TPC Santa Marta y Tayrona Location Book location book SM | Page 3

Santa Marta city and Tayrona National Park are situated in the Magdalena
Department. Santa Marta is the fourth largest urban city of the Caribbean
Region and it was the first Spanish settlement in Colombia, the city situated
on a bay by the same name is a prime tourist destination in the Caribbean
region. In addition to several beaches and sites of historical value, it has the
Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, it is an isolated mountain range separated
from the Andres chain that runs through Colombia. Reaching an altitude of
5,700 m (18,700 ft) just 42 km (26 mi) from the Caribbean coast, the Sierra
Nevada is one of the world's highest coastal ranges. The Sierra Nevada
serves as the source of 36 rivers. All the water courses drain to the
Caribbean sea directly. Located in the foothills of Sierra Nevada, and at 34
km from from the urban center is Tayrona National Park a great forest
reserve with heights from sea level to 900 meters above sea level. It has a
great variety of fauna and flora and rivers that forms a series of high
waterfalls and wells (natural pools). Of the 15,000 hectares of the park, 3,000
are marine areas.