Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

Photo by Santiago Gomez on Unsplash

Only 42 kilometers to the south of the beaches where tourists throng to the sound of the waves is where the world’s highest coastal mountain range, the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, which was designated a biosphere reserve by the United Nations in 1979, can be found. See all the thermal elevations, from the warm seaside (169 m s.n.m.) to the perpetual ice caps of Colón and Bolivar (5.775 m s.n.m. and 5.560 m s.n.m.), respectively.

Also known as the Tayrona civilization, it flourished between the year 200 and the year 1650 of our period in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Tayronas are the ancestors of the Kankuano, Arhuaco, Wiwa, and Kogui ethnic groups that currently live in the region. Source

In 1964, Colombia’s Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta was designated as a national park, and in 1979, UNESCO designated it as a biosphere reserve. In 2012, “Los Parques Nacionales Tayrona y Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y sus Sitios Arqueológicos” was added to Colombia’s official list of World Heritage Sites. Source

General Information

There are numerous settlements with a variety of attractions spread throughout the vast area that the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta occupies. These enable access without any kind of limitations. To visit the Sierra Nevada National Park in Santa Marta, the Teyuna Archaeological Park (Ciudad Perdida), or the snow-capped mountains of Colón and Bolivar, however, requires following a number of steps because these locations do have restrictions.

It is necessary to have permission from the Colombian administration of National Parks (PNN) in order to visit Sierra Nevada National Park in Santa Marta. If you would also like to visit Ciudad Perdida, you must request permission from the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH). Source.

Flora and wildlife of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta

126 endemism plant species have been recorded, with enormous trees like the “caracoli”, the “ceiba of milk”, the “chupo”, the “cera” palm, and the tagua known as “vegetable leather” topping the list.

Wildlife

Existen 44 of the 340 endemism species registered in Colombian territory, as well as 49 of the 3.057 threatened species. El condor, la danta, el jaguar, el paujil, y el venado de páramo are a few of the most significant. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (UICN) criteria, all fall under one or more categories of threat. Source.

Communities within the Sierra Neva

Indigenous peoples

The Sierra is inhabited by the Kogui, Wiwa, Arhuaco and Kankuamo indigenous peoples. In January 1973, the Ministry of Government declared the perimeter of the Sierra Nevada as the “Black Line”, which symbolically separates the sacred sites of these indigenous groups and ordered the respect of the sites of pagamentos. The indigenous settlements are generally located along the course of the rivers, from the lowlands where they grow cocoa, coffee, bananas and sugar cane, to the moorlands where the main crop is potatoes.

Farmers

Within the protected area there is a population of peasants located mostly in the middle and lower parts, who are mainly engaged in agriculture.

Advice for visiting the Sierra Nevada in Santa Marta

• Consult the official websites of both the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and the Ministry of Environment (National Parks Division).
• If you do not travel with a travel agency, you must apply for the appropriate permits. This can take a long time, so it is best to do it well in advance.
• Get vaccinated against yellow fever and tetanus. It is also a good idea to carry a first-aid kit containing antiophidic serum and anti-diarrhoeal medicine.
• Carry a torch with batteries, insect repellent, sunscreen, mosquito net, and comfortable long-sleeved clothing.
• If visiting snow-capped peaks, bring all necessary climbing and camping equipment, including thermal clothing.  Source.

Datos curiosos

• It is known by several names, but the most significant is its ancestral name: Teyuna = Origin of the Peoples of the Earth. This explains why the older brothers, the Koguis and Wiwas, believed that the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was the Heart of the World.
• The Lost City was built 650 years before Machu Picchu. In approximately 800 A.D., the Tayronas were already laying the first stones of what is now the most representative archaeological site in the Colombian Caribbean.
• It is estimated that it was abandoned by the Tayronas around 1650, after the arrival of the Spaniards and they moved to the north. At its peak, it could have housed up to 1,800 indigenous people who fortunately were not reached by the invaders due to the harsh geographical and climatic conditions that limit access even today.
• After almost 400 years of abandonment, sadly it was discovered by “Guaqueros“ (Tomb Raiders) almost by accident in 1973; while exploring nearby ancient settlements they came across a staircase of 1,200 stone steps; which at the time was covered with moss, earth, and roots.
• For its recovery, it took more than 50 professionals from different disciplines, soldiers from the Córdoba Battalion, and more than 100 workers (mostly ex-vaqueros); who participated in the restoration that tore this citadel from the jungle itself; they cleared the old drainage channels and restored the buildings that had suffered damage with the same stones that had been detached. More information.

• ¿How to get there?

The Minca corregimiento is one of the places in the vast Sierra that are recommended for visiting. In order to get there from Santa Marta, one must travel approximately 42 kilometers on a highway via the El Campano and Bellavista valleys before turning into that station. The first 25 kilometers are paved, while the remaining distance requires a camper with double traction. The journey from Santa Marta to San Lorenzo lasts about three hours.

Learn more about the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Colombian Caribbean tourist corridor.