Palomino is a small town along Colombia’s northern coast. It quickly became our base on Colombia’s northern coast for our visits to Tayrona National Park, Cabo de la Vela, Punta Gallinas and Dibulla. We liked it!
Tubing
Tubing is the main activity to do in Palomino. We went tubing on the Palomino river on our first day.
The river was pretty low. Rather than the usual fast paced activity through mini rapids, it was a leisurely float along the river. We had a great time – relaxing, singing, chatting and enjoying the views!
At one point the water was so shallow, it was easier to walk! Although I was determined (or lazy I guess!) to float the whole way and Phoebe pulled me along by my foot! It was impossible and I had to eventually walk!
Tip: Don’t take lots with you! It all goes in the river with you so will most likely get wet! I took one of my dry bags – it really came in handy! At the end, it proved its waterproofness when our guide flipped us over into the water. The contents stayed dry! Phew!
Cost: 40,000COP (£10 approx)
Time: 2-3hrs. We left at 11am and ended at the beach just after 1pm. There are no set tour times, you can go whenever!
Relaxing and Eating
The rest of our time in Palomino we spent relaxing, eating and looking at the local artisanal shops.
We found a good mojito spot at Salomé restaurant on the main street – three for 10,000COP (£2.50 approx)! Their wok dishes were also yummy!
Next door was a good shawarma place. We got a tasty falafel wrap after getting back from Tayrona National Park.
La Frontera was great for pizza! It had a nice atmosphere and my tuna and onion pizza was yum!
You’ve probably noticed that none of these are local eateries. True!! Palomino is touristy. The main street has lots of international/tourist cuisine! Plus, I’ll be the first to say that after travelling for so long, I don’t always fancy local food.
Tip: Make sure you have plenty of cash. Palomino and most coastal towns don’t have any ATM’s. Be sure to stock up in Santa Marta!
How to get to Palomino
Situated along the coast, you can get to Palomino from Santa Marta in the south and Riohacha in the north.
Santa Marta is the most popular place to arrive from. The easiest way is to go to the marketplace and hop on a blue/green bus. It takes around 1hr30/2hrs to reach Palomino and costs 10,000COP (£2.50 approx). They run from 6am till around 6.30pm and leave every 15/20minutes.
If you’ve arrived to Santa Marta’s bus terminal, which is in the outskirts of the city, you can take a bus to Palomino from there. Hop on any bus in the direction of Riohacha and further north. Tell the driver that you’re going to Palomino so he’ll stop.
From Riohacha, you can take a colectivo to Palomino. It’ll take around 1hr30. We paid 6,000COP (£1.50 approx) each to get to Dibulla, so I imagine it might be 10,000COP to reach Palomino.
You can also hop on any bus driving along the main road in the direction of Palomino. Price will depend on where you hop on!
Dibulla
Further north of Palomino, is another small coastal town: Dibulla. It’s a way less touristy version of Palomino.
We spent two nights there at Hostal Mangal. It’s run and owned by Giada, a lovely Italian lady and is wonderful.
There are family style dinners cooked by Giada every night and they’re delicious. It was amazing to eat healthy home cooked food – a vegetarian curry, veggie burgers, vegan tiramisu and banana chocolate cake!! So so so good, especially after me being ill a few days previously!
We did nothing else apart from chill, eat her dinners, share stories and watch the sunset! It was just what I needed!
How to get to Dibulla
To get to Dibulla, hop on any bus going in the direction of Riohacha and get off at the turn off to Dibulla.
We paid 6,000COP (£1.50 approx) in a colectivo from Riohacha to the turn off and then got a shared taxi for 3000COP (£1 approx) to the town centre.
You could also get a shared taxi to Mingueo for 5000COP per person, and then another from Mingueo to Dibulla for the same.
If you’re looking for a quieter less touristy place than Palomino, I highly recommend Giada’s Hostal Mangal in Dibulla!
Final thoughts
I liked Palomino! It was touristy but not overrun! Tubing was really fun (when in Palomino!) and it was a nice place to relax.
Our hostel, Coco Sankala, was really good and we loved Karina who worked there. Pancakes for breakfast was great and they kept our bags both times we left for Tayrona and Cabo de la Vela. They even emailed me when we were away longer than planned to check we were ok!
We loved Hostal Mangal in Dibulla! Giada’s done a great job and the food is wonderful!!! It was also Phoebe’s and I’s last place together – sad times! Can’t believe a month has gone by!! We spent our last evening watching a gorgeous sunset on the beach!
