Santa Marta
Colombia’s oldest surviving city, where Bolívar spent his last weeks, set on a dry bay between the Caribbean and the Sierra Nevada.
- Arrival
- Simón Bolívar International · SMR
- To the city
- About 14 km south of the centre
- Private jets
- At SMR, on a 1,700-metre runway
- Best time
- November to August
The city
Founded in 1525, still facing the bay.
Rodrigo de Bastidas founded Santa Marta on 29 July 1525, and no older Spanish city survives in Colombia. Its eighteenth-century cathedral once held his remains and those of Simón Bolívar, who came here at the end of his life and died in 1830 at a country house just outside town. Along the shore to the south lies El Rodadero, with the newer beach hotels beyond it.
This is one of the driest parts of the Colombian coast. From December to April barely any rain falls; through the middle of the year it comes in short showers, and only September and October are wet. Afternoons stay at 31 to 32 °C, and the sea is warm in every month.
- Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino The villa where Simón Bolívar died in 1830, just outside the city centre.
- The cathedral An eighteenth-century basilica that held the remains of the city’s founder and, for a time, of Bolívar.
- Tayrona National Park Forest running down to sheltered bays east of the city, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada.
Arriving
A runway on the shore, south of town.
Simón Bolívar International sits on the coast about 14 km south of the centre. Close to 3.7 million passengers used it in 2024, which made it the fifth airport in Colombia by traffic.
- Panama City 1 h 10
- Punta Cana 1 h 40
- Barbados 2 h 25
- Lisbon 9 h 25 long-range jet
- Marrakech 9 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
November to August.
Whatever the month, the afternoon high is 31 or 32 °C, and the Caribbean here runs from 26 to 29 °C. December to April is almost rainless; May to August brings moderate showers. September and October are the wet months, with October above 170 mm.
- 31° J 3 26°
- 32° F 1 26°
- 32° M 6 26°
- 32° A 29 26°
- 32° M 86 28°
- 32° J 85 28°
- 32° J 64 28°
- 32° A 77 28°
- 32° S 122 29°
- 32° O 172 29°
- 32° N 88 28°
- 31° D 16 27°
Where to stay
On the beach by the airport.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
One table worth booking.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Colombia. Santa Marta has little high-end dining; this is the best rated fine-dining table on Tripadvisor, in a hotel south of the centre.
- Waku Rated 4.9 on Tripadvisor Contemporary Caribbean $$$$ Hilton Santa Marta, Pozos Colorados, south of the centre
Elsewhere in Colombia
More reasons to come.
- Cartagena Balconies heavy with bougainvillea, inside the old ramparts.
- Rosario Islands Coral islands an hour by boat from Cartagena.
- Bogotá The capital at 2,600 metres, the Botero museum and the old quarter of La Candelaria.
- Medellín The city of eternal spring, in a green valley of the Andes.
- Salento Coffee farms, and the tall wax palms of the Cocora valley.
Flying to Santa Marta?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.