP just to account for luggage fees on the bus from Santa Marta to Tayrona National Park).
This number may go down if you use a different (cheaper) bus service to get from Cartagena to Santa Marta, but remember, then you’re using the large bus terminals which are located a bit outside the central part of the city. So while you may save on the bus ticket, you almost certainly will spend more on the Ubers reaching these bus stations. It’s your choice.
How Long Does it Take to Travel from Cartagena to Tayrona National Park
Budget at least six and a half hours. That may seem like a lot when Google Maps says it’s only 250 kilometers (154 miles), but transportation in Colombia takes a long time. It took about five and a half hours to reach Santa Marta from Cartagena. Then I had another 45 minutes in Santa Marta while I transferred to Mercado Publico and waited for my bus to leave. Then it was another 45 minutes on the bus to Trompito Village, just outside of Tayrona National Park. That gives nearly seven hours and I would say that we made decent time. There were no extended traffic delays, it just takes time to get around Colombia.
Can You Visit Tayrona National Park on a Day Trip from Cartagena
No. Unless you plan on taking buses in the middle of the night, it’s just not possible to visit Tayrona National Park on a day trip from Cartagena. The travel time is just too much.
Final Thoughts
I recommend visiting both Cartagena and Tayrona National Park. While there is some transfers involved, it’s actually a pretty easy and common journey to make. Compared to some of the other transfers I’ve made in Colombia, this journey felt like one of the easier routes.
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