The best beaches near Santa Marta are located in and around Tayrona National Park, as well as further up the coast towards Palomino and Riohacha. Playa Los Angeles is one of these fantastic Caribbean beaches and makes a perfect day trip for solo travelers from Santa Marta, offering a free alternative to the beaches inside Tayrona National Park.
You can enjoy long and beautiful walks in all directions: stroll along the sea, walk through the jungle towards Tayrona National Park or hike up the mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. On your way through the jungle you will pass by rivers, encounter different types of monkeys and discover impressive tropical flora.
The sea conditions at Playa Los Angeles, as well as many other beaches along the Northern coast, are often unsuitable for swimming, and warning signs are usually posted on the beach. However, these conditions make the Northern beaches ideal for surfing. You can find some amazing surf spots close to Playa Los Angeles. Read more below.
Photo by Travelhapp, Playa los Angeles Beach
Photo by Travelhapp, Monkey on Playa Los Angeles Trail
The Los Naranjos area is the closest surf spot near Tayrona National Park and the Playa los Angeles lodge. Casa Tayrona Los Naranjos (website) offers surf lessons for beginners.
A 15-min taxi ride up north from Playa los Angeles takes you to a dense concentration of great surf schools located between the Mendihuaca river outlet (desembocadura rio Mendihuaca) and the Guachaca area around Costeño Beach. We recommend the nice folks at Mendihuaca Surf School (website). Another good option is Tayrona Surf School (website).
If you go by bus, you can ask the driver to drop you off at Mototaxis Mendihuaca Asociación (Google Maps), or at the entrance to Costeño Beach. From there you can take a mototaxi to the beach and the surf schools.
Other great locations for surfing on the Northern coast of Colombia include Buritaca and Palomino, 25 minutes and 45 minutes away from Playa los Angeles respectively.
Photo by Travelhapp, Surfing near Playa Los Angeles
From the surf schools at Mendihuaca it’s a 15 minutes walk to the adult-only Costeño Beach Hostel (website), which was founded by the charismatic singer of Colombian electro tropical Band Bomba Estereo. You can see the hostel and its beach in Bomba Estereo’s music video “Somos Dos” (YouTube). There are great parties at Costeño beach, if you feel like celebrating and dancing by the Caribbean sea.
A nice independent 3 days/2 nights plan could be to go to Playa los Angeles first, spend a relaxed night there, move on to Mendihuaca for surfing, spend the second night at Costeño Beach and then continue your trip towards the fascinating La Guajira peninsula in the very north of Colombia.
Costeño Beach in Bomba Estereo’s music video “Somos Dos” (YouTube).
It is very easy to get to Playa los Angeles from Santa Marta. The bus stop is located behind the Olimpica Market at Plaza del Mercado (Google Maps). You just catch one of the frequent buses to Palomino or Riohacha and tell the driver to drop you off at Playa Los Angeles in the Los Naranjos area.
The drop-off point is located at the left side about 4 km after the entrance to Tayrona National Park. The bus ride from Santa Marta should take about 1-1,5 hours, depending on traffic, the ticket is very cheap. From the bus drop-off point at the main road (troncal del Caribe) it’s an 8 min walk to the Playa los Angeles lodge reception and the beach. Check out Peter Amuhaya’s video below to get an impression of the path.
Make sure to ask the bus driver when the buses back to Santa Marta pass, or the buses on to Palomino and Riohacha. We recommend traveling during daytime – because of safety and, even more, because of the amazing nature scenery.
How to get to Playa los Angeles from the main road, video by Peter Amuhaya
While the bus stops at the main road, a taxi or mototaxi may take you directly to the lodge reception at Playa Los Angeles and the beach. The ride from Santa Marta should take approximately an hour, depending on traffic. It’s best to agree upon the price beforehand. Mototaxis are a bit cheaper, if you don’t mind sitting on the back of a motorbike for a while. Actually it’s quite fun 🙂
The tough ones among you might want to do the trip by bike. Have a look at the route on WikiLoc: Santa Marta to Playa Los Angeles by Mountain Bike.
You can rent bikes with or without a guide at the professional and friendly Rent Bike Santa Marta (Google Maps).
Photo by Travelhapp, Sunset near Playa los Angeles
If you just want to relax at this amazing postcard beach, enjoy some delicious food and maybe get a nice massage, it’s fine to travel alone to Playa Los Angeles. It’s an easy day trip from Santa Marta for a solo traveler. If you go by bus, consider that you need to walk around 8 minutes along a paved path to get from the main road to the lodge reception and the beach.
If you plan to leave the radius of the lodge to go for longer hikes, we recommend to go in a group and/or with a local guide. There are several different hiking trails – all beautiful with almost no people around. The guys at Playa los Angeles lodge are working on interesting tours and experiences, just ask them about their offer.
In case you would enjoy some company, you can join our Colombia Solo Travelers Facebook Group to search for other solo travelers near you.
Photo by Travelhapp, Hiking Trail from Playa los Angeles towards Tayrona Park
Photo by Travelhapp, Walking along the Beach at Playa los Angeles
If you want to stay overnight, the Playa los Angeles lodge (see Google Maps or Website) offers bungalows, tents and hammocks directly in front of the beach, allowing you to fall asleep to the sound of the waves. They also have a restaurant and bar where you can enjoy fresh juice, healthy food or an ice-cold beer. Last but not least, you can get pampered with massages in their recently opened Spa.
Photo by Travelhapp, Sunset near Playa los Angeles
Read more:
Things to do in Santa Marta: 16 ideas for activities in and around Santa Marta
Hike to the Waterfalls in Minca: Explore this laid-back village in the Sierra Nevada
Cerro Kennedy Hike: An epic trek from Minca, featuring incredible views
Colombia Travel Inspirations: Top Attractions and Hidden Gems in Colombia
Colombia Travel Tips: General Colombia Travel Advice for Solo Travelers