If you are traveling Colombia’s Caribean coast be sure to add Palomino to your list. Many people don’t get this far and stop at Parque Tayrona. Big mistake! If you are looking to relax and chill at the beach for a while Palomino is the best place to do so. Santa Marta and Cartagena are both big towns with packed beaches (and tourist prices). Whereas Palomino is much smaller and less crowded. To help you plan your visit here are some things to do in Palomino Colombia.
Did You Get Travel Insurance Yet?
The Insurance companies I recommend are Hey Mondo and Safety Wing
Hey Mondo is great if you are looking for a great value flexible policy. They offer single-trip cover, annual multi-trip cover, and long-term travel cover. Safety Wing is great value, with monthly coverage starting at $45.08. It’s super easy to use, and it just renews each month. I currently use them as they offer me free cover for my son as part of my policy.
Read my full travel insurance post here, where I go into detail about all companies.
How to get to Palomino
Getting to Palomino is easy. Most people come from Santa Marta or Tayrona. You just need to get on the same bus from the market in Santa Marta that takes you to Tayrona. Palomino is around 1.5 hours from Tayrona… Although this really depends on traffic! There is one main road that connects Santa marta, Tayrona and Palomino. This makes traveling between the three easy as it’s the same bus.
Need Transportation in Colombia?
I highly recommend booking Colombia transportation with GottoGo. You can search for buses, shuttles, ferries, and flights on their website—I love their customer service. I know them personally from my time living in Guatemala, and they genuinely care for their customers. If a delay occurs and you miss your bus, call them for help.
If you book through GottoGo, you will pay more than at the bus station, but it’s worth it for the ease and security. Click here to search for transportation in Colombia.
Where to Stay in Palomino
I would recommend not booking accommodation in Palomino. Instead, get off the bus and take the main road to the beach. Walk along that road and pick somewhere you like the look of. There is plenty of choices! If you have a tent take it with you are most places have camping available. I regretted booking accommodation as I would have much preferred to stay in my tent!
Here are my recommendations for hostels in Palomino:
Things to do in Palomino Colombia
Honestly, there isn’t that much to do there. Most people go to get offline for a few days and relax at the beach! There is plenty of yoga and you can go river tubing or try surfing if you want a bit more action.
I went river tubing in Palomino and I really recommend it!
We went with the company on the main road and managed to haggle the price down to 15mil for the tube and the moto taxi. The “normal” cost is 25-30mil with a guide. We didn’t want the guide and they tried to tell us we still needed to pay 25mil but we had spoken to a local who told us we could get it for 15. So expect to pay between 15-30mil depending on your haggling skills.
The first part of the adventure is the moto-taxi! Going over some pretty rocky trails on a moto whilst holding a big rubber ring was pretty terrifying at times!
Once they drop you off you have a 30 min walk uphill until you get to the point where you enter the river.
It is pretty easy to follow as there will be others there with guides. If you get stuck, just follow them!
Once you are in the river expect 2-3 hours of relaxation. Although don’t get too relaxed as the current is strong in places and I got pulled into the side a few times! I also ran aground in the middle of the river a few times!
Another amazing thing you can do here is visit the Dog Shelter Palomino and either volunteer for a few hours or go on a walking tour with the dogs there. They hold tours twice a day, 8am and 3pm, one to a mirador and the other to the river to play there with the dogs. The cost of this tour is 50k COP which all goes towards the shelter (vaccinations, neutering, food etc.)
If you don’t have time to do the tour, you can also visit the Dog Shelter cafe and get a coffee and cake. You get to play with the dogs while enjoying a sweet treat and the money from this also goes towards their care.
The volunteers and staff are more than happy to tell you about all of the dogs and may also try to convince you to adopt one yourself (we were tempted). They rehomed over 60 dogs in 2022, helping to keep the dogs off the streets and give them a loving home (across Colombia and the world).
Where to eat in Palomino Colombia
There are so many options when it comes to breakfast, lunch or dinner in Palomino. As there is not that much to do, yummy food spots fill most of the main street. Take a wander up and down to read the menus and see what takes your fancy.
If you are looking for something light, as with most place in Colombia, there are many places you can grab and empanada or pastry. However, if you want a bigger meal, here are a couple places I would recommend.
The Veggie Kitchen
This place is perfect if you are vegetarian (as the name suggests), however the food was so good I would recommend everyone give it a try. There is a huge choice of food, from burgers, to curries and noodles and we wished we had found this place before our last day as we would have gone back for every meal. If you needed any more reason to try the Veggie Kitchen, the waiter there was also one of the loveliest people I have ever met and will make sure you have the best time.
Cafe Holss
Another great place for vegetarians and vegans, they have the option of many different small plates or the menu of the day which includes a main dish, salad and infused water. This food is on the pricey end compared to other things you can eat in Colombia, however this was some of the best food I had. Their food was very wholesome with lots of veggies and fresh ingredients. So if you are looking for a break from the fried food you have probably been eating a lot of, this is a great place to try. They also have good wifi and sweet treats, so you could head here to do some work.
Don’t forget the sunblock! I had 50 on and still burned as I didn’t reapply.
I hope this is helpful if you are backpacking in Colombia be sure to check out my other guides!
Also, you can follow my 1-week, 2-week, and 3-week Itineraries for the Caribbean coast.
Where to next? If you are planning your trip to Colombia be sure to check out all of my other guides here.
This post was proofread by Grammarly
