Latino music, fruit smoothies, sand and sea…. what else do you need?! Taganga is a little fishing village which is seeing more and more backpackers arrive on its shores. My first night involved staying in a hostel where they let their staff and young children sleep in the same dorm as you – it felt like we were gate-crashing someone’s home!

So after a swift deperature we decided to stay at Bayview hostel, a colourful place with hammocks in most rooms, a TV room, a sometimes-open bar and a SWIMMING POOL. This made me muchos happy because sunbathing on a beach has one big downside – the sand. So I spent many a day topping up my tan and having the odd dip.

I ended up spending nearly a week at Bayview because there was a big group of us who spent the nights by the bar or at local ‘club’ El Garaje. The club itself isn’t much to shout about, but having a big group of people to chat to makes it that little bit more bearable! After the place closed at 3am we all ended up at a beach after-party. and stayed there until the sun came up in the morning.

One morning we all decided to head to Parque Tayrona, promising sunkissed beaches, palm trees and lazy nights in hammocks! Because there’s no ATM in Taganga that worked we had to go into Santa Marta, get money out etc, and I was very nice and accompanied one girl back to the hostel to pay, so that she wouldn’t be stuck on her own. The plan was for us to get a boat there while the other guys would get the bus, pay the entrance fee and hike to the planned beach (El Cabo).

But when we got to the bay at Taganga we were told that in fact boats only run up until 2pm, so we had to go the next day. The boat ride was the WORST EXPERIENCE of my whole goddamn trip… I had a bruised arse and shooting pains in my thighs for the next few days because the ride was so rough!

No fear, when we got there it was worth it… beautiful sand (although pretty sharp on your feet!) and there was an exotic backdrop of lush vegetation and palm trees to keep us happy. The only hiccup was the overcast sky and in the evening it rained a little bit.

From my short time in Colombia I get the feeling it is about to explode as a major backpacking destination, and is the complete opposite of the negative press you read about in the media and on the internet. My advice for anyone thinking about going is just go! I have survived Rio De Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Colombia while travelling alone, all allegedly dangerous places. I will definitely return to Colombia another time in my life, and this time give myself more time to seriously see the city! I had to sacrifice the Lost City trek because of lack of time and due to spending money on Machu Picchu, so this is my next plan. One tip – if you go to the Lost City, pick some of the hallucogenic flowers – a few of the guys in my hostel decided to try a cup or two and it was really funny to see the effects of a cup of tea on these guys!