Have you ever lived in the middle of the jungle? Surrounded by natural rainforest, howler monkeys, hummingbirds, indigenous tribes and without internet? We had the honor to enjoy all this at our first Workaway experience in the Tayrona National Park located in the north of Colombia. When we send Alejandro our first Workaway request we were really excited because we didn’t know what to expect and if we can stay with him. In his profile he said that he loves nature, lives in a little farm besides the Tayrona National Park in the middle of the jungle and needs help with some farming tasks. We were lucky and he replied very fast with a positive feedback.
To get there we took one of the many busses to Calabazo leaving from Santa Marta. Calabazo is the closest village to the Tayrona National Park. Not many people know that the small village has two entrances to the park. The main entrance and a much smaller entrance near the beginning of the village. After we arrived with the bus we bought some pasta and tomato sauce to be safe for the first day and started to find the way to Alejandro place. It was much easier as expected. We went to the “unknown” entrance and asked a couple of young locals chilling next to their motorbikes if they know Alejandro and if they can bring us to him. We found out that Alejandro is a well-known person so the guys exactly knew where to go. So, they jumped up, put on their crocks and made the motorbikes ready. The way to the “Casa of Alejandro” was half fun half scary to drive through because the conditions with the muddy road and the big backpacks in front of the handlebar of the motorbikes weren´t the best. But on the other hand, the nature, the view and the adventure was amazing. At the end we arrived safe at a place with a wooden hut which belongs to Alejandro and had a sign with “Welcome at Pura Natura Tayrona”. After we put down our luggage we paid the locals 30.000 COP (~8€) for 2 persons for the ride and they drove back to the village.
To get there we took one of the many busses to Calabazo leaving from Santa Marta. Calabazo is the closest village to the Tayrona National Park. Not many people know that the small village has two entrances to the park. The main entrance and a much smaller entrance near the beginning of the village. After we arrived with the bus we bought some pasta and tomato sauce to be safe for the first day and started to find the way to Alejandro place. It was much easier as expected. We went to the “unknown” entrance and asked a couple of young locals chilling next to their motorbikes if they know Alejandro and if they can bring us to him. We found out that Alejandro is a well-known person so the guys exactly knew where to go. So, they jumped up, put on their crocks and made the motorbikes ready. The way to the “Casa of Alejandro” was half fun half scary to drive through because the conditions with the muddy road and the big backpacks in front of the handlebar of the motorbikes weren´t the best. But on the other hand, the nature, the view and the adventure was amazing. At the end we arrived safe at a place with a wooden hut which belongs to Alejandro and had a sign with “Welcome at Pura Natura Tayrona”. After we put down our luggage we paid the locals 30.000 COP (~8€) for 2 persons for the ride and they drove back to the village.
While we were waiting for Alejandro we checked out the small wooden house which was our new home for the next week. It was provided with hammocks for sleeping, a small kitchen with a fire place and a gas cooker, a table and chairs where we were enjoying our food in the upcoming days. After 15 minutes of waiting Alejandro welcomed us with open arms and showed us his little paradise. Besides “our home” he had a natural toilet up the hill (a hole in the ground) and a shower (a tube hanging down from a tree and very lovely builded) and bounded with walls. More up the hill there were two more kioskos (wooden houses) with beds inside. The bigger one was Alejandro’s place and it was awesome. From there you could see the rich biodiversity of the forest directly out of the bed and it had an amazing view to the snow peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Also, Alejandro made friends and shares a piece of land with some indigenous tribes, so they can plant fruits and vegetables for their living. Cause of that it´s common to see indigenous people from the tribes of the Kouguis and Wiwa which are living around his area. After the tour we chilled for some time, spoked with him about his life and our world tour. Some hours later we cooked the dinner together, enjoyed the sunset and got ready for our first night in the jungle.
Our first night in the jungle was not very relaxing. Sleeping in hammocks with all the surrounding new noises from the jungle was totally different to what we experienced until now. After we woke up around 8 am Alejandro served us totally unexpected the breakfast. Fresh toasts, eggs and many avocados motivated us for the upcoming work. Alejandro was very relaxed with the work and the tasks at his place. He allowed us to decide when we want to work and when to finish his tasks. We were motivated and so we started immediately working in his garden. The main goal of Alejandro was to build new big terraces for some new plants which provide him fruits and vegetables in the future. Over the next 7 days we cleaned the whole area in front of his bungalow from the leaves, dug out half round terraces on the slope, created steps for an easier access and established different plants likes pineapples, mangos and avocado trees. In exchange for our work (3h per day 5 days the week) we got accommodation for free. He also provided us 3 daily meals for 25.000 COP (~7€) per person. All food was simple but super delicious and most of the time vegetarian (we didn’t missed meat at all). Besides this his daily coca tea was amazing and we loved to pick fruits like mangos or passionfruit’s directly from the trees of his land and eat them as a desert or whenever we wanted.
