Palomino // Colombia

Palomino is a small beach town on the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, only 40 minutes by bus from the Tayrona National Park. It’s not well known among tourists, so you will mainly find backpackers and Hippies in this place. Beside hanging out on the extensive beach, you can go tubing in the Palomino river or hiking in the mountains of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The town of Palomino is located on the main road, where the bus will drop you off. From the main road, a few small sandy roads lead to the beach.

The cheapest guesthouses and restaurants are located around the main road. It gets pricier the closer you get to the beach. Palomino is a quiet place; I haven’t seen any huge expensive hotel there. The only bigger hostel we found is the Dreamer Hostel, close to the beach. It is also the only place to party, the rest of the town was already quiet around 10 pm.

Beach in Palomino

The beach in Palomino is wide with volcanic, black sand and like the whole town quiet and perfect to chill. Directly on the beach there are some small guesthouses, eco villages and bars with hammocks. Unfortunately, swimming can be quite dangerous there. The waves and current can get very strong and I read that a couple of people underestimated the strength of the ocean and drowned. So please take the warning signs seriously.

Accommodation

We stayed at La Media Luna and had a basic double room for 17 € (60.000 COP). They offer breakfast for 2,80 € (10.000 COP) and there is no Wi-Fi. They have a garden and areas with hammocks to hang out. We really liked our room, it was on the first floor and the railings made of wood covered the walls only half-height, so the room was open. The bed was very comfy, totally covered with a mosquito net and thanks to the open room we slept with fresh air and sounds from the forest. This guest house was one of the reasons why we really enjoyed our time in Palomino.