Colombia transport
Local buses

Local buses typically cost 1.200 COP for a ride within the city or to/from Taganga.

Taxi

Taxis cost 4.000 COP in the city, flat rate. However, we advise you to always negotiate to make sure the price will be as you expect it to be. 

From the bus terminal

Santa Marta's long distance terminal lies out of the city. The easiest way to get from there is by taxi which should not cost more than 5.000 COP.

From Santa Marta airport

Taxi should cost 25,000 COP to get you to Santa Marta city center.
Bus costs 1.200 COP.





From Cartagena
As Cartagena's long distance bus terminal is far out of the city centre and Santa Martas bus terminal is not very close to the city centre either, as an alternative to a classic bus service we recommend you to use door-to-door shuttle service provided by Marsol - they can take you directly to your hostel in Santa Marta. Your hostel in Cartagena can probably arrange this service for you or you can contact them directly.



Picture
A friendly burro enjoying Tayrona National Park's beauty

Flights within Colombia

Flying in Colombia can be cheaper than taking long distance buses. Quality of flight services is generally very good. It can be cheaper to book an international flight to Bogota and then book a separate flight to Santa Marta, or alternatively Spirit Airlines, a low cost USA carrier, flies in and out of Barranquilla (seasonal) and Cartagena.

The mostly used airlines are Avianca (www.avianca.com), Aero Republica (www.aerorepublica.com), Aires (www.aires.aero), Copa Air, and LAN . We recommend Aires, as they are the only airline in Colombia which accepts credit/debit cards from overseas when booking your flight online without any surcharge. Copa Air often offers reasonable prices and deals at times.

Avianca, at the time being, accepts on their website credit cards issued in some countries only (incl. USA). Additionally, you can buy the ticket on one of many websites, like www.expedia.com , or kayak.com etc.

When in Colombia, you can easily book your flight directly at the airline offices. In Santa Marta the airline offices are mostly around Calle 16 crossing with Carrera 3.

The Santa Marta airport code is SMR.