Starting with a pickup at around 7 am from your hotel in Santa Marta / Tayrona you’ll relax for around 2.5 / 1.5 hours in a drive up the coast to arrive in Rioacha in time for some morning tea at one of the cafes close to the water’s edge.
Following your Cafecito (small black coffee) you’ll continue your journey to the Sanctuary of Flora and Fauna (SFF) Los Flamencos. Arriving after just a 20 min ride, you’ll meet a representative of the Tocoromana Wayuu community. An indigenous community from this area. With the guidance of this very knowledgeable guide, you’ll take the “Mainshirutshi” trail, learning about the medicinal plants in the area, that have been trusted and used for centuries by the Wayuu indigenous.
Next, it’s a tour of the beautiful and very large Navío Quebrado lagoon. Here you’ll enjoy taking in the view of the many flamingos and other birds, such as Ibis, gulls, terns, and many migratory shorebirds that inhabit the SFF.
Following this, you’re off to a traditional lunch and a bit of relaxation on the beach before heading back home in the mid-afternoon with a camera full of memories.
The best time to visit the SFF is during the dry seasons of December to late April and July to late August. The very best time to see the largest number of flamingos is from October to late November.
