Tyrona National Park via Santa Martha

After more than two months or being landlocked we finally reached the sea and had the first glimpse of the Carribbean Sea.

 And another first...the first railway line for months but alas no trains.

 We went through the major city and harbour of Santa Marta and over the muntaain up the coast to Taganga, a beautiful small fishing village.

A closer view of the beach with the fishing boats moored in the bay.

 And after the poorly stocked shops of Venezuela, it was almost a delight to go shopping in well stocked, functioning shops.

There was a lovely clean beach in Santa Marta despite being next to the harbour and a container terminal. There was also a cathedral and a Gold Museum. Neither of the buildings were exceptional but the gold museum and the story of the Spanish discovery of the area which led to the stories of an El Dorada in the hills was fascinating.

Next stop was up the coast to the Tayrona National Park. I got to the entrance and hired a horse to ride along the trail to the coast. There was also a hiking trail but I was happy to pay the extra for a ride through the forest.

 The last part of the trail through the forest towards the beach resort.

 It was an idyllic palm lined white sand beach.

 The rock, nearly an island that protects the beach from the worst of the storms out to sea.

 A view of some of the palm frond roofed buildings of the resort.

 After a few days on the beach it was time to move on towards our next destination westwards along the coast. We stopped off at Volcan de El Totumo which is a mud volcano. I was expecting a geological feature but the original mud pool has been commercialised.

 It is where you get into the mud to benefit from its healing properties and benefits for the skin.

 The mud pool is at the tp of the built up cone in a pit.

 It is popular and can get crowded.

 The news are great...

 but it does seem a long way from the bottom.

 A view of the nearby lake where you can wash off the mud before resuming the journey.

We drove along the road which followed a sand spit with the sea on one side and a giant lake on the other. There we passed through Barranquilla where a major new road and bridge across the Rio Magdalena...a great sight for engineers.