colombia
TEYUMAKKE, PLAYA BRAVA
How often do you get to stay smack-bang in the middle of a deserted
Caribbean beach surrounded by pristine rainforest? The centre piece
of this getaway is its location and the trek through the jungle to get
there is an experience in itself.
Parque Tayrona is a popular destination, however Playa Brava is more
difficult to get to and less visited. The walk to Playa Brava
is a 6.7km hike of two to four hours through Parque Tayrona.
You’ll traverse through undulating, barely touched Colombian jungle.
The walk itself is challenging, but its reward is Playa Brava's sheer remoteness. Once you get there
you´ll probably have the beach to yourself and you can enjoy a well-deserved rest and serenity away from the crowds.
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Amenities
- thatched-roof ‘ecohabs’ on beach which sleep up to five people
- hammocks and tents are available for sleeping
- open-air eating hut
- two equipped kitchens
- small store for basic supplies and cold beer
- home-style cooked meals available
- horses for rent
- games: ping-pong, chess, checkers, frisbee
- small library
- limited electricity
- nearby the Tayumakke waterfalls
Price Guide
- thatched roof ecohabs on beach are COP$40,000 – 60,000 / US$20 – 30
- hammocks are COP$20,000 / US$10 per night
- tents are COP$20,000 / US$10 per person per night
- entrance to the national park is COP$31,000 /US$15 per person
Accommodation Type
- the thatched roof stilted huts can be described as basic but beautiful – the location makes the experience
- the stilted huts each have their own bathrooms on the ground floor. The beds aren’t anything to rave about but the walk in will ensure you’ll be asleep in no time
- you can sleep with the doors open, waking up to ocean views
Directions
- Playa Brava is a 6.7km hike through Parque Tayrona
- entrance to the national park is at the town of Calabazo, where you can hire donkeys and a guide for your gear for US$30 (its well worth it)
- there’s not too much flat ground and the track gets more unkempt the closer you get to Playa Brava; think negotiating the steep decline of narrow donkey tracks strewn with broken rocks and branches
- you can make a half an hour detour to Pueblito – a living indigenous town with some ruins
- to get to Calabazo from Santa Marta catch a bus from the market (Calle 11 y Carrera 11) or hire a taxi for around US$35
Contact
Playa Brava – Teyumakke,Parque Tayrona, Magdalena, Colombia
E: playabrava@gmail.com
P: +51 315 480 0241/ +51 311 698 0624
You will LOVE!
- the location: a deserted Caribbean surrounded by jungle laden mountains is hard to beat
- the isolation: everything and everyone feels very, very far away...because they are. The majority of the park’s tourists stick to the more accessible Cabo San Juan or Arrecife
- the price: its next to nothing compared to what you pay for other secluded beach locales around the world
- the walk in: its challenging enough to get the heart rate up but you’ll still enjoy watching the jungle evolve and optional stop offs at the indigenous communities
- peace and the (ridiculously) quiet
- how easily one day fades into next as you whittle away time in a hammock or deck chair
- being able to leave your belongings around and the doors unlocked and knowing they are safe from thieves
- sleeping with your hut doors open, enjoying the breeze, waking to see and hear the beach
- the BEACH is rugged, unspoilt and surrounded by huge hills carpeted in green forest
- the privacy if you are a smitten couple or a group of mates
You might NOT LIKE!
- the isolation: the only way out is back over those mountains
- the quiet: no pumping parties here unless you make your own
- the beach: it is rough with dangerous currents
- the food: the cooked food is basic at best. Whatever else you want you have to carry in.
- the walk: with some steep inclines and declines, not made any easier by the fact the track is far from well-maintained. It can feel like a LONG walk
- the mosquitoes
- electricity is only for a few hours in the evenings
- no hot water