Taganga, Colombia
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Yes we finally made it, you enter Taganga over a mountain with a view of the little bay, the cristal clear water all nestled into the jungle vegetated mountains. This is what I had been looking for. Myself, Conor, Baz and Gav stayed in a lovely hostal where we got a proper apartment with view over the beach, private kitchen and everything. The people we had been traveling with before were staying there too and this place was perfect for socialising. Having the kitchen was great because we never cooked for ourselves in Bolivia and the restaurants in Peru were great so we ate out nearly all the time. Plus the food is Columbia is amazing. Not really for eating out (except the fish) but the fruit and vegetables are out of this world. Iīd even say the fruit is better that what I tried in Brazil. So we stocked up for the week and ate like kings.
Just over the mountain from Taganga there is another lovely beach called Playa Grande, which is funny because its a tiny beach. We did some snorkeling there and saw loads of fish and coral. The water was really clear and so warm as well. The next day we went scuba diving. Taganga is the cheapest place in South America for it. A full day (two dives and lunch) only cost 45 euro. Both dives were about 50 minutes and the guides were great. I had a problem equalising on the first dive but it was such an enjoyable experience. We went to a depth of 50 ft which is pretty deep for a first dive but the whole thing was so safe. It was a shame to not have more time because in a week you can do the PADI course which is the first proper qualification. And is so reasonable to do it there.
At this point I had decided The Lost City trek was out, Conor wasnīt pushed anyway and we were enjoying Taganga so much we didnīt want to leave. And we were pleasantly surprised to discover Santa Marta (short taxi ride away) had great night life on the weekends too. The one final thing we had to do before leaving the coast was visit Tayrona national park.
