2026 Colombia Dispatch – The Journey Beyond Tayrona

Yoland’s Kitchen

My colleague Gisela, is currently in Colombia. Her adventure started with some drama, however you wouldn’t believe me if I told you what happened. I’ll let Gisela explain.

Enjoy her words and video.

Colombia’s Caribbean Coast: The Journey Beyond Tayrona
Tayrona National Park was supposed to be the story.

With its jungle-covered mountains tumbling into the Caribbean Sea, Colombia’s most celebrated national park draws travelers from around the world. It was meant to be the centerpiece of my journey along the country’s northern coast.

Then, just before I arrived, the park closed.

Fortunately, Colombia has a way of rewarding travelers who embrace the unexpected.

What followed was not the journey I had planned, but perhaps a more revealing one. It led through fishing communities built above the water, conversations with artisans preserving generations-old traditions, encounters with Indigenous wisdom, and a coastal region quietly redefining itself through sustainability and conservation.

 

Life Between Lagoon and Sea
The detour began aboard a small boat crossing the vast waterways of the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta.

This is a world shaped by water. Mangrove forests stretch across the horizon. Fishing boats move between communities. The rhythm feels slower here, dictated less by schedules and more by nature itself.

Along the way, we met José, a blue crab fisherman whose family has worked these waters for generations.

As we drifted beside his boat, he explained not only how he catches crab, but how community life continues to operate much as it has for decades. Trust still carries value. Neighbors exchange goods. Payments are sometimes made days later. Relationships often matter more than transactions.

For visitors, it offers a glimpse into a way of life increasingly rare in the modern world.

 

Nueva Venecia: A Community Floating on the Water
Then came Nueva Venecia.

The village appears almost unexpectedly from the lagoon. Homes stand on stilts above the water. Boats replace cars. Wooden walkways connect families, schools, shops, and gathering places.

Yet what makes Nueva Venecia remarkable is not its architecture.

It is the fact that this is not a living museum or a carefully curated attraction. It is a thriving community that continues to evolve in harmony with the ecosystem that surrounds it.

Children navigate the waterways with ease. Fishermen repair nets outside their homes. Families gather in shaded spaces overlooking the lagoon.

Life unfolds not despite the water, but because of it.

 

Around Yolanda’s Table
One of the most memorable moments came not on the lagoon but around a lunch table.

Yolanda welcomed us into her home and prepared a traditional meal of fried fish, coconut rice, and patacones.

Like many of the best travel experiences, it was not the food alone that stood out. It was the conversation.

Stories about family, daily life, and community flowed as naturally as the meal itself. In a region celebrated for its landscapes, it was a reminder that people often leave the deepest impression.

Nearby, artisan Edrulfo continues another important tradition, transforming locally harvested junco into handcrafted works that reflect the cultural heritage of the wetlands.

The pieces are beautiful.

The knowledge behind them is even more valuable.

 

Where Ancient History Still Feels Present
Further east, the journey led to Tayronaka.

Ancient stone terraces hidden among the forest reveal traces of the Tayrona civilization that once flourished throughout this region.

Yet history here feels far from distant.

Later, while floating down the Don Diego River toward the Caribbean, we met a Mamo, one of the spiritual leaders who safeguard ancestral knowledge within the Sierra Nevada.

The conversation unfolded where river, jungle, mountains, and sea converge.

It was impossible not to recognize how deeply connected the region’s Indigenous communities remain to the landscapes that have sustained them for centuries.

 

Barranquilla’s Reinvention
The journey continued in Barranquilla, a city many travelers know only in passing.

What I discovered was a destination actively transforming itself.

Along the Magdalena River, former industrial spaces have given way to public parks, gathering spaces, and waterfront promenades. Areas once overlooked are becoming centers of community life.

The same commitment can be seen at Mallorquín, where restoration efforts have revitalized an ecosystem at the meeting point of river and sea.

Today, visitors can explore the wetlands, paddle through the waterways, and witness a remarkable example of environmental recovery.

It is proof that conservation is not only about protecting the wild places that remain, but also restoring those nearly lost.

 

The Artisans of Usiacurí
The final stop was Usiacurí.

Colorful streets and murals offer an immediate welcome, but the true story lies within the workshops scattered throughout town.

Generations of artisans have preserved the tradition of weaving Iraca palm into hats, jewelry, bags, and decorative pieces that have become synonymous with the community.

Sitting alongside local craftspeople, I quickly learned something every visitor discovers: what appears effortless is anything but.

Each piece represents countless hours of practice, patience, and craftsmanship.

The result is not simply a souvenir.

It is a tradition carried forward by hand.

 

The Story Beyond the Itinerary
I arrived in Colombia expecting Tayrona National Park to define this journey.

Instead, the most memorable moments happened beyond its borders.

They were found beside fishermen’s boats in the Ciénaga Grande. Around Yolanda’s table in Nueva Venecia. Along the Don Diego River. In the workshops of Usiacurí and the restored wetlands of Barranquilla.

Tayrona may have closed its gates.

The Caribbean coast opened countless others.