Bordered in north by the Caribbean Sea, its climate is excessively varied, this coastal department offers tropical temperatures to the sea level with an exuberant vegetation but also the eternal snow of the Bolivar peaks and Cristóbal Colón (5800m) of altitude, without forgetting sands of the arid zones.

Santa Marta was founded by Rodrigo de Batisdas on July 29, 1525 and became the first Spanish governor on the dry land in America.
It is located in a single landscape on the shore of the Caribbean Sea in a paradisiac bay, where the climate reaches an average of 28°C annually: constant breeze coming from the sea in fact an ideal temperature for the holidays. its seaside resort El Rodadero, does not have anything to envy those of the Mediterranean.
The city presents still today beautiful colonial buildings around Plaza Bolivar, giving access to narrow streets, but it is the avenue Rodrigo de Bastidas which attracts more the tourists with his beautiful and long walk along the sea.

El Rodadero, which is in fact a barrio (district) of Santa Marta, is presented in the form of the seaside resort most European of all the Colombian coast.
Its sand beach white attracts the bathers during all the periods of the year, but it is especially in December and January that the tourists manisfestent themselves in great number. In addition to the beach, the restaurants and the discotheques, there are not many tourist attractions with El Rodadero.

Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino is the recognized villa as a national sanctuary since it contains the venerated remainders of Simón Bolivar. Its museum has a crowd of objects and curiosities having belonged to the large leader. Built in 1608, Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino wanted to be a farm specialized in the culture and the refinement of the cane with sugar. It passed to 'history since the large liberator died there some 200 years later, on December 17, 1830.

IN THE SURROUNDINGS

PARK NACIONAL TAYRONA
This natural park established its fame in Colombia for the beauty of its sand beaches white, its crystalline water in many small deserted bays protected from the sun by coconuts and its coral formation which skirts the mountain.
Nacional Tayrona Parks is dedicated to research, the conservation, the propagation and the defense of the animals and the vegetation. But it is also an important archeological site, and one can visit there Pueblito, a Tayrona village which one admires the vestiges in the middle of the forest.

The Nevada Sierra of santa Marta extending on more 17000km ², the vegetation is very diversified, energy of the dry thicket of the desert until a variety of wet thickets, while passing by the vegetation sparse, specific to the eternal snow. Fauna is also varied there. One meets there for example, a variety of birds (gulls, falcons, tubes), small mammals (foxes, monkeys, bats) and reptiles (snakes and iguanas).
The area is important also because it sheltered an important Hispanic pre population. She is inhabited still today by various ethnicities.

CIUDAD PERDIDA
Set up about years 700 of our era. It one of the urban centres most important is located in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
Ciudad Perdida was discovered only in 1975 by the archaeologist Julio César Sepúlveda. The tourists have now the authorization to visit the places if they are accompanied by guides. The voyage from one three days duration is done with back of ass and with bags of bed or hammocks.

TAGANGA
The small village of Taganga seems to be a landscape of postcard, with less than 20 mn of Santa Marta.
One finds there many small tiendas (gravers) planted on the beach where one can taste a complete variety of products of the sea, sat at table under a parasol.