After some days of working we liked to explore the Tayrona National Park. Our first day trip brought us to Playa Brava which is located a little bit further northwest from the famous Beach Cabo San Juan. To get there from Alexandro’s place we hiked 2,5 hours. The hike wasn´t difficult but often very steep up or downhill so at the end it was very exhausting. Also the way is very straight forward so you will never get lost. If you want to be safe use MapsMe, because it has the trails of the nationalpark. At the Playa the Brava we stayed until the afternoon and went back on the same day to Alejandro’s place. If you like you can easily spend a night there and sleep in a hammock or little bungalow next to the beach. In our opinion the beach is nice for a chilled day but we wouldn´t stay there overnight because the food is expensive (menu del dia for 30.000 COP ~8€). Also, you´re never totally alone there because it´s made for tourism with perfect palms and the beach is not very long. In our opinion the Tayrona National Park offers better options…more below ;).
On our next day off we decided to hike 3 hours to the famous beach Cabo San Juan and the nearby located beach Playa Nudista. The hike to those beaches weren´t so exhausting as before. The trail is with 6-7 km one way from Alejandro´s place a little bit longer but not so steep. On the way to Cabo San Juan you automatically cross the beach Playa Nudista. We enjoyed this place a lot because the most people go directly to Cabo San Juan and so we were totally alone. That´s why we stayed a couple of hours. Franz used the time to search for some coconuts and opened them with his manpower, some old trees and a Leatherman. It was awesome to eat a fresh coconut and mango which we picked up on the beautiful beach while enjoying the view and listening to the sound of the ocean. If you´re looking for more detailed hiking references we recommend to check out this site from Road Affair.
As we came closer to Cabo San Juan we saw more and more tourists on the way because it´s the most famous beach and it´s the nearest beach from the main entrance. Fun fact: You are not allowed to swim in any of these beaches because the waves and the currents are too strong. So, we chilled there and had awesome topped breads for 9.000 COP (~2,50€) which were sold directly on the beach. All in all Capo San Juan is nice to visit, but if we would go there again we would first visit Cabo San Juan, grab some cheap topped baguettes and walk 20 min more to the near located beach Playa Nudista. There you can enjoy a beautiful beach totally on your own while eating delicious food, fruits from the jungle and watch the ocean! 🙂
Besides this through Alexandro and his Workaway we had the opportunity to make two more amazing experiences. On the one hand we had the unique chance to meet the chief of the indigenous Kougui tribe. He didn´t talk a lot but explained us more about the important things about the tribes and why their religious and famous place Pueblito is closed since March 2019. They want to save and protect the Sierra forest and their traditions. The tourist’s disrespected Pueblito by seeing it as an attraction and treat the native people like animals in a zoo. It´s a holy place for them which should be honored! Besides this it was super impressive to see his look and his little cute daughter. The clothes, the color of their hair and the presence were so different. Also, it´s hardly imaginable that his young daughter grows up in the forest without shoes, internet and all the luxury items that we had when we were kids. What a pleasure to meet those people!
On the other hand, Alejandro showed us his love and connection to the nature by walking with us a secret trail next to his place from where you can see all over the Sierra Nevada. To get up there was a little adventure. It was very steep but after 45 minutes we reached the top and could see this amazing view over the Sierra in the one side and the sea on the other side. Alejandro also told us that 10 years ago he could see the peaks of the Sierra Nevada full covered with ice and snow but today there are not much white parts left…
All in all we were very lucky with our first Workaway experience. Alejandro was super friendly, he helped us with all our belongings and we could organize our work on our own. From this Workaway we have learned that we should better appreciate our surrounding nature. For example, we decided to travel the rest of the way in Colombia by bus instead of flying. We also saw and tasted that local and seasonal fruits and vegetables are a thousand times better than goods imported into Germany. We even thought about growing our own vegetables and fruits in Germany in order to live healthier and more sustainable and above all to protect the environment. Also, we enjoyed the simple life and the gardening work in the middle of the jungle. Thanks Alejandro for this amazing and unforgettable time! Thanks for showing us how to apricate the nature more and that we only have one earth which have to protect!
P.S.: Check out our PhotoInspiration of Colombia to see more amazing pictures out of the jungle!