How do you get to Tayrona National Park?

I completely agree with the recommendation to visit Tayrona National Park– the beaches are picture-perfect and hardly any tourists go there.

There are no direct buses from Cartagena to Tayrona. First you need to get a bus to Santa Marta (about 4 hours away). Buses leave approximately every hour, but there is no timetable as such. From Santa Marta you can take a bus along the coast towards Riohacha, get off at the entrance to park and walk the last kilometre or two into the park, which is all part of the adventure! It's a scenic walk through tropical forest and makes it all the more memorable when you eventually emerge at an idyllic beach. I know some hotels in the national park offer transport/shuttles services too from Santa Marta.