Santa Marta - Transport & Travel
Airports
Simón Bolívar International Airport (SMR) is located approximately 16km from Santa Marta. It is likely that international flights will arrive in Santa Marta via Bogota International Airport. Frequent buses take approximately 40 minutes from the airport to Santa Marta centre.
Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (BAQ) is located at Barranquilla approximately 110km from Santa Marta. There are frequent flights to Panama City (PTY) with Copa Airlines and Avianca.
Bogota International Airport code (BOG), also known as El Dorado International Airport is seen as the main gateway for international flights into Colombia. It is likely international flights will land here before catching a domestic flight to Santa Marta (SMR).
Most international flights to Santa Marta will go via Bogota. However, local flights within Colombia are well connected. The main domestic airlines serving SMR and BAQ airports include:
International airlines serving Bogota International Airport include:
Buses
The bus terminal is found on the south-eastern outskirts of the city with easy access from Carrera 1C.
Expreso Brasilia: offers 3x daily buses to Bogota and Medellin approx. COP$80,000-COP$108,000. Departures to Cartagena are hourly until 17:30 to Catagena, approx. COP$20,000 T: 5 430 6244.
Rapido Ochoa: offers a similar service to Expreso Brasillia, T: 5 430 1040.
Car Rental
Car rental is expensive. National Rental Car have offices in Barranquilla, Cartagena and Santa Marta.
Taxis
Taxis can be ordered from the marina office. It’s also extremely easy to flag down a taxi in the street. A taxi ride within the old city area is a fixed price of COP 6000.
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Related to following destinations: Caribbean Coast (Colombia), Colombia, Santa Marta
Port Navigation
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Colombia is due to open its international borders on 1st October 2020. But often these dates get delayed. But it’s a move in the right direction!
COVID19 update 24/4/2020
Borders remain closed.
Marina is also closed. However it is likely that the Marina will begin taking reservations again soon.
However passing yachts have taken refuge in the anchorage here. Also the authorities have permitted yachts to refuel, take on water and provisions. This is done through an appointed agent.
Please note that although the holding is good, the security in the anchorage is poor. There have been reports of fender theft and boardings in recent times. But the Armada Nacional (Colombian Coast Guard) are ever present within the Marina and can be alerted 24/7 on Channel 16.
We arrived mid-June 2018:
At arrival, we anchored next to the entrance of the marina. Two other sailboats were staying there too.
The rate of the marina for seven days for a 39 feet boat is 40 US$ per night (the daily rate is 50 US$). As an agent should cost 300 US$ the decision was easily taken. (Taking in account that outside the marina is no place where you could leave your dinghy attached!).
“El permiso de permanencía” is always extra (120 US$). (It expired for us some days later because of leaving again the country.)
A week later we left for several days for Tayona Park. We informed the “station de control” and after they received feedback from the marina that our paperwork was in process, we got the permission to go. The park itself is not very spectacular but the last bay was very calm to chill.
When we came back to the marina, we stayed for another couple of nights for the weekly rate. It was a good choice to take the marina as our agent.
In the marina’s shop, cold beer is available at very reasonable prices. A supermarket is a couple of minutes walk. If you look for restaurants where locals eat it’s five minutes to walk there.
Posted by Liz Evans on the main Colombia page:
I would like to advise cruisers who need to receive spares into Santa Marta not to use DHL as they do not acknowledge the ‘Vessel in Transit’ status and charge the import duty and local VAT which are 29% in total plus high currency uplift.
Advice is to use FedEx and keep the value of shipment under US$1000.00.
Have the package delivered c/o Marina Santa Marta and ask the friendly office staff to point out to the FedEx delivery person the ‘Vessel in Transit’ status of the shipment, to avoid paying the import taxes.
Posted on behalf of Twiganauten:
December 2014, we have been in the IGY Marina for one month.
The marina is perfect, we love the small town Santa Marta and the countryside is like paradise.
We did the tour to the “Lost City”, it was very very hard but worth to do it. Thanks to our tour guide Misael.
I recommend to make this tour 6 days instead of the normally offered tour of 4 or 5.
The terrain is difficult with very steep sections uphill and downhill.
The tour guide Misael grew up in this area, he knows people and nature and he has good contact with the Indians, Misael can arrange customized tours – email: misdelpineda_22@hotmail.com
Agent Dino – dino.shippingagent@gmail.com – made the clearances easy, Dino is very friendly and helpful.
We’ve been at Marina Santa Marta since 9 October. Water is no longer an issue. Occasionally, the dock water goes off for 15-20 minutes (maybe once per week), but otherwise, it is reliable. We are also drinking dock water THROUGH our SeaGull water filter, with no ill effects. Wade Alarie / SV Joana
Update July 28, 2014
For anyone planning to come to Marina Santa Marta in the near future, you should be aware that the marina is currently experiencing problems with its water supply. Twice within the past 1.5 weeks, there has been a rupture in the water supply pipeline that has taken approximately 12 hours to fix. During this time, there was absolutely no water in the marina.
Furthermore, the city of Santa Marta is currently experiencing a water crisis. In order to limit water use (mainly by power boat captains who wash their boats every day), water availability on the docks has been limited to two 2-hour periods (8-10am and 4-6pm) each day. Despite these restrictions, the full $6/day facility fee still applies.
– Laura Winter, S/Y Corinthian